RE: Xerox stores

[Bill Gunshannon via cctalk]

Like the Tandy Comuter Stores.  I never saw a Color Computer in any of them
that I visited.  Some Model 4's and mostly Model 12's , 16's and later 6000's.

bill


From: cctalk [cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] on behalf of william degnan via 
cctalk [cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2017 5:23 PM
To: Sam O'nella; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Xerox stores

On Sat, Jul 15, 2017 at 5:18 PM, Sam O'nella via cctalk <
cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:

> Out of my own ignorance, did Xerox have models geared towards the home? Or
> was this a store front for business/Altos types?
> null


Yes.  "business centers", not home (except small home-based businesses).
There was a time where one could find IBM, Xerox, etc business-oriented
retail stores competing in every market.

b

Re: Xerox stores

[william degnan via cctalk]

On Sat, Jul 15, 2017 at 5:18 PM, Sam O'nella via cctalk <
cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:

> Out of my own ignorance, did Xerox have models geared towards the home? Or
> was this a store front for business/Altos types?
> null


Yes.  "business centers", not home (except small home-based businesses).
There was a time where one could find IBM, Xerox, etc business-oriented
retail stores competing in every market.

b

Re: Xerox stores

[Sam O'nella via cctalk]

Out of my own ignorance, did Xerox have models geared towards the home? Or was 
this a store front for business/Altos types?
null

Re: Xerox stores

[Al Kossow via cctalk]

On 7/15/17 9:30 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
> with eBay, if you are
> really interested in this stuff, you can still get your hands on things.


To a degree. What shows up there is heavily sorted by the seller in what he
thinks he can get money for.

It's not like a junk store where a whole rack of stuff (sometimes with the docs)
is there to pick over.

I'm fairly annoyed at what Weird Stuff did to the
stuff I recycled there a few weeks ago, like separating (and losing) the Tek
1240 analyzer pods that went with the unit I dumped off there.

Once it got into the store, someone stole the knobs off it :-(

Re: Xerox stores

[Jon Elson via cctalk]

On 07/15/2017 02:58 AM, Eric Smith via cctalk wrote:

On Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 8:59 PM, jim stephens via cctalk <
cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:


Backwater == St. Louis, BTW, a place I visit pretty often.

Still my all time favorite, Stu's Gateway Electronics still going.


I really miss the Gateway Electronics location in Denver, closed 15 years
ago. Wow, has it really been that long? On the last day they were open, a
friend and I bought pizza for the employees (and any other customers who
showed up).

The other electronic surplus places in Denver and Boulder have all closed
too. AFAIK the nearest is OEM Parts in Colorado Springs. Maybe there's
something in Fort Collins.

Yup, sad, and these places were a big help to kids who were 
interested in technology.  Of course, with eBay, if you are 
really interested in this stuff, you can still get your 
hands on things.


Jon

Re: Xerox stores

[Jon Elson via cctalk]

On 07/14/2017 09:59 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:


Backwater == St. Louis, BTW, a place I visit pretty often.

Still my all time favorite, Stu's Gateway Electronics 
still going. Recently touched base with them
when I found a giveaway.  My cousin caught hell when he 
took me to one of their first locations
down on Delmar.  You don't take a 10 or 12 year old who 
likes to junk to Gateway w/o expecting

consequences.

Yup, I first experienced Gateway Electronics on Delmar in 
probably 1970.  Wow, it was totally cool!


Sadly "junky electronics on natural bridge" Electronics 
Exchange is going or gone, with the owner

retired.  Gotta leave things kind of bleak but for Gateway.

Well, I rarely went to Electronics Exchange in the last 15 
years. Stuff was so scrambled, that you couldn't find what 
you wanted anyway.  They did have some good prices on whole 
spools of #26 stranded wire from Emerson for about $2.
Some of the spools had 1000++ feet on them.  Still using 
those. They did have tons of crimp terminals in bins, and I 
got some of those.
I did see a "Boeing Surplus" sign on Lindbergh, north of 
270, but have not gotten anyone to go

check it out.

I thought that had closed a LONG time ago, but maybe they 
have started it back up.
The original poster (Jon) had quite a nice pile as did I 
as well, but those were days with a lot more

nice stuff than now. (70s)

Yeah, it is QUITE a pile, for sure.  Still have my uVAX-II, 
although no hard drive for it at the moment.  I have some 
ESDI drives with VMS 4.7 on them, and need to see if one of 
the controllers I have is format compatible with what is on 
the drive.  Not a real high priority.  I have a couple 9 
track tape drives.  And, the Honeywell Alert 24-bit airborne 
computer,
either the first or second all-IC computer to ever exist.  
(Apollo Guidance Computer is the other one.)


