Tech store offers discounts

Lauren Blalock/ The Lantern Ambarish Patel helps a student find what he needs at the newly opened Wired Out in the Central Classroom Building.

In the Central Classroom Building across from the Ohio State bookstore, Wired Out is now open for business.

After a soft opening last week, the store officially opened Tuesday. It sells computers and accessories in the heart of campus.

"We are very pleased with the opening," store manager Dave Markiewicz said. "We had some unexpected sales, not only laptops, desktops (and) accessories. Everything is going very well."

During opening week - May 27 to 30 - students can register to win an iPod touch or one of 100 $15 iTunes gift cards. Markiewicz said the drawings and advertising are ways to catch students.

"The old computer store has been gone for several years, so we're just getting the word out right now to the students that live on campus," Markiewicz said.

Matt Smith, a senior in history, said he was attracted by the raffle and by the selection of iPods.

"My iPod broke actually, not too long ago," Smith said. "So I wouldn't mind getting a new one for free."

Markiewicz said he had been working on the store for 14 months in preparation of the opening.

Wired Out is run by OSU and sponsored by the Stores Department.

Pete Barnes, assistant director of stores operations, said he was impressed with turnout and the effort put in by Markiewicz and employees.

"I think it's great," Barnes said of the opening. "I think Dave and his staff have done a great job of putting it together."

Barnes said Wired Out was created as a result of requests from students for an on-campus technology store, especially during orientations. Students, particularly freshman, do not usually have the means to go to off-campus stores.

"A centrally located establishment where they can buy this type of thing was necessary in someone's eyes," Barnes said.

The tech store offers a variety of business-class Dell and Hewlett-Packard computers, as well as a number of Macintosh machines, including the new MacBook Air.

Markiewicz said the computers are offered at the educational discount price and the HPs and Dells come with three-year, next-day, on-site warranties.

The store also carries accessories including keyboards, headphones and software.

"Our most popular item is a set of headphones that has already sold out," Markiewicz said.

Patrick Reilly can be reached at reilly.60@osu.edu.