# Circuit City to liquidate remaining US stores



## W8 a minute

The party's over...

Circuit City to liquidate remaining US stores - Yahoo! News


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## chuyler1

Internet wins, FATALITY!


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## King Nothing

wonder if there will be any good deals


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## fredridge

I might go check out local one.....funny thing is for the past year or so in Brea they have been rebuilding an old one, I don't think it has even opened yet


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## veloze

Hey Fred, let us know if you find something worth it, so I could make the trip. Maybe there's an opportunity to buy some gear, then flip it.


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## DUMPED

sorry to hear about all the jobs being lost


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## msmith

DUMPED said:


> sorry to hear about all the jobs being lost


33,000 to be exact.

It really is a shame... a lot of good people are being affected, and not only at CC, but at all their suppliers, too.


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## skeeeon

If you are looking for a deal, look for the legacy (older) stores that were around when they carried eclipse. At our old store, we had a couple of xa4000's that went for around $95 bnib just because we no longer had a display and they sat in the warehouse. I myself picked up a cd7000 for $180.


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## W8 a minute

King Nothing said:


> wonder if there will be any good deals


I doubt it.
I wish they would put it all on an auction site like a true liquidation. Instead they'll mark it back up to MSRP and then knock 50% off (which puts it back at the original selling price) and people will eat it up THINKING they got a deal.


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## cvjoint

Too bad I bought everything electronics related this summer while I worked there. Then again I did get good deals so I doubt this liquidation sale will be much cheaper. 

Pretty soon we'll have to live off internet reviews only, there will be no actual display store to fiddle with electronics. It's kinda sad. I blame rich buyers for being cheap asses.


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## msmith

cvjoint said:


> Too bad I bought everything electronics related this summer while I worked there. Then again I did get good deals so I doubt this liquidation sale will be much cheaper.
> 
> Pretty soon we'll have to live off internet reviews only, there will be no actual display store to fiddle with electronics. It's kinda sad. I blame rich buyers for being cheap asses.


You blame who for what? I don't get it.


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## Knobby Digital

cvjoint said:


> I blame rich buyers for being cheap asses.


I blame the ******* CEO's who focus on efficiency beyond everything else for paying minimum wages for jobs that should be given to people with at least some expertise and experience.

Which is why there's no point in going to CC or BB if you're better off doing research online than asking for help from a store associate.




...But they'll be fine, it's just the upper-middle class and down who will suffer.


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## msmith

Well, if people won't pay for service, then why should they offer it?

Bob Crandall, the former chairman of American Airlines, said in response to a question about why the seats were so close together and the food was so bad: "Because that's what customers want". When asked to explain this statement, he said that people want low prices above everything else and that's what he's giving them.


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## Knobby Digital

msmith said:


> Well, if people won't pay for service, then why should they offer it?
> 
> Bob Crandall, the former chairman of American Airlines, said in response to a question about why the seats were so close together and the food was so bad: "Because that's what customers want". When asked to explain this statement, he said that people want low prices above everything else and that's what he's giving them.


That's one way of looking at it, but by the same token, why should CEO's pay themselves MILLIONS of dollars to do a job that the store employees can on their own?

That is, figure out what the local demographic customers want/need, and supply those wants/needs.


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## bassfromspace

msmith said:


> Well, if people won't pay for service, then why should they offer it?
> 
> Bob Crandall, the former chairman of American Airlines, said in response to a question about why the seats were so close together and the food was so bad: "Because that's what customers want". When asked to explain this statement, he said that people want low prices above everything else and that's what he's giving them.


Good point.

If the opposite were true, people would be clamoring for first-class seats.


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## cvjoint

msmith said:


> You blame who for what? I don't get it.


I blame middle/rich classes in America actually. I come from third world and I think middle America has enough money to be considered rich by world standards as well as common sense. 



cajunner said:


> If you can afford internet, you too can save on audio....


