Conn's Coming to Oklahoma City

[solitude]

I have learned......

Conn's will be opening an Oklahoma City store in the old OfficeMax space at 3315 Northwest Expressway across from Baptist/Integris Medical Center. Extensive renovations and signage are currently under construction. Conn's Electronics and Appliances is a Texas institution with stores in Texas and Louisiana. The expansion into Oklahoma is expected to be aggressive with the OKC NW Expressway store being the first. Known for low electronics prices and a huge inventory of appliances, Conn's has been in business in Texas since 1890.


CONN'S WEBSITE

[Pete]

Interesting.

Is it similar to Fry's?

[metro]

Thanks for posting solitude, I've been meaning to make a post to see if anyone knew what the remodel was going on there. I'm all for more increased electronics competition = lower prices.

[oneforone]

I will be really suprised if they do well in that location. The traffic flow in that location has not been kind to any business that has set up shop there. The quick service businesses are the only ones that seem to survive. Not to mention Oklahoma City's appliance and electronics retail business sector is starting to get a little over saturated.

Lastly, I am not sure Conn's will do well OKC. This mainly because they operate in the old school comission sales format that only older customers respond to. A majority of OKC's shoppers are addicted to the Wal-Mart format. Grab it and get out as fast as humanly possible.

[Martin]

i was wondering what was going in there... though i still miss poblano's.

-M

[Tex]

This is awesome. Conn's is pretty competitive in pricing but not always the lowest. I'm pretty sure these guys are going to compete verly closely with Ultimate Electronics. This is not going to be similar to Frys. Frys is just so massive in the selection of entertainment and electronics. They just do appliances, computers, and home audio/video electronics.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I will be really suprised if they do well in that location. The traffic flow in that location has not been kind to any business that has set up shop there. The quick service businesses are the only ones that seem to survive. Not to mention Oklahoma City's appliance and electronics retail business sector is starting to get a little over saturated.

Lastly, I am not sure Conn's will do well OKC. This mainly because they operate in the old school comission sales format that only older customers respond to. A majority of OKC's shoppers are addicted to the Wal-Mart format. Grab it and get out as fast as humanly possible.

I think that most people don't really give two rat's hairballs about how the salesperson is getting paid.

They want a salesperson that knows what the hell they're talking about when it comes to product and has an ounce of honesty in them. The only thing the people in Best Buy are good for is telling you where to find something.

I'm glad that there will be another store setting up shop though. I like having choices.

[oneforone]

I have worked the commission side of retail. I try stay away from it if at all possible. 90% of commission sales people I have known lie their asses off to get a sale. If they do not know a the answer to a question they just make up answer. They focus on selling the items that pay the highest spiffs. They could careless if the product is what you needed or wanted in the first place.

These days you can save yourself a ton of time and energy if you just surf the web for a couple of hours. There are plenty of consumer forums and detailed web sites that will help you narrow down your choices. Then all you have to do is go to the store and make your final choice.

[NTM]

I have worked for Conn's at the corporate level when I lived in Texas and they are awesome! They have great prices and have a wide variety of everything from mattresses to pressure washers to electronics etc etc... I am very excited about the coming... plus I bought there stock a long time ago.

[yukong]

I'm excited about them coming also, I just wish they had picked a better location. When OfficeMax was in that location, I could not stand to go in there because the whole store smelled like old burned cooking grease because of that Chinese restaurant next door. It was so bad, you left OfficeMax smelling like that old stale grease. I asked the OfficeMax employee who was helping me how she stood the odor and she said that it drove her crazy and that they had lost some customers because of the smell. But that there was nothing they could do. So, if the same condition exists, it will likely hurt Conn's also.

