Open a Store in San Antonio...PLEASE

davis449

I registered just to post this.  Just finished up at the Dallas location shopping for a few parts I needed while I was in town for 24 hours.  For God's sake, PLEASE give us a Micro Center in San Antonio.  I'm tired of only being able to experience the in-store magic that is Micro Center when I happen to be in Houston, Dallas, or Denver (the three cities I travel to the most often with a Micro Center location).  My sister, of all people, introduced me to Micro Center when she lived in Chicago back between 2004-2006.

Best Buy's limited selection isn't ideal, our local\regional "tech store" chain, (Altex) is an embarrassment to the aforementioned moniker, and we simply do not have enough options for buying real tech products.  Between the Austin and San Antonio metros, the population is roughly 4.5 million people.  There's more than enough of a potential customer base and more than enough cost-effective commercial retail real estate available.  You could and SHOULD bury Altex in our region.  Their selection is crap, their prices are outrageous on 90% of the things they sell, they know it, and they do it because they have no competition.  I'm tired of their snotty, poorly trained sales people with their condescending attitudes.  If I find that our one good small local computer shop doesn't have what I need (pretty often), I have to take a sedative before heading to Altex, to get whatever it is I need, just to make sure I don't completely lose it while I'm there.

You can slap one in North San Antonio (Live Oak, Selma, Cibolo, or Schertz)  and be pretty accessible to Austinites, not to mention New Braunfels and San Marcos residents.  Hell, open one in South Austin (so it's more easily accessible to those of us in SA) if you want.  Austin has two Altex's, and a Fry's (Fry's is in North Austin close to Round Rock) but, as I stated previously, you can easily and JUSTLY bury them both.  Let's be real here, is Fry's even considered competition these days?

Seriously, I love Micro Center, I've been an IT Professional for over 20 years, and if I can't make it to Denver to fix my dad's and his various business associates' equipment (seriously, they pay to fly me up there to address their computer and networking needs when physical presence is required to do so), I send them to Micro Center because you're the only ones I trust to do anything correctly.  Ok, rant over...for now.

davis449

Oh, one more thing.  You're welcome.  I just did all your market research for you and I'll add that if you put one in San Antonio or South Austin, you will have the "Texas Triangle" completely covered and that's 75% of the state's population of 29 million people, the second most populated state in the U.S.

AlexS

Hello @davis449 and welcome to the Micro Center Community!  We appreciate you going out of your way to not only post, but provide us this information.  While I'm not in charge of our real estate, I'll definitely get this forwarded over to the powers that be!  

As for San Antonio, the first thing that came to mind is Riverwalk.  The two times I've been in the area, I've enjoyed that area and also think that'd be a nice spot for a Micro Center location in the future that could generate some decent foot traffic!  Thoughts on that area?

davis449

Glad to see this post was taken seriously, and also not so seriously.  The humor and legitimate commentary of my rant were take as intended.  I simply hoped to be heard as, really and truly, I am not alone in my complaint here.  My techie friends and not so techie friends (most of them are not extremely technical, but know enough to be dangerous) complain about not having a place like Micro Center to go to for their electronics and computer component/peripheral needs.

Of course, the first thing that came to your mind is the Riverwalk.  Number one answer is usually the Alamo, naturally.  This city is FAR more than those two things.  We aren't nicknamed Military City USA for no reason.  Those that serve\served in the Air Force know, you come here for Basic, nowhere else.  ALL of the USAF comes here first.  Installations here house and train members from all four branches.  There's also a major FBI Field Office here.  Then there's the giant NSA facility (interestingly, an old Sony factory) that houses a massive cryptography and intelligence unit.  It employed 2200 people until 2007, they planned to double it when they built out the old Sony factory in 2010, and now it's employee count is classified.  You should see the IT job listings on Career Builder, Monster, Zip Recruiter, etc...there are ALWAYS gov. contractors hiring people with security clearances if that tells you anything...

The economy here is pretty diverse and includes:

Military - JBSA Lackland, JBSA Randolph, Ft. Sam Houston, Brooks City Base, Camp Bullis, Camp Stanley, and Brooke Army Medical (which is where you go when you're hurt in Military, it used to be Walter Reed, it's now BAMC and the campus is MASSIVE).

Medical Research\Manufacturing - UT Health Sciences Center and Acelity (KCI)

Engineering R&D - Southwest Research Institute

Banking - USAA is headquartered here, so is Frost Bank, and The Capital Group has a huge facility here as well

Oil & Gas: Valero is headquartered here as well as Tesoro

Technology and Telecommunications - AT&T's Ops is still here (the execs\upper mgt. moved to Dallas with the relocation of their HQ from here to there), Rackspace, a significant Level3 Communications presence, Microsoft has a huge Datacenter here, and Hulu has a large office here as well

Education - UTSA (which is HUGE and has one some of the highest rated IT educational degree plans in the nation, especially IT Security) Trinity Univ., Univ. of the Incarnate Word, and St. Mary's Univ.

Misc. - Those who are Texans reading this know H-E-B grocery stores (huge super regional) is headquartered here.  If you're in DFW and you've seen Central Markets, that's H-E-B.