But, I have to get rid of some of the junk to make room for 
the stuff that actually works!


Jon

Re: Xerox stores

[jim stephens via cctalk]

Backwater == St. Louis, BTW, a place I visit pretty often.

Still my all time favorite, Stu's Gateway Electronics still going. 
Recently touched base with them
when I found a giveaway.  My cousin caught hell when he took me to one 
of their first locations
down on Delmar.  You don't take a 10 or 12 year old who likes to junk to 
Gateway w/o expecting

consequences.

Sadly "junky electronics on natural bridge" Electronics Exchange is 
going or gone, with the owner

retired.  Gotta leave things kind of bleak but for Gateway.

I did see a "Boeing Surplus" sign on Lindbergh, north of 270, but have 
not gotten anyone to go

check it out.

The original poster (Jon) had quite a nice pile as did I as well, but 
those were days with a lot more

nice stuff than now. (70s)

thanks
Jim

On 7/14/2017 6:24 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
I knew a lot of the people who owned computer stores here around that 
time.

Re: Xerox stores

[Jon Elson via cctalk]

On 07/14/2017 11:24 AM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:

On 07/14/2017 09:00 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:


Hmmm, I really don't remember any such thing.  I suspect that some
independent computer store chain got an OK to have a big Xerox logo out
on the front.  That would be quite believable.  Some time in the early
80's there were computer stores popping up overnight like mushrooms, and
disappearing just about as fast.

Nope--they were real.  I recall that the one I visited wasn't that far
from the Moore Business Products store.


OK, I was living in the St. Louis area, and I don't remember 
any Xerox stores here.  I knew a lot of the people who owned 
computer stores here around that time.  I was the president 
and sort-of founder of our local computer club, so I knew 
most of the people involved with retail computer stuff from 
about 1976 to at least 1985.


But, of course, there was a LOT more activity in certain 
areas than my own backwater.


Jon

Re: Xerox stores

[Ed via cctalk]

I liked the DEC retail   store over in mid  Phx.
the sales guy was an  ex  pdp8 customer   engineer!   leaned much  from 
him! 
 
I mentioned metro center in  several posts  contains   places   it  also 
harbored the  corp. hq  for Dataphase  ( AZ version of computerland)  and also 
Businessland...  I watched  them all die...
Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) 
 
 
In a message dated 7/14/2017 1:27:29 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
cctalk@classiccmp.org writes:


- Original Message - 
From: "Jason T via cctalk"  <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and  Off-Topic Posts" 
<cctalk@classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2017  12:46 PM
Subject: Re: Xerox stores


> On Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at  8:13 AM, william degnan via cctalk
> <cctalk@classiccmp.org>  wrote:
>> And don't forget about the IBM Product Centers, bought out  in the late 
80's
>> by NyNex.  They sold IBM business products  including copiers, 
typewriters,
>> Displaywriters, System 36  accessories, printers and eventually PCs and
>> modems and such,  diskettes...
> 
> Although I lived mere miles from it, I don't  remember ever seeing this
> DEC retail outlet:
> 
>  http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/DEC/ChicagoDECStore.pdf

-
There  was a DEC retail store here in Mississauga (suburb of Toronto) that 
looked  just like that; still have a printer and some other stuff that I 
bought  there.

m

Re: Xerox stores

[Mike Stein via cctalk]

- Original Message - 
From: "Jason T via cctalk" <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2017 12:46 PM
Subject: Re: Xerox stores


> On Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 8:13 AM, william degnan via cctalk
> <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
>> And don't forget about the IBM Product Centers, bought out in the late 80's
>> by NyNex.  They sold IBM business products including copiers, typewriters,
>> Displaywriters, System 36 accessories, printers and eventually PCs and
>> modems and such, diskettes...
> 
> Although I lived mere miles from it, I don't remember ever seeing this
> DEC retail outlet:
> 
> http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/DEC/ChicagoDECStore.pdf

-
There was a DEC retail store here in Mississauga (suburb of Toronto) that 
looked just like that; still have a printer and some other stuff that I bought 
there.

m

Re: Xerox stores

[Ed Sharpe via cctalk]

we had a stand alone one in metro center phx... wold drop.in with a few of my 
employees and play Dino wars on the coco there

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail

On Friday, July 14, 2017 Fred Cisin via cctalk  wrote:
> Even the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center" stores only numbered 500.
> (just the specialized "computer stores", not counting the TRS-80 for sale 
> in the corner of every Radio Shack store (7400 peak))

Correction: The majority of the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center"s were 
IN Radio Shack retail stores (a substantial roped off area), rather than 
the few stand-alone "COMPUTER ONLY" stores.

