Electronics retailer Tweeter to close 49 stores and fire 650 workers.

[Elwood P Dowd]

The pool of potential low-wage Wal Mart clerks just grew some more. Looks like all the stores in my area --Alabama & Georgia--will close. I imagine in 10 years the only retail outlets left selling consumer electronics (other than the esoteric products for the rich) will be Best Buy and Wal Mart.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/03/21/tweeter_to_close_one_third_of_its_stores/

If that link doesn't work, maybe this one will....

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2007-03-22T165255Z_01_BNG88195_RTRIDST_0_TWEETERHOME-STORES-UPDATE-2.XML

[obaman08]

1. Fry's electronics will beat both wal mart and best buy..

They suck hard, promised someone I know they would pay 8.00 an hour for a temp job, and after training reduced it to 6.25. She complained and they said they were going to fix it, but after 2 more checks at the same rate, she decided to quit. Their prices are lower than all other discount electronics store as they sell really shitty products.

[drbtg1]

2. Tweeter didn't help itself with its pricing

I'm not expecting WalMart pricing, but everything at Tweeter seems to be priced at the high MSRP.

[Elwood P Dowd]

4. They have to maintain a certain margin to stay in business

and pay quality workers a middle class wage. I imagine Tweeter is not getting the volume deals like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Wal Mart.

[drbtg1]

7. Often times, they're not competing with Best Buy, etc.

Tweeter usually has different products. Stuff like Sonus Faber will never be found at the chains, as well as the high end part of the lines of Denon, Alpine, and the like.

Consequently, they compete with Crutchfield and the gray market. not the lower end stuff at the chains. Yet, Tweeter keeps the MSRP that Crutchfield does, but not the superior support.

[Loge23]

5. ...nor their poor customer service attitude

I've been a Sound Advice customer for 18 years. I've purchased tens of thousands of $ of "stuff" from them over the years.
But no more.
First, the competition is too good and they (some of them, anyway) also stock the same or similar high-end gear.
Secondly, the guys at Sound Advice have gotten very uppity over the years as if they are doing you a favor by selling to you. I hate that! Even their installers are prima donnas now. I had to kick one crew out and get another to finish their work after they insulted my houseguest - a former NYC hero fireman - after he had the nerve to suggest a better way of them doing something that they obviously couldn't figure out.
Hey, it's a jungle out there Tweeter! Bye-bye!

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. Has Tweeter really become that bad?

Haven't been in one of their stores for years. They use to be a more upscale outfit with decent service. From checking their site, it appears they've gone to more mainstream products (Yamaha,Bose) that everybody sells.

[scarface2004]

3. tweeter has nothing...

you can buy that stuff at target now. who needs 'em.