http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 11:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 13th 2007 4:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
Anyway, I bet you could try snagging some of the open box computers on the cheap if they'll haggle. They had prices already marked on the opened Windows PCs, but not on any of the Mac products.

BTW, curiously enough they had big trailers crating away boxes hours after the liquidation announcement. It looked as if they were taking the HDTVs away. ]]>Dec 12th 2007 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 2:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
At any rate, an employee at the store in Midtown Manhattan said that on Dec. 26, the liquidators will dramatically slash prices.

BTW, thanks for the info about Gordon Bros.'s no haggling policy. ]]>Dec 12th 2007 2:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 4:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
The difference is that the senior director of HR I'm sure will get a pension, severance package, etc, while all the employees get unemployment for a few weeks if they're lucky.

He could at least act like he gave a shit that he just fired thousands of people. Instead he just took 30 seconds to C+P the same layoff letter he's bee using for 10 years.]]>Dec 13th 2007 12:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/How can they customize it for thousands of workers?
Basic business letter, makes it point short and sweet. It's a cut throat business world out there.]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
Oh please. Who are you? Michael Moore? Where's the real Ryan Block? ]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
An ever better title would have been "Compusa HR director sends layoff letter to everyone, including himself." The company is going out of business and the "soulless corporate robot" is also losing his job, not that I feel any more sorry for him than everyone else at Compusa that will be out of a job soon.

I expect this sort of thing on the consumerist, where it belongs, but this is engadget.]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
Oh and yeah, this is no big deal. It's not like the employees didn't know it was coming. Corporate's just trying to cover their asses on the way out. If it were me , the less I was reminded of the situation the better. ]]>Dec 12th 2007 2:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 2:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=compusa_sucks

Thats from 2004 by Maddox. Still makes sense. ]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 4:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
Hilarious. ]]>Dec 12th 2007 9:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
It's better than a "Federal Pound-Me-In-the-Ass Prison".]]>Dec 12th 2007 6:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
Dont expect deep discounts beyond 50% on junk noone wants as all the good stuff is sent to other stores, to the main warehouse in Dallas, or back to the manufacture. Compusa has a deal with there suppliers that they can return any item at any time and recieve full credit for it for a future purchase.

Also, be cautious of big ticket items. Often the good untouched stock will be sent to other stores that sell that particular item. The store keeps returns or banged up items and repackages them to look new. Often floor modles will be missing the remote, cable, power adapters, and other nessasary items to function. So you might get $200 off but your spending $200 on those missing parts from the manufactures.

As far as the letter goes, thats normal for compusa. They treet there employees like Toilet paper. Infact 2 years ago when compusa merged with goodguys, they moved employees to the new stores, offered incentives, then 2 or 3 weeks later closed down that store. They told the employees "You can quit now, or hang around at minimum wage till the store closes and no bennifits." Managers got stiffed even worse as they made to work overtime only to be kicked out weeks before doors closed as the "liquidation manager" took over. The lquidation company is also owned by Carlos Slim, so you can speculate there.]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
In addition, the Good Guys buyout wasn't the downfall. It was a miserable mistake, but was preceded by years of mistakes by Tony Wiess and Larry Mondry, the major "leaders" of CompUSA since slim took over. Every year we had a new "focus" that a new "consultant" came up with. They tried to transform the store from the "Computer Super Store" to the "Technology Super Store". Even back as far as 99 when Halpin was in charge, they wanted to due this and started looking at Good Guys. They wanted to become Best Buy without the appliances. They couldn't focus though. They tried to be a technology leader, and appeal to "High end users and small businesses" while still trying to and i quote from Tony Wiess "Bring them in with can be beat deals, and sell them complete solutions, not just deals". Focusing so much on bringing customers to the door with prices instead of service is what killed the company. Allowing technicians without c+ certifications and no experience is what ruined the company. Not giving stores enough stock 90% of the time and overstocking crap the other 10% of the time is what killed the stores. As an employee from when the store was publicly owned all the way till the end, I know what turmoil occurred inside. You take a company, make a leadership swap at the very top and leave them leading the same team of idiotic auditors, divisional managers, and regional manager, you get NO change. A CEO can’t start change, something CompUSA now knows. The start change you start with your workforce.
Give them a store to be proud of, not a store with 3 systems for inventory management (IMS, JDA, and OES), non of which are accurate or allow even a manager to order new inventory from a distributer, a POS system bought from a grocery store (IBM POS v. 1993), and such terrible networks that technicians would need to leave computers over night to download windows updates. You don’t leave your stores in the same miserable condition you opened them in; you update them to make them more modern, less warehouse. You don’t bulk stack every item throughout the store, making the store difficult, if not impossible to move around in. You don’t spend your holiday budget buying “Profit Alley” (actual corporate term) items like razor scooters and extension cords in vast bulk, just to waste that profit away come January trying to sell these items out way below cost.
You give them new merchandising ideas, a consistent outlay of the stores that is mapped by what customers WANT; not what will protect items from being stolen You pay employees well and give them training that is meaningful not online selling tutorials put out by computer companies that bash other products. You appreciate them by making sure they get small things like decent food for working holidays, giving proper staffing for sales events (I worked 29 hours straight thanksgiving 05 and 35 thanksgiving 06). Lastly, you focus on making the store an experience from the time a customer walks in the door to when they leave. Ever buy a computer system from a Fry’s? Hell coming from a CompUSA to a Fry’s or even a Best Buy is like going from driving a Yugo to rolling a Cadillac (or maybe a pinto for Best Buy).
CompUSA no longer cared about customers, they cared about doing the bare minimum to make sure employees didn't leave and they almost made profit. We didn't even get this letter last year, we were told personally by our manager, that’s it. CompUSA fell from a decent place when it was no longer responsible for being ethical when they went private. Carlos Slim made a rare error in taking an American retail corporation completely private; thinking being private would give him the control he needed to turn the company around. Sadly in America, greed usually wins when there is no public responsibility. This is shown in the downfall of CompUSA; cut costs, cut pay, screw customers with new policies, break warranty agreement; they did anything they could do to stay in business and under the radar. Finally, it caught up with them. Sadly, it hurts the employees who cared and tried to make their stores better more than anyone else.
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This letter, however, is completely pathetic & I would love to hear it read by a Simon Says. It would be just as emotional.]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 2:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?c=us&category_id=6752&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~ck=anav ]]>Dec 12th 2007 5:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 2:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
I actually went through this same sort of thing years ago when I worked at an electronics store - they closed them all down, gave us a couple months notice. Don't remember seeing anything like this from corporate though. And give the guy some slack - I'm sure most of the employees were told by their store manager, this was just a legal CYA from the corporate office.

]]>Dec 12th 2007 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
also we are not allowd to hold any products for any one at all even customers that call and are on there way to the store.]]>Dec 13th 2007 10:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/
It was kind of surreal, but kind of funny looking back on it.]]>Dec 12th 2007 12:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/compusa-sends-out-layoff-letters-bad-service-extends-to-employe/Dec 12th 2007 12:33PM