Very sad, our local Mac store went under

[jcarter]

This is so darn sad, we had the most wonderful little local Mac store, we all LOVED them. What they did for us we cannot describe, lessons, sales, help, friendship,,,,,on and on.
But they opened a new store in the worst town on Cape Cod, Hyannis, where the druggies and nasties congregate. The strip malls are seething with low life, so just look at this and this is typical for Hyannis.
http://www.capemac.com/blog/saturday-night-robbery.html
So due to the financial loss, our Falmouth store, which has never had a robbery or anything, as Falmouth has good cops and everybody watches out for each-other,,,will close tomorrow.
Sadly the employees are afloat!
Look at those videos!
What the employee said to me today on the phone, is when a couple of thugs do something like this, they have no idea how many people they effect.
These store robberies are somewhat ignored, as they are not considered an ARMED robbery.
So these thugs/drug-thugs are holding small business owners at bay.
The police just cant keep up with this stuff!
Hyannis convenience and gas stations are robbed all the time and banks too.

Its so darn sad, I think that maybe if a few robbers got shot then they might think twice about doing it again.
The cops catch them sometimes, the courts let them OUT, and then they just do it again.

I hope our own town wont go this way, thank god we are too small at the moment, everybody knows who everybody is, except for the new people who come in and rent and are on assistance from the govt. and they are all in their 20s and have records in other states. They think they can hide here and congregate in the Hyannis area. And they break the law constantly, driving without licence or insurance, robbing stores, killing other druggies(which is wonderful). But what is this world coming to, we never ever had this stuff on Cape Cod until the last few years.
Sorry for the long rant, but just reading our court and police reports are enough to make us sick. Or to talk with our local cops!  I wont get into that, as its a whole new rant.
Jane

[Paddy]

Um...no insurance coverage? No alarm system? The thieves certainly don't seem to be in any kind of hurry, and the store is well-lit.

Sorry to hear about your store going under though, Jane.

[jcarter]

That was my question too, but they had been robbed a short while ago too. And last year another one.
I dont think this recent robbery was covered.

[Parker]

The cheapest deterrent is an alarm system... Technology today has made them dirt cheap and with the development of wireless features for alarm systems these past few years, they're extremely easy and cheap to install...
considering that alarm companies are giving away systems for nothing too.

It's a shame that your town lost your local Mac retailer. =(
We still have one in my area, but the fact that there are 4 Apple Retail Stores on Long Island, three under a half-hours drive and one 45 minutes from me, there is really no need for small apple retailers where I live.

[jcarter]

The manager of the store is a great guy and he knows so much Mac stuff, I feel bad for him out of a job.
But there is the possibility of the 4 employees teaming up and opening a new store, but it will take money, which is a bit scarce at the moment. Rent, insurance, inventory, gee I hope they come up with something. As our area really would need another Mac store, there actually is a good demand for it, even tho we are not heavily populated.  Its an educational community, and also full of retirees who love to learn, so perhaps we can come up with something.
I wish our family was rich, I would donate, or at least invest in a new store!
Jane

[Paddy]

We now have 3 resellers within 6 blocks of our house - Staples (who have renovated their computer section so that it looks like a mini-Apple store - very funny), Best Buy and Future Shop (both big box). I wouldn't really want to buy a Mac from any of them - or have any repairs done by any of them - for that I will go to Carbon Computing, which is a 20 minute drive downtown, but it's nice to see them there and to play with the new stuff without having to venture out to the Apple stores. In the GTA (greater Toronto area) the Apple stores are always mobbed - you literally have to wait in line to try out an iMac or Powerbook.

[daryl66]

QUOTE(Paddy @ Mar 5 2010, 11:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We now have 3 resellers within 6 blocks of our house - Staples (who have renovated their computer section so that it looks like a mini-Apple store - very funny), Best Buy and Future Shop (both big box). I wouldn't really want to buy a Mac from any of them - or have any repairs done by any of them - for that I will go to Carbon Computing, which is a 20 minute drive downtown, but it's nice to see them there and to play with the new stuff without having to venture out to the Apple stores. In the GTA (greater Toronto area) the Apple stores are always mobbed - you literally have to wait in line to try out an iMac or Powerbook.

Totally off the subject, but the closest "Apple" store to me is about 350 miles away.  We just returned from Honolulu and would you believe there are 3 Apple stores there. 2 within walking distance of each other and the last one about 10 minutes away by car. All three were VERY busy but you could always get to  one mac or another to "play" or do your business.

We do now have a "franchised" Authorized Apple Dealer which I have found to be totally worthless.  I just ordered a new  Ipod touch and 13.3 MBP to replace the ones stolen in Hawaii.(both refurbs from Apple).

Daryl

[jcarter]

I just found a new Mac store about 28 miles from our house.  Mostly small highway several lane roads. Not bad.
And there is the one which got robbed, its in Hyannis, the 'pit' of Cape Cod.  Think thats about the same distance, though the road is only 2 lanes and very very crowded.  Its owned by the same person that our little one here in Falmouth was.
But ours closed today. Got an email from the manager, he is just wonderful. Looking for a job now.

Sure wish we could pool our $, and get these 4 guys enough $ and a building to start anew on their own.
No matter how bad the economy is, Apple stores are always busy!

[dboh]

When did Hyannis become a "pit"? I lived around that area back in the early 1970s, and I remember it all being pretty nice.

[jcarter]

It has changed vastly, not the outlying areas, but downtown Hyannis. Its just chock full of homeless people too, but the ***real*** problem is that there is a huge drug cultrure living all around and in town. Crime is rampant there. They had to invoke a curfew in and around some of the strip malls, and force some of the all-night convience stores to shut down at 1 am. The bars let out at 1 am, and then these groups hit the streets to continue drinking(and fighting).  We read it every single day in our local CapeCodTimes.  
The police have a really hard time over there.  A very large proportion of these lawbreakers are NOT locals. They drifted here over the last 10 years or so. Most of them are able bodied young men, and they are on SSI, as 'disabled'. Disabled because they are addicts or alcoholics. I wont expound on this.
Reason I know a bit about this, as I know many of our cops personally and my neighbour's brother is a night time taxi driver, he could write a book about this under-culture.  Every town has this, but its not as visible as it is in and around Hyannis. You hardly ever see these people during daylight.

But all is not lost, just drive E-S-W-or North, about 7 miles away from Hyannis center or away from the strip malls, and you will be OK.
Jane