Fromk thestreet.com. DELL is definitly THE choice for this writer.
Fez
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Market Features: TSC Readers Weigh In on PC Sales
By TSC Readers
11/30/98 5:54 PM ET
PC buyers who responded to TSC's PC survey came out of the woodwork with a variety of stories about their respective buying experiences this weekend. While many bought high-end Dell PCs, others opted for Trigem's EMachines for $399 sans monitor. One purchaser went with relative unknown TigerDirect.com over Dell because it was 7% cheaper -- talk about your conscientious shopper.
Holiday Sale
The better question is: "Do you plan to buy a PC in the next 30 to 60 days?" -- which would factor in people like me who plan to purchase a new system (Dell) but will probably wait until after Christmas in the hope of squeezing out some extra savings.
Donald W. Schuster
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night!
I thought I would weigh in with an experience my best friends had when they purchased their $1,800 Dell on Saturday night. The reason my friends went ahead and ordered is because the sales rep told them that they had to order within the next two business days in order to guarantee Christmas delivery.
The sales rep said he had been there for 13 hours on Saturday and stayed over longer to get my friends' order in. Maybe this was a high-pressure gimmick, but it might be interesting to call later in the week to see if the company is still promising Christmas delivery.
Also, my friends' decision to go with Dell instead of Gateway was influenced by the sales tax charges. (In Tennessee, sales tax is 8.25% so this is a material issue.) Since Gateway now has its "Country Stores" in Tennessee, the company is required to collect sales tax on the computer. Dell says that payment of the sales tax to the state is the responsibility of the purchaser.
Rhonda Arnold
Travel Expenses?
I wonder what the results of your poll would've shown had you asked about other computer-related purchases. I bought a printer from Costco on a 700-mile road trip to see Duke play in the Great Alaska Shootout.
It's the Thought...
We were planning to give two PCs as gifts this year and were hooked by a Turkey Day four-color flier. But that $599 (after half a dozen rebates) IBM package (300 MHz K6 with monitor and color printer) turned out to be too popular.
We pulled into the lot at 6:30 a.m., a half hour before opening time, and found a line that wrapped most of the way around the building. At least 200 people waiting to buy the 25 boxes they had on the floor. I don't doubt that many folks substituted upwards, but those gifts will wait for another day.
Brent Bigsby
Hanging on the Telephone
I purchased three new computers over the holiday weekend. I first did all my research over the Web comparing options the day before and called on a Saturday. When I called Dell, I got a very helpful and courteous person; however, the prices that I had from their Web page were different from what was quoted to me. The prices over the phone were about $10 to $20 dollars less than the Web page.
I asked the sales rep if he had a reason for the difference and he said no. It is not much of a price difference, but I suppose over time and with volume, Dell would rather you shop online if you can get a few more bucks per PC.
Sean Flynn
Not a Believer
I didn't buy a PC this week, but I have an interesting anecdote. A co-worker just bought a IBM 400Mhz PC last week at the employee discount price. When he was shopping around a couple of weeks earlier, the employee discount was $400 less than street prices. He went to Costco yesterday, saw the same exact model with more software for $50 more than employee price.
I think prices will continue to tumble as I'm not a big believer in the PC made-to-order business. It helps the manufacturers control inventory costs, but with discounters offering all-in-one packages at lower prices, I still think the sales volume will continue to come from that channel. |
