P. C. Richard & Son
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
P.C. Richard & Son, also known as simply P.C. Richard, is a chain of stores that sells electronics and appliances. Its stores are located in New York and New Jersey, with the majority of the stores located on Long Island and in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. The company is also known for its trademark whistle jingle created by Soundsmith worker Leer Leary.
The first P.C. Richard opened in 1909 in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. This particular store sold hardware and was run by Peter Christiään Richard, an immigrant from Holland. His son, Alfred J. Richard, would spend all of his time helping his father, as he quit school at the age of fourteen for the sake of the store, which at that point was located in Queens. Within time, A.J. would become the head of the store, and would prove to be highly successful in persuading people to buy appliances. As the years progressed, his sons would aid him with the business, as they expanded to other locations. To this day, the chain is still run by the Richard family, as A.J. himself would serve as chairman well into his 80's.
P.C. Richard is the New York metropolitan area's last major regional electronics/appliance stores after the closing of its competitors, including Crazy Eddie, Trader Horn, Newmark and Lewis, Incredible Universe and The Wiz. These stores, especially in their later years, did not focus on customer service, instead employed associates on commission, purposely replaced parts from items (like putting in cheaper, third party headphones in a Sony Walkman). P.C. Richard built their business with customer service and is one of its main selling points. In an era where price deflation is associated with consumer electronics, P.C. Richard and Son still thrives because instead of focusing only on price, the company stresses an emphasis to customers about the treatment they receive from the store before, during, and after the sale. This has allowed them to remain competitive against it's primary competition in the New York/New Jersey consumer electronics/major appliance market.
P.C. Richard's primary competition in the New York market are national chains Best Buy and Circuit City. After the closing of The Wiz, P. C. Richard would acquire the rights to the TheWiz.com domain.
P.C. Richard is also known for their price match policy. They promise to match prices from a limited list of retailers including Radio Shack, Best Buy, and Circuit City. However, they will entertain offers of retailers not from that list in an effort to prove their commitment to customer satisfaction. This policy extends to 40 days after customers have taken possession of their merchandise, longer than most of P.C. Richard's competitors.
They also have a private label credit card by GE Money Bank with their namesake where customers may finance purchases made in store over a varying period of 4 to 24 months without interest charges depending on the items purchased.
