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rdm

January 22, 2009 4:46 PM

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I'm sorry you're losing your job but you're damn right I'm going to find the best possible price on (insert item here), especially when dealing with CC was a hassle, at best. Best Buy is not our only other option, btw, and it's attitudes like this that cause entire companies to go out of business.

12 replies

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January 23, 2009 7:23 AM

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@rdm: Remember in the 80s when Circuit City was your only option for tech? Well what goes around comes around and if Best Buy doesn't react or give customers what they want, they will be the next Circuit City when a stronger competitor comes around.

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Charlotte Rae's Web

January 23, 2009 4:34 AM

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@rdm: I think he's just asking you don't do it with glee in front of him.

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 6:47 PM

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No, my attitude changed once I saw the hordes of customers coming in to buy things that were more expensive than normal. I know it wasn't true of most Circuit City employees, but I was generally helpful and always looked to save people money. I like teaching people about how computers work, why they don't need certain stuff, etc. It was fun to pass on some of that knowledge.

The liquidator is there for a couple of hours a day, and we run into the Office Space problem here: My only real motivation is to not be hassled, and that will only make me work hard enough to not lose my job.

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January 22, 2009 5:12 PM

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@rdm: I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that it's the store closing and loss of job that has soured his attitude.

My company is being sold off right now and none of us know if we will have a job in 1 month. It does create a horrible mood/atmosphere being in that type of situation.

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root4root

January 22, 2009 6:01 PM

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I'd be an ass to each and every \"customer\" that came in if I knew I wouldn't have a job. What is the point in doing anything if you know you are going to lose your job anyway. My advice to you sir: have some fun, Clerks style!

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January 22, 2009 6:37 PM

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What is the point in doing anything if you know you are going to lose your job anyway.

Because the liquidators will fire your ass without blinking an eye. Their job is to get the most cash that they can out of the stock that's still there, and some retard pissing about the store and getting in the way of that goal will be gone, very quickly.

My brother worked part-time at Linens-n-Things while they were being liquidated, and he managed to make a better salary with the liquidators, plus, he got to walk away with some merchandise that wasn't on the books for pennies on the dollar.

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jnrcorp

January 22, 2009 5:01 PM

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@rdm: Exactly! There are many other options. Even ignoring internet shops like Newegg and Buydig, you've got 6th Ave, Electronics Expo, Sears, PC Richard (which always seems to have the best prices on TVs and lots of stock), J&R, and all the mom and pop shops.

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stlbud

January 22, 2009 7:37 PM

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@jnrcorp: Good for you. You live in New York. Isn't that nice.

6th Ave and J&R have not chosen to represent themselves in my part of the world and SEARS!!!! OMG! you deserve everything you get if you shop technology at Sears.

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coren

January 22, 2009 6:26 PM

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@jnrcorp: Sears? Seriously? Not a chance. Nevermind their shittacular rep here, they don't have prices or selection to match even Best Buy. And it's great that yall have so many more options brick and mortar back east, but over on the west coast, those don't exist.

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January 22, 2009 5:56 PM

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@jnrcorp: Office Depot, Staples, Office Max.

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January 22, 2009 5:23 PM

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For some reason, NY/NJ seems to have a lot more mini-chains than lots of other places. Here in MD, if you don't want to buy online or Best Buy, you are pretty much limited to Sears/Costco/ect (which have a much smaller selection).

Places like CC and Best Buy are useful when you need something NOW.

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HRHKingFridayXX

January 22, 2009 8:41 PM

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@madanthony: Yeah, but do you really NEED that extra cable now? I really want to know what kinds of urgent necessities BB or CC can provide (that you couldn't get at a gas station- flash light, batteries, and the like).

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January 22, 2009 9:00 PM

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@HRHKingFridayXX:

I work in IT, and there have been plenty of times we've needed to run somewhere to grab a hard drive, cable, or something to fix something that was mission-critical.

I've also knowingly overpaid for things like a cassette adapter from Radio Shack when the alternative was a 4-hour drive in a car with no cd player.

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HRHKingFridayXX

January 22, 2009 10:01 PM

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@madanthony: OK, I see your point, for small businesses. In most cities though convenience stores like CVS carry adapters and basic electronics. Either way, I don't think little emergency purchases here and there amount to supporting a big box store, let alone competition.

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January 22, 2009 5:13 PM

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@jnrcorp: microcenter!

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January 22, 2009 5:12 PM

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Well, the people who regularly shop at Circuit City pretty much do only have Best Buy now. The only one of those B&M stores you listed in my city of 115,000 is Sears, and you should be really ashamed of yourself for even listing them as an option. Do you not even read this site?

","

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January 22, 2009 4:47 PM

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While I do think Circuit City deserved some of what they got, that's due to the stupid decisions of executive management.

I still feel bad for the people lower down the ladder who are losing their jobs and would never make fun of store level employees because the company is shutting down. I don't want any nasty return karma coming my way.

As another aside, I think it's an interesting lesson in retail psychology when you can mark something up, slap a 60% off tag on it and end up selling FOR MORE than you could at a so called \"regular\" price that happened to be LOWER than the discounted price.

1 replies

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my_imaginary_friends_bore_me

January 22, 2009 7:10 PM

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@dragonfire81: Sounds like what Artvan does all the time

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January 22, 2009 4:48 PM

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I feel bad that you and thousands others are losing your jobs....but you might have been wise to skip the \"We don't really care about you\" tip #2 if you were going to go for the guilt trip in tip 6.

4 replies

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January 22, 2009 5:33 PM

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@backbroken: Agreed. By the time I got through \"I really can't do anything else for you... and that is honestly fine with me,\" \"(Management) are not very happy... and they are making it known,\" and \"Whatever it says in the computer is what we have to sell it at, regardless of what the sign says,\" I was pretty smug about this closing, despite the fact that I don't even shop there.

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 6:52 PM

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Again, these are feelings that came about after we started closing. Before we were closing, I liked helping people and would send them somewhere else or to Newegg if they asked me about prices on cables and stuff like that.

I bent the rules frequently to people that were nice and just looking to save a little bit of money. You may not believe me about that; and that is fine. As I always said, I have been a consumer long before I worked for Circuit, and I want you to be happy in the same way I was happy.

But, when you come into my store, and say how it was about time we closed with how terrible we were, and bitch and moan about not saving a few more dollars on a router or something, damn right it puts me in a bad mood.

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January 22, 2009 8:44 PM

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Can't blame you for that. I hope you find something soon.

I will miss Circuit City. I liked them and always got good service there. :'(

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January 22, 2009 4:52 PM

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@backbroken: Bingo. Why should I feel bad for you having your job cut, when you readily admit that you don't care about the customers. Thats generally the way Circuit City has always been.

