If you offer retail, sell stuff.
Most of their sales are stock units on special.
They should sell stock and then offer custom made if you want on an order in basis
Dumb Dell .... Very Dumb
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General discussion
Dell gives retail another shot
The inresting part in my opinion is that the stores won't have inventory.
That's a model that small stores uses in Brazil, the big stores always have the PC ready for you. That might work...
But 3000 square foot for an empty store?! Hum, isn't that too much?
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I have a local powerhouse store that carries heaps of stock and has a counter that will do the upgrade for me on site. I walk in try the box, buy extra memory, They fit it for me, install my TV tuner card , Video card or whatever... all while I wait.
If I really want a special unit, they order it in for me and courier it to me.
both are covered.
Except for macs, then I go to www.totallymac.com who are a 3 minute drive from me and daniel gets it all done for me and sends it into my waiting hands.
If you open a store .. have some cash and carry stock, A tech for simple upgrades, and the ability to order custom units
ITS NOT THAT HARD TO DO !!!
Maybe Micheal Dell should hire me to make these work for him, (problem is I would want to take my Macbook to work and that might upset him)
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Who would be crazy enough to open a brick and morar store, and offer a consumer the chance to make a purchase, only to let them walk out with absolutely nothing??
Oh, Dell...
*shakes head in disbelief*
-Terry
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There are some serious haters in there...and you get sucked into it.
Sure, I can get on the occasional Pro-Apple rant, but these guys are ridiculous.
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Didn't think about this during the recording today, but the model might work if Dell used the small mom and pop model. Small shops usually have a few models on hand for demo purposes, maybe a couple stock models to sell and then custom build computers for you on order. You can then pick them up ont he store.
Maybe instead of building big shops near Apple stores that seem to promise more than they deliver, Dell should either move into small shops or better yet partner up with small shops. It's similar to the Starbucks model (as reprehensible as that may sound).
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A business model we use for one of our customers in a completely different industry (Four-Hundred dollar kick-*** golf shoes) might just work for Dell.
Resellers get one sample of every line for "free".
Customers can either buy those working samples or have their product custom-made to suit exactly what they need.
That way you can please the compulsive buyer who wants to walk out of the shop with a box and the demanding buyer who wants customization.
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That's why the working/fitting samples are one pair of each size/style.
If it's not exactly what you want (i.e.: you want them laser engraved for free) you have them ordered.
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Tom, the small store model it's by far the most commom here. Of course that has something to do with the prices, if you try to buy an IBM computer you'd have to pay something like $2.500, but if you try to get a Small Store computer with no brand you'd buy it for $1.000.
PS. Nice, for the first time Tom said Rodrigo on the BOL, now I just have to manage Veronica and Molly to say Rodrigo and after that they'll all say, "He's perfect for an intership..." 
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When do they open, anyone know?
I'll def be the first person there to get yall pics etc of how much of a let-down it'll be.
We also have a Dell kiosk in the mall in Albany, and there are constantly ppl around it mostly for the plasma TV's.
It's a shame, tho, cuz i think they could've had a shot if they used the apple business model. Plus, what if they could build you a custom computer the same day, I think that'd be a cool idea.
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So, my options are... pick up something that was built before (and hurts Dell's financials for having inventory on shelves that might have to mark down, etc.) and not customized to my needs (which defeats Dell's entire mantra and I buy stuff that I may or may not need) OR talk to an expert about everything Dell offers and pick out the right product and options that will be customized and shipped directly to me shortly thereafter?
I'll take the customized option any day.
I don't think that the lack of inventory (and detrimental effect related to having inventory) will hurt the stores at all.
For the record, one of the biggest things that hurt the Gateway stores wasn't the lack of hardware, but the fact that their stores were stand-alone and away from population centers (like high-traffic malls).
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