[metro]

Conn’s Appliances enters Oklahoma City market

January 29, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – A Texas-based appliance and furniture store is entering the Oklahoma City market with one store opened and more planned.Conn’s Appliances Inc., based in Beaumont, Texas, opened last week in Midland Plaza in Oklahoma City at 3315 Northwest Expressway.The company plans five metro area stores and has leased the former Albertsons at 28 E. 15th St. in Edmond. It plans to renovate the existing structure and open a 25,000-square-foot store there by late summer.Plans are also in the works for stores in Norman, Del City and along Interstate 240.Mark Inman, with CB Richard Ellis Oklahoma, was the broker in the recent Conn’s transactions and is assisting the company with its Oklahoma expansion.The company was founded in Texas in 1890 as Eastham Plumbing and Heating Co. Carol Washington Conn Sr. purchased the company in 1934 and changed its name to Conn Plumbing and Heating Co. It expanded to offer water heaters, gas ranges and refrigeration. In 1968 the company got into the electronics business and now offers a variety of appliances, electronics and furniture.The company was privately held by two generations of the Conn family until it went public four years ago.David Trahan, senior vice president of retail, who oversees site selection, said the company began a regional expansion about 15 years ago. At that time there were 20 stores around Texas. With the opening of the Oklahoma City Conn’s, the store count sits at 69.Conn’s also has stores in Louisiana.“We are just a good slow-growth-type company when we try to expand,” Trahan said.Trahan said one of the main factors that differentiate Conn’s from nationwide big-box retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City is that Conn’s has its own in-house financing.The company reports about 60 percent of its customers finance their purchases with Conn’s.Trahan said the financing is available for those he described as credit-challenged up to wealthier customers. The stores also carry items in price ranges from moderate to top-of-the-line.Appliances account for about 40 percent of the company’s sales, while computers grab another 40 percent and the remaining 20 percent is split between other electronic items and furniture.Trahan said the stores are generally about 25,000 square feet and employ 30 people. He said the split between new construction and converting existing buildings is about 50/50.After the five Oklahoma City-area stores are complete, Trahan said the company will begin looking at other markets in the state.“We’re really going to focus on Oklahoma City, and of course Edmond and Norman,” he said. “Then probably in ‘09 we’ll venture into Tulsa.”


Conn’s large appliance store has recently opened this Oklahoma City location along Northwest Expressway, across from Integris Baptist Medical Center, with plans for a second Oklahoma location to be opened soon in Edmond. (Photo by Jennifer Pitts)

[Patrick]

I only wish that they would've painted the stucco the same color as that on China Olive and Beverly's. It doesn't match.

[jbrown84]

Yes, that's a little odd.

[Midtowner]

I have worked the commission side of retail. I try stay away from it if at all possible. 90% of commission sales people I have known lie their asses off to get a sale. If they do not know a the answer to a question they just make up answer. They focus on selling the items that pay the highest spiffs. They could careless if the product is what you needed or wanted in the first place.

Some, but not most. Maybe that was the way where you worked. I was in commissioned retail sales for over 8 years. I always conducted myself with integrity. I'd like to think that most commissioned salespeople feel the same way.

[Pete]

Conn's announced they are completely going out of business, including the two OKC stores at I-240 & Penn and NW Expressway & Independence.

Will be interesting to see who snatches up those locations.

[SoonerDave]

Conn's announced they are completely going out of business, including the two OKC stores at I-240 & Penn and NW Expressway & Independence.

Will be interesting to see who snatches up those locations.

Frankly, I'm amazed they lasted as long as they have. Walked in when they first opened and happened to notice what I thought was a rather draconian, very limited return policy, and thought I'd never dare risk an expensive electronics purchase there. Never went back.

[NavySeabee]

They were pretty much a step above Rent to Own places. From what I understand they took advantage of credit challenged people.

[SomeGuy]

An Ollie's on Southside would be nice

[jedicurt]

Frankly, I'm amazed they lasted as long as they have. Walked in when they first opened and happened to notice what I thought was a rather draconian, very limited return policy, and thought I'd never dare risk an expensive electronics purchase there. Never went back.

exactly this... i walked in once, saw them significantly overpriced, just so that they can "give you a good deal" by dropping the price to the same as other places. and then a terrible return policy and uneducated on the products staff. i walked in once and never walked in again

[jn1780]

They were pretty much a step above Rent to Own places. From what I understand they took advantage of credit challenged people.

Well, 'Con' was in their name after all.

[stick47]

Well we must have met the 'one good' salesperson at their south store. Knowledgeable guy who facilitated our order and installation of an induction cooktop right at the end of covid as soon as GE resumed business. We were very pleased with our purchase at Conns while the big box stores were telling us it would be 90 days before they could deliver the item.