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From: knauer@cs.uiuc.edu (Rob Knauerhase)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Sears
Message-ID: <1991Apr1.044117.20150@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 1 Apr 91 04:41:17 GMT
References: <1D699479C06026C8@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu>
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In <1D699479C06026C8@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu> EWINGRA@CTRVAX.VANDERBILT.EDU writes:
>First of all, Apple IIs *have* been sold through department store channels
>before.  If y'all remember back about 6 years ago, selling Apple //cs
>through Macy's (and I think some other retailers) was tried as an
>experiment one Christmas season.  The result was decent sales but a
>support disaster.  The personnel at a department store were not trained
>or qualified to answer the myriad of questions regarding their systems,
[snip]
>axed, much to the delight of the dealer channel.

Minor nit-pick here...  Department stores have never been allowed to sell
Apple computers; however, many or most of the upscale department stores lease
floorspace to other companies (B. Dalton [books] and Glenby [hair styling]
spring to mind).
    The Apple-authorized companies who operated out of Lazarus (Columbus,
Cincinnati, Indianapolis), Higbee's (Cleveland) and May Company (Cleveland)
are all gone.  I haven't seen any in Pennsylvania, Illinois, or Michigan in
the past several years, either.

    The reason I point this out is that dealers are required to have minimum
levels of stock and training (hard as that may be to believe).  Sears probably
_never_ will be "Apple authorized" because they'd have to have a repairman and
replacement parts in every store.  [I suppose Apple could redefine "authorized"
but that would open it up to everyone, not just Sears.]

Rob
--
Robert C. Knauerhase            University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"I get my exercise acting as    Dept. of Computer Science, Gigabit Study Group
 pallbearer for my friends      knauer@cs.uiuc.edu, rck@ces.cwru.edu
 who exercise..."               knauer@scivax.lerc.nasa.gov