Re: Xerox stores

[Ed Sharpe via cctalk]

we had a stand alone one in metro center phx... wold drop.in with a few of my 
employees and play Dino wars on the coco there

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail

On Friday, July 14, 2017 Fred Cisin via cctalk  wrote:
> Even the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center" stores only numbered 500.
> (just the specialized "computer stores", not counting the TRS-80 for sale 
> in the corner of every Radio Shack store (7400 peak))

Correction: The majority of the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center"s were 
IN Radio Shack retail stores (a substantial roped off area), rather than 
the few stand-alone "COMPUTER ONLY" stores.

Re: Xerox stores

[Fred Cisin via cctalk]

Even the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center" stores only numbered 500.
(just the specialized "computer stores", not counting the TRS-80 for sale 
in the corner of every Radio Shack store (7400 peak))


Correction: The majority of the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center"s were 
IN Radio Shack retail stores (a substantial roped off area), rather than 
the few stand-alone "COMPUTER ONLY" stores.

Re: Xerox stores

[Fred Cisin via cctalk]

On Thu, 13 Jul 2017, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:
But he swears they were sold in Xerox Computer Stores that existed by 
the

thousands - for a rather brief period.


Many dozens, certainly.   Probably less than 100.  Not "thousands".
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1981/10/19/xerox-opens-2-stores-here-retailing-small-computers/ed6858b0-8e17-4c3c-a78b-56b44bdaba87/?utm_term=.6eafed0a477c
(about 31st and 32nd in October 1981)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1981/10/19/xerox-opens-2-stores-here-retailing-small-computers/ed6858b0-8e17-4c3c-a78b-56b44bdaba87/?utm_term=.6eafed0a477c
(July 1982, Xerox announced that they would no longer carry Apple in their 
46 stores)


They did not outnumber the IBM retail computer stores (84?).
(nor the SEARS computer stores that popped up (Sears negotiated a deal to 
retail the 5150 immediately after its release August 1981))

Even the "Tandy Radio Shack Computer Center" stores only numbered 500.
(just the specialized "computer stores", not counting the TRS-80 for sale 
in the corner of every Radio Shack store (7400 peak))

Computerland peaked at 800 stores in 1985.

Best Buy has 1026 stores, but that's not computers.
Fry's has 34 stores.

Apple has 498 stores. They've caught up with Radio Shack's 
COMPUTER STORE peak (not retail electronics).

They haven't caught up with Computerland's peak.  Yet.

--
Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com

Re: Xerox stores

[Jason T via cctalk]

On Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 8:13 AM, william degnan via cctalk
 wrote:
> And don't forget about the IBM Product Centers, bought out in the late 80's
> by NyNex.  They sold IBM business products including copiers, typewriters,
> Displaywriters, System 36 accessories, printers and eventually PCs and
> modems and such, diskettes...

Although I lived mere miles from it, I don't remember ever seeing this
DEC retail outlet:

http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/DEC/ChicagoDECStore.pdf

Re: Xerox stores

[Ed via cctalk]

Xerox comps were featured copiers too...
plus  some other brands.. I always  had the feeling  they  were  XEROX  
company sponsored... but?
 
In a newspaper archive  search I come up  with a lot of ads  across the 
country between 81 and 83... I sent  some  adds   to  some of the people that 
were discussing this last  night.
 
This  comes at a  time of  interest as  I am   working on  documenting  
some of the early  computer biz  in   AZ...  part of it  is pretty  easy  as   
I was   involved in it... but  there is that  77 to 79   area  that still 
holds  some mystery for me.  If anyone   has  any thing related to  early  PHX 
 Byte shop   etc... drop me a note off list.
 
