On a warranty note, bought something from CompUSA, got the extended warranty (yes, I know, bad for a consumerist reader, but, I'm going to beat the hell out of this thing anyway), and it took like 6 weeks for the warranty to be mailed to me...crazy

To quote Chris Rock: "Grand Opening! Grand Closing!"

RIP Circuit City.

The people that worked at my Circuit City were always polite and courteous....Not to mention Circuit City always had better deals then Best Buy.

I may be left with a Best buy store but that doesn't mean I'll step foot inside. People that work there are pushy douche bags.

@acknight: I'm with you too, nearest Fry's to me is Dallas or Arlington. I live in the Texas Panhandle.

I won't miss CC. There are still plenty of places to buy electronics for those that don't want to shop online. Hopefully CC going under will give Fry's more room to expand though.. In the NYC area, there is even an ex-Incredible Universe store sitting empty right next to the Elizabeth, NJ Ikea.. Perfect for Fry's, seeing that many of their locations were ex-IU stores.

The surprising thing is it took this long. I stopped shopping Circuit City six years ago. I would find something in the circular, go to the store and think I had picked up the right item only to have the price come up much higher at he check out. Seems the item I picked up wasn't quite the right model advertised even after I had been helped by an employee and the right model wasn't available. Then there were the rebate rip off for which CC became infamous. Why is it so hard to treat customers right?

@Ben Duffy: And also, what about extended warranties? I paid a lot for mine on my new HP TouchSmart!

If you have a Fry's electronics in your town, go there. Their people have the bad habit of treating you like an intellectual inferior, but at least they know what they are talking about, and they have everything in stock.

Warranties are owned through a 3rd party called Assurant Solutions. It is still usable, but you have to call Assurant for any service, Circuit City stores can no longer do any service-related things.

As far as I was told, gift cards will be able to be used while the store is open, but once we close, they're worth nothing.

I was told purchases before today are subject to normal return policy. So depending on what the stuff was, its under the normal return policy. (14 days from purchase or 30 days from purchase) Anything bought from *tomorrow* on is unable to be returned for any reason. Anything bought *today* has 14 days to be returned no matter what the item was.

Circuitcity.com is closing as early as today, will definitely be closed by Sunday.

@cecilsaxon:

The unfortunate victims are the employees at the corporate HQ, and the support and sales staff. Many of these folks are hourly workers and did not participate in the litany of bad decision that lead to CC's downfall.

Undoubtedly there are (were) CC workers that felt a dedication to their jobs and are devastated by this news. On the other hand, CC's downslide has been going on for 2 years or more, so you have to hope that some savvy employees saw the handwriting on the wall and got out when they could.

Surely someone must have a website that profiles bad executives and CEO's that go like locusts from company to company, creating destruction in their wake?

@downwithmonstercable:

No doubt, there were many people that shopped CC and had a reasonably good experience. And, of course, not everyone that shopped at CC reads Consumerist (although many do). I can only speak to my own experience - whenever I went into a CC (in my region or elsewhere) it was always understaffed, and had very few customers on the sales floor. But these days, CC (as well as Best Buy) must also compete for discretionary income with WalMart, Amazon.com, and others.

If CC's problems were more about style than substance, then they did very little to combat their negative image. In fact, CC's senior management had that rare ability to make wrong decisions that would be fodder for the media - remember firing senior knowledgable sales staff in favor of lower-cost, less knowledgable hourly help?

There are very few absolutes in life. For every horror story about CC published here, there were surely some satisfied customers. But in the end, while poor publicity may have accelerated their demise, CC seemed unable to stop the slide.

But don't worry, all the corporate leaders will get fat going away bonuses.. I mean, were sorry checks, that way the judge does not decline them..

@Jeangenie: your exactly right with "blaming the recession when it is really poor management" comment. I see it in a lot of companies these days including my own. I may not have the all important "college education" needed to be considered for a position like that but I know incomptence when I see it and bullshit when I hear it.

I smell an Intertan buyout. Radio Shack employees might be dumb, but management wasn't.

As my great grandfather was the business partner of the guy who founded Circuit City, I'm sad to see them go.