...and here's my point: it's actually cheaper to buy at CC then online for anybody but the poor. People are so keen on saving a dollar that that they do the irrational. My average costumer made at least $40/hour (Palm Springs, Newport stores) yet 90% of them spent days browsing the web and reading consumer guides to buy a 32" LCD for their bathroom. How is that saving money when you make $40/hour??? Think trade-offs. You could have worked 20hours that week instead of browsing online out of your area of specialization and saved $800! It makes no rational sense to buy from the internet. Add to that you can't see the damn thing to compare with your own eyes and add shipping costs and wait time to that list.

You can argue we waren't the best trained salesmen but we knew far more than our customer base and more often than not we did have a better clue than consumer guides and forums.

Specialization works. Let people do their job and you do yours and America as a whole will be better off.


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## W8 a minute

msmith said:


> Well, if people won't pay for service, then why should they offer it?
> 
> Bob Crandall, the former chairman of American Airlines, said in response to a question about why the seats were so close together and the food was so bad: "Because that's what customers want". When asked to explain this statement, he said that people want low prices above everything else and that's what he's giving them.


That couldn't be more true. I work for a small ISP and I can tell you that people don't want to pay for anything. Not a damn thing. I can prove to a customer, over the phone, that the problem is in their network. They'll demand that we send someone out to fix their problem. I then have to explain that those services come with charges and that's when they immediately say "Well, if you don't do it for free then I'll go to another ISP"

The customer's demand for "everything for nothing" is leading to "nothing for nothing" Our price point is so low that we can't provide what the customer wants. When people call in we'll soon be telling them "I'm sorry it doesn't work. I guess you CAN'T have our service" and just canceling their account. No help, no support, nothing.

People don't work for free. Rent has to be paid. Utilities need to be running...

But on the other hand.....I'm the FIRST one to buy online before I'll go to a B&M store.


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## msmith

W8 a minute said:


> That couldn't be more true. I work for a small ISP and I can tell you that people don't want to pay for anything. Not a damn thing. I can prove to a customer, over the phone, that the problem is in their network. They'll demand that we send someone out to fix their problem. I then have to explain that those services come with charges and that's when they immediately say "Well, if you don't do it for free then I'll go to another ISP"
> 
> The customer's demand for "everything for nothing" is leading to "nothing for nothing" Our price point is so low that we can't provide what the customer wants. When people call in we'll soon be telling them "I'm sorry it doesn't work. I guess you CAN'T have our service" and just canceling their account. No help, no support, nothing.
> 
> People don't work for free. Rent has to be paid. Utilities need to be running...
> 
> But on the other hand.....I'm the FIRST one to buy online before I'll go to a B&M store.


Good points.

Therein lies the dilemma... the more you know, the less patience you have for incompetent service. The less you know, the more you need competent service. But, if enough people aren't willing to pay for competent service, then it won't be offered and everybody is on their own, whether they need it or not. Good service costs money and it can only be supported by willing customers.


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## ARCuhTEK

Well I will jump into this debate....

The reason I spend 8-10 hours PER week on the DIYMA is because I trust no one. Everytime I go to a shop...BB, CC...etc....the FIRST problem is that they carry crap. They carry crap for the masses. If the masses dont want it or know about it...they dont carry it. But its a catch 22.....the masses only KNOW about what they see on mega stores shelves. Ask the average person, even those into car audio, if they have heard of Zapco, Audison....etc. Chances are, if its not Pioneer, Kenwood or Sony....they have no clue. I am not saying those Mfr.'s produce crap. Even the higher quality products from the average, well known mfr. is not to be found on BB, CC shelves.

So years ago I got tired of using my time to shop for junk. I spend so much time researching, mainly because I get caught up in all that the internet and world has to offer. I also get caught up in the technical details. But mind you....I dont spend my WORK time surfing the net.

You said if people would spend their time working instead of shopping online that they could make $800. Well I am a small business owner and I know that most employees abuse employee rights and spend time texting, chatting, surfing when they should be working. If they spent that time improving themselves, being more efficient then the company would profit more. If that happened, they would get a better raise.

