I wasn't aware that Microcenter had severe problems and downsized as much as you describe. I had always thought that they were a niche player, more focused on the DIY/hobbyist and higher in terms of knowledge computer user. My experience with Microcenter has mainly been with the Fairfax, VA store. I would shop there after CompUSA went bust. It was mainly parts to upgrade various desktop PCs that I owned. I also purchased all of the parts to build the last PC I owned from them. I generally find Microcenter employees to be professional and knowledgeable. In the past five years or so I have noticed more of an overt focus on getting a sale. Like every salesperson asking if I need help or multiple salespeople trying to put their sticker on the products I am buying to get a commission. After I got rid of my last desktop PC and bought a laptop, my needs for ongoing parts and "stuff" has gone way down. I agree that as PCs have become a commodity item and as mobile computing has taken over people aren't doing the DIY thing nearly as much. Gaming and things like Raspberry Pi don't have a broad audience, though the audience they have is highly dedicated. My recent computer purchases have been things like flash drives, external hard drives and a printer. Those aren't things that I have to go to Microcenter for. I was able to find much of what I needed at Best Buy and Office Depot which are much closer to where I live. I do hope that Microcenter can stay around. They do fill the not quite "commoner" computer market and the not quite I have to get it online part of the market. They also have a good service department that friends of mine have had success with.buckguy wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2022, 6:26 am MicroCenter is slow growing for a reason---they once had over 100 stores and now have just 25. They nearly went out of business about 10 years ago. They straddled the hobby market and broader consumer market, but had problems once PCs became commodity items and it no longer paid to build your own while more and more mass market places sold PCs and peripherals. The smaller specialty stores that sold software, PCs or hobbyist gear vanished pretty quickly but that didn't mean they had a huge residual market to exploit. I seem to remember that they already were closing stores in the '00s---like the one in Manassas, VA, well before they almost went under.
They have stabilized in recent years but the stores seem to be a mixed bag. I periodically go to one in Rockville, MD (cramped, dingy, not very well staffed) and one in Mayfield Heights, Ohio (brighter, well laid out and staffed with knowledgeable people). I've also been to the flagship in Columbus, Ohio which was nicely laid out but not very well staffed. Most of their stores seem to be recycled discount or big box stores. I forget what used to be in Rockville. The one in Mayfield Heights was a long-running Zayre and a local full-line department store before that. I'm glad they're still around as they do fill a niche--broader selection than Best Buy et al. and if you're lucky, you get knowledgeable sales people. They also have an online business with periodic mailings which I assume has helped them survive. They always seem to have store traffic--I usually stop in Rockville during off times from work and the place is never empty. The Mayfield store does a a sizable weekend business---so I assume they have found a scale and business model that works and if they have the capital to begin upgrading the stores, hopefully they will stick around and do better. They also opened a couple stores in NYC a few years ago which I would guess is another positive sign.
By the way, the Rockville Microcenter was formerly a CompUSA. Microcenter got the location when CompUSA liquidated. Even when CompUSA was there it had the same interior feel that you describe of Microcenter. For some reason Microcenter decided to go with darker colors when they remodeled the space. That makes it feel even smaller. CompUSA stuck with white and bright with primary colors from what I remember. Before CompUSA the entire building was a Bradlees. The original tenant was Memco. Bradlees retained the thumbnail awnings until they closed. It was after Bradlees closed that the space was subdivided up into all of the store spaces that are there now. Interesting side note is that in the late 80s Hechinger purchased a number of Bradless leases including the one for this space. The intent was to use the former Bradless locations to upgrade existing Hechinger stores or to lease out to other retailers. At least in the DC area nothing much came of this initiative.