Gateway to close all stores, fire 2,500

[Ruby Romaine]

Gateway to close all stores, fire 2,500
By Michelle Kessler, USA TODAY
Struggling PC maker Gateway (GTW) said Thursday that it plans to close all 188 of its retail stores and lay off 2,500 workers.
The stores will close April 9, Gateway says. Its computers will still be sold on Gateway's Web site and via phone.





http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-04-01-gateway-stores_x.htm

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. Our local Gateway store...

...occupies the former site of a large local bookstore chain's flagship.

Borders opened across the street from it in 1996, destroying the bookstore chain within three or four years, and Gateway moved into the empty location.

The new economy in a nutshell....

[BiggJawn]

2. So, now they realize their business model sucked?

Really, go into a store and you have to sit down and "design" your PC, so it will truly be "custom". (Be Still my Heart!)

Then you pay for it.

Then you go home and wait for the UPS guy to bring it in a couple of weeks.

If I wanted to buy a computer like that, I could do it from home and not waste the gas driving to the store.

IMO, that was a STOOPID way to sell Pooters.

[onehandle]

4. Apple Stores are doing Great!

They have this amazing concept.

You go to the store. You select your configuration. You purchase your selection.

wait for it....

You take it home immediately after payment.

http://www.apple.com/retail/

[sidpleasant]

5. Apple stores' customer service is outstanding

A year ago I had what I thought was a potentially fatal problem with my out - of - warranty G4 (it had suddenly dropped dead and wouldn't restart, no matter what I tried). I took it to the local Apple store and was astounded when one of the staff opened it up, fixed the problem, vacuumed the inside, and reassembled it - and didn't charge me anything! I find the staff in the 2 Apple stores I've visited to be helpful and very knowledgeable but not pushy; if you just want to play with some of the cool gear they'll leave you alone.

[Zech Marquis]

11. Tyson Corner Apple Store is great!

I went there last weekend, no one bugged me, I used the eMac and iMac, asked alot of qustions, played with the iSight...the Genius Bar is very, very good. i liked how you had your G4 fized on the spot qith no snotty behavior or anything.. The Gateway Store in Virginia Beach, oh man they sucked big time! Last time I went there it felt like a graveyard, whoops :evilgrin:

[damnraddem]

9. I won't buy like that, nor by phone, mail, or net.

I go to a store and expect to take something away from the store -- the same day.

[ohiosmith]

3. Big surprise. I don't know about their other stores, but the Las Vegas

outlet sucks big time. The staff in inattentive, ignorant, and more interested in standing around bullshitting with each other than waiting on customers.

Good riddance assholes. Welcome to unemployment.

[jbutsz]

6. Gateway = teh suck

Their computers suck, their so-called "tech support" sucks (3 calls, zero help), and their stupid useless stores most definitely sucked.

I went in there once to get a replacement motherboard battery for my G6-333 a few years ago, no surprise they don't carry anything you might actually need post-purchase - and I waited an HOUR there for someone to come up from the back to tell me they don't carry them (the front people didn't have a clue), and that I could get one just about anywhere else.

It also took 6 weeks for my parents to get their computer back from one of these stores, getting a simple harddrive replacement.

Gateway should have went bankrupt a long time ago. When I can afford to get/build me a new computer, I shall pull an Office Space smackdown-with-a-bat on this old p.o.s. Gateway.

[SemperEadem]

7. their computers aren't worth a good gotdamn

they need to go out of business...

[Florida_Geek]

8. The Sad part is they brought eMachine

which always was a good CHEAP machine....

Like others have said, who waits to WAIT for a puter from a Store. If I wanted to wait I'd net it.

[leodem]

10. I wasn't happy with my Gateway either

The machine always ran slow... they gave me an outrageous 25% APR on the fucking thing. For that rate and price I got the machine I should've gotten free tech support whenever. Not only that, they charged my partner $100 when the machine crashed just to reload the Windows OS. Something I could've done easily if I were around at the time.

Next computer is gonna be a Dell or eMachines, but since they brought eMachines I doubt I'll look into that.

I'm sure in the future if anybod goes to call to order a system you'll be hearing an Indian voice.

[Moderator]

12. Locking

dupe - discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=458399