So you asked what I think of the Riverwalk...I think it's great, for tourists.  LOL!  No, honestly, it's a great place to go for locals, too, as it has expanded far beyond what is used to be known for.  Now there's the tourist part, which is but a small section of what has now become a bike path\walking setup (on both sides of the river for much of it) that goes for miles and miles north and south of downtown through the entire Mission Trail that is surrounded by beautiful and historic scenery.  I enjoy going down there once in a while, but don't make a habit of it so it doesn't get old.  As a retail spot.  Hell no.  Just trust me, it's all about entertainment down there and that's what survives and thrives there.  If you're selling stuff down there, it better be tourism related or you will be done for.  I could go through an extensive analysis concerning Riverwalk Mall and its trials and tribulations, but I'll just let you and your company do the legwork on that if you want to waste your time coming to the same conclusion.  My assessment: not worth even looking at.  Stick to the areas I outlined in my OP or just pick a spot on Loop 1604 and just set up shop like everyone else does.

davis449

Crap, forgot to mention all the companies with large presences here that come along with the Military: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, among others.  They're all VERY present here.  Also forgot to mention NuStar under oil & gas.

jscudder

I would also like to corroborate davis449's assessment.  San Antonio and Austin are the 2 fastest growing cities in Texas and the land is only getting more and more expensive.  The time is now.  Fry's is now a joke and Altex doesn't have near the breadth of products you have.  One final personal comment, my employer is actually starting to review applications for the replacement of its large scale genomics computing cluster.  If only we had a major trusted retailer that could supply the hardware and get a contract for upkeep.  We certainly won't entertain the idea of Altex.  Just pointing out there is a rather large gap in the market perfectly situated for you guys.  All my best, Jon.

pasttense

Adding more support, we need you here. There's lots of corporations, traffic from South Texas, tons of makers in the area, STEM related groups, etc.  There are plenty of good locations too. The Rim, The Forum. Tell your real estate team there's 22,500 sq. ft. empty space at Arbor Park at 281/1604 - Centrally located, very convenient for the entire city and surrounding areas.  (Smaller than the average MC, sure but great place to dip your toe in a see how the water is ) Do we need a Kickstarter for this or something?  We were Ikea worthy, 2021 is the year for Micro Center in San Antonio, please!

JS_MC

Glad to see there is still a shared interest here! I'm in the same position as @AlexS above in that I don't have to power myself, but I shall share it with the powers that be! The continued interest is sure to help!

AlexS

I've been to San Antonio more than any other city in Texas and I think it could definitely use a Micro Center :P 

BSinnett

Yes! I also had to register just to post here. Since I moved from the KC area, I've always hoped Micro Center would come to SA! It's the only store with a vast selection of all sorts of different tech related stuff in one place. We have Quik Trip now, so time for Micro Center. 😅

Ein

Yes! Please open another store here. I moved from Brooklyn, NY to SA in 2018 and I just can’t find any other store that is close to the prices and inventory you guys have. The location in Brooklyn was awesome just beneath BQE at 3rd or 4th Avenue. OP here gave a pretty good info about SA and location suggestions.

Ian

Hello! Glad to see the support here, hopefully one day it can happen!

Gageous

Hello, I also registered to post my undying support for a Microcenter in San Antonio. I've custom built every computer I've owned since 2004 as well as my son's computer and several friends. Nothing would make me happier than having a place to go for everything. Everyone is right, Altex is an overpriced joke and the small shops while nice do not carry a lot of inventory. You would make a killing in this city.

AlexS

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/28401#Comment_28401

:( Why am I an overpriced joke?

Gageous

Sorry... typing on a phone... autocorrect and slight dyslexia. I have corrected my comment

AlexS

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/28406#Comment_28406

All in good fun @Gageous lol

Gageous

Seriously though... we want and need you here. I'm tired of seeing the beautiful store in YouTube videos... I want to experience it... especially since I have 2 pc builds coming up soon.

AlexCastillo

i also just registered to add my hat to the bring a store to san antonio bandwagon... I own CSI Technologies and aside from structured cabling and low voltage cabling we also do network and computer support and installations to include custom built systems and i would love to be able to purchase the equipment we need locally instead of having to order and wait for shipping, ALTEX is a joke as far as an alternative shopping location, i go if i absolutely must have a part same day which i usually do... but having a micro center here would definatly save me and my customers a lot of headaches.. please please please make this happen...

Ian

Greetings,

Thank you for posting on the Micro Center Community! Thank you for providing us a location you think a Micro Center would be great at! I sadly don't have the pay-grade to make the decision of opening up a location but I will send your suggestion over to the proper teams for consideration! 

Mdalton87

Like some others on this thread, I also registered to create a comment.

I'd also like to add that Austin is the home of many large tech major and regional HQs. Oracle, AMD, Dell, eBay, Facebook, VMware, and Tesla is moving it's HQ there. There are many more but the list is too long.

