After a very relaxing three-day weekend, we're back for a fresh start and a hilarious show. Today, we recap our appearance on Fox News and our weekend exploits, debut a few excellent logo submissions, and reveal Wilson's secret shame.
Welcome back, everyone! Hopefully your weekend was as relaxing as ours was, although sometimes a three-day weekend can be more tiring than a whole week of work! Let's just say that seeing the sunrise as you go to bed can be beautiful and tragic at the same time. We kicked off our Memorial Day weekend with an appearance on Fox News' "Strategy Room" with our buddy Clayton Morris. Most of you have already seen it, but check it out if you haven't and let us know what you think. Were we too serious for our own good? More bathroom humor, perhaps? I'll try harder next time.
In related 404 news, Wilson discovers that Dave Matthews Band is using the REMIXED version of our theme song in a promotion on its Pandora channel. What the crap is that all about, DMB? We're calling you guys out on stealing the song from our buddy Jamie Lewis, and we're extra protective since we consider him the unofficial voice of the show, so expect that subpoena in the mail immediately. And Jamie, if you're reading this...we'll be looking for our commission check soon, too.
Aside from us tearing apart some d-bag that broke the Rock Band 2 world record, we also have a hilarious call from the public and show off more submissions for our "Design The 404 Logo" competition. Watch the video for today's show to check them out, or see the slideshow below for high-res shots. Send your high-res submissions to the404[at]CNET[dot]com and we'll show them on the air for the chance to win a gigantic prize package that includes a copy of "The Back Book," Anna David's "Bought," and more!
EPISODE 349
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The Virgin Megastore is following Circuit City into the abyss, with the chain's US retail stores in the process of closing down. Similar to Circuit City's infamous liquidation sales, Virgin is currently offering its wares at "up to 30-percent off," according to the copious signage spotting outside Virgin's Union Square location in New York.
Where am I going to find $17.99 CDs now?
(Credit: Dan Ackerman)Ironically, that Virgin Megastore sits on exactly the same block as the Circuit City store we visited in January, and the two liquidation sales are also very similar, judging from what we found this week.
The actual signs and policies are nearly identical to the ones found at Circuit City, and the discounts offered are equally uninspired. Most items, including CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and games, were still listed at 10 or 20-percent off MSRP, which means you're likely to find a better deal at Amazon.
The Virgin Megastore always had a decent consumer electronics section, but the deals there were in the 5-10-percent range, and we spotted a few iPods and Apple TV units (at 5-percent off), a non-HD Creative Vado video camera, several Sony digital photo frames, lots of Rock Band instrument kits, and a JBL Soundstage iPod speaker system.
Check out our gallery of surreptitiously snagged in-store spy shots below for details on what we found, plus price comparisons on specific deals.
[Previously: Spying on the Circuit City liquidation sale]
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Hey Mervyns, help us get some of these on the cheap?
(Credit: About.com)Computer vendor Systemax is bringing CompUSA back to life, and now it looks like it might be doing the same for Circuit City. The company bought the intellectual property and domain name this week.
The two might rise as separate chains, but we wouldn't be surprised if they end up as some sort of mashup, a Frankenstein-like monster of retailers.
But why stop there? We can think of a few more franchises Systemax could add to its unholy abomination of shops to round out its offerings to customers. What should it be? Vote in our poll. And if we missed anything, be sure to let us know in the TalkBack section.
The prolonged death spiral of its retail stores have been well-documented (not least by our undercover spy shots of the so-called liquidation sales), but the Circuit City story seems to have added yet another chapter.
Computer vendor Systemax has agreed to purchase the bankrupt company's trademarks and domain names for $6.5 million, according to the Houston Chronicle. The actual sale is part of a May 11 auction of assets, and in court filings, Circuit City said, "The sale of the intellectual property and Internet assets would bring significant recovery for the sellers' estates and creditors."
If the Systemax name sounds familiar (and you've missed the handful of Systemax desktops we've reviewed over the years), that's because the company snapped up the remains of the CompUSA brand last year after that chain folded. They're also the parent company of online retailer TigerDirect.
When it decided to go out of business, Circuit City employed 34,000 people at 567 retail stores. Want to remember the good times? Check out the gallery below.
In Episode 22 of the Digital City, we discuss rumors of a new iPhone, Amazon's new video game trade-in system, how to use your Netbook as a Kindle alternative, and some upcoming video game launch events that might be coming to your town (as long as you live in Los Angeles).
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Years ago I worked at a Circuit City-like big-box retailer in Washington state called Future Shop. I was there through the bitter end when they shuttered the U.S. stores, and I worked through the liquidation. Toward the end there wasn't much left. Employees would hide things they wanted so they could get the larger discounts later in the sale, but for the most part we treated the customers well.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Apparently not so at some Circuit Citys, like one near Boston. According to a local news channel, Gina Reis thought she was getting a good deal on a large-screen Samsung HDTV at $1,100. Signs posted at the store advised buyers not to open the merchandise, so she didn't. Signs also said all sales are final.
