My local CompUSA seems to be doing a little bait and switch, it's happened to me quite a few times; there's a good deal in the sunday ad, but when I go, they are always out of stock. The last time this happened was last weeks 160 gig hard drive for $70 , it has also happened with KOTOR 1, dvdr's, and some other PC stuff. Do you think that they are doing this on purpose or could it be that CompUSA's are just wildly popular on Sunday mornings? has anyone else had this hapen at CompUSA or elsewhere?
CompUSA's shady dealings
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Matsumoto11756
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It's a shame. I used to buy all of my PC games at CompUSA a few years ago but lately I don't even read the ads cause they are always sold out no matter what time you get there on sunday morning.
anonymouswhoami
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You can almost be sure that any "good" advertised special will be OOS by noon Sunday. I've wanted to purchase several sale items from them in the past (i.e. video cards, hard drives), but unless I'm there when they open, I'm always out of luck.
zionoverfire
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When a store does a deal like that they have to have a certain number of copies on sale but these copies don't have to be in the store near you. For example your store could be out of KOTOR when the sale starts but its still a sale at the rest of the locations.
[quote name='zionoverfire']When a store does a deal like that they have to have a certain number of copies on sale but these copies don't have to be in the store near you. For example your store could be out of KOTOR when the sale starts but its still a sale at the rest of the locations.[/quote]
Actually, most chains have a minimum number of copies per store on advertised sale items. This is not an average (e.g. if one store has 9, and another has 1, it is not the equivalent of minimum 5 per store), and if they don't have the advertised minimum number of copies at some point during the sale, they are in violation.
Actually, most chains have a minimum number of copies per store on advertised sale items. This is not an average (e.g. if one store has 9, and another has 1, it is not the equivalent of minimum 5 per store), and if they don't have the advertised minimum number of copies at some point during the sale, they are in violation.
icemanjmw13
Banned
[quote name='guessed'][quote name='zionoverfire']When a store does a deal like that they have to have a certain number of copies on sale but these copies don't have to be in the store near you. For example your store could be out of KOTOR when the sale starts but its still a sale at the rest of the locations.[/quote]
Actually, most chains have a minimum number of copies per store on advertised sale items. This is not an average (e.g. if one store has 9, and another has 1, it is not the equivalent of minimum 5 per store), and if they don't have the advertised minimum number of copies at some point during the sale, they are in violation.[/quote]
Yeah, but not all ads have that, I've never seen the CompUSA ads so I can't comment on those specifically. Also, that woudl be tough to prove and I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of attempting to punish them for that. All we can do as consumers is stop shopping there.
Actually, most chains have a minimum number of copies per store on advertised sale items. This is not an average (e.g. if one store has 9, and another has 1, it is not the equivalent of minimum 5 per store), and if they don't have the advertised minimum number of copies at some point during the sale, they are in violation.[/quote]
Yeah, but not all ads have that, I've never seen the CompUSA ads so I can't comment on those specifically. Also, that woudl be tough to prove and I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of attempting to punish them for that. All we can do as consumers is stop shopping there.
I used to work at officemax and when there was a hot price on any technology related item (jump drive, phone, and HD's mainly) we'd have crowds of people gathered around the entrace when we opened. Anything really worth buying would be gone within a few hours (especially if it was free after rebate... those were the worst). Sometimes people would get a heads up on what was going on sale and come in earlier in the week, buy it... then return and rebuy it once sunday rolled around.
Because of these factors we often had casual shoppers stroll in later that afternoon and go off on us cause they drove out here for the 20 dollar phone and we're out of them... even when we offered them rainchecks they'd go off and scream "bait and switch" to all the surrounding customers. We've actually had to call the police on a few people who started physically threatening employees.
While I agree that CompUSA sucks ass in pretty much every regard (pricing, customer service, rebates and returns), calling bait and switch is kind of unfair unless you were actually at the store when they opened and they didn't have a single copy of the item. That being said... it's amazing to me that a store that shows such blatant disrespect to it's customers can still be thriving in a retail environment where most stores are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Because of these factors we often had casual shoppers stroll in later that afternoon and go off on us cause they drove out here for the 20 dollar phone and we're out of them... even when we offered them rainchecks they'd go off and scream "bait and switch" to all the surrounding customers. We've actually had to call the police on a few people who started physically threatening employees.