With their high prices, anti-consumer BS (DIVX: [en.wikipedia.org] ), poor management (fire your best employees), and the older stores that had the ambiance of a torture chamber, I'm not surprised, though.

@cecilsaxon: WTF was DIVX anyway? Was it like what TIVO ended up being? I remember back in the day seeing commercials for it, then suddenly they stopped. Now we have a DIVX codec on computers... I dunno.

@cecilsaxon: Gotcha. I'm on board with all that.

I was glad to see that Yahoo is running a story today about being cautious when buying from Circuit City now, and not to expect a good deal because liquidation does not always equal good deals. I'm amazed at how many people don't know this.

That is the deal- Bad Mgt rolls downhill. My local Store was honestly pretty good and insulated from economic concerns due to a large Military base near by.

You can't run from CEOs that burn money like it was going out of style.

@auto_exec:

I'm in the same boat. My TV broke about two weeks ago, and monday of this week, a repairman came out and told me that it couldn't be fixed, and that they'd have to submit the paperwork to the warranty company for approval (a replacement approval). Cut to today, and I call CC warranty, and they tell me that the paperwork had been submitted, but that nothing had been done on their end about it. I now realize that my chances of getting a new TV from CC are slim, and that my best hope is a check from the warranty people (which they don't seem legally obligated to deliver) or a refurb from them (which is completely unacceptable). If only circuit city could have lasted another week or two...

To answer your question, the warranty company is absolutely still liable under the terms of the warranty, but that doesn't mean that you won't have to jump through multiple hoops (such as not being able to return the broken TV to a store for an exchange, etc).

I hated CC as much as the next person (possibly more) but not even I could have predicted that my TV would drop 2 years into a 5 year warranty, and that CC would no longer exist. This is a bittersweet day for a lot of CC warranty holders, I guarantee you.

Sorry, I was referring to DIVX, Failure to modernize stores, Loss of Highly qualified employees and VERY BAD Sr. Management Vs. the "Bad Economy" Bug-a-Boo

As others have said, my local CC was the only competition to the local Best Buy. Best Buy's service noticeably increased after the CC went in.

My wife just used the remaining balance on gift card and did any exchanges today without issue.

This occurred in Colorado Springs @12:30 mst.

@jp7570: I slightly disagree. Yes they had missteps. But really, do you think the majority of consumers had a bad experience at CC? When you surround yourself with horror stories, then that's all you hear. People don't write into Consumerist to lavish love on a company because they had a good experience in NEARLY the same amount as those who have a bad experience. That's how it is in life. Your boss won't compliment you nearly as much as they say you could be doing better (in general). I think blaming CC's demise on customers having bad experiences is bogus. For every one bad story, there are hundreds of satisfactory ones.

"Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish."

@MrsLopsided, Tmoney02: Glad to see you guys agree...I may not have loved CC, but I certainly wouldn't take such an immature stance as to wish them bankruptcy. I hate Wal-mart more than anything but I wouldn't want them to go under just because I think they're a bad company. They still provide jobs. I just hate some of the attitude this blog has on certain issues. If someone can logically explain how CC going under is in fact an awesome thing, please let me know because I just don't get it.

Ye hit the Olde Nail on the noggin there jp.

Is there a scarlet letter for bad corporate execs?

There were a lot of employees and consumers they failed. Public scorn is warranted.

I too might run down and see what's on sale before prices go up, as I have my eyes on a couple things, and they have more selection than our mini-Best Buy. I'll swing by again when they hit 70% and see what's left. I hit a Phoenix store on the last day it was open and it looked like a cross between an old Circuit City and the fall of the Soviet Union.

If anything, perhaps had they kept their older stores as a more pleasant experience it would have helped them.

@downwithmonstercable: I posted this on another thread but it seems to fit here better:

I am sad to seem them go as well. While I didn't prefer CC, it provided competition and another chance at an occasional good deal. I don't think, no matter how crappy they were, we should be celebrating their demise when it us that will be hurt in the end.