Either way, my time is more valuable spending it with my family, even if on the laptop surfing for a new zapc amp, than it is out and about wasting time and coming home empty handed.

Sure, if I wanted to support the American economy I could buy from these stores, but then again, the people I buy from are American too and they are small business owners. Small business owners offer more to the American people than ANY corporation.

So let CC die....empower the small businesses! All corporations were at one time small businesses.


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## kenk

What about how CC replaced old employees with new lower paid ones. Thats just wrong. The problem with B&M sales is sales tax on big box items. Why do you think Amazon just posted its biggest Christmas sales ever? And big retailers only sell mass produced low end stuff like Sony explod.
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/12/26/2008-12-26_amazoncoms_best_holiday_sales_ever.html


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## cvjoint

Just because the product is geared towards the masses doesn't mean it's garbage. One man's treasure is another mans trash. It's a bit elitist imo. We can't all afford the best there is, and my guess is there are many that can afford more than you. 

Popular culture is at fault. Everybody is quite a sucker for marketing and they are being cheap asses. The shopping idea in this country is to get name brand at the lowest cost. If anything that's what makes the available products garbage and employees are getting paid less. Nobody appreciates good customer service and product quality. For being the epitome of consumer society we sure got our ideals wrong.


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## kenk

cvjoint said:


> Just because the product is geared towards the masses doesn't mean it's garbage. One man's treasure is another mans trash. It's a bit elitist imo. We can't all afford the best there is, and my guess is there are many that can afford more than you.
> 
> Popular culture is at fault. Everybody is quite a sucker for marketing and they are being cheap asses. The shopping idea in this country is to get name brand at the lowest cost. If anything that's what makes the available products garbage and employees are getting paid less. Nobody appreciates good customer service and product quality. For being the epitome of consumer society we sure got our ideals wrong.


Which is why Walmart is the countrys leading retailer. Brand names for cheap. Pretty soon its Walmart vs. Amazon. Look at the great benefits Walmart employees get at the cost of everyone. http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/facts/


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## W8 a minute

kenk said:


> What about how CC replaced old employees with new lower paid ones. Thats just wrong. [/url]


When Circuit City first came to town were head hunting all the competent people in the local stores and offered them BIG salaries to come install or sell for them. I refused. They were too pushy trying to "sell" me a career with them. Sounded too good to be true. It was odd to walk into CC stores and see people I've worked with or known for years. A year or two later and I think they were all replaced by pimply faced kids.

But at the time they were selling big name equipment like Soundstream.


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## Knobby Digital

Timeline:

Local retailers sold quality equipment, and provided customer service.

Product focus went from quality to features, and people began thinking "why pay Americans to repair something, when I can have the Chinese make me a new one with more features?"

Cost became king, and products got ****tier year by year.

CC and the like came to town and undercut the local retailers.

CC and the like cut wages making their entire sales staff a bunch of H.S. students and part-time housewives.

Everyone stopped shopping at CC and the like, since no one wants to pay for ****ty service.

Thousands of people are out of jobs.

Meanwhile, the top 1% are the only group who've thrived since the economic downturn.



So the moral of the story is:



ARCuhTEK said:


> Small business owners offer more to the American people than ANY corporation.


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## W8 a minute

kenk said:


> WWhy do you think Amazon just posted its biggest Christmas sales ever? [/url]


Just throwing this out there for thought....

I would have paid MORE to buy from Amazon just to avoid the crowds and all the other Xmas shopping BS. Taxes had little to do with it. The cheaper price is just a bonus.


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## kenk

W8 a minute said:


> Just throwing this out there for thought....
> 
> I would have paid MORE to buy from Amazon just to avoid the crowds and all the other Xmas shopping BS. Taxes had little to do with it. The cheaper price is just a bonus.


