Talk:Computer City

Founder of Computer City?
Does anyone know who the founder of Computer City was, and when the first store opened?

Computer City still exist
Computer City is still present in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Here`s a link to Computer Citys history page, translated with google from danish to english, to prove it: http://74.125.79.132/translate_c?hl=da&sl=da&tl=en&u=http://www.computercity.dk/index.aspx%3Fsectionid%3D283%26itemId%3D884&prev=_t&usg=ALkJrhj0yoUSgkTDW-ntjyOMEaYf9STBRQ

This isn't true.
The article says: "Further, the POS system was not equipped to handle multi-item package promotions; cashiers were required to manually calculate and input adjusted prices for each item in an advertised package. This led to severe customer service issues, causing serious delays during checkout and for exchanges/returns."

I worked for Computer City in the mid-90s, and this wasn't so at our location. No source is cited for the claim, either. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.129.239.174 (talk) 19:35, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

The Real Computer City
"Facts are derived from Firsthand Experience and or Firsthand Observations"

This article is SO WRONG (see Wikipedia Disclaimer), I am that Expert that can Verify the content, as I quite literally built up the insides of a New Computer City at the newly built Waikele Shopping Center, Oahu, Hawaii. This new Building was built to house a Computer City Superstore as one of the "Anchor Stores" of the newly built Waikele Shopping Center, Waipahu, Oahu, Hawaii, as Waikele was a new Suburb being built.

1993 I was hired as Retail Sales due to my extensive Computer Knowledge as a "Computer Enthusiast" since the 1970s, I was used at Night as a Merchandiser, we received Containers of Shelves and Store Fixtures, POS Terminals, Retail Sales Terminals (Price Look Ups, Stockage, Internet Connection) Cisco Routers (even those of us that were Cisco Certified Engineers and or Instructors had problems), IBM Servers (PowerPC), Hundreds of Miles of networking cables, PBX System and Telephones, Business Sales Terminals, Receiving and Warehouse Terminals, heavy TV Monitors to be hung from the high ceiling by metal poles.

First Computer City Shirt Yellow Sports Shirt no pocket with Computer City Logo, pin on white Computer City name tag self adhesive name label.

Neil was the First Merchandising Manager of the "Night Shift", "Night Crew". I was his Assistant Merchandising Manager. Some say Neil was fired others say he quit, as he was still the Assistant Retail Sales Manager that had to meet Sales quotas, while the Retail Sales Manager did not have to meet Sales quotas. While waiting for one of the Night Shift, Steven sitting outside on the curb was immediately hired as one of the Night Shift, after a month he was offered the job of Merchandising Manager. My guess why I was not offered the Merchandising Manager Position was that I was still a U.S. Army Special Forces Reserve Officer subject to Recall to Active Duty U.S. Military, and did get Recalled to Operation Continue Hope, times were really awful for the U.S. Military (reason why I worked full time for Computer City) during Democrat President Clinton's 1993 to 1998 Destruction of the U.S. Defense (U.S. Military, U.S. Intelligence Agencies, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other U.S. Defense Agencies dumped on Unemployment), result the U.S. Defense lost most of the Combat Experienced, Experienced Intelligence Operators (reason for U.S. not knowing about the 1993 Osama Bin Laden First Attack of the World Trade Center, 9/11 2001 Second Osama Bin Laden Attack of the World Trade Center), and most not knowing about Democrat President Clinton's Actions 1993 to 1998 that caused those Osama Bin Laden Attacks, Democrat President Clinton's Demanded 1998 Declared War Against U.S. Ally Iraq a U.S. Law, Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, 1993 to 1998 U.S. Airstrikes and U.S. Cruise Missile Attacks against the Muslims at Baghdad Iraq, 1998 U.S. Military Operation Desert Fox. By being deployed being the Computer City Merchandising Manager would have detrimental to Computer City. The Actions (Destruction of the U.S. Defense, Elimination of the 1933 (and 1935) U.S. Laws Banking Acts of 1933 and 1935 (cause of the Great Recession, wrongfully blamed on Republican G.W. Bush), of Democrat President Clinton would result in the 1998 Recession, meaning I was happy to have the Computer City Full Time Job, while even more people were dumped on Unemployment.

We assembled shelves, installed the networking cables, set up the Point of Sale Terminals ("Cash Registers"), and Sales Floor Terminals (Stockage look ups, Price look ups).

Then the containers of the first Products arrived. While doing this I passed all the Required Training and Tandy Certification Tests to be a Computer City Retail Salesperson (Sales Knowledge, Computer Knowledge, Cashier). Our quota was at least two full containers emptied, received, products placed, shelf (price) tags printed and placed, as the Soft Opening Day got closer, the quota increased to six full containers while the Merchandising Crew Size remained the same, we got about 1 hours more we started before closing, while Customers were still in the Store.