@DraconWolfX: I am sad to seem them go as well. While I didn't prefer CC, it provided competition and another chance at an occasional good deal. I am not sure, no matter how crappy they were, we should be celebrating their demise when it us that will be hurt in the end.

LOL gift cards- wait you were serious?

@nighttrain2007: So are you suggesting that no one is hiring?

Depending on your skill set and/or location - yes absolutly, no one is hiring - especially if your looking for a better position than CC clerk like you cheerily suggest.

The news will report this and no doubt talk about the 30,000 additional jobs lost to the faltering economy. But make no mistake, Circuit City is completely responsible for its own demise.

When they first entered our market, they seemed to be credible and commpetent. But after some frustrating shopping experiences with them and the endless bad stories about CC on Consumerist, you can see how CC would have eventually failed anyway.

There's an old saying - a rising tide lifts all ships. When the economy was good, CC could just "get by". But as Warren Buffet says "when the tide goes out, you can see who was swimming naked". As a company, CC deserves everything that is happening to them. And many of the 30,000 poor souls that are caught up in this problem are victims as well.

Uh oh, I've got to return some stuff from Xmas. Only $20, but still that's $20 I want. My guess is that they're not accepting returns now, right?

What I wouldn't give to have Fry's in St. Louis. Now Best Buy, and to a lesser extent Wal-Mart and Target, have a monopoly on electronics here.

@West Coast Secessionist:

Not only THOSE brands, but the top of the line, "Radiation King" ;) Ah, The Simpsons.

Just thought the Consumerist and all it's readers would like to know so if you have any of your own CC giftcards sitting around, use 'em while you still can!!
Keep up the great work, Consumerist!

Wendy in Half Moon Bay, CA

According to CNN The company said it will redeem its gift cards through the liquidation sale, but the cards will have no value once the stores are closed.

Gordon Brothers? No thanks, I'll shop at a pawn shop. They tend to be more honest.

Bye bye Circuit City. Tell Zayre's I said "hello".

Incredible that Circuit City went down before Sears...

@snowburnt: I always wanted an ex-Enron Aeron (big $$$) office chair... sigh.

So are you suggesting that no one is hiring? The entire employment market locked up without notice? Nothing can be done about the situation at hand except to stand up and start looking. There are jobs out there and if you're willing to put forth the effort it may be an even better job.

You're right though, maybe I should just join the whine and moan crowd and look forward to the next government fix. At no point in my life, thank God, have I ever been without a job for more than two months. Some jobs I didn't like, some weren't the best paying, but there is always a job opportunity to do something

The difference between BB and WM or Target is simple: WM and Target primarily sell Chinese no-name brands plus a few low-end (in quality and features) models from one or maybe two respectable (Japanese or South Korean) brands such as Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung.

BB on the other hand has plenty of these cheapo devices but also carries every respectable brand as well. Slightly-fictional example (because I'm not at a store right now) :

Walmart or Target: Vizio, Panaphonics, Sony
BB: Vizio, Sorny, Panaphonics, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, LG, Samsung

*+1 Internet points to you if you are familiar with Panaphonics and Sorny.

Thankfully this awful company will become extinct. Good riddance.

So again...why is everybody happy they are going under? 30,000 more people unemployed, less competition in the market... all so you can gloat and say "ha ha you suck" ? That makes no sense. This is the worst case scenario.

Whatever the bad decisions by the leadership may have been--and I long ago stopped caring for CC as a customer--I don't believe in dancing on the grave of a business.

Were there bad apples? Of course. Too many of them, probably. But how many folks were there trying to do their best and are now out of a job in this horrible economy? Maybe it's the college kid stocking shelves to pay his way to an education, or the accountant at headquarters trying to feed a family and keep their house. Sure, we can blame the CEO, but that doesn't mean I take satisfaction in those folks being screwed over.

What's more, there's lost tax revenue that's much needed by schools or municipalities. The big stores are harder to re-lease now, and empty buildings don't help much to pay for textbooks or keeping the little league field maintained to the extent an open store does.

It's easy to hate the 'big company,' but lots of people with no part in this situation are being screwed by it. They may not be alone, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve consideration.