And why is everyone posting a loss except for Amazon? Your absolutely right though, I hate the crowds (kids crying, and finding parking getting my car dinged by assholes) and it ultimately leads to impulse buying from wife and kids.


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## sr20det510

fredridge said:


> I might go check out local one.....funny thing is for the past year or so in Brea they have been rebuilding an old one, I don't think it has even opened yet


It is open! Went there last week Fred but it wasn't called "Circuit City," it had a sign that read, "The City"

The employees were extremely helpful and the store was very nice. I wonder if"The City" stores are closing


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## chuyler1

I trust reviews on the internet more than a 16-yr old sales kid's opinion. The fact is that information is out there for free. You don't have to read trade magazines or spend hours listening to systems in a store to know what sounds good. You can find out, for free, what the best gear is online. It takes less time to look up information on the internet than it does to drive to your local big box store and listen to a sales pitch from a teenager. Granted everything you read on the internet can't be taken with 100% certainty, but the responses of many far out weight the opinion of one sales person who is looking to make a commission, or just make a sale to not get fired.

This Christmas I actually bought a stereo bar with wireless subwoofer for our TV...we got it at Circuit City because it was cheaper to buy it there than have it shipped from one of the online resellers. It took traveling to 3 CC stores and dealing with multiple sales people to get what we wanted. They kept trying to sell me more expensive or cheaper units that they had in stock...ones that were not recommended online for various reasons. I knew what I wanted but I had to go to three stores to get it. Next time I'll just pay the premium to order it and save the time and gas driving around. Afterall, none of the stores actually had the unit on display for demo, even though it had been advertised in their flyer.


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## ChrisB

I wonder if the liquidators are going to do the typical mark the price up to MSRP then start discounting from there?


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## Hillbilly SQ

If the sales staff runs away when they see a customer coming toward them the red boxes SHOULD all shut down. I was looking to buy a pair of polk towers at the red box and after hunting the sales clown down several times he FINALLY told me they didn't have the black version in stock. ONLY the white ones. WHY THE HELL would someone want white speakers? Turns out the location several miles away had the ones I wanted. Ended up going less than a mile down the road and getting a pair of jbl speakers from best buy. Salesman was VERY nice and acted like he cared. My dad LOVES the red box but I'm sure the fact that he's a salesman and knows how to annoy the crap out of his own kind is a reason for that. He sells ad space for a trade magazine.


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## adrianp89

I work in retail in electronics.. and any salesman that hides from a guest should be fired or coached. I ask every customer I can if they need help. If they are looking at an item, I explain it to them, listen to what they are looking for exactly and show them other options that would work for them, but I don't try to persuade them into anything. I do have a short fuse though... if a guest is being a smartass and try to annoy me, I won't hesitate to forget hes there and help other people.


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## stereojnky

W8 a minute said:


> I doubt it.
> I wish they would put it all on an auction site like a true liquidation. Instead they'll mark it back up to MSRP and then knock 50% off (which puts it back at the original selling price) and people will eat it up THINKING they got a deal.


That's exactly what they did in Atlanta. Plus those liquidator "managers" are jerkholes!


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## customtronic

I planned on going to the CC in my area today just to see what they have. Not sure if I'll actually buy anything but it's worth the trip.


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## ErinH

They showed the local one on the news last night. It was ridiculous.


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## kenk

I hate these fake "liquidation" sales. They are managed by a different company and are only discounted off MSRP which is not really a sale at all. Its just a publicity stunt. And all the good stuff is either hidden by employees for themselves or gone by the time everything is 60% off. I once went to The Good Guys (So Cal chain) going out of business sale. They had a price tag for the JL W1v2 for $50. The employee said it was a price mistake and wouldn't let me buy it (I think he was keeping it for himself). I was furious!


