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Big Retailers Timid About Selling Linux Boxen
RollWaves75 writes "Jay Lyman reports in IT Manager's Journal that major Linux retailers like Wal-Mart, CompUSA, Fry's and Best Buy are being timid and waiting to see how a small, Midwest-based chain called Micro Center fares in selling Linux software. Turns out that Micro Center not only is out-selling Wal-Mart in Linux systems, it is taking the bold step to have Linux-knowledgeable clerks and trained sales support for customers like you and me." From the article: "[Kevin Carmony] described three levels of mainstream retail Linux: Wal-Mart, which provides no sales support, only offering its Linux machines online; Fry's, where Linux is viewed as a loss leader on the ultra low end; and Micro Center, which is only carrying Linspire Linux at this point, but is behind Linspire's in-store training for reps, Micro Center Marketing Communications Manager Ed Lukens told ITMJ in an email. He said the chain, which is selling boxed and pre-installed Linspire 5.0 desktops and notebooks, will promote the Linux systems with offers through its direct mail pieces."
I used to live in Houston, TX (back when the world was young), and Micro Center was easily the best computer store in the city. They supported Windows and Mac equally, both with hardware, software, and classes. I am not surprised that they are doing so for Linux as well. In my opinion, this is exactly what Linux needs: Public exposure through a local store that can provide technical support to your average home user when it is needed.
I think it's time to give my local Micro Center store a visit.
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Mostly I'm going to watch this thread to see how lively the 'boxen' discussion gets. :-P
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Merchants are wary of selling a computing product that is all-but-unknown to the public at large? You don't say!
-Jesse
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Linux-Knowledgeable Clerks
When is the last time you met a Knowledgeable Clerk in any retail store?
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I live in Columbus, Ohio and it is essentially used as a test market for a lot of different products. Many times when companies want to test out new products, well see it here first. New Soda's, resturaunts, fast foods, etc... I think it has to do with the demographic running parellel with the rest of the country. Anyways, theres a micro center here, and its pretty good. The staff is usually pretty intelliget. Most employees are typically comp sci students or generally tech smart people wanting to get into the industry. Sounds like a good idea, if it can succeed in Columbus, its got a pretty good shot nationally.
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Agreed.
Microcenter also has about the best return policy in the business. On most things they don't charge a restock fee. If you give them enough personal info (address + phone) they can re-create your reciept if you lose it. They have good prices on parts. They always have the cable I'm looking for, usually in the length I need, including weirdo SCSI and fibre cables.
Their Apple people generally have more product knowledge than the Apple employees at CompUSA, and just slightly less than the ones at the Apple store.
No commercial interest in them, just want to give a good company a little rep bonus.
If Linux really wants to become a player
Linux doesn't want anything. It isn't a person, it isn't a corporate person, it isn't a country.
If you want linux to become a player, go ahead and do whatever you feel is necessary.
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