@ouiserboudreaux: New store in Central PA opened 1/4 mile from the old store just to have something newer and bigger - that was in May. Glad I got out when I did...it's been a steep downhill ride since then...

Me too. I'm going ot miss them.

This article someone sent me said the sale would begin Saturday and run til March 31. I'm tempted to run down there tonight and buy something before the liquidators jack everything up too much.

[money.cnn.com]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer company.

Let's see which of the regionals step up. I'm betting, once again, hh gregg

Just sayin....

But yeah, they totally did this to themselves.

I bought a LCD about 2 weeks ago. I walked into CC just because I had to check EVERY store around to be sure. Not a single person acknowledged me. Managers and associates walked right past me while I eyeballed a big ol' LCD...

Every other store tried to get me to buy something. Best Buy tried the hardest actually, but online still beat them.

And news from the interweb....

Due to the lack competition Newegg has announced a modest 10% price increase on all electronic items previously sold by CC.

I don't shop at CC but was hoping other people would...at least at the one near my house. It's a new condo/retail development that is doing miserably. Occupancy is low and sinking. They have now lost two of thier major anchor stores: LNT and CC.

CC: Pushy salesmen that didn't know what they were talking about, but bothered you anyhow.
BB: Salesmen that don't want or care to help you, and don't know what they are talking about even if you flag one down.

And I know I should not have bought one but I had to THROW AWAY my $4k 62" Samsung DLP before that due to not having an extended warranty. So I was in a bit of "once bitten twice shy" mode. I knew CC was a turd but did not think it will liquidate.

Circuit City was one of my first jobs, I enjoyed working there but left when they were forcing me to push the warranty on every sale no matter what. It was a shame when they fired all of the people who were good and knew the product and cared about the customers because they made too much..... They have no one to blame but themselves.

I have an LCD from Enron that still works beautifully that I got for about 30% of it's value. They really spared no expense there. Plus it has a high quality plastic bar code label on it.

It's DIAF. Die in a fire.

"Sir, the Monster HDMI Cable is extremely overrated. This $30 HDMI Cable, although will do the same trick, is still overrated. Monoprice.com is the best place to look at accessories for it."

They respected me and got the $30 cable instead as they wanted to connect their boxes now. Oh well. Consumerist inspired me to trust every customer that walked through that door with the respect and trust that everyone deserves.

It's been a good 2 years

@nighttrain2007: Somehow I don't think your 'bright side' is going to help John pay his bills. Just sayin'.

And just where are these 'jobs' that you speak of?

[www.troymessenger.com]

I don't have a balance, I just have a card with a high limit that I'd rather not see go away for creditworthiness purposes. You know, when banks actually lend money again, around about the same time that I'm driving my rocket car to America's new favorite sport, Space Hockey.

Shoulda used those up a long time ago. My guess is they are now worth zilch.

And I almost always bought at Circuit City, as our store here was usually cheaper and less of a pain to shop at - if either store was cheap enough to bother to buy in store at in the first place.

I wonder if the high number of liquidations occurring so close together will end up educating consumers to these tricks. I was at a liquidation sale before xmas and the consensus among the shoppers there was that there were very few really good deals to be had. How many times does one need to see that before they give up and stop showing up? It would be somewhat heartwarming if Gordons ended up getting burned over their tactics. They are about as endearing as a pack of vultures.

hmmm maybe Fry's will finally expand on their one store within 50 miles now. Yeah fry's ahs problems too but it's probably the geekiest(they have display models for their motehrboards!) and most competitive electronics store out there.

@John Joslyn: Not sure "Circuit City Will Completely Liquidate" is that insensitive of a headline. That's the fact. They didn't even tag it "Circuit City Death Watch."

An insensitive headline would be "Circuit City Finally Descnends Into Hell"

I won't argue that Wal-Mart (or I guess *walmart) is a major force in electronics retail, it still has the image of being a discounter, and while thats fine when you want a good deal on a ratchet set, a $2,000 HDTV is another thing entirely. Reality or perception, Best Buy has the cache of being a more premium brand.