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## cvjoint

Hillbilly SQ said:


> If the sales staff runs away when they see a customer coming toward them the red boxes SHOULD all shut down. I was looking to buy a pair of polk towers at the red box and after hunting the sales clown down several times he FINALLY told me they didn't have the black version in stock. ONLY the white ones. WHY THE HELL would someone want white speakers? Turns out the location several miles away had the ones I wanted. Ended up going less than a mile down the road and getting a pair of jbl speakers from best buy. Salesman was VERY nice and acted like he cared. My dad LOVES the red box but I'm sure the fact that he's a salesman and knows how to annoy the crap out of his own kind is a reason for that. He sells ad space for a trade magazine.


In the last few years keeping things in stock was hard because times were so bad. It costs money to keep things in stock. Naturally only center piece items were usually in the warehouse, like big screen TVs. Home audio sales also showed a decline since...maybe the 90s. 

Again the consumer doesn't think audio is worth it because they are not informed well. For most, home audio means louder audio, which is not the no.1 reason for buying a HT system. There is surround sound, a full frequency response, quality etc. Costumers became very stubborn and whenever you wanted to give a demo they would usually associate it with pushing product. Ccity is paying people to give you a demo without a contract that you have to buy something, which means free services, or good service in case you buy. The decline in this practice and low sales led to malfunctioning displays. It cost too much money to keep these going for how much profit they were generating. 



chuyler1 said:


> I trust reviews on the internet more than a 16-yr old sales kid's opinion. The fact is that information is out there for free. You don't have to read trade magazines or spend hours listening to systems in a store to know what sounds good. You can find out, for free, what the best gear is online. It takes less time to look up information on the internet than it does to drive to your local big box store and listen to a sales pitch from a teenager. Granted everything you read on the internet can't be taken with 100% certainty, but the responses of many far out weight the opinion of one sales person who is looking to make a commission, or just make a sale to not get fired.


There is no such thing as a free lunch. Free things need time, or come packed with advertising at the very least.

More often than not the 16 year old sales kid is more knowledgable than the customer. This is definitely the case in computers department, car audio, home audio. In TVs you get all sorts of golden eyes and stubborn customers. Since "tvs sell themselves" everyone is a pro.  I can't tell you how many times I got a customer who just bought the Vizio for $20 less than we sold it came in and try to convince himself his TV was the best. Folks would watch a display of DVD vs. Blue Ray or Composite cables vs. HDMI and flat out lied that they couldn't see a difference. We had tube TVs blow out when first plugged in yet every customer older than 30 expected their TV to last a lifetime because the old tubes were like that. People would buy $5k Plasma and install it with coax run though the wall using outdoor antenna because they wouldn't listen to service solutions. 

I rarely did get the smarter costumer, and I learned from him, and guess what the next customer benefited from me knowing more. We did have training programs that were completed online, and we did get a lot of experience from our customers trying out product and giving us feedback.


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## mSaLL150

I agree that this will be nice for small town business. However, its bad that so many people will lose their jobs.


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## JAX

I hate CC but I do feel bad for some of the people who are loosing their jobs...on the other hand...

they have the worst service and the rudest employees that I quit going in there long time ago unless I had to have something only they had...


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## honkyg

was just at cc for a 2 gig ram, that place is a ****ing zoo


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## matt62485

everytime ive been there their customer service was ****. if all of their store operate the way ours does, i can see why they are going out of business.


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## W8 a minute

Everything that people are saying about the bad customer service I can say I've experienced myself. The sales staff running away, outright incorrect answers (seemingly made up), poor product selection, etc. It's like they went the exact opposite of what they used to be. 

I can honestly say the local Best Buy gave me better service, better selection, and if they didn't know the answer they admitted the fact and then found the correct answer for me. Best buy also has more media/game selections.


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## jimboman

mSaLL150 said:


> I agree that this will be nice for small town business.


As long as Walmart and BB are still around, small town business won't be good. In the 80's, there were dedicated small appliance stores, electronics stores, record stores, etc. and that is where you bought your stuff.

