Rumor: CompUSA going out of business in January
By Ryan Block 
posted December 5th 2007 6:12PM
posted December 5th 2007 6:12PM
So we've heard enough banter about CompUSA being on its last legs and possibly shuttering completely after closing more than half the chain's stores earlier this year. Well, chalk this up to rumor (in fact, rumor with prejudice if you must), but we're privy to a high-level internal email competitor Best Buy recently circulated which claims to have it on authority (but not "verified") that CompUSA's holiday revenue is half what it was last year (which, as commenter Hans points out, might have to do with those store closures), store-restocking shipments are not being scheduled past February, and additional liquidators are being called in to help manage closure of the 103 remaining stores. Sure, it could be a sneaky misinformation campaign -- or it could be the truth. We gave CompUSA a ring, and their PR team has yet to respond to the claim; but for what it's worth, if we weren't already hearing this kind of thing elsewhere (or didn't believe it plausible) we wouldn't waste your time.
For the reader that commented RadioShack's CEO doesn't know how they stay in the black. Remember he came from fast food and not from an electronics retailer. That is why they want the employees to add on to a sale. The "would you like french fries and a drink?" approach to retail sales. Also if they keep reducing the number of componet parts that you can buy it will get harder for them. They did sale off ComputerCity when it started to go under. In fact they sold it I believe to ComputerUSA.
It's official--announced late this afternoon, CompUSA has been sold to Gordon Brothers, the liquidation company. Stores will remain open during the holidays to sell off inventory. Corporate employees will find out if they've been laid off through email. No mention of any severance pay. The announcement was made so late that many employees are not aware of the development.
Well I sure miss the CompUSA closed near me. Also the Tandy's Computer City. The best one left is Fry's, but is a long drive. The good old days are over.
This is a little off the subject, but I happened to pick uo a book, The End of America. I happened to go into Borders and now there are several books along the same line, both left wing and right wing. Good luck to you all.
So now I cant get comped into clubs anymore? Damnit!
The rumors are true. I work for CompUSA right now. I came home to messages on my answering machine. I don't know all the details but the company is now in the hands of a liquidator.
I don't even know what to say. I currently work for CompUSA. Since I started to work for this company I have noticed the business has been driving down slowly. We discussed this "rumor" before, but never thought it would happen.
I hope you people who are pissing on the name "CompUSA" are directing that anger towards the cooperate office. We as employees do as we're told, although in my store, we do look out for the people more. We understand what shit you as customers go through. We as employees don't always agree with "cooperate".
The reason CompUSA is going out of business is definitely the higher ups fault. We as employees and my managers had no say in how CompUSA is ran. The owner apparently thought for himself and himself only. This is a reason why I can see you guys are upset with CompUSA, hell I would be. I'm a strong fan of "Newegg" and stores alike. And your right... cooperate can go to hell.
Why do we have to be punished? Its the way the world works and shit happens.
-Disgruntled Employee
CompUSA sucked. I bought my first computer in there in 98. I went through 6 computers before I found one that worked. It took me over a month to get one. On the fifth one they pulled it out of the box and I refused to take it home until someone checked it. They checked it and it was broken. They took that one to repair it for two weeks, refused to give me my money back, gave me a loaner that I had to bring back because it didn't work. Then they never told me when they had finally fixed it (which was 3 days after they opened it-remember they had it for two weeks). I got that one home and it broke crashed the next day! I went in and spoke to several managers and no one would even give me a discount and they totally refused to refund me. Finally I on the 6th one 97th if you count the loaner) I got one that worked.
One positive thing did come of it however...I was in their so much that I got to know the customer service desk girl. We ended up dating for about 6 months before she went upstate to college. I really liked her.
A few years later they got bought out by Mexicans. I always found it funny that CompUSA was owned by Mexicans.
I'm a hourly store employee at CompUSA and just got word of the closing. Pretty crappy when you find out that you'll be outta a job in 2 weeks. From what I have heard, as of tonight that is, the company has been sold and we will all be outta jobs just after the holidays. Will have know the exact date on Monday the 10th.
Its a shame when your sales managers tell you to sell extended warranties on everything saying "you have a multi-billion dollar company backing you" and then you find out your out of a job in 2 weeks.
All I can say is should've taken the job at Best Buy. haha.
I'm an employee at compusa. im agree with "autumnacid" comments. We the employee, as in any other jobs, we follow everythings that was told by corporate. All the mess is at the upper level the very upper level.
Im pissed because I just found out all about this when im ready to start my shift. I heard rumors about compusa going out of bussiness... I never thought it would be a surprise... i thought corporate would let us know in advance.... Corporate go throw yourself off of the cliff......
Hmmm.... I wonder why people are unhappy about the customer service? You can't even spell employee? The standards must have dropped even further since worked for them. At least I can read.
CONFIRMED IN CHARLOTTE ALSO! I have to agree it some of the posts here, there prices may not always be the best, but my local CompUSA has some great Managers!(Independance Store anyway) So much so that I will be helping then look for jobs through my network of recruiters.
I stated to many friends that ComPUSA was doomed about a year ago when I would walk into the store and see empty shelves where C-USA branded items should be, made the comment about 6 mos ago that "Apparently they could not pay their bills" and little did I knwo it must have been true.
I feel bad for the true, intelligent, hard working employees that try to do their jib the best they can and get screwed by corporate America time and time again. But I will do my best to help the ones that have been good to me and helped me when I needed it.
