Brighteyez
Flashlight Enthusiast
If you're referencing my post, it is a generalization, but rather one of observation and real-life experience. Nothing racial is meant by it, again, it is purely based upon observation. Around here, I've seen less than a handful of those stores owned or run by whites, and they were usually out of business in a very short time, usually fingerpointing and blaming the people of Asian descent of accepting short margins. (I never ran into one that said that they were expecting to get rich nor blame their own greed for high profit margins as the reason for their failure 
) Actually, in this area, while there may have been more, I think I've only known of two stores that were owned by white people, and one was an acquaintance of mine who thought he was going to be the next Michael Dell (I don't think he lasted 6 months.) If you've been in business for 18 years, you're indeed the exception to the rule.
Insofar as "top quality", let's not get carried away here. I've bought computers from these shops and the frequency where lesser quality components were substituted were pretty much a regular event and it really got to the point where the computers had to be examined before they left the store (that occurred after an allegation that the component was switched after it left the store; even though the model and serial number matched their receipt.) And going back to that time, what was the difference between an Intel motherboard that was used by Dell, and a retail one that went into an assembled system, other than the Dell version being made to fit Dell's needs and case? So, perhaps the reason that you're the exception to the rule, and remain in business, is that you have probably run an honest business.
As I mentioned, many of these stores made their money from the sales of gray market compnents, not from the computers that they assembled. When the price of the gray market components started to equal the price of the retail components that carried a legitimate manufacturer's warranty, the mainstream consumer pretty much decided the fate of those merchants.
In any case, it is meant to be an observation of many of the stores that I saw all over the country, I can't change what I observed, there is nothing that is intended to be racially oriented. Many of those shop owners looked like they were working very hard for every penny they made, it was probably even tougher than some of the other businesses that earlier generations of Asian immigrants used to make a living, like grocery stores or laundries. It's probably right up there with restaurants when the risk factor is taken into account.
) Actually, in this area, while there may have been more, I think I've only known of two stores that were owned by white people, and one was an acquaintance of mine who thought he was going to be the next Michael Dell (I don't think he lasted 6 months.) If you've been in business for 18 years, you're indeed the exception to the rule.Insofar as "top quality", let's not get carried away here. I've bought computers from these shops and the frequency where lesser quality components were substituted were pretty much a regular event and it really got to the point where the computers had to be examined before they left the store (that occurred after an allegation that the component was switched after it left the store; even though the model and serial number matched their receipt.) And going back to that time, what was the difference between an Intel motherboard that was used by Dell, and a retail one that went into an assembled system, other than the Dell version being made to fit Dell's needs and case? So, perhaps the reason that you're the exception to the rule, and remain in business, is that you have probably run an honest business.
As I mentioned, many of these stores made their money from the sales of gray market compnents, not from the computers that they assembled. When the price of the gray market components started to equal the price of the retail components that carried a legitimate manufacturer's warranty, the mainstream consumer pretty much decided the fate of those merchants.
In any case, it is meant to be an observation of many of the stores that I saw all over the country, I can't change what I observed, there is nothing that is intended to be racially oriented. Many of those shop owners looked like they were working very hard for every penny they made, it was probably even tougher than some of the other businesses that earlier generations of Asian immigrants used to make a living, like grocery stores or laundries. It's probably right up there with restaurants when the risk factor is taken into account.
ksonger said:
