CompUSA/Apple Store Letter

Poor sales force still rampant

Greetings, good representatives of Apple, CompUSA, and progress trackers of
the "Store within a Store." I wish this report could be more optimistic but
unfortunately, it is not.

This weekend I took the liberty of finally re-investigating CompUSA Store
224 in Wilkins Township, PA. When I called back in Mid-December I was
promptly handed off to a manager who expressed his undying interest and
enthusiasm in this upcoming project. Granted this was after I assured him
that I was not with the local press so that he would not be forced to hand
me to his PR division. The manager went on to explain to me how he'd just
hired a Macintosh specialist and was in the process of hiring the second. I
should check back at the end of January.

The reason this was a re-investigation was that my January perusal was
dismal. One 'could' say that they were preparing for the incumbent
renovation. Granted, they could say this if they considered a corner of the
store stripped of everything save two Macintoshes the definition of
preparation. The two Macintoshes on display were running in the Finder with
no demonstration software, no commercial products, and most humorously, no
mouse balls. Upon inquiry into this strange maintenance I was informed
that, "Apple doesn't really support us for parts, and if they ever get
around to sending us the ones we order, we might be able to fix the broken
ones."

So now it is Mid-February. I must say that I was pleased to enter the store
and see the display from the front door. At first glance all was seemingly
as promised...Our Jobsian Utopia lie ahead, just behind the audio
components. Unfortunately, the joy began to wear away very quickly. The
unvacuumed carpet was only the smallest hint of what lay ahead.

Admittedly, there were displays and posters. Many of the computers,
however, sat running only the Finder with a blank stare at the prospective
customer. Granted, I must confess, these were the ones that were conscious
enough to stare. There was an estimated 25% of machines that were either
locked up due to a crash and/or unable to be brought to an active running
state. {Note: I couldn't get the E-Mate to do anything despite the small
green LED on the posterior hinting that it might be running.} The ones that
were in the Finder had random strewn folders on the Desktop and hard drives
with a variety of creative and obscene names.

Dressed semi-professionally, myself and two colleagues began to mull around
the display. Over a period of ten minutes I counted no less than 17
customers that wandered into the display areas and then helplessly wandered
away towards the rest of the store like lost lambs seeking a red shirted
Mecca. I will confess that two employees entered or at least approached the
carpeted wasteland of marketing hope. One was a younger male employee who
entered the area as a shortcut to get to the earlier mentioned Audio
Components and actually sped up to escape the area possibly after either
realizing that he had trod onto sacred ground in an unwashed manner or just
because someone would dare ask him for service in the area. The second
employee was a manager type, a middle aged woman with a clipboard talking
to a regional looking suit. All I was able to hear of their conversation as
they weaved toward the space was, "this, of course, is the Macintosh area."

"Seen enough?" my colleague asked.
"Pretty much." I responded.

We headed towards the exit. I realized there was one last task, that
perhaps this grand service store could offer me before I left. The elderly
gentleman at the door was ready to scan my (lack of) receipt. {I can only
assume this was to make sure I wasn't shoplifting a Pentium} I asked him
where the rest room was. He pointed towards the 'training center.'

The training center was also a carpeted area. Very business like. It looked
as if it had just been vacuumed moments before I entered. My arrival would
herald the coffee break for someone who would busily emerge from a hole in
the wall to revacuum the moment I left. The bathrooms were immaculate. I'll
skip some less than relevant details here. Upon emerging from the restroom
and reentering the store I found myself face to face with a wall of
monitors displaying various flavors of Pentium based attempts at processing.

As if recently transported by the Enterprise herself, a 'red shirt'
materialized rather unexpectedly at my right side.

"May I answer any questions for you, sir?"

<pause>

"No, thank you. You just did."


Reflections:
	If one were a member of the press, I could see them all doomsaying
on behalf of Apple for this experience. Why? Because it's Apple. I've found
no other motivational reasons for the Press except that they love a
scapegoat. They would expect Apple to micromanage each store under their
auspices even though it should be the responsibility of the retailer.
	I would strongly advise the representatives of CompUSA that if they
are going to enter into such a public project and agreement that they
themselves evaluate the job they are doing. By agreeing to this contract
they have fallen and will continue to fall under the scrutiny of a public
that wants to see fair marketing.

End note:
	I will admit to being biased to the Apple platform. This is not
because my full time job is to develop software in support of this
platform. This is not because I hold Stock in the company. {Even though I
do value the fact that I own a good hundred-millionth of the company}
	This response is because I am an educated shopper who would like to
have a fair chance to peruse all of my options equally. However, in the
end, I feel as though, at least with this store, I am not receiving a fair
or just shopping experience.


Respectfully submitted,
Greg A. Tapolow
Systems Analyst, University of Pittsburgh

Standard Disclaimer: No, Pitt. as an entity doesn't know that I necessarily
wrote this and as a result no one is to blame and no one is responsible for
the words that issue from my mouth, fingers or any other applicable orifice
save myself.

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Copyright © 1998 by Bill Fox.
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