I ask becuase im thinking of opening a up a shop so I can get customers bringing the systems/laptops to me rather than going out 'on call'. I know I will need to go out and do the usual maintainance contract work. So hopefully I can get custom through the door.
If you have a shop what type of stock do you keep? Im thinking of putting the usual PC LCD monitors, cases, computer systems and general computer components. Im also thinking of stocking specialist computer components (gaming components). The main aspect of the shop would be to take advantage of the space. I know retail is going to be tough with online prices etc... so may just give it ago and see how it goes.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
SP
Like yourself I have been doing on-site work for the past 5 years. I also decided it was time to kick things up a notch and go with a retail store. We just opened our first store in November, and luckily things are going great. With that being said I really want to give you some insight that I didn't have before you make your choice........
Before you even think of doing this you need to ask yourself a few questions. The first thing is how committed to this are you, because if you're not 100% I wouldn't even think about it. You are going to have to put so much time into this thing you can kiss your life goodbye...I am not saying this as a bad thing because sure it may pay off, but you will definitely need to make a lot of sacrifices on your part...For example my store is open 6 days a week, but I find myself there all the time between paperwork , catching up on things, meeting clients in emergencies etc.....add that to the fact that I work full time and you can imagine how crazy things get........
Secondly, how much do you have to put towards this (money wise). I STRESS to you the importance of knowing what kind of expenses you are going to have. Having a retail store is a whole other ballgame compared to running it out of your house. For example you need to consider things like: Rent, Phone, Internet, Electric, Insurance, Signs, Furniture, Advertisments, an Accountant (Don't even consider doing this without one!). Also note your phone may be $40.00 a month, but most places charge you installation and setup fee's. That can go for your phone, electric, internet etc....
Finally stock, my word of advice to you is - just don't do it. I tell my customers all the time , although it is not in stock we can get it for you at much lower prices then local competitors, it will just take a couple of days. They are fine waiting 3 days and saving $50....if you don't have $20,000 worth of starter investment don't burden yourself with stock because chances are good it is just going to sit there anyway. The only things I do stock is necessities such as cables, a couple of different hard drives, a couple of dvd burners etc...