More Computer "Nerds" joined Computer City before Grand Opening as one of the few places that was hiring Computer Experts at Oahu, Hawaii (other than the U.S. Department of Defense). Most Computer City Employees had been in the Computer Career Field for at least a Decade (10 years), many trained by the U.S. Military (like I was).

The U.S. Island State of Hawaii was so behind Computer Technology, the Public Schools had just started Teaching Computers (this fact made it possible for me to sell 100s of Apple Computers to parents whose children demanded an Apple Computer not a Windows Computer, as many of Hawaii's Public Schools had just bought Apple Computers for their Schools from our "Business Sales"), there were very limited jobs for Computer Experts except with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Second Computer City Shirt Yellow Sports Shirt with pocket with Computer City Logo, pin on white Computer City name tag self adhesive name label.

I continued to work as a Merchandiser at Night 2100 hours to 0700 hours, and as a Retail Sales during the Day 1000 hours to 1700 hours. Many of us as Retail Sales previously had A+ Computer Repair Technician Certifications (Windows) and or A+ Apple Computer Repair Technician Certifications yet were on the "Sales Floor", with lots of knowledge and complete understanding we could explain complex computer technology in everyday American English without using "Computer Jargon". After many long discussions with Customers my evaluation was that the U.S. Island State of Hawaii was not ready for this kind of High Technology.

The majority of our "Warehouse" was actually "Top Stock" located at the Retail Sales Floor on top of the store shelves. We had to use 15 foot (3 each, 1 broke) to 20 foot (2 each) floor ladders (four wheels, steps, platform with handrails, wheel lock at bottom of ladder) to get "Top Stock" down for the Customers, back then a "large" screen 21 inch screen NEC Monitor weighed above 20 pounds, an IBM PC Set weighed nearly 100 pounds. This was seriously dangerous for us stocking those up there (over 10 feet above floor) and very dangerous for Customers as a couple of Customers did have a Retail Sales Person drop a fifty pound computer monitor on a Customer knocking the Customer to the Floor.

Computer City did have Sales Quotas as Sales identified by your Computer City Sales Tickets given to Computer City Customers, the Cashier then entered your Employee ID from the ticket (if a Cashier did not many times, they would get fired). Failure to meet your Sales Quota meant having "The Talk" with the Retail Sales Manager and more computer based ("Online" linked to Corporate Headquarters) Retail Sales Training Courses. A "Spiff" List of Rankings of Retail Sales Staff was posted in the Retail Sales Office, falling into the bottom 1/3rd resulted in "The Talk" also, "Spiffs" were monetary incentives from Manufacturers to sell certain products or from Corporate to get rid of certain products.

Third Computer City Shirt, Aloha Shirt, same name tag. Earned Service Award (numbers of years Computer City Employee, with Monetary Reward and Paid Day Off of choosing).

Because I had so much Merchandising Experience, I was tasked to be a Merchandiser again (Worked Nights as Merchandiser, Worked Days as Retail Sales) and build the First Ever Apple Store within a Computer City Store. After being built, by three other Computer City Employees and myself, we became the Staff of the Apple Store, I became the Apple Store Manager and still Retail Sales as a "Reward" (nobody else wanted the Job, most hated Apple Computers) considering that there were only three (3) of us for 7 days a week.

A big mistake was made as more than 100s Apple Computers were ordered and about 10 full shipping containers (the big ones "50 Footers" (53 feet)) arrived. There were so many Apple Computers (especially Performas (computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, software), in boxes about 3 feet tall, 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet weighing over 70 pounds, that the entire top stock, customer lounge and waiting area (near the bathrooms) and even the break room was stacked with Apple Computers), the Store Manager's comment was "You better sell these, or I'll have your a** for breakfast, lunch and dinner", the Retail Sales Manager's comment was "Bonehead", other Retail Sales that had to help stock the hundreds of Apple Computers comment was "Fruits (Apple Computers) and Nuts (while angerly staring at me, while stocking they were not making their quotas)".

My guess was that somebody did a Garbage In Garbage Out (G.I.G.O.) as adding a zero at the end of the original data entry of the Order, instead of 20 a couple hundred of one model were Ordered, 10 became 100 of that model, 1 became 10 of that model. During this time I sold 100s of Apple Computers so many that I received a Monetary Reward from Apple Computers as even selling more than Regional Apple Computer California. Apple Computer "Performas" (Computer Monitor, Computer, Keyboard, Mouse, Software (Programs) as a Set in a huge Box), Centris, Quadras, PowerPCs, PowerBooks. Routinely, on the Sales Floor as Apple Computer A+ Repair Technician Certified I would Install Additional RAM Memory, clear PRAM, replace Hard Drives, change batteries (that 1/2 AA battery), transfer Data from old hard drive to new hard drive, format hard drives and reinstall everything as a "Reset" to like new out of box, while the Customers waited or told them to come back later (with an estimated time of completion based on task(s), doing this helped me sell even more Apple Computers but pissed off the Computer City Computer Repair Center Manager.