There were some mid sized stores you could get stuff at as well, like Best, Zody's, and of course the department stores like Montgomery Wards, and Sears.

But nowadays it is automatic that if someone needs anything electronic, they will first check out BB and WM.

Also back then, guys who worked at these stores were able to make a living selling this stuff, where as now they can't because all the money goes to corporate, and thats why high school kids work there. It would be tough to make a living and raise a family with these low paying non commision jobs.

You guys have some really good points.

It would be nice to find out how much unauthorized internet sales (gray market) sales have taken away from the retail industry.


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## W8 a minute

jimboman said:


> Also back then, guys who worked at these stores were able to make a living selling this stuff, where as now they can't because all the money goes to corporate, and thats why high school kids work there. It would be tough to make a living and raise a family with these low paying non commision jobs.


My grandfather retired from Sears. He delivered furniture and appliances for them. He was union and made enough money to support his family, earned a pension, insurance, retirement, etc. Now everyone is part time with no benefits.

I've noticed another trend as well. Back in the day (before the mid 80's) Sears had money. I mean real money. They could weather hard times with the money they had in the bank. And they even paid their employees well. Now everything is based on stocks and credit. If a major dept store's stock drops they go out of business the next day. They have no real money or assets to fall back on.


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## jimboman

W8 a minute said:


> Now everyone is part time with no benefits.


Word!


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## JAX

I am glad to see I was not the only one who hated dealing with CC....I swear I left that place cussing to myself every single time.......

I guess they got what they earned...


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## Attack eagle

they've been terrible for well over a decade.

every once in a while they'd get a burr under their saddle and cean up, things would work, Floor reps would do their jobs, nad things would be in stock and in corder on the shelves.

these minor miraces were few and far between.

I went Thursday or friday, before the big sale and bought a back 16g nano. was going to order from apple, but decided to just go ahead and get it before school resumed.

I had to chase down 2-3 reps to get anyone to help me, took em 5+minutes just to get the the keys for the case. Looked in the media section, complete cluster ****, took 10 minutes to find the movie, and it was way overpriced compared to bb target and WM.

That was typical for Circus Circus in the last 2-3 years. BB did it better, and BB survived. CC didn't, and good riddance.


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## Attack eagle

W8 a minute said:


> I then have to explain that those services come with charges and that's when they immediately say "Well, if you don't do it for free then I'll go to another ISP"
> When people call in we'll soon be telling them "I'm sorry it doesn't work. I guess you CAN'T have our service" and just canceling their account. No help, no support, nothing.
> 
> People don't work for free. Rent has to be paid. Utilities need to be running...


I did that all the time as both a rep and later a Sup of Technical support at Dish N.

they'd threaten to close their account, I'd turn off their service. Normally they fixed their attitude right then and there, or it stayed off. 
either way, the remainder of the conversation was to the point and less wasteful of my time and the company dime.

Good times...


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## Pseudonym

just picked up some printer ink for $10 but i imagine i couldve found it for around that elsewhere. not much of a sale.


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## msmith

chuyler1 said:


> I trust reviews on the internet more than a 16-yr old sales kid's opinion. The fact is that information is out there for free.


How do you know the internet opinion isn't written by a 14-year old? My 11 year old posts reviews on the internet. 

Free information sometimes is worth exactly what you pay for it.

As much as there is good information on this site from some knowledgeable people, there is also a lot of BS... in other words, the signal to noise ratio is not very good.

I agree that knowledge at a lot of retailers leaves much to be desired, but there are some good retailers that do know what they're talking about. When you find one, I think he's much more valuable than a random internet opinion.

Just food for thought!


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## ChrisB

The last time I stepped foot in a Circuit City was February 2008 when a friend of mine was revamping his music store. I went with him to get a LCD TV to hang on the wall. The genius high school kid who served us tried to argue with me when I told him he picked the wrong wall mounting bracket. Only when I made him bring the bracket over and try to fit it to the display TV did he realize he made a mistake. I haven't stepped foot in that place since then and all I have to say is good riddance!