Plus, fewer competitors in a market is always good for business, look for Best Buy to benefit from this news.

Why? If CC is closed then BB wouldn't lose any customers to Wal-Mart, but rather gain some from CC. It's not like people who used to shop at BB will randomly decide to go to Wal-Mart since CC closed.

I think it will be a good transition for CC customers to go from there to Wal-Mart, each place has the same worker intelligence level and services (ie: not helping, not being too knowledgeable in anything) and they don't even say things like "I'll basically say whatever to sell the item" to other employees right out in the open.

Some people will say that BB is just as bad, but at least they don't talk about their sales tactics out on the sales floor (at least not that I know of).

On the bright side, for you and your brother, that allows you to seek employment elsewhere, perhaps an even better position than you have currently. And there are jobs out there. If the blurb does not apply to you, why should it bother you?

Perhaps. I don't see much difference between BB and the electronics/media sections of Walmart and Target for most things. At least at Target I can shop for other things while I'm there. The loss of CC may, on the other hand, give the remaining players a bit of a boost. I hope so. The domino effect of so many job losses will beget more liquidations if things don't stabilize.

Yes, but only because those are a complete waste of money.

/I kid.

Hmm, well, they weren't the most organized of stores but at the local one the employees were nice when I went there. It's sad people will lose their jobs and more empty store will sit there.

Hey, why don't we bail them out? I mean, every other poorly run company in the country (ahem...GMCHRYSLERFORDBOACITI) is getting paid for their terrible business practices. Why no love for CC?

I have to admit, I don't remember if or when I bought in a CC. I was shocked by the high prices, but I guess that's the cost of if you need it NOW purchasing.

Any time competition is reduced, it's bad for consumers, even if you didn't like CC, they were a foil to BB and to a lesser extent, Wal-Mart.

Sad days for workers.

as much as i enjoy reading the consumerist, i can't think of a more insensitive headline. 35,000 people just lost a job.

Seriously, CC would have stuff like mud and leaves all over the store, dirty boxes, things covered in dust, broken display models...

I liked my circuit city more than my local best buy. Circuit City always has great video games on clearance. I never bought anything at regular price from them though. I'll miss getting their ad that I usually just price matched elsewhere.

@Xerloq:Lol. I can't wait to see the signs.

Dang, now that i've got the CC EECB down and got a great email and phone list for them, I'm gonna have to be treated badly by a DIFFERENT company? You've gotta be kidding me!

@G_Money21: I'm not elderly, I beta-tested Compuserve, and I don't fear ID theft. I simply prefer to be able to actually see and touch a product when I buy it. I do make purchases online, but sometimes I don't want to deal with the B.S. of shippig and delivery issues. I want to walk in with cash and walk out with a product.

Yay, bargains!

Unfortunately, those involved in making that decision will probably (If not already) find jobs high up in the industry. After that decision however, I have never set foot in Circuit City, and no matter how low their liquidation prices are (probably not any lower than you could find online), I would never buy anything from the store again. So, good riddance.

I actually LIKED my local CC. Their prices weren't that awful and the people that worked there were pretty cool. I've purchased a few things there and enjoyed going in to browse since the staff was so much better than BB and less hassling. I'm disappointed to see them go.

(Former CC employee many years ago)

Many borderline businesses will fail because of the recession, and a few good businesses but companies like Circuit City will fail along with them--able to blame the recession when it really is poor management.

Now if Sears/KMart closes?

As a Virginian, I am sad to lose one of our large corporations, but CC was not a good company--made too many short-sighted and anti-consumer decisions. They actually make Best Buy look good by comparison.

As an aside, what about CarMax? That actually seems like a well-run sub-business.

cc used to be so great, great place to work, feel bad for the people that will loose their jobs, hope for severance of some kind.

This is really sad though. This was the only competition in the area to Best Buy. CC actually gave me the best deal on an ipod nano for my wife this christmas. Walmart had the worst deal. I am sad to see them go.

@Gene Gemperline:
*ahem*
Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!

...thank you. I'll be here all week.

@Gene Gemperline:
I believe that would be R.I.H... rot in hell.