Ed#  _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org)  
 
 
In a message dated 7/14/2017 9:06:13 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
cctalk@classiccmp.org writes:

On  07/13/2017 11:14 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:
>
>
>  But he swears they were sold in Xerox Computer Stores that 
> existed by  the
> thousands - for a rather brief period.
>
> I have only  the faintest memory of such a thing, I didn't 
> start to work  for
> Xerox until 1985, and I don't recall the stores at all.   
> Can anyone add to that?
>
Hmmm, I really don't remember any  such thing.  I suspect 
that some independent computer store chain got  an OK to have 
a big Xerox logo out on the front.  That would be quite  
believable.  Some time in the early 80's there were computer  
stores popping up overnight like mushrooms, and disappearing 
just  about as fast.

Jon

Re: Xerox stores

[Norman Jaffe via cctalk]

I remember going to a Xerox store in '85 and buying a brand-new Macintosh. 

From: "cctalk" <cctalk@classiccmp.org> 
To: "cctalk" <cctalk@classiccmp.org> 
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2017 9:24:10 AM 
Subject: Re: Xerox stores 

On 07/14/2017 09:00 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote: 

> Hmmm, I really don't remember any such thing. I suspect that some 
> independent computer store chain got an OK to have a big Xerox logo out 
> on the front. That would be quite believable. Some time in the early 
> 80's there were computer stores popping up overnight like mushrooms, and 
> disappearing just about as fast. 

Nope--they were real. I recall that the one I visited wasn't that far 
from the Moore Business Products store. 

As I mentioned, CDC had storefronts--I still have a Wren II SCSI drive 
that I picked up at the Twin Cities store liquidation. 

TI had a store in the Stanford shopping center. 

--Chuck 

Re: Xerox stores

[Chuck Guzis via cctalk]

On 07/14/2017 09:00 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:

> Hmmm, I really don't remember any such thing.  I suspect that some
> independent computer store chain got an OK to have a big Xerox logo out
> on the front.  That would be quite believable.  Some time in the early
> 80's there were computer stores popping up overnight like mushrooms, and
> disappearing just about as fast.

Nope--they were real.  I recall that the one I visited wasn't that far
from the Moore Business Products store.

As I mentioned, CDC had storefronts--I still have a Wren II SCSI drive
that I picked up at the Twin Cities store liquidation.

TI had a store in the Stanford shopping center.

--Chuck

Re: Xerox stores

[Jon Elson via cctalk]

On 07/13/2017 11:14 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:



But he swears they were sold in Xerox Computer Stores that 
existed by the

thousands - for a rather brief period.

I have only the faintest memory of such a thing, I didn't 
start to work for
Xerox until 1985, and I don't recall the stores at all.  
Can anyone add to that?


Hmmm, I really don't remember any such thing.  I suspect 
that some independent computer store chain got an OK to have 
a big Xerox logo out on the front.  That would be quite 
believable.  Some time in the early 80's there were computer 
stores popping up overnight like mushrooms, and disappearing 
just about as fast.


Jon

RE: Xerox stores

[rar via cctalk]

The IBM Product centers were bought by NYNEX, and in turn purchased by 
ComputerLand.

The Baltimore NYNEX location was in the our ComputerLand franchise protected 
territory, so technically ComputerLand Corporation was in violation of our 
ComputerLand Franchise.  This was great news for us, since it allowed us to get 
out of the ComputerLand Franchise, and continue until this day.


Bob Roswell
System Source
(Same Company, was ComputerLand of Towson, ComputerLand of Baltimore, and 
ComputerLand of Columbia)

Our Computer Museum is at https://museum.syssrc.com




-Original Message-
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of william degnan 
via cctalk
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2017 9:14 AM
To: Bill Gunshannon <bill.gunshan...@hotmail.com>; General Discussion: On-Topic 
and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: Xerox stores

>
>
>
> Yup, there was definitely one in Santa Clara (IIRC).   I picked up a few
> things at their going-out-of business sale.  I think one was a DTC 
> document feeder for a Diablo Hitype and some miscellaneous furniture.
>
> Who knows--buried in my old records, I may even have an invoice.
>
> Control Data also had retail stores at about the same time.
>
> --Chuck
>
>
And don't forget about the IBM Product Centers, bought out in the late 80's by 
NyNex.  They sold IBM business products including copiers, typewriters, 
Displaywriters, System 36 accessories, printers and eventually PCs and modems 
and such, diskettes...