Liquidation begins Wednesday. Sunday's ad runs thru Tuesday. After store closes Tuesday night, out comes the Liquidation signs and down goes the CompUSA signs. They will honor ad all week though. Every store in chain has been taken over by Liquidation team on Saturday. Liquidation leader runs the show. Liquidation cycle goes thru end of Feburary. Same graduated Liquidation cycle pricing as the first round of closing (rather stupid not to blow it out quickly). Liquidation team says they were called upon in a hurry and thus it looks like the rumors of Carlos washing his hands of things last week is true after negotiations broke down, and he simply turned it over and takes the tax loss this year. Sounds like he gave up trying to cut a deal.
On Friday and Saturday they were not honoring any of their advertised sale prices.
I worked at CompUSA until three months ago when I left to go to school. I worked there when I was in High School and it's one of the best place I worked at. Though, the costumer service was poor, I did my best to make the costumers feel welcome. Because I'm home for the holidays, I went to CompUSA today and asked my manager if I would be able to work there during my Christmas Break. Then I heard the news that they were going to be closing and starting on Wednesday, they will have a liquidation sale. So, I exchanged my Spherex 5.1 speaker system using my replacement plan for a Bose Companion 5 and my manager gave me the Companion 5 speakers at COST. :D
I like to think I helped them to their demise by boycotting that piece of shit store and telling all my friends to do it too. They were assholes in the way they ran their business
I used to work at the store in rhode island...it was so utterly mis-managed..and at our particular store a father who had risen up to high ranking levels in the company gave managerial jobs to his 'inept' sons..only compounding the problems. It was never a matter of 'if' they would close..but when. If you have not seen..the remaining stores WILL close after the end of the year and thier merchandise sold. What could have been a nice 'niche' store became one of the worst and now pays the price. Sucks..Im out of a summer job. Feel bad for those 'inept' managers...no one will hire them..they will go hungry.
I worked @ CompUSA for many years and enjoyed working there. We took pride in taking care of our customers. When CompUSA closed down 50% of the stores in the earlier part of this year I knew it was time to get out. I feel for each employee and their families. Nobody deserves to loose their job especially at the holiday season. Slim doesn't care about any of the employees that worked for CompUSA, if he did he would not have brought in people to sell the company and promise them a huge bonus if they could sell it by the end of the year.
Everyone in this forum is bad mouthing the company but it sure is funny that there was alot of loyal customers. I think the company itself was fine it was the people that ran it that caused all of this. Slim didn't get to be the 2nd richest billionare in the world by caring about people and this is the way he shows it.
There will be thousands of people all over the US that will be worrying how they will feed there families now and that is sad. Nobody seems to remember this. I had alot of friends at CompUSA and now they will have no where to go.
You or anyone else can just find another job. These employees of CompUSA will struggle to find a job that will pay them what they have work so many years to get to.
I wish all the employees and their families a Merry Christmas and will pray that each one finds a job quickly so that they and their families do not have to suffer financally or mentally for very long.
I wont complain. I own a local IT company in Richmond and have done about 300 inhouse jobs for them in the past. I have connections in the Corporate office in Texas and at the local store and they have aggreed to give me there client list for my entire region. So i am smiling as well. :)
It is so strange to me that so many people had negative expirience with CompUSA. I think our CompUSA is pretty nice, I like it. I really don't like customer service in CC, it takes forever to do anything. I bought in CompUSA more staff then in CC and BB. I think it depends on what are you looking for. It is definetely not a place to buy a TVs or DVDs. It has reasonable and sometimes very good offers on computers etc. We bought several digital cameras there, CompUSA often had the best offeres (like free printer with any camera).
I will miss them. And I am sorry for all emploeeys, even if they find jobs right away, it is a lot of stress and hassle. Only somebody without imagination and real life expirience can give stupid comments that it's nothing or good for the economy.
Yay! Had a "customer service rep" curse me out at their flagship store on 5th Ave in New York. Floor Manager saw and heard. Store Manager saw and heard. Called the regional manager next day, no answer. Took my US$ 120,000 annual spend to CDW. Less convenient. Much nicer service.
I was just at CompUSA, and the going out of business prices are actually HIGHER than their advertised prices for the month of December. A $60 KVM switch that was advertised for $20 (after rebate) was $48, a $250 cell phone was priced at $400.
And no one has even mentioned Carlos Slim Helú of Mexico City, now richer than Bill Gates, as part, if not all, of the problem or policy. One should take a look at his holdings, and his charity or lack thereof, to realize the "surprise".
CompUSA has never been good, their costumer service sucks, the store is dirty, they never have enough people working there, and the product options are really limited. Im not surprised they're closing, the ones around here are now starting to put up their closing sale signs. I have always and still will go to best buy, so this doesn't effect me at all. And Circut City needs to close down too, because it's almost as crapy as CompUSA.
NEWSFLASH: ARMED GUARDS AT CERTAIN CRAMPUSA STORES DUE TO CUSTOMER RIOTING AT THE TECH COUNTERS.
SALESMEN NOT RECEIVING THEIR PAYCHECKS. SEEMS TO BE A REAL MESS OVER THERE GUYS. AVOID THE GORDON BROTHERS DISASTER GROUP. DONT BUY THEIR SHIT. SALES ARE PHONEY AND PRICES HAVE BEEN JACKED UP!
Get your rebates in now.
Mail in your rebates now.
any idea when the final liquidation date is?
I have never had a good experience at Comp USA. I was in a store one time and there was a salesperson walking up and down an isle. He was wearing a hands free headset. At the time he wasn't talking. A woman walked up to this man and asked him a question. He rudely stated "I am on the phone!" There wasn't even an attempt to be apologetic. That really stood out in mind.
I went to look at this big "liquidation sale" yesterday and to my surprise everything is marked up. Then the price that is discounted is the price that you find stuff at every other place. For example, the ipod nano that is normally around $150 everywhere is listed at $175 or $180 then "reduced to somewhere around $150. It seems that even though they are going out of business they are still attempting one big marketing scheme.