CompUSA closing lots of stores....all console stuff 10% off!

[boykster]

and likely to drop more.  My local CUSA has all console related items 10% off, and a bunch of other stuff as much as 30% off.

Here's a list of stores that are closing:

http://www.compusa.com/locations/closing_stores.asp

I think I'll be snagging a "spare" xbox360 in case mine ever has issues....

[ChadTower]

It's a little early to snag a spare 360, isn't it?  They're still awfully expensive to sit around that much to save $40.

[boykster]

I'm going to wait and see if any survive till 20% off, and all I'd need is the basic console, if my other one breaks I can just use the other cables/controllers/hard drive etc.  My "happy" price is $200-250

[ChadTower]

You must use it a lot, eh? 

[somunny]

Glad to see they're going out of business, the over-priced ---daisies---.  Looks like all the CUSA's in my area (AZ) are closing.  Thanks for the tip.  I'll be watching.

[ChadTower]

The problem is that for many things, if you need it right now, that's the only place to get it.  Here in MA we have very few places that carry that variety of hardware.  I had to pick up PC power supply Y adapter a few weeks ago and CompUSA was the only place within a half hour that had them.

[somunny]

Oh, I agree with you there.  They've had me by the short hairs a few times in the past.  Luckily we have a Fry's Electronics close by now.

[boykster]

Yeah, I'm torn about them closing as I also had a love/hate relationship.  For "gotta have it now" type stuff, they're so close and even though overpriced still beat mail order for small things.  That y-cable probably would have cost you $0.99 from newegg, but shipping would be $3.00 and take a few days.

We also have a Fry's nearby, but its a good 20miles from my house, whereas the CUSA is just a couple.  We DO have a couple of decent local computer stores, which is rare these days as most of them died in the late 90's / early 00's.

I am tempted to pickup a copy of Vista Ultimate, as my dad is getting a new PC soon and I'm sure it will have Vista on it.  I'm his only tech support guy (by phone, he lives in the Cayman Islands) and he's sure to be clueless as he just finally got used to WinXP over Win98.

 

[ChadTower]

The Caymans, eh?  How many bank accounts is he holding for you?   

[hypernova]

Fiddlesticks.

Mine isn't closing.  A wonder, considering there's a Microcenter within 10 minutes of it.  They have much more variety in the way of parts, and better pricing, if I'm not mistaken.  (I don't go very often, it's still a 40 minute drive for me.)

[badugi]

Up in washington I saw a sign in CompUSA thats going for 30% off on everything...  That was in Lynnwood at 196th nearby alderwood mall.  I'm pretty sure that the sale percent will increase.  My friend tells me it can maybe even go for 50% for some items soon I dunno about console stuff though.

[thennomeking]

try to find out their last week, then the real deals hit.  When they closed a store in my area the 7900GTX AGP version had just come out, the sticker price was $399.  A buddy of mine got it for $25.  My area stores are all going out by June 26th, so you better believe the 20th Ill be there buying what I can.

[ChadTower]

If you wait that long here you'll find pretty much just the fixtures and some magazines.

[AlanS17]

Last time I checked, everything here was still just 10% off. You can find better prices than that on individual items at any other store in town. I'm waiting for the big sales.

I've got Fry's, Microcenter, and CompUSA near me. Even if Microcenter and CompUSA teamed up, Fry's would still beat them without breaking a sweat. And this is Dallas, TX - the corporate home of CompUSA (if I'm not mistaken).

[ark_ader]

When I was there last it was a great place to buy out of print books.

NT4 Server is still floating around, and they have tons of Linux books too.

[AlanS17]

... so if I want a book for an operating system that was obsoleted 7 years ago, I'll be sure to check out CompUSA. 

[ChadTower]

Went there the other day looking for a dual layer DVD burner because my drive keeps burning coasters lately... the cheapest, CompUSA brand was 10% off and still $90... whereas after looking around a little I found a much better drive for $35 shipped online.  So their clearance isn't much use yet.

[boykster]

Went there the other day looking for a dual layer DVD burner because my drive keeps burning coasters lately... the cheapest, CompUSA brand was 10% off and still $90... whereas after looking around a little I found a much better drive for $35 shipped online.  So their clearance isn't much use yet.

Yep, 10% isn't much help for computer stuff, but for CONSOLES, they tend to be pretty much fixed price, and 10% is actually a discount.  Heck, just buying OEM stuff vs retail packed from a local computer store will get you way better prices that CUSA's....

[geomartin]

I stopped by COMP USA today and I could not find a single thing I wanted to buy that I could not get somewhere else cheaper.

[ChadTower]

Yep, 10% isn't much help for computer stuff, but for CONSOLES, they tend to be pretty much fixed price, and 10% is actually a discount.  Heck, just buying OEM stuff vs retail packed from a local computer store will get you way better prices that CUSA's....

Console game prices drop like a lead weight not too long after release.  Just not being on the very bleeding edge of the release cycle will save you a lot more than 10%.  Accessories are all much, much cheaper online.  Systems are a one time purchase and the last thing in the whole store to hit any discount level.

[mairsil]

Don't bother with the CompUSA closings unless you want to get in quick for a 10-20% discount or you want "filler" stock like CD/DVD cases, air dusters and notebook backpacks. By the time the discounts get to a decent level, the liquidators and corporate CompUSA have already moved the "good" items (i.e. the resellable stuff) to warehouses to sell online or redistribute to other stores.

Same thing happened at Tower Records. As soon as the discount percentage got to a certain level, the liquidator had the employees box up and ship out every DVD/CD made within the last two years. The liquidator probably ended up paying less than 5 cents per dollar on those items too.

[FrizzleFried]

CompUSA price - 30% discount = Higher price than Newegg SHIPPED

A 50% off discount at CompUSA starts to become a deal.   Have you ever noticed there are rarely more than 15-20 customers in a CompUSA at any given time,  and yet you STILL can't find an employee to ask a question?   That's ok,  because most of the time the employee doesn't know ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- anyway.   A friend of mine called me yesterday saying that the employee at CompUSA was telling him that he would need new RAM if he upgraded from an AGP 939 motherboard to a PCIe 939 motherboard.  I asked him to hand the phone to the employee,  but she had walked away.  I'd have liked to tell her that unless she knows what the hell she is talking about,  it would be best for her to keep her trap shut.

My friend was freaking out because they were trying to sell him 2GB of RAM on top of the motherboard and video card.   ---uvulas---.

...and have you ever seen what they charge to "upgrade memory"?  $29.99 to snap a friggin' stick of RAM in (well,  pull the case side off and snap a stick of RAM in).

Here is what I think about CompUSA closing:   

[AlanS17]

The prices on TV's are down to a 15% discount now. I'm gonna let them keep on coming down before I even consider a purchase.