Egghead pulls plug on Mac
The nationwide software retailer isn't waiting to see if Apple turns itself around.
Nationwide software retailer Egghead Software (EGGS) has decided to stop selling Macintosh software at a majority of its stores.
The company decided that software that runs only on the Mac wasn't worth the effort because of a drop in demand as well as the chain's extremely limited shelf space in comparison to its superstore competitors, including CompUSA and Computer City.
Egghead will still maintain a foothold in the Mac market by offering Macintosh software from its Web site, through its 800 number, and at 50 of its some 157 stores nationwide. So if Apple does stage a dramatic comeback this year, Egghead will be able to restock Mac software. But for the time being, Egghead has decided not to waste its precious software shelf space.
Egghead, after all, has problems of its own. The company has reported double-digit drops in sales and is increasingly turning to a Web site launched in September to boost orders.
In fact, Egghead made its decision back in November but didn't publicize the change in strategy. Instead of having some kind of blowout Macintosh clearance sale, most stores are simply selling off all their Mac software and not reordering.
"Customers were a little upset when we told them, but we were one of the last stores around here to carry Macintosh software," said one store manager.
Egghead officials were not available to comment on this story.
The stores will continue to offer "hybrid" CD-ROMs that run on either Macs or PCs, according to a store manager at an Egghead store in the Midwest.
While its competitors have also presumably noticed a slump in Mac software sales, most are continuing to stock Mac inventory. Computer City, for instance, has no plans to decrease their Macintosh line, according to company spokeswoman Mika Henderson.