In-Store Inventories Suck

After seeing CompUSA’s site numerous times, and then heading into the store, I’ve discovered that companies severely misrepresent their in-store inventories that they display online. In general, stores like CompUSA have terrible selections behind the bricks.

I wanted to buy a 25 foot Ethernet cable for a little project of mine. CompUSA’s web site does have them, and they’re even on the store shelves. Difference: the Web price was a meager $5, but in store the tag read a massive 30 dollars.

In the past I have been disappointed with the pricing and selection of CompUSA. I desperately needed a PCI-slot type fan for my severely under-cooled computer. Newegg.com had (and still has) awesome prices, but I didn’t have the patience to wait for them to deliver. CompUSA had but one of the products Newegg offered, but also with a nice premium. In fact, A CompUSA rep who I complained to had suggested that I look take a look at Newegg (I gave him back a strange look) to buy what I wanted. How’s that for customer service?

Online shopping sites are still the best way to go, which is embarrassing to brick-and-mortar places like CompUSA and Circuit City. The prices are significantly higher (with very little valid reasoning behind it), and the selection is pathetic. Now I realize what the Web is useful for – finding out where not to shop.