Comments on: Say good-bye to Circuit City

With 155 stores being shuttered across the United States and an impending New York Stock Exchange delisting, the electronics retailer's days are numbered.

[B_High]

CC is certainly in trouble, but you have to look at how many stores they still have and a market cap under 50M. Look at the revenue per share and then ask yourself why some astute investor wouldn't purchase them and reallign at the bargain price they could get. The market cap earlier in the year was 1.6 Billion. Think of the price someone would have to pay for an established national retail chain that just needs better management and a facelift.

[drewdub]

What will happen to the Hundreds of recently bought "The Source by Circuit City" franchises in Canada?
Pretty much all of the "Radio-Shack" Stores went with it when they had their franchise contracted canceled a few years back.

[Karasuman]

"Anytime I bought a pc from them they always just sold me the box and none of the software that is by law to accompany the purchase of the pc. They violate every microsoft agreement each and every time they do that"

Inachu you nimrod. First of all, Vista PC's do not come with any software from Microsoft. Microsoft stopped giving discs of operating systems with PC's because people were pirating them. That's why there's no Microsoft discs included with PC's these days. So unless you buy a Toshiba, which then only comes with recovery discs and NOT the Vista disc itself, you will get 0 software. If they were giving Microsoft discs with the PC's at time of purchase, THAT would be a violation of current Microsoft policies. As far as any other software, no, there is no mandate that states you be given any software from any company, Norton, Nero, or otherwise.

As a former CC employee (and thank God "former"), as far as CC's problems go, they are too many to list here. Many of you are right and wrong at the same time. The bottom line is they offer the same crap you can get anywhere else. There is nothing fresh or new, and they now force one or two employees to walk around the whole store selling to everyone who comes in. That's fine if you work at Wal-Mart, but this isn't Wal-Mart, it's Circuit City. If people wanted a Wal-Mart experience, they'd go to frickin' Wal-Mart. Circuit City's problem is they try to copy-cat successful models of other companies, but then don't allot the proper amount of resources to follow through with it. Not to mention that even if they did, it'd still only make for a generic shopping experience you can get anywhere else.

That company hasn't had a noticeable pulse in 5 years. It's only now that they're truly beginning to flat-line. And that is precisely what they deserve for firing their competitive edge and just generally treating their employees like crap. "Treat Me Like I Don't Matter" is more in-line with their actual operating environment, regardless of whatever BS they attempt to shove down their associates' throats in many pointless morning meetings. The morgue awaits Circuit City.

[1kingsfan]

I'm with "themillperson" on this one. I work for a Circuit City that didn't close and these last few days have been heartbreaking to say the least. We have so many associates who really do care about the customer. I'm not denying that we've had our share of bad employees and those who don't care, but the majority of Circuit City's problems come from upper management. We're told "do X and only do X" Then the next week it's "don't do X anymore....we're going to start doing Y now". There is no clear direction and all your anger should be directed at the morons in the plush offices who don't know their ___ from a hole in the ground....not at the employees who are really suffering.

[as901]

Let me start by saying that Circuit City has always honored their service contracts.

Best buy sold me a microwave oven. It did not work and the door locked close. Best buy had sold me a "No hassle" service contract. They sent it in for repair and returned it two months later with the door still defective. I took it in again and again they took over one month to have it back. Again the same problem was there. For 1 1/2 years out of a 3 years service contact, the machine spent most of that time in the shop.

My wife and I demanded a new machine. When they refused after 3 repairs, we stood outside telling all who would listen not to buy a service contract there!

The manager tried to claim we could be arrested, but we continued. The manager finally agreed to change the faulty microwave for a new one. No one should be treated like that!

If Best Buy wins, we all lose!

Mark Heinemann

[ccmaster]

you are right i got a lemon computer at cc ant had nothing but problem after problem and the 3rd time the manger just came over and sad to me go pick an new computer thanks to the city advantage plan i got i got my all my money that i spent on the computer and the plan back as a credit to a new computer i was happy i had not even had it a year and thay took care of me bb dont do that

[ModerateBlues]

Why is Don Reisinger always so angry. Every entry he makes is done with a tone of voice that reminds me of a 20 year old who thinks he knows the world and uses curse words in fear of his point not being noticed or taken seariously.

I enjoy his articles for their content, it is just his presentation and arrogant tone of voice of a "Mr. Know-it-all" that drives me crazy.

Maybee one day when he is older and wiser he will perhaps smile in his picture, and understand that a quiet demeanor and artfull presentation of facts will do more to inform and persuade than to practically strut across the page as if he is the greatest pundant on earth.

[facety]

I kinda noticed that his tone seemed very angry and arrogant. I was wondering what was up with that or if I was the only one who noticed it.

[hotmail123]

If Circuit City closes, Best Buy will be able to monopolize the market. Costco & Walmart are out of this league & there is no competition. With no competition, customers will suffer.

[Maruuk]

Fact: Best Buy was caught in a nationwide customer fraud scandal in which they used a fake intranet to deny discounts in the stores to customers who said, "I swear I just saw it on sale online!" Then they'd shuttle you to the fake website with the fake inflated price. They had to pony up millions for that little scam.