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January 22, 2009 5:22 PM

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@Yankees368: The key point in #2 is not that he doesn't care about customers in general, it's that it is difficult to care about customers when you're days at the job are literally numbered. That if customers had been coming to the stores with these sorts of numbers over the last several months (when prices were actually lower), not only would they have gotten more courteous service with employees with more power to accommodate them (as CC might not have been driven to shut down), but said employees would not have been stripped of any and all potential job satisfaction.

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January 22, 2009 4:50 PM

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Pretty much the only thing that properly sums up my feelings on this is... :(

I echo the sentiments from consumerist, hope you land on your feet.

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JonThomasDesigns

January 22, 2009 4:52 PM

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I was done with CC after DIVX (yes i did buy one) ... Forget BB .. Amazon and Newegg !

3 replies

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Anthony Bradford

January 23, 2009 1:34 AM

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We didn't buy the DIVX, but after they came out with it, I never shopped at Circuit City again. It was a slap in the face of consumers.
BTW, we bought the mini disc player....ugggh.

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wee0x1B

January 22, 2009 9:21 PM

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@jonthomasdesigns: I'll just keep going to Fry's for all the stuff I need from a B&M place. Their \"sales\" associates are, to a person, one level above he intelligence required to operate a cash register, but that's OK. I've never needed any help in being steered towards buying something more expensive. which is, incidentally, all I ever got at CC and BB.

No, I go to a B&M store because I don't wan tot pay shipping. I don't need extended warranties, backup plans, or whatever. And I already know what i want, since I've spent time online comparing features.

All I need if for the mouth-breather in the silly uniform is to get my stuff and let me get out of there.

I firmly believe that if CC had treated customers like people and didn't try to foist all that funny business on them, they'd still be in business. If I sound jaded, that's because I tend to have bad experiences in B&M stores more often than not.

But yeah, I hope Sam lands on his feet. It sucks he had a really shitty employer all these years.

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 6:52 PM

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@jonthomasdesigns:

Lol, yeah if I were scammed by CC into DIVX, then I would probably never go there again either...

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GothamGal

January 22, 2009 4:54 PM

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I am truly sorry that people are losing jobs, but there were going to be casualties in a completely mismanaged company. I certainly do not think that Best Buy is impervious to the same fate. Most Consumerist readers would not step foot in a Best Buy, let alone, buy a TV from them when you can get it online for hundreds cheaper.

I stand by my statement that we will all soon work for and buy from the Umbrella Corporation, as it will be the only company left.

4 replies

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January 22, 2009 6:39 PM

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I stand by my statement that we will all soon work for and buy from WalMart, as it will be the only company left.

There. Fixed that for ya.

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Canoehead

January 23, 2009 3:31 AM

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@heltoupee: Amazo-Mart

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Wormfather is Wormfather

January 23, 2009 3:19 PM

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@Canoehead: Actually, just got this off the ticker: Wal-Mart has merged with Home Depot and together have purchased the US Government to be come US-Go-Home-Mart.

/trying

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Wormfather is Wormfather

January 23, 2009 3:20 PM

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@Wormfather is Wormfather:

/reaching
/ficksed

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audemars

January 22, 2009 8:47 PM

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@heltoupee: *shudders*

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sockrockinbeats

January 22, 2009 5:42 PM

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@GothamGal: buy-n-large :(

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piratebull

January 22, 2009 5:02 PM

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I hear ya Sam. I worked at CC for 7years beginning my junior year of high school.. I like you did the best I could with what I had and did my best to provide the best service I could.. i worked my way up the ladder started in merch then moved over to commission. Got layed off in the 1st round in '07. Came back to work for thanksgivin and saw how shitty the new sale people were. I walked in making about 60% less then what I was makin prior to being layed off but needed the $$.. Finally graduated last july and got the hell out of CC.. They were a great company to work for from '99-'05 then after that they went for the gutter.. Sad day im going to miss going into CC>> believe me the grass will be greened on the other side and you will always appreciate the experience you got from workin at CC.. Good luck boss!

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January 22, 2009 5:03 PM

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Are people shopping at CC liquidation really customers of CC? No, they are customers of Gordon Bros. Why should he care? Everyone who shows up are really vultures. Where were they when the prices were lower and actually owned by CC? I'm not defending CC, I really think they made some bad decisions, but, it seems pretty messed up that they are busier than ever with marked up prices disguised as a sale. 'This American Life' had an episode around christmas time where Ira talked to people at a mall and spoke to a worker at a store that was closing, it was really kind of heartbreaking, she said \"People only come here when other people are suffering, where were you when we weren't closing?\"

Just something to think about.

3 replies

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bwcbwc

January 23, 2009 9:33 PM

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@kewlfocus: The real bargains will be in the wholesale lots that the liquidator sells overseas or over the internet. See liquidation.com, for example, though I don't think they'll get any CC merchandise.

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 7:01 PM

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Exactly. CC made some absolute terrible decisions with Schoonover at the helm. Ones that we all saw were terrible for the company. I didn't think it would be as bad as it was, but that first day I worked after the liquidation began, it really killed my spirit. I saw that this was all but inevitable since October, with our supplies dwindling; only having two desktops in stock, not having our 3 best selling cameras in stock for a week at a time and the like. I have been trying to leave for around a year now, but the economy just has not given me any opportunities, really.

This was a part-time job for me, but a necessary one. To many other people, much better people than me, this job was their life. This was how they made their living, and planned on it for a long time. Now, with 34,000 people that are going to be jobless looking for jobs mostly in the retail sector, I just wonder what will happen to them or somebody else looking for a new job that allows them to continue with a decent way of life.

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HRHKingFridayXX

January 22, 2009 8:37 PM

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@CSUSam: Not to jump a huge tangent here, but in what modern economy can people \"sell\" things for a decent living? Sure, there's nothing wrong with working part time while completing college or vocational school. But supporting a family on a single consumer retail income? I fail to see how that is really contributing anything to a real economy.

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West Coast Secessionist

January 22, 2009 9:29 PM

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@HRHKingFridayXX: You don't make any sense. Care to share your list of jobs that are \"worthy\" of a living wage? I don't see how a professional salesperson is less worthy of being able to support a family than a professional HVAC installer or professional dog groomer. But maybe you have a rationale to support your claim. Let's hear it.

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HRHKingFridayXX

January 22, 2009 10:12 PM

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@West Coast Secessionist: Everyone deserves a living wage. I just don't see why jobs that are essentially obsolete need to be mourned. When I was listening to the episode of \"This American Life\", I think it was someone working in a stationery store that was going out of business that made the comment about how people only want things if they're 70% off. What she fails to see is that there are plenty of stationery designers on the internet (i got wedding invitations for 1.25/card) that don't need the overhead of \"salespeople\". Same goes for BB and CC, most of the time they don't need someone to \"sell\" you a TV.

