As some of you may know, a Best Buy store just opened in the
space vacated by Highland Appliance in the Target shopping
center.  I stopped by today to look for a vacuum cleaner, but was
pleasantly surprised to find a large computer section.  The
prices seem to be about what the computer superstores, such as
Computer City or CompUSA charge.
 
I looked at the CD-ROM drives.  They had both plain drives and
packages with both drives and sound cards.  It was quite a good
selection.
 
They also had a pretty good selection of computer software.  The
selection wasn't as broad as Computer City, perhaps not even as
broad as Egghead, but the prices were better than Egghead.

54 responses total.

  oooh better than Egghead?? I DEFINITLY have to check this place out.

(drool, drool).

check out ccs.  they've got great prices.

I was there today, and it seemd that everyone else was too.

I checked the price of an NEC 4FGe 15" multisync monitor (1024x768).
At $720 it was $1 more than the best mail order price. Not too shabby.
They had a stack of PCs from Packard Bell and Dell that went up to the
ceiling. Nevertheless people were complaining that they had sold
out some stuff already. We bought some audio CD's for $6.

Any place is better than Egghead.

Why would anyone buy the 4FGe, a 1024x768 monitor, for $720? 

Because it's an excellent monitor. What would you suggest?

  
  j class and see ............

This response has been erased.

Do they have a Comp USA in Ann Arbor yet?

re 9: no.  The closest one I'm aware of is on John R. just south of 14 Mile
in Madison Heights.

Nope.  There isn't one here in AA.  There is one in Dearborn now, though.
That's a bit closer than the one in Sterling Heights.

btw, I take back what I said about the selection at Best Buy.  At second
glance, it's *not* that great.

That's right. And the prices aren't that great either. Somebody out there
opening these things has more money than brains.

Maybe he's just counting on the computer-buying newbies not having
brains, which may not be a bad assumption.

re:Best Buy:  They'll match anyone's prices in the area.  My friend works
              there and said he changed the price of the NEC monitors about
              four times in one day. :)

Hmm, I wonder if it was worth te drive to go to COMPUSA.  I don't know, seemed
a little too big.

Re: Best Buy stores. AKA: Highland Appliance by any other name.

Have you noticed that *all* of the locations of the former Highland Appliance
stores just happened to now be occupied by Best Buy stores?

The Highland "going out of business" sale, was the best organized, most
highly advertised, and marketed "going outof business sale" I've ever seen.
Think about it, when a company really is going-out-of-business, they ussually
are because they are *broke*, they don't have the funds to plaster the
airwaves with all those commericials, that were speciffically produced just
for the sale. That takes *alot* of money.

The prices Highland put on their merchandise during the sale wern't all that
great. When a company truly goes out of business, they're trying to move
*all* that stuff out of there, including the shelving, floor models, display
cabinets, *everything*. Alot of time you see things going for 1/2 or even
1/4 the original price.

I was telling a friend at the time that I though the whole thing was a scam.
That they would close their doors and 4 months later another appliance
chain called "Buyland" or "something-land" would spring up to replace them.
Almost got the name right.

I was thoroughly disgusted with the way Highland did business and their
*very* pushy sales people. I wouldn't shop at Highland. I don't intend
to shop Best Buy either as I'm fairly convinced it's the same people running
the show and they will probably have the same instore tactics.

Highland lost a bunch of bucks trying to penetrate the Chicago 
market, and had to undergo a "reorganization" as a result. It might
be correct to believe that this was an intentional bankrupcy/re-org
to get things started again out from under a large debt and
debt service burden.
  
That would partially explain the hi-visibility 'going out of
business sale' stuff. 

Highland sold much of their inventory to ABC Warehouse.

The markups on some electronic equipment is *huge*. I went to ABC Warehouse
and Mickey Schorrs to look for a hand-held phone. There's a Mitsubishi
which Mickey Schorrs (owned by the same guy who owns ABC Warehouse) sells
for about $750. I went to ABC Warehouse and the guy showed me what their
cost is -- $400. This isn't even their real cost, because apparently 
Cellular One pays Mickey Schorrs $200 for each person they sign up. In
effect, Mickey Schorrs' cost on the Mitsubishi was $200 and they were 
selling it for $750! (The sticker price was $900!) You don't see that kind
of markup in the computer industry... (There's an ABC Warehouse and 
a Mickey Schorrs at the same mall in Canton, and I just walked back and
forth inviting them to cut each other's throats. It was beautiful...)