Re: Xerox stores

[william degnan via cctalk]

>
>
>
> Yup, there was definitely one in Santa Clara (IIRC).   I picked up a few
> things at their going-out-of business sale.  I think one was a DTC
> document feeder for a Diablo Hitype and some miscellaneous furniture.
>
> Who knows--buried in my old records, I may even have an invoice.
>
> Control Data also had retail stores at about the same time.
>
> --Chuck
>
>
And don't forget about the IBM Product Centers, bought out in the late 80's
by NyNex.  They sold IBM business products including copiers, typewriters,
Displaywriters, System 36 accessories, printers and eventually PCs and
modems and such, diskettes...

RE: Xerox stores

[Bill Gunshannon via cctalk]

I still have an unpopulated Xerox-820 motherboard floating around
here somewhere.  They were popular with ham radio operators for
BBSes and later with early KA9Q TCPIP systems.

bill


From: cctalk [cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] on behalf of Chuck Guzis via 
cctalk [cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2017 1:05 AM
To: jim stephens via cctalk
Subject: Re: Xerox stores

On 07/13/2017 09:14 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:

> A friend asked about this, figured perfect for here.
> Any info?
> thanks
> Jim

Yup, there was definitely one in Santa Clara (IIRC).   I picked up a few
things at their going-out-of business sale.  I think one was a DTC
document feeder for a Diablo Hitype and some miscellaneous furniture.

Who knows--buried in my old records, I may even have an invoice.

Control Data also had retail stores at about the same time.

--Chuck

Re: Xerox stores

[Ed via cctalk]

Jim sending you in a separate message   some newspaper ads   for some of 
these stores...  they also  sold osbornes and apples   etc... as well as  
their  own  business  xerox   systems.
 
Ed#  smecc - 
 
 
In a message dated 7/13/2017 10:05:50 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
cctalk@classiccmp.org writes:

On  07/13/2017 09:14 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:

> A friend asked  about this, figured perfect for here.
> Any info?
> thanks
>  Jim

Yup, there was definitely one in Santa Clara (IIRC).   I  picked up a few
things at their going-out-of business sale.  I think  one was a DTC
document feeder for a Diablo Hitype and some miscellaneous  furniture.

Who knows--buried in my old records, I may even have an  invoice.

Control Data also had retail stores at about the same  time.

--Chuck

Re: Xerox stores

[Ed via cctalk]

yes indeed!
 
yea  would have been the  front  part of the  80s   date wise...  can not 
remember exactly  though..
 
We had a Xerox store in Metro Center here in Phx...
 
I remember  laughing as  I went  away how thankful our  company was in an 
industrial  park and NOT in a high traffic   area...  ie. only those that 
really needed us  showed up... no  mass of lolly gaggers!
 
Ed# 
 
 
In a message dated 7/13/2017 9:15:05 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
cctalk@classiccmp.org writes:


A  friend asked about this, figured perfect for here.
Any  info?
thanks
Jim

An old (!) friend was just reminding me of the  Xerox personal computer
circa 1981, which ran CP/M on a Z80 and came with a  nifty daisy-wheel 
printer,
and that's all well and good.

But he  swears they were sold in Xerox Computer Stores that existed by  the
thousands - for a rather brief period.

I have only the faintest  memory of such a thing, I didn't start to work for
Xerox until 1985, and I  don't recall the stores at all.  Can anyone add to 
 that?

Thanks,...

Re: Xerox stores

[Chuck Guzis via cctalk]

On 07/13/2017 09:14 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:

> A friend asked about this, figured perfect for here.
> Any info?
> thanks
> Jim

Yup, there was definitely one in Santa Clara (IIRC).   I picked up a few
things at their going-out-of business sale.  I think one was a DTC
document feeder for a Diablo Hitype and some miscellaneous furniture.

Who knows--buried in my old records, I may even have an invoice.

Control Data also had retail stores at about the same time.

--Chuck

Xerox stores

[jim stephens via cctalk]

A friend asked about this, figured perfect for here.
Any info?
thanks
Jim

An old (!) friend was just reminding me of the Xerox personal computer
circa 1981, which ran CP/M on a Z80 and came with a nifty daisy-wheel printer,
and that's all well and good.

But he swears they were sold in Xerox Computer Stores that existed by the
thousands - for a rather brief period.

I have only the faintest memory of such a thing, I didn't start to work for
Xerox until 1985, and I don't recall the stores at all.  Can anyone add to that?

Thanks,...