The End of Computer City with extensive Computer Knowledge and lots of Customer Service resulting in many Loyal Customers ended when the "Commissioned Sales Program" started, no longer could you spend adequate time with the Customers to develop a Life Long Relationship to create "Repeat" "Returning" Customers, an Exodus occurred as many of Computer City's Computer Expert Retail Sales left and more "Used Car Salespersons" were hired. Sales dropped way below Quotas. I had to balance between Customer Service and Retail Sales Quotas.

Fourth Computer City Shirt, blue shirt, same white Computer City name tag. Earned Service Award (numbers of years Computer City Employee, with Monetary Reward and Paid Day Off of choosing), after this long, you also got a catalogue with Service Award rings, pendents, that you could choose from.

The hatred of Apple Computers got so intense, as the Retail Sales that were like Used Car Salesperson with no knowledge of Apple Computers had so many Returns, I quit being the Manager of the Apple Store and returned to being just Retail Sales. As Retail Sales I continually got "The Talk" for spending "Too Much Time With the Customers" including telling Customers in plain American English how to assemble their own Computer from the parts Computer City was selling (Pressure from the Computer Manufacturers).

I got involved with the first Oceanic Cable TV Tests of connecting Cable TV to a Computer to be used to connect to the Internet (previous U.S. Military Officer Training and Experience installing Coaxial (RG) Cable Networks), this became Oceanic Cable "Roadrunner" with a blazing speed of about 1 Megabyte per second (and other Cable Company's at the Mainland (Other 49 U.S. States) Internet). I sold many Novell Eagle Network Interface Cards (N.I.C.) and as an A+ Computer Repair Technician installed the N.I.C.s, this time the Computer City Repair Center Manager was happy as Customers were being charged for installation of the N.I.C.s. As a Reward Computer City Employees could have Oceanic Cable Roadrunner at a Discount and a discounted installation fee, the same as what Oceanic Cable Employees got.

Pressures increased as Computer City started selling Cellular Telephones and Services, a New Sales Quota Category was created (the numbers of required sales and services continually increased). Each week you had to meet the Retail Sales Quota, Warranty Services Quota, Cellular Telephone Quota, Cellular Telephone Services Quota. As a Reward we got the Cellular Telephones (Handsets) at Cost, and a Discounted Service monthly charge, same as the Employees of those Cellular Telephone Services.

Annual Inventories were conducted by All Computer City Employees, Computer City did not hire an (Expensive) External Audit and Inventory Agency. Most Retail involved with the Inventory had the next day off (note, the inventory was overnight till the next day (morning), basically you got maybe a few hours off).

CompUSA bought Computer City, most of the good things about Computer City were dumped, while most of the not so good things of CompUSA started. More of the surviving "Computer Experts" fled to the U.S. Department of Defense Jobs at U.S. Navy Pearl Harbor even if as Sheet Metal Workers or to U.S.A.F. Hickam Air Base or U.S. Army Schofield Barracks to work stocking shelves in the Commissary. This increased pressure on me, as the know nothing majority of Retail Sales, then deflected their Customers to me to answer the Computer questions they could not answer, while I still had to make my Retail Sales Quotas. Being very Loyal to whomever hires me, I remained, and became a CompUSA Employee.

Retail Sales was tasked to do the Remodel Transition to turn Computer City into a CompUSA. The Remodel as dictated from CompUSA Corporate would hurt CompUSA Waikele Shopping Center Oahu Hawaii, as decreased the On Hand Stockage Levels, and Warehouse Space (the dangerous Overhead Storage at above the Retail Shelves, kind of like the Warehouse Stores except without the forklifts and narrow single vertical beam shelf supports with some vertical "outrigger" beams, there were about 8 to 10 shelves (6 inches to 1 foot spacing depending on products) per 8 foot section, a six foot person had to climb on the bottom shelf to reach the top shelf, continually rolling the ladders around thru narrow isles to help customers, pissed off other customers waiting for assistance, Holidays were the worst as the isles were full of customers) by lowering the shelving heights and making the isles wider. Removal of the Computer City numbered Isle Signs only created even more confusion.Nakamuradavid (talk) 18:36, 2 August 2017 (UTC)

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