Fact: Best Buy charges you punitive and usurous "restocking" fees when you return something for any reason.

Fact: Circuit City will gladly reprint your receipt if you lose it and has no restocking fees. Not to mention an excellent and honest customer feedback section below each item online.

There's no comparison: Best Buy are a bunch of crooks who treat customers as marks and Circuit City are helpful and straighforward. So guess which one wins? The crooks of course.

[April_G]

It's a sad situation all around. Unemployment is skyrocketing and to get news like this right before the holidays is depressing. From what I hear, it was managerial/financial problems that led to the closings. This was not based primarily on the current economy, but by how the company has been run prior up until now. The CC in Tupelo, MS is being closed and two employees were arrested for stealing televisions before they were even notified. It always seemed like a waste to shop at CC for CD's or movies because there was no real organization in that are, but it was nice to know there was an option. Get the ads Sunday morning and compare CC with Best Buy to find the less expensive items just in case we wanted a new movie or something of that nature. There's also an FYE, but it's more expensive-around $30 for a new release dvd. CC did have Best Buy beat when it came time to check out (if a clerk could be found) with no lines. Again, it's just sad that all these people still have to go to work just to liquidate everything they can. I for one would just leave before having to deal with the mad rush of people waiting for the lowest prices.

[looneytun3]

We only have a Circuit City in our town. We have to do all our shopping online at Best Buy. Being that we have been shopping at Circuit City for a long time. The last several years they have been losing focus on their customers. Almost every online purchase we have done has been nothing but a hassle and as far as getting a better deal seems Wal-Mart offers a lot of better deals when it comes to games, movies and Cds. Our electronic purchases we have been doing a lot of online shopping for better deals and also at our HH Gregg store. Best Buy is not local so we do shop online with them but never had the issues that we have had with Circuit City. Circuit City?s only solution to any problem we have had with them is to instead of fixing the issue that was at hand was to send a 25 dollar gift card. That is a loss considering they dump money out for problems they cause and pay people wages to deal with and fix. But they all seem to have the same solution every time will send you a $25 gift card for your inconvenience. Sorry to see you all go but if you would work on making the customer happy by fixing the problem instead of a gift card maybe they would keep more cash flow and happier customers.

[GODzillaSDM]

Circuit City deserves it. They have extremely poor customer service. Their employees are unprofessional and their store setup is horrible. Their checkout registers are all over the store, but there are no cashiers around. It shouldn't be this hard, when I want to pay for something. One time, they listed a video game for $40 with a $10 gift card. When I got there, they tried to tell me that it is $50 with a $10 gift card, which "makes" it $40. I explained to them, that a $10 gift card is not the same thing as a $10 instant off. And in addition, the ad clearly shows that it is $40 with a $10 gift card. The employee told me that is what the system shows, and would not honor their ad. I was upset. (best buy on the other hand, will honor their ads, and price adjust things if needed.)

[ccmaster]

our checkout are all over the store becous that is how the sales use to work for circuitcity we wore commishion and there were more than one person in that department not there is less employes and the pay is so low the the get employies that dont care it is upper managements fault

[just_thought]

I hate to see cc go, competition brings down prices

But shopping there drives me nuts, you have to search all over for the sale items and if you can't find them you won't get any help. Half the time they will put stuff on sale, in bins but only half ,and if something on sale isn't in there, they may still have it you just have to search every aisle of the store to find out.
Also if you get an item that is supposed to be on sale and it doesn't come up as such your out of luck, because they won't adjust a price if its wrong.

BB i can find stuff in at least. Like other people have said their return policy is awful. I try and buy bigger stuff elsewhere like costco where if something goes wrong I can return it.

[katesanders]

Is there a website showing the locations of closing stores?

[knoxvillefox]

I always disliked shopping at CC because I felt like they were snobby to me. I am 40 and my first experience was shortly after college, when I was 23 and my wife and I were looking at buying a VCR. I certainly was not a "high end" patron at the time, and my impression was the sales clerk felt like he was doing me a favor to talk to me. Let that be a lesson to retailers, you need to treat all potential customers with respect, even if you think you will not get a sale. You never know if you are building brand loyalty for ten years down the line. Also, more recently, I tried to get a raincheck on an advertised laptop that had no disclaimer language, and the manager played semantical games with me to avoid giving me a raincheck, even after I threatened to sue ( I am a lawyer). I still bought things there occasionally, but nothing big ticket.

Anyway, I feel like I can "use" BB for my purposes, because I am a tech savvy person, building my desktops from the ground up on occasion, and I don't need some body to be a consultant. I just need to find the product I have determined to fit my needs/price, and buy it. Most of the time that means buying over the web, but occasionally I want to stroll into a brick and mortar because I don't want to wait.

Ultimately, I am sad to CC go, just because I want BB to have some competition. Who knows, I am planning to buy an LCD HDTV this black Friday, maybe I'll buy from CC, if the price is right.

[e_equals_mcsquared]

To beth216: I *really* dig your sarcasm. If you ever become the head writer for a sitcom, let me know because that's one show I definitely don't want to miss!

