Companies that install home theaters and set up home computer networks are swamped this week trying to get all the electronic gifts up and running.
Consumer electronics were hot this holiday season, as they have been over the past five years, with prices on items such as high-definition and flat-screen TVs now within reach of many households.
Stores specializing in hooking up computers, TVs and car and home theater systems have worked overtime this week, particularly along the Front Range, where last week’s blizzard slowed or shut down many businesses for up to two days.
“The week after Christmas is always a big one for us,” said Phil Murray, marketing manager for Denver-based Listen Up Electronics. “The storm couldn’t have come at a worse time. We weren’t able to do deliveries Wednesday and Thursday (of last week), so… we are already struggling to keep up with the installations we had scheduled.”
Installations are generally scheduled at the time of a purchase, Murray said, but in other cases, customers fresh from opening gifts realize they need additional cables or components.
“Most TVs don’t come with proper cabling,” said Jim Pearse, senior vice president of merchandising for Thornton-based Ultimate Electronics. “It is important to have the home theater hooked up correctly to get the full benefit of high definition and home audio.”
Installation of home and car stereo systems are big traffic drivers for Ultimate this time of year, along with sales of cables and universal remote controls.
Ultimate will mount and hook up new TVs and install car stereo systems, even if the item was purchased at another store. For $99, a trained technician will make a home visit to help people learn how to use their new TV.
Pearse said there’s “pent-up demand” for consumer electronics in Denver because of last week’s storm, and Ultimate stores are now seeing more foot traffic.
“We’re just barely keeping up with demand at this point,” he said. “Our guys are working seven days a week just to keep up.”
The same holds true for computer shops, where customers can get their desktops and laptops upgraded or have a home network installed.
“It’s a busy time. We get a lot of stuff for Christmas, a flood of things,” said Mark Hope, owner of Action Computers Inc., an independent computer retail and repair shop on South Colorado Boulevard. “We also see kids going back to college that need a laptop they didn’t think they were going to need. It’s a second back-to-school kind of deal.”
Another reason for the surge in business, Hope said, is that families are getting multiple home computers.
“It’s going from family computers to computers for everybody,” he said.
Generally found at Best Buy stores, Geek Squad has a number of stand-alone locations in the Denver area. The computer technicians, or agents, will come to your home in Volks wagen Beetles to help with almost any computer issue. Consumers can also bring their machines into Geek Squad locations.
“We’re doing a lot more wireless networks,” said Fred Deich ler, deputy field marshal for a Geek Squad store at Sixth Avenue and Broadway. “It’s tough to say (if we’re busier) because we’re playing catch-up. We lost two full days last week.”
Deichler said 23 agents service a territory stretching from Castle Rock to Loveland.
“Friday, only half our guys were able to get out,” he said. “The Beetles don’t have much ground clearance.”
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.
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