Regardless of whether businesses are better off online or in actual stores, I did want to open up a conversation about the value of jobs. I don't feel bad for the drones that got laid off on Wall Street either- they weren't contributing anything to society but moving numbers back and forth. BB is probably surviving because they're only paying people to run registers, for specialty booths like apple and sound systems, and for merchandise maintenance. CC had far to many people who BS'd in \"sales\" for a living, which didn't help the company's bottom line.

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pecan 3.14159265

January 22, 2009 10:42 PM

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@HRHKingFridayXX: That's very true, and I'm glad you brought up the stationery store. I didn't see that episode, but it reminds me of when I was in the market for wedding invites. It was so much more economical to buy them online through a press that operated in California, than to go to any specialty store or retailer locally. I was recommended invitations that are beautiful, but were $4 a card. No thanks. I researched online and found a great printer in California that printed exactly what I wanted in the color I wanted for $1.50 a card, and I was free to change all the text and move it around, eliminating the need for the extra \"food\" card. All I bought was the invites themselves and the RSVP card, and I skipped the inner envelope deal.

At all the local places I went to, I was given the upsell on why I need the inner envelope (like I derive great joy from opening an envelope to find another one...) and why I need to go with a particular stationery designer.

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HRHKingFridayXX

January 23, 2009 12:01 AM

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@pecan pi: Exactly- and all those little extra charges and envelopes essentially go right into the salesperson's pocket. When I bought mine online, I knew more of my money was going to the designer, paper factory, etc. You know, people who are actually MAKING and DOING rather than \"selling\".

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January 22, 2009 5:04 PM

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Best Bust is not the only place to buy a TV, so I am not too sad about CC going out of business. This sort of thing is the nature of our society. the 34,000 people are resilient and will pick themselves up.

2 replies

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HRHKingFridayXX

January 22, 2009 8:08 PM

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@shibainu33: Thank you! It should be \"Best Buy is the only place to view TV models before purchasing online\".

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pecan 3.14159265

January 22, 2009 10:44 PM

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@HRHKingFridayXX: I'm personally still iffy on buying a TV online, considering how UPS and Fedex throw my packages around.

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January 23, 2009 6:02 AM

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@pecan pi: I got a TV online via Philips Outlet, I know a risk in and of it's own. Showed up super nicely packed on it's own palet with about 10 lbs worth of foam around it. The deal was just too good to pass up. (42\" 1080p magnavox ~650)

Also Amazon now has \"white Glove\" service, ie delivery and unboxing so they can see any defects and return it immidatly.

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shadax

January 22, 2009 5:07 PM

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Honestly, I was hoping it'd be Worst Buy first. I can't stand the way they push extended warranties there. They'll rag on the product you're buying. I remember they said the touch-screen of the DS breaks a lot so I should get a service plan. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. However, I'm not a vicious person and they're mindless drones forced to say what they say to keep their jobs. I just say that they're corporate purchases and I'm prohibited from buying anything more. That shuts them up really quick.

6 replies

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Anonymous

January 24, 2009 6:26 AM

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@shadax: @shadax: I agree with Conrad, of course that could be because I too am a Best Buy employee. And I am sorry for whoever bugged you about the DS, but I will say that both of our displays were scratched all to hell by the end of week one, so I may not advise a protection plan as much as I would a screen protector (much more cost efficient and convenient for customers). I can't think of anyone in my store who wouldn't leave you alone if you said you weren't interested in our protection plan either.

Also, maybe this is just in my city but most people would rather shop BB than CC. (not saying that as an employee of BB but as a customer of both stores). At our CC you were lucky if anyone ever addressed that you existed, I had to hunt someone down to ask a question. This is not good customer service and loses that store a lot of business (plus a lot of our fired employees end up working their). Of course that is just that CC and I still don't wish anything bad on any of the people who work there. I wish them all the best of luck in finding another job or going back to school or whatever this holds in store for them.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 7:03 PM

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If you're not a vicious person, please refrain from referring to ANY retail employee as a \"mindless drone\" and don't wish unemployment on anybody. I'm a Best Buy employee myself who does his best to keep his customers happy. You have every right to complain about your treatment in the store where you shopped, but wishing bad things on a whole group of people who have never met you or caused you harm is stupid and mean-spirited.

Sam, I hope you get back on your feet soon. The more people we have back at work, the better off this country's economy will be.

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pecan 3.14159265

January 22, 2009 10:46 PM

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@ConradOpossum: You know, I thought about picking up a part time job at BB because I do know so much about the stuff there. But I also wonder why should I be treated like crap for $10 a hour, you know? I see how BB employees get treated by various people in the store, and how some people talk about BB employees. The store is to blame for its practices of pushing extended warranties - some people are genuinely annoying and don't take no for an answer, but MOST employees will leave you alone if you say \"no\" the first time, and they are genuinely helpful. I salute you, helpful employees.

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wee0x1B

January 22, 2009 9:41 PM

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@ConradOpossum: You're fighting an uphill battle there, Conrad. Best Buy floor people aren't exactly known for being the sharpest knives in the drawer. Couple that with your pushy corporate policies, and you get instant ill-will.

Short of changing policy and hiring more educated and ethical employees, I don't see the perception changing very much.

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January 22, 2009 6:43 PM

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@shadax: Buying a DS as a corporate purchase?!? I am interested in working for your company, good sir. Where may I submit a resume?

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January 22, 2009 6:56 PM

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@heltoupee: He's clearly lying when he says that to get them off his back...

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Dooley

January 22, 2009 5:10 PM

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It's hard to have ANY sympathy for a store that has always tried hard to \"bait and switch\" their own policies...

Item not ready in 24 minutes.. Policy says you get a $24 gift card. Well, they try to say \"24 minutes from when you entered the store\" and have to argue with managers, showing them printouts of their own policy, that it is 24 minutes from the time stamp on your email.

\"Price Match\" .. That's baloney. I tried to price match something that Best Buy had been selling for $10 cheaper. They go online to the best buy website, and select \"in-store-pickup\" to find out that \"They are unavailable at the local store, so we won't match the price\"

Door Nazis who, if you don't show them your receipt, get verbally and even physically abusive (Just last week, a Door Nazi grabbed me as I was leaving, and only let go when I screamed on the top of my lungs \"HELP I'M BEING ATTACKED!!\" and everybody in the area (busy retail area) started looking.

So, while the poster may be the \"model employee for the customers\" the other 99.99% of Circuit City, to quote \"Bender,\" can bite my shiny metal ass.

