Is there a place for traditional "Computer Shops" in modern retail?

[Minuous]

Originally Posted by Glen M

I've seen a few small "laptop repair centres" pop up but most quickly close again as computers like anything have become a consumable commodity. Once its broken just bin it and buy another.

It's their own fault for overcharging; they wanted $400 to fix a cracked laptop screen, which was more than the replacement cost of a whole new machine. No prizes for guessing what I did next...

[005AGIMA]

Originally Posted by Minuous

It's their own fault for overcharging; they wanted $400 to fix a cracked laptop screen, which was more than the replacement cost of a whole new machine. No prizes for guessing what I did next...

I'm there and all I need is a new battery for my, what has proven to be, EXCELLENT ASUS S550CA.

i5. 15" touch screen (now problematic so I've disabled touch).
Came with 4GB Ram (and was quickly upgraded to 8GB)
Intel 4000
500 GB HDD.

It's a really nice machine and still runs great. Improved in fact after upgrading to Windows 10.

And this machine has to be....I dont know..... 6 or 7 years old.

But the battery now lasts 45 mins tops.

new battery replacement? With freight, close to $150 AUD.

NEW battery life is quoted as nearly 5 hours IN USE in review tests.

But do I bother on such an old machine?

That's my current first world problem.

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by Minuous

It's their own fault for overcharging; they wanted $400 to fix a cracked laptop screen, which was more than the replacement cost of a whole new machine. No prizes for guessing what I did next...

Are you sure they were overcharging? Often, replacement screens are more expensive than you realise, especially if you go for legitimate spares and not cheap clone parts, which can often lack contrast and definition, have dead pixels etc. That's nothing to do with the shop, which will charge an hour's labour on top of the screen cost (and are well entitled to do so). It's just the unfortunate reality of the market for disposable electronics.

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by 005AGIMA

But do I bother on such an old machine?

A hard question, it has to be answered with both your wallet and your heart. Repairs will cost more than buying a new one. But it'll save a machine from going into a landfill. You'll have to choose for yourself what you value more

[eXeler0]

The local computer shop death is as we all know, not a new thing, but its also clear its affecting retail in general, not just tech.
Although I personally like physical shops I realize I do 90% of the shopping online because its more convenient, often cheaper, (you sit at the computer doing research etc anyway to find the best product for your needs) I dont have to spend time to go there etc.. (We all know the positives.)
I also do 75% of my grocery shopping online these days and I get the goods delvered to my house. Saves me time and hassle and only costs a little more, so why not.

I'm also a retro collector so I'd probably visit a physical computer shop that offers retro stuff regularly, looking for good deals, but honestly, such shops that existed here were quite the oposite.. Double ebay prices making you leave with a negative feeling. And even if the prices were good, there is just no way they could compete with the range of stuff you can get on Amibay, ebay, tradera(swedish ebay), Yahoo auctions etc..
So it would be a niche within a niche..wouldnt survive long unless it was located in a very special place where enough retro nerds pass through.. (and there are such places, but not a whole lot of them).
Maybe a "hybrid" shop is the right way to go at this moment in time. i.e. the borders between the webshop and physical shop are blurred. A small(er) physical shop also functions as a pick-up place for the goods you ordered at the webshop / and/or you can browse the products from a touch screen terminal within the shop. In Sweden there's "Webhallen" that uses this concept and it seems to work fine for now.

[Glen M]

The retro shop in Belfast is well priced but as a retro collector for me the fun is in the hunt. Nothing beats a Saturday morning walking around car boot sales, charity shops, junk shops looking for a hidden retro gem.

[005AGIMA]

Originally Posted by gimbal

A hard question, it has to be answered with both your wallet and your heart. Repairs will cost more than buying a new one. But it'll save a machine from going into a landfill. You'll have to choose for yourself what you value more

And you know what.....

I ordered the battery.

I also took time to clean the machine with alcohol wipes and microfibre cloth so it looks like new.

New battery came, and it was dead on arrival lol. Refused to charge. (Direct from ASUS).

They've been very good and are arranging another replacement of course.

Once that's done, my plan is to swap the aging but not slow HDD for a 480GB SSD.

Have already begun cleaning up what's on the machine to make cloning easier and faster, keeping in mind the new drive is smaller than the mechanical one that is in there.

But from a price point ($89 AUD), it makes sense to go for the drive I have in mind, rather than splurge on a slightly larger, but substantially more expensive drive.

Will be one hell of a machine (again) once that's done.

[mkrleza]

All I can say is - good luck... I really wish you success!

[JonSick]

When even niche services struggle, owning a shop for such a thing is equally as much of a struggle if not more so with far more outlay.

If you wanted to run a totally retro physical store, given your outgoings your customers will have to pay more than the online prices to keep you running. That is also of course reliant on the aging technology we have today and betting it won't break down requiring further attention due to sales of goods act.

Which brings to mind, what would you sell? For current generation consoles, the manufacturers and marketers will have stipulations on how their displays look and where they are placed in stores. Given they are your bread and butter, you have to accommodate them no matter what. That pretty much relegates your retro gallery to the back of the store. Given they are retro, chances are they will be packaging-less and nowhere near as pretty as the shiny new PS5 in its blinky lightly glorious display case. That and you have to charge a premium for them in order to justify their shelf space.

And then you have the tat. While you can decided you only want to stock games and games galore, a lot of modern companies will impress on you that you will indeed need to stock total tat front and centre. That's silly keyrings, terrible funko pop things and god knows what else. All valuable shelf space, but demanded by your console overlords if you want to remain a dealer.

