MacMall giving away $14K in products during launch of first Chicago retail store
The El Segundo, Calif.-based Apple Authorized Reseller and AppleInsider sponsor said Monday that the grand opening of its new store at 329 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago, Illinois will kick-off on Saturday, March 31 with a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting and raffle drawings for over $7,000 in technology products.
The first 500 people to visit the 7,000-square-foot store following its 9:00 a.m. opening will be entered into a drawing to win one of over 20 Apple-related products, including a new MacBook Air at 10:00am, followed by additional drawings throughout the day for a Wacom Intuos5 tablet, five Apple TVs, two iPod touch players, three iPod nanos, and an HP Officejet printer, among other items.
Additionally, MacMall says the first 100 people in line will receive a free limited edition T-shirt, while the first 200 who make a purchase will receive a free gift bag. The first 1,000 customers will also receive a limited edition MacMall 2-in-1 Stylus.
In addition to the grand opening on March 31st, the new Chicago store will feature separate drawings for an additional $7,000 worth of merchandise targeted at businesses customers. Those raffles will take place between March 26 and March 30, awarding three high-demand technology products each day to businesses. Those items will include a Wacom Intuos5 tablets, HP Folio notebooks, TouchSmart PCs and Slate tablets, and HP Top Shot printers.
Located less than 3 blocks from Chicago's 4-million square foot Merchandise Mart landmark, the new shop will join three existing stores in Southern California. Each feature free daily seminars 7 days a week and are staffed with in-house technical experts who provide on-site Apple Authorized Service on both in- and out-of-warranty Apple products.
MacMall, which vows to honor online pricing in each of its physical stores, says it plans to work in concert with Apple to continue its retail expansion going forward. The 27-year-old Apple reseller is actively seeking new storefronts in both Southern California and Chicago, in attention to scouting for its first potential location in New York City.
25 Comments
CompUSA is back!
Defying a trend that has long seen independent Apple resellers shutter their shops in the face of stiff competition from the Mac maker's own thriving retail operation, MacMall this weekend will continue with a rare expansion of its retail footprint with the launch of its first brick-and-mortar retail store outside Southern California.
Why does Apple allow them to sell at a discount? Apple must lose retail and web-based business to these guys due to the discounts. Apple products are not routinely sold at a discount.
These guys are planning expansion into many of Apple's prime retail locations. Why does Apple put up with it?
An obscure website is one thing. Retail stores with lines and t-shirt giveaways are straight out of Apple's playbook.
This was the location of a CDW store that failed about 5 years ago. There is little parking available nearby and the corner is very congested, near the entrance to the Kennedy Expw (I-94). Good Luck, MacMall.
Why does Apple allow them to sell at a discount? Apple must lose retail and web-based business to these guys due to the discounts. Apple products are not routinely sold at a discount.
These guys are planning expansion into many of Apple's prime retail locations. Why does Apple put up with it?
An obscure website is one thing. Retail stores with lines and t-shirt giveaways are straight out of Apple's playbook.
I don't get what you mean. Apple retail stores are a convenience only. They sell at full retail. MacMall is a retail dealer, authorized by Apple to sell its products. Apple cannot force MacMall to sell at full MSRP. There are other, small computer stores that sell Mac and they discount. The problem is, Apple offers a wholesale price that is very close to its retail price, so non-Apple-owned dealers have a tiny margin to make a profit, hoping to sell accessories that have higher margins to keep the doors open. Apple is extremely stingy.
Why does Apple allow them to sell at a discount? Apple must lose retail and web-based business to these guys due to the discounts. Apple products are not routinely sold at a discount.
These guys are planning expansion into many of Apple's prime retail locations. Why does Apple put up with it?
An obscure website is one thing. Retail stores with lines and t-shirt giveaways are straight out of Apple's playbook.
Funny how you're one of the ones attacking Apple for its agency pricing model when it comes to books, but when it comes to a retail store, you want Apple to insist on dictating the price the store charges.
Unfortunately, you have your arguments backwards - Agency pricing is not illegal, but demanding that the stores sell only at list price might be (depends on circumstances).