3 replies

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January 22, 2009 8:56 PM

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While you were in the right on the gift card, I can't really blame them for turning down the price match. They price match in-stock items, and the item you were price matching wasn't in stock. The idea behind a price match is that they would rather match a competitor's price than have you go to the competitor and buy the product. If you can't buy the product from the competitor because they don't have any in stock, they know they aren't going to lose the sale to them.

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 7:09 PM

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1. I don't work at the Customer Service desk, so I don't get any complaints about that. I've never had a problem with it, even using it while working there, lol. If you had problems with that, I can't blame you for being pissed off.

2. That is the way all price matches work. Look at the policy and it says it has been to be in-stock at the local store. Again, I know I am the exception to the rule, but I bent this all the time, especially on small numbers.

3. We never had a receipt checker, except on Black Friday. We DO, however, have receipt checker now. I had to do it for an hour before we closed one night. I waved everybody through unless they had the receipt out and waiting. I hate receipt checkers...

4. That's fine. I know a lot of employees sucked and sure as hell helped bring about the company's demise. The store from my home town in Aurora was terrible on many occasions to both me and my family, even after I started working up at Fort Collins. We had a decent mix of guys obsessed with their numbers and people who didn't care and really wanted to help people out in my section. We all knew the product, some where just company line more than others.

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January 22, 2009 5:31 PM

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@Dooley:
Overreact much? The attitude in your fourth paragraph makes me weep for legitimate consumerism.

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MoCo

January 22, 2009 5:16 PM

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Thanks for the tips. Sounds like they can be summarized in four words: Don't waste your time.

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smallestmills

January 22, 2009 5:17 PM

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I was once a mgr. for a store that was liquidated. I will NEVER do it again no matter what the severance package is. The customers were mean and horrible even though we tried to stay positive. I wish more customers learned what it means for a store to be liquidated and how little (as in no) control we have over the price and state of the merchandise. The liquidator controls everything, they have some dbag oversee it, and that guy makes a commission on the store sales. That person usually does not budge on price or policy decisions, even when you have a customer who threatens to camp out in the store once you've explained that you can't return the item. (Police were called...they left with their broken merchandise.)

1 replies

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 5:43 PM

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@smallestmills: Were you able to say your piece though, since it didn't really matter anyway? I'd have some words for those customers who made my last weeks of employment hard because they want 5% off their TV.

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mykie

January 22, 2009 5:19 PM

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At long last, Circuit City gets to join The Good Guys! and Silo in electronics retailer Heaven...

I've had good customer experiences at all of these places when they were in their prime, but all of them fell into an unfortunate downward spiral that killed them off.

2 replies

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Sarcasmo48

January 22, 2009 11:42 PM

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@mykie: Exactly. I bought my first computer at CC, along with a bunch of other stuff as there are 2 nearby. I have seen first hand the decline from when I first walked in there until just before liquidation. It's sad to see the employees that worked hard go because management is awful.

Not being a manager/company executive, I sympathize.

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January 22, 2009 8:00 PM

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@mykie: Highland, too.

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AskCars

January 22, 2009 5:34 PM

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I'd love someone to post a timetable of when the discounts go up in the tiered way. When it hits 40% on CDs that's when I hit it, even if its picked over there's usually a find or two.

1 replies

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 7:11 PM

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I really wish I could help you there, but I really don't know. My guess would be every 2-3 weeks they go up. Once the discounts get that good and are actually discounts, I won't blame people for shopping there. I am going to pick the shelves clean of stuff I want when that time comes too, honestly.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 5:41 PM

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Good for this guy to write that last bit about losing his job. I hope the tone changes here about that. All the assholes that are laughing about CC closing are getting the virtual middle finger from me, on behalf of all the employees losing their jobs.

7 replies

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 7:12 PM

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@downwithmonstercable:

That really was the biggest point. I know I came off as bitter in a lot of it, and I am, quite honestly. I hope it didn't cloud my message too much. Like I said in an earlier post, there are a lot of people better than I am that need this job more than I do that are losing their job now.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 7:53 PM

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@CSUSam: That's the vibe I was getting. Don't worry about it clouding the rest, the rest of the points are fine. But that last one is the big one people need to realize. The vultures in the store complaining about prices (I like your camera analogy, that made me laugh) need to realize that them not saving 12 bucks on a camera is, in the grand scheme of things, absolutely insignifcant. Especially when they're whining to a guy about to lose his job. Hope you and your coworkers find something else, and somewhere that treats you guys better.

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January 22, 2009 8:03 PM

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@downwithmonstercable: I think that's the contrast that sticks with me. Customer: \"Why can't you give me $5 off?\" Soon-to-be-ex-Circuit City employee: \"Why can't you give me a job?

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Sweetz

January 22, 2009 6:47 PM

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@downwithmonstercable: Laughing about the company and not having sympathy for the employees are not the same thing.

I will absolutely be happy when a company goes out of business as a result of their own poor management. That doesn't mean I'm happy people are losing their jobs, but I'm not going to pretend to be sad about a bad company going out of business because I feel sad for it's employees.

You'd think the employees would hate the company management just as much as we do.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 6:55 PM

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@Sweetz: Why would you be happy though? Wouldn't it be better for the bad managers to get the shaft, while the company stays afloat? Less competition in the market is bad, 34,000 lost jobs are bad, etc. Yeah it's the ultimate ego killer when your company fails and it's fun to point at the execs and say \"I told you so\" ... but when the company ultimately fails, it's a worst case scenario, because nobody wins.

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January 22, 2009 6:15 PM

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@downwithmonstercable: You should be much more upset at the people shopping at the liquidated stores.

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January 22, 2009 8:01 PM

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@Corporate_guy: I don't think their staying away will help the company, though, and they at least ensure the employees have a job a little longer.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 6:53 PM

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@Corporate_guy: Don't worry, they are included in my virtual middle finger. The vulture types at least. The regular joe who's there just because he needs something is legit IMO.

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January 23, 2009 11:11 PM

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@downwithmonstercable: No that type of person is not legit. Because every dollar you give them after a liquidator buys the stores is right into the liquidators pocket. The more profitable liquidations are, the greater chance troubled stores will be bought by liquidators over those that want to try to save them. There is no innocent shopper once a store is bought by a liquidator.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 6:04 PM

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#6I, for one, am always happy to see a horribly run, overpriced company that could care less about it's customers go out of business. Circuit City was always a plague on the electronic market and it's finally going away. This just shows capitalism works.

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Pimaxc

January 22, 2009 6:08 PM

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I hear ya man I worked for Comp USA for about a week after the liquidators came in and the people who were smiling and talking about what great deals were happening were the worst, they didn't care about you or your job. I wish i could give you a hug man and let you know that it will be alright

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savdavid

January 22, 2009 6:08 PM

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It is sad the front-line workers who work directly with customers in the store will be out of a job soon. I don't know but I seriously suspect the executives will all collect some type of bonus/severance/parachute/happy meal payout and go on to ruin other companies.