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## JAX

I hate them...but I am not going to lie...I will go in soon and see if there is anything in the home theatre room I want......my old towers are out of date....but I plan on keeping them...just updating the drivers.....

but out of curiosity I may still go in.....I also need to see if they mark down the install accesseries as they are the only place I can ever find the terminal connectors I need.......

but they really should be a business model on "how to make a company stink and fail"


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## falkenbd

The thing about liquidation sales is, its not circuit city determining the prices anymore. The liquidation company pretty much took over.

They first raise the prices and then start with the discounts. You might get a deal on some items (especially media) buying from the liquidation sale. Large items like TVs are not going to be any cheaper, check the price elsewhere before buying.


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## ALH19

I've stopped purchasing stuff from CCity about 2 years ago, when some lady that worked at customer service tried to sell me "insurance" or something like that on a DVD Movie. They called it a Service Plan.


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## norcalsfinest

thank god i left that hell hole before this. when i saw stocks under $4 i got the **** out of there. 4 months later my store went under. and now this. all i can say is BAHAHA


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## chuyler1

msmith said:


> How do you know the internet opinion isn't written by a 14-year old? My 11 year old posts reviews on the internet.


I'm pretty sure CNET doesn't have 14 yr olds in their review department. And for the submitted reviews, it's not that difficult. I read a few dozen and tally my own thoughts. You can usually form a consensus, and if I can't. I post on a reputable forum.


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## cvjoint

ALH19 said:


> I've stopped purchasing stuff from CCity about 2 years ago, when some lady that worked at customer service tried to sell me "insurance" or something like that on a DVD Movie. They called it a Service Plan.


I was working there and bought an empty sub box for $50. I realized at the checkout that they actually had warranty available for the freakin' box, and it was $25. It was one of the nuisance aspects of working there, they pushed that far more than they should have and often pissed off customers. I've never called it the "City Advantage Protection Plan" either, it sounded so dorky to me, I refereed to it simply as warranty.


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## stereojnky

You guys can say what you want, but there's something to be said for competition. I can't tell you the number of times I've had a $15 off coupon from CC but Best Buy had what I wanted cheaper. I got my cake and ate it too because they price matched it.
To the informed, there were always great deals to be had. 
Now, all I have left is Best Buy (shudders) and HHgregg.
(lowers head in disgust)
And there's nothing cool about 33-34,000 people losing there jobs. 
Who do you thinks going to buy all of that stuff? 

Not us cheap bastards!

I mean "frugal", excuse me.


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## W8 a minute

cvjoint said:


> It was one of the nuisance aspects of working there, they pushed that far more than they should have and often pissed off customers. I've never called it the "City Advantage Protection Plan" either, it sounded so dorky to me, I refereed to it simply as warranty.


Somewhere there is a CC upper level executive blaming you for not saying your closing script to every customer. No matter how annoying it was to the customer you still should have said it. If you just would ahve said that to everyone who walked into your store CC would still be in business.

Of course that is their opinion because they don't look the public in th eye on a day to day basis. They don't see the constant eyerolls of the customers and the obvious annoyed look on thier face.

It's always been managements idea to sell more and service less. Cut the service dept and hire in the sales dept.

Unfortunately it almost NEVER works.


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## msmith

chuyler1 said:


> I'm pretty sure CNET doesn't have 14 yr olds in their review department. And for the submitted reviews, it's not that difficult. I read a few dozen and tally my own thoughts. You can usually form a consensus, and if I can't. I post on a reputable forum.


Hyperbole works both ways... I was responding to a comment about an ignorant "16 year old" who didn't know anything and worked at a car audio dealer.

I like reading reviews on the internet, too... I've learned what to ignore and what to pay attention to. Same goes for good shops (in any industry). I've gotten very good help at some and really awful advice at others.


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## digitalvinyl

What about "The Source" for Canadians?


