In this bit, Instapundit links to a couple of people who have had bad experiences with CompUSA. I note in one case the issue is with a laptop, and in both cases, the problem is with an extended warranty. I shop at CompUSA (despite lower prices available at mail-order) for a couple of reasons. The biggest one is that there is not a MicroCenter within reasonable driving distance of me. (My parents have one near them, and it has slightly better prices and a much better selection of parts.) Secondly, for large purchases, I have a store charge card that offers 6 months no interest with them - a nice way to spread out otherwise large bites from my wallet. Thirdly, I've never had any problem returning equipment within the 15 day window (and have had them go out of their way to be nice to me about it - IE, I returned a digital camera that I had Buyer's Remorse about and the person I spoke to told me to do it as store credit rather than refunding my card since I would be charged a restocking fee if I returned and refunded).

I do take some precautions - I don't buy their replacement program except on commodity parts (hard drives, etc) where the exact model of replacement is unimportant. I don't buy computers there, only parts and accessories. I don't depend on them for technical support. In short, I work around their obvious limitations as a mass-market consumer-grade chain.