1 replies

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Sarcasmo48

January 22, 2009 11:45 PM

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@savdavid: No doubt. Managers always land on their feet. Thats how they became managers. Though I do feel bad for front office people that just go to work and come home and didn't have anything to do with awful decisions. They don't even get 60 days..

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Craig

January 22, 2009 6:12 PM

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ONE LIQUIDATION SALE TIP FROM A READER

1. Shop somewhere else.

1 replies

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Sweetz

January 22, 2009 6:36 PM

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@Craig: Yup. All you need to know.

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January 22, 2009 6:36 PM

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Actually, when I was looking for wide flat screens, Best Buy had the cheapest prices -- I think it was right after Father's day. Frys, Circuit City and even some online offers did't compare to the cheaper offers from Best Buy. Although, I have to say, I love Fry's for most other stuff. Circuit city has never attracted me, and even though I'm sorry you're losing your job, blame corporate for their stupidity.

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Trey Mahaffey

January 22, 2009 6:37 PM

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This has been a long time coming... the attitudes of the people that choose to work there were terrible. This is just karma sticking it to CC just like they used to stick it to their customers.

HA HA!

3 replies

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CSUSam

January 22, 2009 7:23 PM

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@Trey Mahaffey:

That attitude is exactly the reason I am so pissed off right now. I always did my best for the customers, I helped them out with knowledge, both about product and where to find deals. I don't know how many customers I told about Monoprice when they were looking at our overpriced shit cables. Or how many people I told to go to Newegg, or even Office Depot or wherever there was a better deal on a computer than we had that week.

So how is this Karma for me, asshole? How is this Karma for the seasonals that just got permanent positions?

Everybody cries karma when crap like this happens, but when it happens to you we'll see if you think the universe is out to punish you. I am in no way defending the larger actions of CC, there were awful decisions made by Schoonover, and we all knew they were awful.

I love how you put \"people that chose to work there.\" How many people as of now have a choice? I already tried to leave a few times, but could not find anything that paid within 3 dollars of what I was making at CC.

We were all embarrassed at the state of the store towards the end. Nothing in stock. Our old, terrible computers sitting there while trying to sell a $1,000 HP. Also, in my area, none of the signature capture pens worked! It really was embarrassing, and all that helped spell doom for me.

This is why the CEO culture in America needs to change. They all kept their bonuses in 2007 to pat themselves on the back for running the company into the ground, and now here we are.

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January 23, 2009 3:29 AM

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@CSUSam: For what it's worth, from someone working at Best Buy, most of the employees there really feel for you guys, and I've heard similar things from customers who've come through, too. Stuff like this isn't \"karma,\" because the douchebags who were responsible for the horrible corporate policies that set the tone for demoralized employees and poor customer service aren't getting \"karma.\" They're getting a nice, golden parachute and probably a job at some other company they can run into the ground. Meanwhile, the employees who probably worried more about doing right by the customers than anyone at the corporate level don't get a golden parachute- they just get screwed. The whole thing sucks.

All I can say is that any of us here who work retail can sympathize with you guys, and I know most of the people I work with have been talking about how crappy the whole situation is. And ignore the crap that people spout here about how retail employees are stupid morons who couldn't poor piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel. Most of the people I work with are either college educated or working on their degree. I have an M.A. A couple of coworkers are in nursing school. But the economy's sucky, there are very few jobs, at least in our area, and here we are. If anything, the retail hell army is probably more highly educated than it has been since the last recession, because lots of people in \"professional\" arenas are losing their jobs en masse.

Real karma would be for some of the people having a good laugh over this stuff to lose their jobs and wind up working retail for a year or three.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 8:38 PM

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@CSUSam: Don't worry, the virtual middle finger is up

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 6:43 PM

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He's right! Soon I'll only be able to buy TVs at Best Buy.

And K-Mart.
And Wal-Mart.
And Target.
And a couple of dozen other stores in my area, both big and small.

What a moron. CC always treated it's customers like dirt and few are sad to see them go.

Good ridance

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Mirshaan

January 22, 2009 6:43 PM

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Living in Richmond, VA, I can tell you that CC's demise has hit many people here very hard. Their corporate offices here put many people to work. These are not just retail workers, but IT, Creative, marketing, business, managerial professionals, etc... it's a very big blow to the job market here. As an IT professional, I have many friends who are out of work, or soon will be, due to this. It's pretty scary being here and knowing how many people are now looking for work in a rapidly diminshing job market.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 6:57 PM

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I actually brought a return policy from CC (they're good in case you want to upgrade later), does anyone know what will happen with those since CC is going out of business?

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January 22, 2009 7:15 PM

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I went into the Circuit City in Fort Worth yesterday and looked through the games. And The PC games were suspicious.
1. Old games seemed to be priced unreasonably high.
They had Company of Heroes(the Original version) for 49.99. This is a game that came out in '06. I can buy the gold version that comes with the expansion for 30 at best buy.
and
2. The relatively new titles like dead space, Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 were missing price tags all together.
I'm just supost to take their word for it being 10% off.

I'm willing to bet games like Crysis Warhead that were 30 dollars when new is going to ring up at over 30 bucks before the 10% kicks in

1 replies

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puyro {who was banned for \"junk comments\" what?

January 23, 2009 2:40 AM

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@InsertBullets:

Have them scanned at a register because markdowns on game were barely ever done, especially in the PC section. (Meaning they were never stickered the new priced when they went down)

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January 22, 2009 7:28 PM

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This is the first post about a store's close that genuinely made me a little sad.

Good luck Sam!

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stlbud

January 22, 2009 7:42 PM

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Seriously, I feel your pain. My son works at CC in St Louis and the company I worked for for 20 years went toes up and left all of us on the street.

The best advice I can offer is shake it off and get another job as soon as possible. Every day you wait puts you deeper into the pity party everyone at CC is experiencing. I know its not an easy thing to do these days but you will be better off fighting it rather than allowing it to take over.

Best wishes to you and all the other CC employees.

Bill B.

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David Mays

January 22, 2009 8:36 PM

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No, we cannot change ANY PRICE in the store. Whatever it says in the computer is what we have to sell it at, regardless of what the sign says, or what the associate told you. It is all set by the liquidation company. I wish we could change it, but that is the way it is.

Liquidators' policies do not trump state law.

You are required by most states' laws to sell it at the lowest advertised price in the store. So if the sign says it's $50 but the computer says it's $60, tough luck. You have to lower the price or you're in violation of the law.