BTW, all this "lower price" crap between Fretter and ABC is totally
irrelevant because they compare sticker prices, which hardly has any
bearing on eventual price. During my recent search for a kick-ass stereo
system, I found out that Fretter's claim of "lower prices" is true, if you
look at the sticker price. But ABC's eventual price is usually lower
than Fretter's (and Highlands). You got to know how to deal with those
ABC salespeople, however. 

Re #16: I didn't find any pushy salespeople in Best Buy. A *real* contrast
to Highland. In fact, I had trouble finding any salespeople.
(They were there, though).
I don't think Best Buy is related to Highland in any way.
They just bought the leases at the auction.

      My experience with Highland's going out of business sale sure didn't seem
like they were trying to sell anything.  I went in there, and their prices were
still quite high.  Then I had a question about something, and started to look
for one of those pushy sales people.  I did find one, eventually, but he didn't
seem very interested.  I eventually figured out that they had probaly figured
out that the longer it took to sell out, the longer they would have jobs..

Best Buy is also in Children's Palaces. Bleah. They is everywhere. Shop
47th Street Photo. Practice tax avoidance.

I've been in ABC a few times but always walked out saying I'd never go back.
I'm starting to figure them out though....Now they just have to have what I
want in stock!

Interesting theory about Highland Superstores re-emerging under another
name...unfortunately I can tell you that your theory isn't correct.  Highland
was a customer of ours, and they no longer are.  The equipment of our they
were using went back to the 3rd party that held the paper on it, for
resale somewhere else. 

Highland is definately dead.  ABC Warehouse bought their inventory and ran
the going-out-of-business sales, hence the high-visibility.  By that time,
Highland was long gone.  Best Buy is a totally seperate chain, I *think*
it's based in Milwaukee (just popped into my head, probably wrong).  I like
the concept - it's like a PACE or an OfficeMax for electronics.  I like
being able to actually get at the merchandise, and they've definately
got a lot of stuff...  good prices on CDs too. :)

The employees I talked to were helpful.  (bias: my friend works there. :)
There were a lot of them, too.

They have great prices on Mac Performas.  They sell a Performa 450 (aka LClll)
for $1695 including monitor and 2400 baud modem and a pile of software.  That's
about $100 less tan Sears.

You guys know about the new CompUSA in Novi right? Right off of 96, at
the 12 Oaks Mall there.

Computer City?  I just looked in the phone book and I still don't know.
What and where is that?

Yes.  Whre is the Twelve Oaks Mall?

Comp USA is very cool.  They carry all the magazine, all the hardeare,
and all the software.  And they have a 30 day return policy.

 12 Oaks Mall is at the corner of I-96 and Novi Rd.

Is that part of I-96 that is also 275 and runs north and
south but is still called east and west?

Novi Rd. is exit 162 from I96, and is about 2 miles *west* of where
I96 joins I275. Hmmmm - my map shows 12 Oaks Mall to be on 12-mile Rd.
between Beck (exit 160) and Novi roads, just north of I96.

 No that is about 5 miles from 275. 

You've got a map? I've got a map. Right here. 2 miles to Novi Rd. The
>newspaper advertisement gives the address as 43135 Crescent Blvd, Novi.
>That is *really* useless, unless you are a local (or have a better map
>than this one). Hmm..Crescent Blvd isn't even on my country map. It
looks like this will require an expedition.

 Cresent dr is the name of the circle around 12 oaks. 
As far as the sis er distance, havent been there is in 2 tyrs, so I could 
be a little off

Bust BUY is too big!

I think it's one of the smallest Best BUY stores in their chain.

I have just resturned from CompUSA in Novi. It is in the Novi Town
Center shopping area just *south* of I96 and east of Novi road. The
entrance is across from a Big Boy. But Jim got one thing right - it
was give miles from !275, after I explored the 12-Oaks Mall north of
I96. (No,  they didn't have what I sought.)

 Ahhh vindicated at last ;)

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