While I agree that CompUSA sucks ass in pretty much every regard (pricing, customer service, rebates and returns), calling bait and switch is kind of unfair unless you were actually at the store when they opened and they didn't have a single copy of the item. That being said... it's amazing to me that a store that shows such blatant disrespect to it's customers can still be thriving in a retail environment where most stores are struggling to keep their heads above water.
People throw around the term "bait and switch" too easily. Bait and switch means they advertise an item for a very low price, and when you go in there, they try to sell you something more expensive. Just because something is OOS after being advertised is not bait and switch. They are not trying to sell you anything else. It's simply OOS.
zionoverfire
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[quote name='icemanjmw13'][quote name='guessed'][quote name='zionoverfire']When a store does a deal like that they have to have a certain number of copies on sale but these copies don't have to be in the store near you. For example your store could be out of KOTOR when the sale starts but its still a sale at the rest of the locations.[/quote]
Actually, most chains have a minimum number of copies per store on advertised sale items. This is not an average (e.g. if one store has 9, and another has 1, it is not the equivalent of minimum 5 per store), and if they don't have the advertised minimum number of copies at some point during the sale, they are in violation.[/quote]
Yeah, but not all ads have that, I've never seen the CompUSA ads so I can't comment on those specifically. Also, that woudl be tough to prove and I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of attempting to punish them for that. All we can do as consumers is stop shopping there.[/quote]
Well what has happened before is that they have 5 or so copies of the game at each location when they print the add, but by the time the "sale" happens the copies are already gone at some locations. There were a few articles about this in Washington about 5-6 years back.
Actually, most chains have a minimum number of copies per store on advertised sale items. This is not an average (e.g. if one store has 9, and another has 1, it is not the equivalent of minimum 5 per store), and if they don't have the advertised minimum number of copies at some point during the sale, they are in violation.[/quote]
Yeah, but not all ads have that, I've never seen the CompUSA ads so I can't comment on those specifically. Also, that woudl be tough to prove and I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of attempting to punish them for that. All we can do as consumers is stop shopping there.[/quote]
Well what has happened before is that they have 5 or so copies of the game at each location when they print the add, but by the time the "sale" happens the copies are already gone at some locations. There were a few articles about this in Washington about 5-6 years back.
[quote name='zionoverfire']Well what has happened before is that they have 5 or so copies of the game at each location when they print the add, but by the time the "sale" happens the copies are already gone at some locations. There were a few articles about this in Washington about 5-6 years back.[/quote]
Sites like FW, Bens Bargains, etc., and even CAG are partly responsible for that. The stores are supposed to hold back stock to ensure they have them when the sale comes, but sometimes they don't. People who see advance copies of the ads through these sites buy the products early, and then price-match when the sale arrives. Sometimes this can even land an extra discount (110% PM policies), but it also avoids the rush/crowds/risk of sell-out.
Sites like FW, Bens Bargains, etc., and even CAG are partly responsible for that. The stores are supposed to hold back stock to ensure they have them when the sale comes, but sometimes they don't. People who see advance copies of the ads through these sites buy the products early, and then price-match when the sale arrives. Sometimes this can even land an extra discount (110% PM policies), but it also avoids the rush/crowds/risk of sell-out.
[quote name='moiety']People throw around the term "bait and switch" too easily. Bait and switch means they advertise an item for a very low price, and when you go in there, they try to sell you something more expensive. Just because something is OOS after being advertised is not bait and switch. They are not trying to sell you anything else. It's simply OOS.[/quote]
An employee at Ultimate Electronics did that to my parents when they were trying to buy a new TV. Needless to say my parents left and got one at BB.
An employee at Ultimate Electronics did that to my parents when they were trying to buy a new TV. Needless to say my parents left and got one at BB.
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