4 replies

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xsmasher

January 22, 2009 9:13 PM

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@David Mays: Thanks, I was going to post the same thing.

dmonster, you can fine a complaint with the FTC, although I have low confidence that it will lead to anything unless they see a pattern of deception.

[www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov]

Many states also have their own consumer protection boards/commissions, which may have more time on their hands. I'd rather they were out stopping fraudulent driveway sealers from bilking the pensioners.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 9:35 PM

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@David Mays: Thanks for patronizing me, that was awesome. I wasn't trying to discount what you said. But seriously, you vs. a sleazy liquidator with a quota to meet is going to end with you leaving without your stuff.

xmasher said it best, you can file a complaint, but it will like get filed with the rest.

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 8:39 PM

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@David Mays: They may not trump law, but who's going to enforce it? The liquidator will tell you \"no\" - then what? Call the police?

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David Mays

January 22, 2009 9:11 PM

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@downwithmonstercable:

I suspect the OP is simply incorrect, and that the managers probably do have override capability for just such issues.

Yes, because it's inconvenient and annoying to call them on it, we should obviously just give up and let them run roughshod over consumer protection laws. No, you don't call the police, you contact the state attorney general.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 8:38 PM

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Thanks for sharing that Sam, but all of your negativity towards the customer is really misguided and should be put back on the Circuit City management and liquidators. Its always easy to shoot the messenger but its the management that totally mishandled the company even for two more years after they pinpointed the problems. Sorry you lost your job. You will find another. My son was a CC employee also and lost his job. As I became more in touch with the true Circuit City mentality, I look upon my son losing his job as a blessing in disguise.

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Kevin Kirk

January 22, 2009 8:54 PM

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I agree with shadax. Of all of the stores here in Reno, Circuit City has always been the best. Worst Buy and The Bad Guys got their names from me from experience. CompUSA was good too. Now all I have are Mom and Pop stores to go to or Tiger Direct since Fry's is in Carson!

1 replies

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downwithmonstercable

January 22, 2009 9:36 PM

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@Kevin Kirk: Eww...Tiger Direct...now there's a company I'll never deal with again...

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du2vye

January 22, 2009 9:01 PM

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Whether I liked CC or not, it's always sad to hear a business of that size close and less competition in the marketplace (There's more price fixing without competition). And the human cost of more people unemployed due to bad management. I wish there was a way to have execs pay v. the people that had no authority in the decision making.

I have real misgivings about foreclosure and liquidation sales since I'm not thrilled about profiting from other people's misery. Fortunately, it looks like even their liquidation sale isn't much temptation.

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January 22, 2009 9:04 PM

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\"See how much better it gets in 6 months when Best Buy is the ONLY option for that TV you are looking for.\"

Spoken like a true CC employee.

Most nerds know there are better prices online and some of the lesser known sites have better deals anyday of the week.

A majority of people who buy tech from BB are parents, relatives, spouses, etc who know squat about tech, and even then you have other options (Target, Wal*Mart, FRY's, Micro Center, etc...)

Like he said \"You're right: We really don't care about you.\" He's raw over losing his job so of course he will make remarks like this.

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MarComm1

January 22, 2009 9:19 PM

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In selected major markets, the 21 MICRO CENTER stores offer a brick and mortar alternative to NEWEGG, plus other brick and mortars like FRY'S, BEST BUY and regional competitors. MICRO CENTER checks their prices on BYOPC components against NEWEGG regularly and attempts to be consistently lower.

CC never recovered from their management's disastrous decision to fire their career employees. The result was GOOD TO GREAT TO GONE. Good luck, Sam.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 9:41 PM

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It wasn't just Best Buy that C.C competed against, it's Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Sears/K-Mart, Sam's/Costco, and a bevy of other retailers that CC just couldn't compete with in todays marketplace.

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oldtaku

January 22, 2009 10:01 PM

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Sorry, but I am happy you're closing, especially after reading this post. Your stores sucked, the prices sucked, the selection sucked, and the few times I ever asked an employee something they were utterly unable or unwilling to help. I realize this attitude came from the top, but it went right to the bottom as well.

I wouldn't feel bad about every telemarketing company going out of business either, or a kick random strangers in the crotch business. Just creating jobs does not justify your existence.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 10:17 PM

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So a question to all the bargain shoppers? What is the future of retail if one of America's new favorite sports is to watch retailers cut each others throats and profit margins until they go out of business?

If everyone paid retail the economy would be in much better shape, there would be less businesses closed, less people out of work, right on down the line... But, stil gots to save ten bucks on that camera...

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Mari Walker

January 22, 2009 10:32 PM

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If you want people to believe #6, you should've left out #2. If you don't care about your customers, why the hell should we care about your cranky ass?

Still, it's terribly unfortunate that thousands of people will lose their jobs. Just keep in mind that it's no excuse for bad customer service.

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Anonymous

January 22, 2009 11:33 PM

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I work @ CC, the first day of liquidation everyone just laughed so hard at the thought, \"10% off could have saved the company!\". At first i was rushed and amped to be all over the place helping out. Then the people who's parents failed at teach them manners came along, in hoards. As an example id be engaged with someone who was interested in a product. And this 8 year old boy walked up, inturupted and asked me about a nintendo DS. i informed him they were gone in 5 minutes. I can forgive a child for something like that. Then his 5 other brothers came along, one after another. And i see his parents ushering them all over to me, single file. And at the end, the father came over and asked about a DS. I gave them all the same answer. The fathers Reply? \"I was a parroting Puto.\" After that happened, my mood changed, i now mirror the customers attitude. Nice folks get 100% of my focus and effort to help them out. Guys like that, get told to \"get the fuck out of my store and shop best buy, 3 blocks down, and on the right\"

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 12:02 AM

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I hope the author makes out OK, like everyone else, but I never patronized CC in the first place. It had such butt-ugly decor, inside and out, that I stayed away. The curved facade and glass bricks looked like a filling station from 1938. The inside was sterile and had poor selection. I avoid Target for similar reasons - it's sterile and monotonous.

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 12:57 AM

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The government should sponser counciling for CEO's of tiolet bowl spiraling companies. Kinda like marriage counceling before the break up to avoid the break up. There were alot of dumb mistakes going on. Very sad, I esp like the part where he said that now the store is filled with people who are looking at prices that are higher, where as, there were alot fewer customers before when the prices were lower. I worked there too it sad;o(

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navstar

January 23, 2009 1:10 AM

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\" Best Buy is the ONLY option for that TV you are looking for.\"

Really? I guess Target, B&H, Wal-Mart, Sams, Costco, Amazon, and Crutchfield stopped selling TVs!