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/37342#Comment_37342

Thanks for voicing your support! Perhaps one day it can happen!

shack96

Micro Center in San Antonio is way overdue. I have to plan family vacations around the hardware needs of my family and friends. We only travel north or east so I can hit either the Dallas or Houston store on the way to where we're going. My kids would like to travel west someday, but it just can't happen until SA gets its own MC. I simply refuse to spend another dime at Altex. After living in Houston for 11 years, it is impossible for me to shop anywhere else. I knew how great I had it in Houston, but didn't know how bad it was here. Even my kids know the difference.

So, in short, bring Micro Center to San Antonio; do it for the kids.

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/37402#Comment_37402

Hello, thanks for voicing your support for a new location!

zach_r

Hello powers that be! I have also registered to show support for a location in San Antonio! I have lived in NW San Antonio (and Austin for a bit) for the past 10+ years after college and have been forced to deal with Altex and BestBuy as the only options for computer parts. Altex, as others have already mentioned, is way overpriced, closes super early, and always has an outdated selection.

Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, we used to have a local CompUSA/Tiger Direct store for a while in McAllen that was awesome and I was surprised to come to a huge city like San Antonio and not even see any options close to even that. For a while I would make the drive up to Austin once or twice a year to get some parts for new builds, but now Fry's has closed down permanently, so there is truly no flagship computer store serving the Austin-San Antonio metro area of 3.5+ million people.

As far as a recommended location for a potential Micro Center in SA, I would also suggest the Forum area near 1604 and I35 where IKEA is. This would give both Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio customers the easiest access to the store as well as capture all of the travelers from South Texas heading north and everyone else heading south.

Another premium location for a store like this would be on the NW side near 1604 and I10, this is close by the RIM shopping center, UTSA, Costco, Fiesta Texas and a highly populated residential area with people who work at nearby company headquarters of USAA, Valero, HEB, Rackspace, Security Service FCU, FBI, Military Bases etc. We also have an NBA (Spurs) team like Houston and Dallas, so by putting a Micro Center here you would capture 100% of the Texas NBA market lol. The Spurs actually just broke ground on a new huge headquarters/retail/community space in this 1604/I10 area.

I really hope to see a Micro Center location in San Antonio soon. I still have yet to visit any locations, as I've only ever traveled past Houston/Dallas once or twice in my nearly 30 years living in Texas, but I've been up and down Austin/San Antonio hundreds of times as have others I'm sure.

Thank you for trying to get the ball rolling @Ian , @LandShark and @AlexS !

WhiskeySprinkler

I just registered to show support for a Microcenter in SAN ANTONIO. Except it needs to be in the northwest (the farther and more difficult for Austin the better - look at what happened to Fry's)

You have so many people here who would benefit from you having a store here. All the military, colleges companies already mentioned, more military, the 1.5mil population, more military (you know when have a satellite NSA here, right?), All the nerds like me... Just do it. Open a store near the Rim and you will NEVER run out of customers. Ever. Ever ever everevereverEverevER...

Pull the trigger ; make it happen. 

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/42247#Comment_42247

That's a great idea! We will let our real estate team know we are needed in San Antonio!

infinitemultiverse

I also registered to show support on this...

A Micro Center is extremely necessary right now in SA..... It is 2022; still getting killed here with Altex.. There is hardly any knowledge, and high prices.

I go to Houston Microcenter for my needs, but it's a 3 hour drive for us. I have built and upgraded so many systems over the years... @ Microcenter is the go-to.,.. I hate that they are not here; I'm from New Jersey so believe me, when I moved to San Antonio 5 years ago one of the things that bothered me was the absence of this store. They would bury Altex instantly. They have no competition, Micro Center would be everything "computers" here... No one would go elsewhere.... Why would they? To not find what you're looking for and to pay more?

PLEASE BRING RETAIL STORE TO SAN ANTONIO...

The fastest growing city and area in Texas.

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/43086#Comment_43086

Hello! Perhaps one day it will happen!

Grant43

Also created an account to reply to this thread. Like many people I just moved to San Antonio for a tech job - the city is booming in addition to the already large metro population plus Austin.

I agree the Riverwalk is not the right environment for a Micro Center but rather somewhere in the north/northwest, maybe even northeast in the city would make more sense. That is where there would be the most potential customers, and the area around Hwy 1604 is much newer/more attractive to most young tech-savvy professionals like myself. The real estate market is booming here as well and is projected to continue growing as one of the top markets in the US over the next several years, so the real estate investment would pay off as well as the large customer base.

But just wanted to make my voice heard as well and cast my vote for a San Antonio location. I think it would be a really awesome store to have and I'd definitely be a customer often.

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/43301#Comment_43301

Thanks for sharing your support! Perhaps one day it will happen!

TDub

I for one don’t want a Micro Center in San Antonio. Why? Because I’d go broke spending all my money there!

Seriously, though, I echo everyone’s comments here. PLEASE, please bring one here! Driving to Houston or Dallas isn’t convenient, especially with the cost of gas these days. Fry’s in Austin is gone. San Antonio is growing like gangbusters in population and tech savvy people, and we have desperately needed something better than “Worst Buy” and “Awful-Tex” forever now! I NEED my regular Micro Center fix!!