When Gina got home she was shocked to find the screen shattered. Returning to the Circuit City, she was told the store wouldn't take the HDTV back but that it included a full manufacturer's warranty.
Warranties on Samsung HDTVs, of course, don't cover shattered screens.
There are state laws in Massachusetts that protect consumers against such purchases, but they're superseded by federal liquidation and bankruptcy laws that actually say all sales are final.
Thankfully, Reis' local TV station contacted her credit card company, Citizens Bank, which agreed to drop the charges. The moral of the story is that if you're looking for a great deal at your local closing Circuit City, it's buyer beware, and check your purchases.
Related story:
Last days of Circuit City: Lousy bargains, rumpled salespeople
It's a sad state of affairs at Circuit City.
(Credit: CNET Networks)I remember when "liquidation" meant something. There was a small electronics store in my area that was closing down a few years back. Signs all over read "Liquidation Sale." In the store, I found prices slashed considerably. Some good stuff was 75 percent off. It was a fire sale, and it was fantastic. That was a going-out-of-business sale done right. What Circuit City is doing now, though, I don't get.
The company is shutting down, as we all know. But I was still shocked when I went into Circuit City this past weekend and found a store that was a shadow of its former self. The signature red shirts on employees were ditched in favor of jeans and sweatshirts; DVD sales racks that were once barely browsed were overrun by customers who couldn't help but dive in to the store's 50 percent off DVD sale. But the real bargains that Circuit City claimed we all would love weren't so sexy after all.
I need a new HDTV. Usually, I buy my HDTVs from Amazon.com because I've found it has the best prices and delivery service. But since I knew Circuit City was going out of business, I decided to make a trek down there to see if there were any hidden gems at a good price. Signs said the TVs were 30 percent off, and when I looked around, I realized the inventory wasn't picked over, as I had feared. There were some nice Sony LCDs on the shelves, as well as Panasonic plasmas.
I was drawn to the Panasonic TH-58pz800u, which was on sale for approximately $2,600 at the store. I own the 50-inch model of that plasma and couldn't be more pleased with its quality. So when I saw it offered at such a discount, the wheels started turning and I was thinking about how I was going to be able to fit it into the back of my SUV.
... Read moreDon Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
On this week's installment of the Digital City podcast, we discuss New York's bankrupt unemployment system, Circuit City's liquidation sales, playing around with Windows 7, Apple's iPhone vs. iPod Touch, and Joey gets some hate mail for his PS3 fanboyism.
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At the risk of beating a dead horse, we dropped by our local Circuit City store this weekend to see if the oft-derided liquidation sales had picked up any steam. Hopefully, a couple of weeks into the CC death spiral, the discounts would ratchet up and we'd finally see some good deals.
While others have been prevented by store managers from getting actual in-store shots of the liquidation sales, we ninja'd our way through with the help of the iPhone's built-in camera, much as we did when sneaking pics of Wal-Mart's iPhone kiosks.
Many items were still listed at 10-percent off -- and that's 10-percent off the MSRP, not Circuit City's normally discounted prices, a distinction that has been noted repeatedly by reporters and bloggers. A few categories went up to 30-percent off (time to stock up on video game-hint books!), and even the 10-percent is worth checking out for items that normally don't get any kind of list price discount.
Check out the gallery below for a quick survey of what's on sale. We've even tossed in a few direct price comparisons for laptops and video-game gear to test just how liquid this liquidation sale really is.
After exploring other options, Circuit City said Friday it will begin liquidating all remaining stores.
Circuit City calls it quits.
(Credit: Circuit City)About 30,000 employees face layoffs as the rest of its 567 stores are closed. The fates of outstanding warranties, its Firedog repair service, and Canadian stores are still to be determined, according to the company.
The nation's second-largest consumer electronics retailer filed for bankruptcy in November and initially closed 155 retail outlets in an attempt to get its roughly $2 billion debt under control. Just a week ago, Circuity City announced it was in talks for a sale with two "highly interested" parties. After the talks broke down, the company said, it had no choice but to liquidate all remaining merchandise and shut its doors.
"We are extremely disappointed by this outcome. The company had been in continuous negotiations regarding a going concern transaction. Regrettably for the more than 30,000 employees of Circuit City and our loyal customers, we were unable to reach an agreement with our creditors and lenders to structure a going-concern transaction in the limited timeframe available, and so this is the only possible path for our company," James Marcum, acting president and chief executive officer for Circuit City, said in a statement.
The disappointing, recession-weakened holiday season likely sealed the retailer's fate, although the real problems began before the economic downturn. The retailer had posted several huge losses late 2007 and early 2008, but the rash of bank failures in September and October proved disastrous for it.
The resulting global credit crunch hit Circuit City hard. The retailer buys TVs, stereos, laptops, and other gadgets on credit, usually at a good rate from vendors with the promise to pay them back once the company sells the goods in its stores. But as the company racked up huge losses, and credit became suddenly more expensive, vendors stopped giving Circuit City reasonable financing rates.