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January 23, 2009 1:49 AM

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I placed an order for pickup about a week ago. I went in the other day to pick up said order, and not only did they not have it in back, they couldn't find the products AT ALL. This was after having to practically beg someone to help me out. And even then they didn't give a damn. CC and it's liquidators totally blows.

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 1:49 AM

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I work in HR @ a retailer that used to have a 'softer side'.Start looking now, there are retailers who will be looking to hire experienced sales people at the beginning of March, so they are fully trained for the Lawn & Garden season. I know tractors aren't as sexy as Flat Screen TVs, but folks will be buying them all the same. Good Luck.

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January 23, 2009 1:57 AM

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The end of CC is not a good thing for consumers. Online shopping for electronics is NOT the wisest of choices either. WHY you may ask? Well for starters, although you may save $15 on a internal dvd drive from Newegg rather than buying it in a store, you're losing human interaction and replacing jobs with automation. The more people shop online, the less jobs will be available in the retail industry. Besides, how can you buy a computer, camera or tv online without seeing, touching, using it first? Best buy killed the commissioned sales person in the 90's, and now internet shopping is killing sales people and sales quality more everday.

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 2:12 AM

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You stores are going out of business because people have better places to shop. I went to 4 stores looking for a Wii board and couldn't find one. After wasting my time and gas driving around, as soon as I got home, I logged on to Amazon & had it delivered in 2 days. Do you think that next time I'm gonna do the same & go to a B&M on a scavenger hunt ...No I ain't, So next time you stores complain that you're loosing money, try keeping things in stock & maybe the people will come back. As for Circuit City workers in Auburn Hills MI losing your jobs, well, the way I got treated 4 years ago, I told you I wouldn't return & I didn't. The rest of the CC stores, I'm sorry for your loss.

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January 23, 2009 2:30 AM

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I'm sorry, but I can't do anything other that laugh gleefully at Circuit City's demise.

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John Moore

January 23, 2009 3:21 AM

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I used to work at Circuit City some years back. Was paid minimum wage to know as many facts as possible no matter how trivial (Which cordless phone has the loudest ringer?) and shill out the protection plans. Was by far not the best job by a stretch but I can say that I had good times and have found some form of respect for people who do their job to keep the customer happy, even if they are self-righteous and smug.

Nothing is funner than having to help someone who wants to take the product out of the box, demand the manager's attention if they don't get their way and want a discount because they buy from the store often.

But with that said I like to think that I did my job as best I could and always tried to make the customer's experience as best as possible. If someone wanted to know about video games or iPods back in the day, I was the guy you'd look for.

I'm glad I don't work there anymore but something inside makes me legitimately saddened that it had to all end this way. Here's to hoping everyone finds new work soon and maybe give those who had pride in their job a pat on the back.

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Joseph Heck

January 23, 2009 3:23 AM

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I checked out the sales today, xbox 360 10% isn't bad, i may hold out till 20%... but anyways hello H.H. Gregg, screw best buy

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ledhead

January 23, 2009 3:45 AM

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best buy is not the only option. I regularly shop at newegg becasue the prices are good. Walmart.com is also cheaper.

I rarely was satisfied with cc I really hate having one otf their sales associates following me around the store and never knowing anything about the products. good ridnace

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 4:04 AM

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The only things this \"employee\" stated that wasn't a common sense evaluation of the situation was completely incorrect in my experience during the Circuit City previous liquidation sales. I had something that rang up far higher than what it should have been and the very nice girl at the customer service counter changed it with no objection what so ever. No liquidation sale is actually good until the last 2 weeks or so when EVERYTHING is a % off. This will certainly change, you just can't expect good prices 5 days after they announce the start of their liquidation.

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January 23, 2009 4:06 AM

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1. That's fine because most of us here know better than to shop there. In fact, most of us here do most of our shopping online comparing prices I'm willing to bet.

2. We figured as much. You don't make enough money to care about us anyway. Hence, one of the reasons CC is going out of business I suppose.

3. See above.

4. Fair enough, but I firmly believe that anyone who shops at these stores get what they pay for. There are enough warnings out there about the way these stores treat customers and more than enough resources available that I see box stores as nothing more than the lazy shoppers tool for a quick buy. A fool and his money are soon parted.

5. If it says something different on the shelf, I better get the lower of the two, regardless of what is on that computer. But then, I don't have to worry about it because I don't shop at CC.

6. Actually, I am very happy to see CC go. I'll be even happier when Best Buy follows. There is no room for crappy service, useless warranties, and inflated prices in the market anymore. More people are learning that there are more places to shop online and able to compare prices than before so we can only hope it puts an end to the horrible customer service than box stores provide.

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 5:32 AM

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i work for ccity and the customers are so rude but the good thing about that is i can be rude back lol who are they going to call they fired corp. already yes we all know that we are losing our jobs and what is it to u that u want to know what we are going to to are you going to give us a job, it isnt the end of the world

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TVGenius

January 23, 2009 6:00 AM

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If you want to know if the store's prices were jacked at the beginning of the liquidation, check the price tag on the shelf. Our store's tags are virtually all dated Oct-Dec, except for the open box stuff and the TVs.

I mean, the 10% off isn't a great deal, but I don't see where they're being unethical. It's the buyers that are stupid.

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Bush2008

January 23, 2009 6:16 AM

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1) Yes, we have over-ride capabilities. You want that TV for $500 off? I can do that for you. Oh, a mistag? I can do that for you. However, I will lose my job. We have LP going through mark-down reports daily.

2) What many of you don't understand is simply how vile and insensitive people are at liquidation. We have had customers say things like \"I'm glad you guys are closing and losing your jobs, I hated this store\". Also, when you have people try to haggle with you constantly about lowering prices, it's incredibly annoying (every single tag says 'No Further Discounts!'\" When you hear that type of thing everyday, it really gets to you. Any customer who treats me with respect, I will treat with a great deal of respect. Any customer who fucks with me, I can do whatever I want with absolutely no consequences.

side story: I had a lady argue, starting to cuss and raise her voice, that the laptop battery we gave her back was not hers because we did not put a label with her name on the battery. I told her 3-4 times that we keep a shelf for each customer with their paperwork and accessories when we send their laptop off for service. The fifth time she nagged me asking me how I know it's hers I said: \"Ma'am, if you don't want the battery, I'll take it away. I'll simply take it back, and the liquidator will sell it. Do you want the battery or not?\" Oh boy , was she pissed. Definitely the highlight of my night.

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Anonymous

January 23, 2009 10:26 PM

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Sam I know exactly how you are feeling right now and it sucks. I had to go through the same thing from June thru August 2008 when Publix bought out my Albertsons store in Coral Springs, FL. We went into liquidation, and like you said, prices were raised so there werent any real \"deals\" until the last couple of weeks when everything was 60% off. People told us they were glad we were closing and it was hard to deal with. Hopefully you land on your feet man.

