DEAL: Compusa 20% Off Digital Photography & Accessories

Iota

For those not aware, CompUSA is closing its stores nationwide. Infact, 'CompUSA' is now owned by a liquidation company with the hopes of being completely closed down after the holidays.

Currently, they're running sales up to 20% off and (at least in Houston) their photography equipment is at 20%. This evening I saw, in stock, at my CompUSA a 40D NIB for around $1,110 which is currently cheaper than B&H. Mine also had a slew of Canon XTis and P&S in stock as well a bunch of SanDisk Extreme 8 & 16 GB CF cards all at 20% off. They also carry some of the Lowepro bags as well.

YMMV, but if you're already fighting the holiday crowds, you might consider dropping in at your local CompUSA (if it hasn't closed yet) and see what they have.

-Iota

nickatnite

Yup...

Comp USA over here in Baton Rouge has all of the camera crap at 10% off. For instance, if you go to their website and look at the Nikon D40, it's 499.00. If you go in the store, they have it at full price (549.00) and with the 10% off, it makes it 494.00. Not so much of a deal.

3n-out

I hadn't heard CompUSA was closing nation wide. This is sad really, as the computer industry bottoms out. I'm in the computer biz myself and I can tell you that in the last 5 years my biz has hit rock bottom. There is no margin for hardware or software and the labor pay has really dropped over the years. If I can just make it anothe 20 years in this biz I will have made a 45 year career off of PC's and networking. But I'm afraid I my fall short and that is what I'm hoping doesn't happen.

nickatnite

3n-out wrote:

I hadn't heard CompUSA was closing nation wide. This is sad really, as the computer industry bottoms out. I'm in the computer biz myself and I can tell you that in the last 5 years my biz has hit rock bottom. There is no margin for hardware or software and the labor pay has really dropped over the years. If I can just make it anothe 20 years in this biz I will have made a 45 year career off of PC's and networking. But I'm afraid I my fall short and that is what I'm hoping doesn't happen.

Here ya go, it's really sad. I liked them to buy my computer stuff. I heard about it the day it happened and the only reason why is that my wife is in the Financial / Stock Market biz and called me about the closings.

CompUSA, Falling to Competition, to Shut Down After Holidays

Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- CompUSA, the computer retailer that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim owned since 2000, will shut its doors after 23 years, succumbing to competition from Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Here is the rest of the story


Here is the Marketwatch.com story

colourbox

nickatnite wrote:

For instance, if you go to their website and look at the Nikon D40, it's 499.00. If you go in the store, they have it at full price (549.00) and with the 10% off, it makes it 494.00. Not so much of a deal.

Have read other warning posts on the Web that many CompUSA stores are definitely calculating the "XX% off" prices from the list price, not whatever price they were selling them at before the closure. It looks like the bogus sale is just to get you to show up and help minimize their losses.

MarkR

I was in the local CompUSA the other day and noticed a few things:

The sales guy at the camera counter said something to the effect of "gee, we've sold more cameras (at 10% off) than we ever have."

I believe that their previous method of sales was to try to sell everything at full retail, then fire sale them to make room for the new models.

Hmm, I thought, maybe this amazing new retail strategy of modestly discounting their merchandise might have saved them had they applied it earlier in the game ...

... then, in the space of about two minutes, I watched two completely unrelated "significant verbal altercations" occur between customers and CompUSA employees. By-and-large, the customers were more professionally behaved.

I didn't buy anything. But I was amused.

Bonus Linky (warning: contains bad language, and cartoon violence!)

cmason

Well I can't say I am sad to see them go. I tried to avoid the place unless they had something I wasn't willing to wait for Newegg to deliver. I don't think it says anything dire about the computer industry, in fact it seems healthier than ever...I can now go to Best Buy, Staples, heck even Walmart and get replacement harddrives, cables, DVD drives, memory, and all kinds of bits for my PC...not just 'peripherals". CompUSA used to be unique, but other vendors caught up and passed them. Also, the likes of Newegg and Amazon impacted them like other brick and mortar stores. Oddly, CompUSA seemed the think the way out was selling TVs and cameras..dumb.

Heck, Fry's seems to be doing fine, and they have the formula right.

Moogle Pepper

TIme to check out their ink and photo paper selection!

entropysedge

cmason wrote:

Well I can't say I am sad to see them go. I tried to avoid the place unless they had something I wasn't willing to wait for Newegg to deliver. I don't think it says anything dire about the computer industry, in fact it seems healthier than ever...I can now go to Best Buy, Staples, heck even Walmart and get replacement harddrives, cables, DVD drives, memory, and all kinds of bits for my PC...not just 'peripherals". CompUSA used to be unique, but other vendors caught up and passed them. Also, the likes of Newegg and Amazon impacted them like other brick and mortar stores. Oddly, CompUSA seemed the think the way out was selling TVs and cameras..dumb.

Heck, Fry's seems to be doing fine, and they have the formula right.

true.

Last time i was in a CompUSA was when the hard drive died on my viao (among other things) and I was looking to get a new laptop right away (of course I had a deadline when this happened). When I was in the store, I was basically ignored ... I was asking something to the guy in the store when a nicely dressed couple walked into the section. He immediately left me and went over to talk to them (I guess he figured that I wasn't going to buy anything). I left, went to the Bestbuy that was across the parking lot, got my question answered and bought my new laptop. I mentioned my experience to the guy in Bestbuy and he said that they got alot of their computer business from people who had just left the CompUSA store.

evoryware

Agree with CMason. I used newegg for most of my hardware purchases.
I worked for CompUSA Business Sales for 4 years and watched their demise internally and it was ugly. They didn't care about the employees, they had no focus market because they got distracted by Best Buy and Walmart (not really their competition) and their vendors started pulling their credit lines when sale rumors started. Best Buy tried to buy them out and save some jobs, but Comp said no. They had too much useless and corrupt upper management which is where a lot of the money went.
I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did. I thought they would be done by summer, but I guess the cash infusion by Carlos Slim gave them a few extra months. What a waste.
I learned what not to do when I run my own business, that's for sure.

theNOIZ

All Sales Final

Iota wrote:

For those not aware, CompUSA is closing its stores nationwide. Infact, 'CompUSA' is now owned by a liquidation company with the hopes of being completely closed down after the holidays.

I was shopping for a P&S for my wife and asked them if they would match a Circuit City price and they wouldn't. However, the same Samsung camera on their website was discounted equally to Circuit City.

I've been stopping in CompUSA the past three weeks because I have one close to where I work. Here's a couple of things to keep in mind. All sales are final. All CompUSA credit cards have been frozen. You're expected to pay your current balance, but not add to it. If you have CompUSA giftcards, use 'em now.

icetraxx

I know a number of the stores are becomming a Tiger Direct. At least the one in Baton Rouge is. The only time I use these stores is if I need something quicker than I can order it or to go look at it in person. However some of the local non-chain stores prices are cheaper that they are also.

Larry