When I said "IBM shops," what I meant was IBM customers. Companies that used IBM computers were "IBM shops" by my vernacular. Lots of people talked that way, like saying "Walmart is an IBM shop" or "Cities Service is a Data General shop."MajorClements wrote:You mentioned IBM shops, were they authorized dealers to sell IBM systems or did IBM have physical brick and mortar stores for clients to checkout the latest and greatest?
Some large companies had computers from various manufacturers, but even then, they often had more systems from one particular manufacturer or another. Once you have staff start becoming familiar with an architecture, they tend to coalesce as they bring in new-hires. The talent pool at the company becomes familiar with one platform or another, and specialization is a natural side effect. Sales staff builds relationships with people in the company, and that keeps 'em in "in the fold" too. So you saw "DEC shops" and "Data General shops" and "IBM shops."
As for sales avenues, you really didn't see retail outlets form until microcomputers hit the scene. Minicomputers were generally sold directly from the manufacturer, largely using outside sales staff. They visited customers often, sometimes even having people onsite at a customer location full time.
Another common sales vehicle was OEMs - Original Equipment Manufacturers - which bundled systems and software, often with their own specialized hardware and software - to support a specific market segment. An example is Ross Perot's EDS Electronic Data Systems.