| Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Path: decwrl!labrea!bloom-beacon!oberon!pollux.usc.edu!papa
Subject: 3 New Chains Pick Up The Amiga (repost)
Posted: 12 Dec 88 08:21:50 GMT
Organization: Felsina Software, Los Angeles, CA
Pollux was down this week, so the prevoius one went to /dev/null. Here it
goes again.
Another half a page in Computer & Software News about the growing number
of dealers and chains picking up the AMiga 5000 and 2000:
"THREE SOFTWARE CHAINS ADD AMIGA 500 TO LINE
Three leading software specialty chains are adding hardware to their
product mix.
Software Etc., Waldensoftware and Electronics Boutique -- representing about
400 locations -- have reached an agreement with Commodore to carry the
Amiga 500. All three chains have carried personal computers before, but
until this recent deal only Electronics Boutique had stocked hardware. Last
month, the West Chester, Pa.-based chain decided to reenter the hardware arena
picking up Amstrad [a British PC clone].
The deal with Commodore marks the first time Software Etc. has taken on the
Amiga. But it is not the chain's first attempt at selling microcomputers.
Software Etc. took on Vendex last year. The line was subsequently dropped. At
the present time, the chain is concentrating on selling the Amiga for the
holiday selling season. The company divisional merchandising manager,
Gary Sousa, recently sent an internal memo to all stores specifying the
Amiga 500 be discounted 26.2 percent, according to sources. The memo calls for
Software Etc. stores to sell the $799.95 CPU for $589.99. The memo also calls
for a 15% discount off list price for the $399.95 Amiga monitor and a 10%
discount off the list price of a special software bundle.
Software Etc. plans to position the Amiga 500 both as a game machine and as
a personal computer for both home and business use. "The Amiga 500 is not
only the ultimate game machine, but it also offers tremendous graphics, video
and music capabilities for a wide variety of home and business applications,"
said Software Etc.'s marketing vice president Jordan Levy in a prepared
statement.
Electronic Boutique, the 140-store West Chester, PA.-based chain, has been
carrying the Amiga line since 1986, according to Jeff Griffith, vice president
and general merchandise manager. He decided to drop the line earlier this
year when sales of the Amiga and Atari STs became disappointing and margins
on the hardware were below 10 percent. When Commodore lowered the chain's
inventory investment requirements, Electronic Boutique decided to again
sell the Amiga.
Waldensoftware added the Amiga to its product mix in 27 stores because of
*CUSTOMER DEMAND* for the product, according to Brian Hill, a buyer for the
27-store Stamford, Conn.-based chain. "By selling both the computer and
the titles, we plan to increase both our customer base and software sales,"
he said. In the past year, the chain had experimented selling laptops from
Sharp and Toshiba.
According to Commodore President, Max Toy, the number of software applications
for Amiga has increased 240 percent from 500 a year ago to more than 1,700
titles today--38 percent of which are business application software packages.
The addition of these chains brings the vendor's dealer base to 1,600, double
what it was a year ago.
------
Later in the magazine, in a PAID insert of the ASCII Group, a major 235-store
chain,the following is said in a section entitled "UNIX: the ASCII difference":
".. With regard to cost effective alternatives, certain ASCII group members
are looking toward the Amiga 2000 and future products planned by Commodore.
The Amiga's attractive price and planned products open the door to UNIX
for them".
------
Enjoy,
-- Marco Papa 'Doc'
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