compusa

Computer vendor Systemax is bringing CompUSA back to life, and now it looks like it might be doing the same for Circuit City. The company bought the intellectual property and domain name this week.

The two might rise as separate chains, but we wouldn't be surprised if they end up as some sort of mashup, a Frankenstein-like monster of retailers.

But why stop there? We can think of a few more franchises Systemax could add to its unholy abomination of shops to round out its offerings to customers. What should it be? Vote in our poll. And if we … Read more

The prolonged death spiral of its retail stores have been well-documented (not least by our undercover spy shots of the so-called liquidation sales), but the Circuit City story seems to have added yet another chapter.

Computer vendor Systemax has agreed to purchase the bankrupt company's trademarks and domain names for $6.5 million, according to the Houston Chronicle. The actual sale is part of a May 11 auction of assets, and in court filings, Circuit City said, "The sale of the intellectual property and Internet assets would bring significant recovery for the sellers' estates and creditors."

If … Read more

Though presumed to be dead since it went bankrupt more than a year ago, CompUSA is showing signs of life.

As Wired noted in a post Thursday, there are 30 new retail outlets bearing the CompUSA name in the U.S. that are trying a new retail strategy that includes computers available for customers to do price matching on the Web sites of CompUSA's competitors.

Gilbert Fiorentino, chief executive of the Technology Products Group at Systemax, the company that bought CompUSA, told Wired: "We have invented this idea of retail 2.0...Every screen in every CompUSA store … Read more

With the CompUSA liquidation in full swing, some of the deals at closing stores have started to get quite interesting.

The hardware was not necessarily much of a bargain. During a recent stroll through the downtown San Francisco store, I found desktops and notebooks discounted 20 percent, and in many cases there was only a well-used demo model for sale. There were also printers (some new in boxes and some demo machines), but I suspect one can get a PC or printer for a better price just by shopping the weekend circulars.

The real bargains were in the software area. … Read more

You might be tempted by the low, low prices, but going-out-of-business sales might come back to haunt you in the form of identity theft, says researcher Neal Krawetz of Hacker Factor. He posted a blog citing concerns over CompUSA closing all of its 103 stores. Bottom line: there currently is no regulation of or accountability for the sale of point-of-sale hardware that could contain credit card information and/or customer and corporate information.

Krawetz, who last year warned of existing vulnerabilities in how large chain stores regularly collect and store credit card information, says that customers need to be wary … Read more

Most of the time here on The Digital Home, I tell you about some of the trends, news stories, companies and products that annoy me. Other times, I'll tell you about something a company is doing right or something I applaud. This time, it's the latter.

Now, before I begin, I should probably mention that I don't own any Amazon stock because at least one cynical knucklehead reading this column for the sole purpose of finding fault in it will ask if I do own Amazon stock. Sadly, I'm not allowed to own any tech stocks because it's a departure from the ethical standards that I agreed to when I became a journalist. Does that satisfy you?

So why is Amazon the world's best tech retailer? Well, I guess I should first say that this title isn't exactly the most prestigious in the world. Who else would sit atop the list? Certainly Best Buy wouldn't with some of the questionable practices it employs and our friends over at Circuit City certainly don't have a clue about how to bring the right kind of experience to consumers.

But unlike all of its competitors, Amazon has been able to bring products to us in a timely manner without the need for frequent call backs and lengthy delays for no reason. Is it perfect? Not a chance -- some products sell out in a matter of seconds, there's no indication that anyone actually wants to buy groceries online and its customer service still leaves much to be desired. But beyond that, I have enjoyed my time using the service.

So what makes Amazon so great? The way I see it, there are three main components.… Read more

According to a recent report from Ina Fried, Circuit City is having quite a bit of trouble turning a profit and making something out of its business.

Fried reports that the big box retailer will post another loss for its fourth quarter (its busiest) after a staggering $208 million loss over the past quarter. Even worse, the company's stock price is floundering at just $4.75 and once it posts these losses, look for that to tank even further.

Of course, the story doesn't quite end there. Circuit City's major competitor -- Best Buy -- is enjoying a $52.48 stock price and a $228 million profit last quarter alone. Amazingly, Best Buy posted a $1.377 billion profit over the 2007 fiscal year, while Circuit City is poised to lose about $200 million during its own year.

And while Circuit City is still a major retailer with about $12 billion in revenue, it can't sustain these kind of losses if it wants to even have a fighting chance to stand up to the Best Buy juggernaut. After all, take a look at CompUSA and try to tell me Best Buy isn't capable of outright destruction of any and all opponents.

It may happen sometime down the road, but trust me, if Circuit City doesn't change its ways, look for it to be just another victim of Best Buy.… Read more

As CompUSA begins shuttering the last of its stores, it's also tying up loose ends.

The retailer, which was bought by a private equity firm December 7 and will shut down, put up a customer help Web site Friday where it gives details on how warranties, gifts cards, and more will be handled.

The closing sale will last approximately eight weeks and all sales will be final. Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at … Read more