Are you sure you want to do this?

I can't see a way of you winning here.

[Bruce Abbott]

Originally Posted by JonSick

If you wanted to run a totally retro physical store, given your outgoings your customers will have to pay more than the online prices to keep you running.

There's a computer shop here that sells and services second hand PCs. If it was my shop I would keep the PC side but also go truly retro - buying, selling and servicing vintage home computers and importing the latest stuff for retro machines, as well as making and selling my own hardware. I would also start up a retro computer club to get local people interested. I bet I could make a living out of it and have lots of fun in the process - just like I did in the old days.

Which brings to mind, what would you sell? For current generation consoles, the manufacturers and marketers will have stipulations on how their displays look and where they are placed in stores.

Really? Nobody ever told me what I could put where in my store. That might even be illegal in New Zealand (a washing machine manufacturer here got prosecuted for stipulating that other brands not be displayed alongside theirs).

Given they are your bread and butter, you have to accommodate them no matter what.

Current generation consoles my 'bread and butter'? I only know one person with anything close to a 'current' games console, and that's me with an ancient PlayStation 2 (that I never use myself but loan out to friends occasionally). Why would I want them in a retro store?

That pretty much relegates your retro gallery to the back of the store. Given they are retro, chances are they will be packaging-less and nowhere near as pretty as the shiny new PS5 in its blinky lightly glorious display case. That and you have to charge a premium for them in order to justify their shelf space.

No, you have it all wrong. Retro enthusiasts aren't interested in shiny new stuff, they want old stuff - the older and rarer the better. I would have rare machines displayed in the window running demos, with ludicrous price tags on them. Inside the store there would be piles of old computer junk that customers can pick through to get bits they want, towards the back neatly displayed boxes in pristine condition for the 'collectors', and out the back a large workshop that trusted customers can make use of for a fee. The store would also double as a venue for club meetings after hours (there's a hobby shop here that does that for wargaming enthusiasts).

But why would people come into my store rather just buying stuff online and doing it at home? For the backup service, the expertise and the facilities, the hands-on experience, the social interaction and just to be a part of something. All things that 'brick-and-mortor' stores excel at compared to online operations (though of course I would have a website too).

And then you have the tat. While you can decided you only want to stock games and games galore, a lot of modern companies will impress on you that you will indeed need to stock total tat front and centre. That's silly keyrings, terrible funko pop things and god knows what else. All valuable shelf space, but demanded by your console overlords if you want to remain a dealer.

Screw modern companies - they can try to sell their crap in department stores or online. I want no part of it - nor the customers it would attract.

My goal would be to bring back computing as a hobby, like it was in the 80's and 90's. There is a huge resurgence of interest in what is now called 'retro' computing because people enjoy it just as much today as they did back then - though many don't know it because the modern generation hasn't been exposed to it yet. Now this might only be a niche market, but it always was. And just like back then you don't need a megastore selling millions of units to make a viable business out of it.

[rabidgerry]

Originally Posted by Axxy

What's a shop?

I can't remember the last time I went into any shop tbh. You can pretty much buy anything and do everything online. With business rates and rents I can't see how any retail outlet can survive on the high street nowadays?

Besides, technology is already making an impact on the high street. Banks and supermarkets are increasing self-service without the need to interact with another human as is petrol stations. In the next 50 years or less, humans will be surplus to requirements, if and when driver-less really takes over.

Where I live, the local council is already discussing solutions to develop a dying high street for the future, where retail isn't even being taken into account because they see residential areas as the answer, and retail on business parks out of town..

Well sounds like where I live and yeah "what's a shop?".

I first stopped going to shops because I discovered years ago I could get my more specific needs online. I'm talking about music shops both for actual physical product (yes I still have a music collection) and musical instruments and equipment.

So because of the shops locally only really carrying generic stuff, I ditched them for online, where I could get the stuff I needed/wanted and at better prices too.

Now however the city where I live, the town centre has no fucking shops. Well it does to a degree. If you want a coffee, or a vape (e-cig) refill or some trendy fancy overpriced piece of food you will be catered for

It would be my view also that high street retail is dying so to open a computer store would be a massive gamble.

Now where I live I would say was utter shit for shopping, however some cities still seem ok for this kind of thing, like Glasgow for example is a shopping mecca. It's also the right size that it could contain lots of little indie shops in the nooks and crannies. How well these smaller stores do though? Well I dunno if they will last.

[dreadnought]

...soon

[Bren McGuire]

when was the last time you saw a "computer shop" period mate? theres no space for any kind of anything in the retail space, its all about corporations and massive chains.

imagine a retro computer shop, not going to happen pal

[gimbal]

We still have them in the Netherlands, but greatly reduced in number of course. There used to be two in every street, now there is mostly just one big one per region. Good ones, luckily.

That's modern shopping. You'll have to really look for a shop now, but they're still there. As an alternative example, the two main shops I always went to for music CDs are still there, and they're always packed. Streaming services did not kill them at all, there is always a customer base who want the real thing.

[saimon69]

Originally Posted by Bren McGuire

when was the last time you saw a "computer shop" period mate? theres no space for any kind of anything in the retail space, its all about corporations and massive chains.

imagine a retro computer shop, not going to happen pal

An ONLY retro computer shop maybe not, an appliance repair shop that ALSO treat retro computer more likely - more now that money is tight and is more convenient to repair than buy again