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Rivex100

January 24, 2009 2:09 AM

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Im a circuit city employee right now, and I get where hes coming from. I spent 2 years learning my products knowing what people needed with a camera/tv/computer and provided customer service. i can't vouch for every employee in the company but hey wat can you do. and with liquidation sales people are complete assholes because they want 10 bucks of a camera. if your gonna act like a dick. ill be a dick right back but if your gonna be friendly ill help you out.

i agree with the prices, yes circuit city had higher prices then like amazon/newegg/crutchfield. but you can't walk into amazon.com and hold the product. ask some1 about the product. I shop online thats because i kno what im talking about, and know wat i want. but wat about 70 year old grandmother who wants a camera. or the people who have never used a computer. or the customer who doesn't kno the differnce between an LCD and a Plasma. these customers will have 1 place to go. and will be forced to pay their prices

Now with best buy left the only thing that people will get is horrible customer service, high prices and dumbass employees who dont know shit.

The only good thing i can think of is that ill always have a Halloween costume.

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MagicSquare

January 24, 2009 4:39 AM

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I've noticed many bad decisions by CC salary managers. Two of which I'll briefly state: They will negotiate all prices after instructing their hourly managers not to; and they blatantly show favoritism toward certain employees and customers.

As we all know, CC will be closing it's doors by March regardless whether or not all items have been sold. It's also obvious that all CC store employees want to keep their jobs (income, benefits) as long as possible until they find other means of employment; based on the current state of our economy that could take a while.

So obviously the closer we get to March, the more drastic the prices will be cut because CC Corporate wants to make as much money as they can until then.

My advice is to all consumers: Be patient, but don't wait until the last minute. I'll be shopping toward the middle/end of February

Good luck!!

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Anonymous

January 24, 2009 8:10 AM

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I've got a CC gift certificate to redeem and I'm not going to feel guilty about using it before its too late. Companies go out of business all the time..it's the cycle of things. I work in the fitness industry, and Bally's just filed bankruptcy as well. Sometimes when the 800 lb gorilla takes his eye off the ball, he is vulnerable too.

Enough said...

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Anthony Moody

January 24, 2009 6:58 PM

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I was surprised to find the Circuit City real busy yesterday. I had the same thoughts about how if they had that many people shopping there in the last few months they wouldn't be in this mess. on the other side of the coin I was there right before Christmas to buy a DVD and there were only a few salespeople on the floor and no one on the registers. They told me to pay for my merchandise at Customer Service.

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Baji Irwin

January 26, 2009 4:45 AM

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Sam, I'm agreeing with you 100%. It's extremely hard to stay positive when you know your losing your job and have nothing to go on in this economy. My two cents is, In a few years B&M stores will be dead because of saving 6 dollars online. Half of the customers came into my store asking me on my product knowledge, quizzing me, getting to know what they needed and why the needed it. I come to find out at the end of the \"sale\" that the tv is 25 bucks cheaper online and they will buy it there instead. So was my customer service and education i just gave you not worth anything? Was being able to see the product in operating status worthless? There's an ultimate price we all pay when it comes to shopping online. I beg and plead with all of you, keep the stores open and if the difference is less than 10% of the cost, buy it in a B&M store to help keep them in business.

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Phil Benware

January 27, 2009 8:27 PM

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Been there done that with CompUSA. My store (Braintree, MA) went through the same thing a few years ago. As soon as I heard that the store where I worked for 10 years was closing, the whole world changed as far as pricing, customers, inventory, everything. We became the liquidators employees, told when we could and could not work, they owned the inventory and anything that wasn't part of the building itself, including the network infrastructure installed by CompUSA, controlled all pricing, and sold anything and everything right down to the bare walls. Open box and demo units were priced the same as brand new (NOT represented as new, just priced that way) and employee discounts went out the window.
For us, they (they being Gordon Bros) changed the discounts every Wednesday, but the good stuff didn't get changed every week, only the stuff normal people didn't want. Later in the liquidation everything would change by 5-10%.
Do I miss it- Hell No. Sorry people have to lose their jobs due to mismanagement (that's what it really is. It was for CompUSA too), but hopefully those people will recover quickly. If not, get a one way ticket to someplace warm and have party. That's what I did.

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Anonymous

February 2, 2009 9:42 PM

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You know, Im sorry that everyones losing their job, but I feel that CC management made a lot of poor management decisions, I mean I went to several of them, their selection was always lousy when compared to their competitors, and overpriced, when I didnt order online I found office depot and staples to have a much better variety, though still generally high priced. Sry dude that your losing your job, Id hate for that to happen to anyone, but its really the people in charge of CC thats to blame here.

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Anonymous

February 4, 2009 8:19 PM

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It's sad, brick & mortar computer hardware companies are not what they used to be. The best level of service is generally found with small mom & pop shops or online ecommerce companies that are slowly taking a share of the market. Check out www.technologystop.com for some great deals & quality service.

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Anonymous

February 9, 2009 12:55 AM

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I completly know how you feel. I worked for linens and things and it jus seemed like the new set ot customers we got in where cold hearted if anything heartless. People dont understand thousands are loosing their jb they just want to save a few bucks. Best wishes to you and the cc team. Keep your heads up it will only get worse.

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rustyni

February 9, 2009 5:41 PM

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As a former CC employee myself, my heart goes out to you Sam, as well as all my old co-workers and friends. Finding yourself suddenly without a job after years of servitude to one company is very rough.

You'll make it, buddy. There is life after Circuit City.

Best wishes.

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Anonymous

February 13, 2009 4:02 AM

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Sam, I too am a current, soon to be past CCity employee, and I agree with every word you said. I work at one of the first 40 stores that are closing on Monday, the 15th. You know what bugs me the most? The customers who rant about the prices and that they are cheaper somewhere else. Loud enough for the whole store to hear, you know? They don't care about us. However, some do though. I have had many hugs and pats on the back from those who actually care. We'll make it. I hope you have longer than I had...not even a whole month from the start of liquidation. Good luck.

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Anonymous

February 26, 2009 11:45 PM

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What amazed me was the sale of OLD Tax software - like dusty, dingy beat up boxes of 2003 TurboTax on their top shelf! Their computer components weren't that bad actually.

I got several specific NAS drives, Hard Drives and Routers for cheaper than BB or even newegg.

Good luck to all the CC soon to be ex-employees; retail is an honest job, but a dying breed.

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April 8, 2009 4:34 PM

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I went to the Circuit City during their liquidation. They have crap and the prices are still cheaper online. Circuit City should have not followed Best Buy's practices and offer electronics at reasonable prices.

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