dlp@pro-lep.UUCP (Don Patrick) (11/14/88)
All the Apple Dealers in Austin TX who had personnel working there that KNEW what they were talking about have gone out of business. The only dealers left are those who hired pure salesman. The sad fact is that to pay the overhead, dealers must move a lot of inventory, and the salesman who is also a computer literate is a rare thing to behold. And why must we have hard-core salespersonnel? Don't the computers sell themselves? Unfortunately, to those of us for whom the answer is "yes" there is a strong urge to save that extra 1% and go mail order. Mail order almost destroyed the stereo retail business in the '60s, and it's threatening to do the same thing to the retail computer industry today. Don't get me wrong: I'm not against mail order (in fact, I own such a business); local dealers can't carry every product. And don't jump on the 1%, I know it's usually much more. The point is the market has created this unfortunate situation. If you want dealer support, you have to pay for it. So next time you mail order something, consider your local dealer. If he's a decent sort, and you'd like to see him around a year from now, give him the opportunity to order it for you FIRST. Most dealers will match a mail-order price, given the opportunity, and can usually special order just about anything. ________________________________________________________________________ / / / /| | Don Patrick |ProLine: dlp@pro-lep | Source: ST9365 | | | 9100 Circle Drive | 512-288-2114 | GEnie: DONPATRICK | | | Austin TX 78736-7911 | AppleLink: D Patrick | CIS: 72355,1717 | | |_______________________________________________________________________|/