John Wiegand spent more than two hours driving to Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless and other brand-name stores in his search for a new mobile phone.
Not only was it a hassle, it was unproductive: He found it difficult to compare the different plans and handsets.
"Everywhere I went, each salesman would say, 'This is the best plan for you,' " the Costa Mesa firefighter said.
So on the advice of a co-worker, Wiegand trekked to a new store, Wireless Toyz, which sells service from all the nationwide carriers as well as all their handsets and accessories.
"This is cool," Wiegand said as he compared plans and phones at a store in Downey. "It's got all the same plans and handsets, so why not come here?"
Not only was he able to compare prices and service across carriers, he said, but he also received help from salespeople who weren't trying to push any particular brand.
Such choices and customer service are the focus of one of the newer concepts in franchising. Based in Farmington Hills, Mich., Wireless Toyz Ltd. bills itself as a cellular superstore -- a one-stop shop for all things mobile, plus satellite radio and TV.
"The vast majority of cellular stores are single-carrier operations, and that's simply not consumer-friendly," said Joe Barbat, founder and president of Wireless Toyz. "It's like having to shop for 10 different brands of refrigerators by going to 10 different appliance stores."
Started in 1995, the company has evolved from a kiosk selling pagers to an 82-store chain in 19 states, with 130 more stores due within a year. Seven of the existing stores are in California -- the Glendale store was the first to open a year ago -- and 26 more are expected to open by the end of this year.
There is nothing quite like Wireless Toyz in the United States, though similar operations exist in Europe, said Mark Krantz, a Sprint Corp. vice president. Best Buy Co.'s chain of electronics stores comes closest by offering plans from the top three cellphone carriers.
Wireless Toyz differs because it sells service and gear from all five carriers, plus regional carriers in some stores, and because it has developed a franchising plan to raise the capital for expansion.
Barbat stumbled into franchising after he and partner David Ebner opened five stores in Michigan and found it too difficult and expensive to reach their goal of 100 company-owned stores.
