Sag Harbor

ABC news reports that Microsoft is allowing small business owners to purchase their new Vista operating system from CompUSA 2 months before they go on sale to the general public. This is the first time Microsoft has ever allowed their operating system to be sold to anyone before it’s actual release date. Since most small business owners purchase their software from stores such as CompUSA, this means big business for them. Buyers must go into the stores personally and expose themselves to the active selling CompUSA employees who are banking on customers walking out with more than just their new copy of Windows Vista. Here’s what a Microsoft representative says:

Over 50 percent of our small business customers shop (for software) in retail stores,” Bates said. “Last time, if you walked into store you were only able to buy the boxed product, which is more expensive and less easy to manage.”

Once inside a CompUSA store, small-business customers will need to speak to a sales representative to buy a license agreement. That interaction will give the store and Microsoft a chance to sell the customer other products, such as the software company’s support program.

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