I have mixed feelings on Circuit City's fortunes. They were once a great place to shop; I noticed the difference in the professional, knowledgeable sales staff they used to have years ago. The kept computer records of their extended warranties; BB still doesn't do this (if you lose the receipt, you lose the extended warranty you bought). The Circuit City stores were cleaner than Best Buy and you could actually have a conversation in a CC - as opposed to not being able to even hear yourself think in any BB because the car audio department is literally shaking everything from the windows to the fixtures in the entire store!

What turned me away from CC forever was the shopping experience I had 10 years ago this very month: I went to CC to buy a DVD player and had decided on a Sony model that was $799 (yes, $799 for a standard-def DVD player - this was the first year they were out everybody needs to quit whining about $299 for a Blu-ray player!), but was blocked in my attempt to simply make a purchase. First, the sales rep kept TELLING (not merely suggesting) that I just HAD to get a Circuit City DiVX DVD player because all other DVD players without DiVX capability would be obsolete within a year. I asked him two more times after that to just let me buy the $799 Sony model, and he said (without even looking in the computer to check inventory) that they were out of that model. So I insisted that he check inventory while I stood next to him at the computer terminal, and - surprise - they had around 20 of my Sony model in stock. He then said he would be right back, which I assumed to mean that he would be bringing out the Sony. Instead, 2 minutes later the store manager walks over with the sales rep and says to me "You know, a wise customer would ONLY want to purchase a DiVX DVD player" (was he inferring that I was a dumb customer?). I asked him what I had to do to actually buy the Sony DVD model I wanted, and he told me that they were out of stock! I corrected him, and the sales rep confirmed I was right by saying to his boss that "he knows, I already looked it up". I asked one last time what I had to do to purchase the Sony, and the store manager said that I would be "really sorry" if I bought the Sony. At that point, I walked out of the store and never went back to a CC - not to any CC anywhere. I bought the same Sony model at a small independent store that same day, and then mailed a copy of the sales receipt along with the in-store CC experience I had had to CC's customer relations department. I NEVER heard back from them, not even a form letter. I realize that DiVX was partially set up and heavily promoted by CC and that the sales rep got some bonus on sales of DiVX players, but that's no excuse for the ultra-high pressure, rude manner in which I was treated. By the way, DiVX failed and was no longer sold just one later.

[ccmaster]

you are right i work at cc and the same thing is starting up now and let me tell you if that was me i would have sold you the one you anted the manages get so mad when i do that but when that person comes back that means more to me than to do somthing that stupid i would like to say if you are ever in ogden ut come on in for what ever you need and ask for erik you wont get that crap form me

[ccalltheway]

to the person who wrote this
we are all entitled to our own opinon but i work for circuit city. we are a great company. we have the lowest price guarantee and if not than we match the price. plus we have the one price one promise. where our website and store price are the same. we give the best customer service and always are learning new ways to best please our customers. yes there are times where our hands are tied in situations but we do our best. we may be having a hard time right now but this company will turn around. so dont put bye bye circuit city cause know your facts before running your mouth. obvisouly you are not very intelligent or you would have realized why we closed certain stores. things like this article irrate me cause its just one more piece of garbage to make our happy customers think were going out of business. so get a life and worry about yourslef not our company.

[kudos0000]

! they are both huge retail giants, with 16-18 year old working that do not know really anything about computers, software, ect. i have always had horrible expeirinces at both stores. From best buys geek squad not knowing what avg was and saying that program was a virus, and myself teaching them. also at circut city they're return policy is/was awful! like only 14 days! i have not shopped at these stores in at least 3 or 4 years and i bet if you ask most people who know anything theyd say the same, lol

[AppleSuxLeo]

Newegg , Tiger Direct , FRYS...build my own to my specs/budget. Who is Circuit City ???

[cyclonica1980]

In my 1 year at Circuit City I knew the company was in trouble. Empty store for hours, employees who didnt give a hoot and management shuffles like you would not believe. I have no sympathy. My manager was a moron and hired all pretty girls who knew NOTHING when it came to technology. Im not sorry to see them go. This was about a year ago to. The store I worked at is one of the ones closing I do believe. Good bye CC wont miss you.

[AnotherReader]

I don't think I have shopped at CC for about a decade. The quality of the merchandise was going down even then. The whole push they had for DIVX (rental DVDs, not the current video codec) was another nail in their coffin as far as I was concerned.

The simple fact that BB generally had a better selection of the things I was interested in (electronics of all kinds in general) and the prices were USUALLy (not always) better than CC didn't help either. The last time I went into the local CC (I didn't end up buying anything, so I am willing to hold onto my "decade" claim!), the stock was garbage. I remember walking through the TV and home audio areas. The shelves in the TV area where only about half full and much of that was duplicates of the same, cheap junky TVs.

The home audio area was even worse. They had entire listening rooms that were basically empty with wires laying on the floor and the few items that where on display had sale signs that were months out of date.

It quickly became obvious that they sure didn't care if anyone shopped there, so why bother.