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## W8 a minute

Circuit City (or whatever it's called) in Canada willo remain open. or at least that's what I last read.


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## emrliquidlife

Only thing I saw of interest was Dynamat Extreme - 4 sq ft for approx $25.00. I took the pass.

Ed


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## TXwrxWagon

I'll jump in... I've talked about this in a couple other threads... I've been in & out of this crazy Consumer Electronics Game (professionally) for 25 years. Started hanging out & sweeping floors at the local 2-man car audio shop for free. Worked for all the local specialists, right through as each one either changed hands, went under, or refocused their categories away from what I was into.

When BB came to my home town (100,000 people in Central Illinois) everyone panicked. All the specialists started working a little more closely together to offset the BB pricing. then CC came along & all hell (pricing wise broke loose). Then in the late '90's EVERYONE started carrying car audio of some type, from Sear, JC Penny, Wlamart everyone. We all continued to adjust & still did what we do best.. specialize, protect our brands & work with our manufacturers & reps for creative ways around the B-B (big-box) threat. 

Low & behold the internet (specifically E-commerce) explodes & now its every man for themselves.

I worked for a 27 year staple/icon, locally owned & operated Home/Car audio retailer. They had ALWAYS been the go to.. through thick & thin. When they closed their doors 2 days before Christmas (forced closure) with no final pay or anything, I immediately refused to deal with liquidators ever again. The sherrif locked the doors & said "see ya"... the liquidators walked in and it was done in 45 days. For the record the company folded not because of the Owner's inability to separate his "corporate mentality from the "home-town advantage" proven track record... he wanted to stream line everything. Dumbass.

Anyway.. i will find the other thread.. but CC's #1 problem was focusing on manufacter sponsored sales/contests (spiffs) & pushing their damn warranties.. My ex-roommate worked for them for several years & said they had to meet a quota. If they didn't they were on a "report" & if you were on the report too often you were let go. Yes, as someone said, they rolled into town went to all the specialist shops & hired away a lot of people, with no compete clauses they kept them for 90-120 days then let them go & hired some lacky. That was their signature tactic in trying to take over the market.

Also, like someone else, every time I left, I was grumbling, cussing under my breath, or shaking my head laughing at the joke of a company they were & always had been.

Their entire business model was jacked up from the beginning.. & it was only time before they pissed off enough customers that they would'nt have any. One CC overall store manager was quoted as saying "It will take us a long time to piss of everyone in this town.. Do you best, but your focus is the feature products & {insert proper term for CC warranty/extended service plans}". Great business model & role model Chief...

I went to 2 of the local (Dallas) CC stores... cd's are 20% off retail. computer stuff is 15% off retail. etc... Signs everywhere "new product coming in everyday" Don't wait too ling , can't count on we will have it when prices deep to crazy lows" that last one cracked me up...

Finally one of the Demon Gorillas falls to their own boisterousness... Good riddance...
Sorry for the folks who lost jobs... but... if you can't see that writing on the wall coming... Yeah... Walmart is where you should head next.

Rob


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## King Nothing

Picked up a playstation 3 for 20 percent off. paid 319 plus tax


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## ChrisB

TXwrxWagon said:


> Yes, as someone said, they rolled into town went to all the specialist shops & hired away a lot of people, with no compete clauses they kept them for 90-120 days then let them go & hired some lacky. That was their signature tactic in trying to take over the market.


I hope that they didn't try that **** here in Louisiana because a non-compete clause isn't worth the paper it is written on in this state. 

When I was a manager at a local CPA firm, they tried to get me to sign a non-competition agreement. The partners choked when I told them that I will sign it, but, your non-competition contract will only be useful as toilet paper should you try to enforce it! As a result, I didn't have to sign it and they stopped trying to make other manager level and above employees sign one.

In Louisiana, case law has already determined that if a non-competition agreement is too restrictive, it is not enforceable! In fact, if the agreement hinders one's ability to "make a living" it will get thrown out in court of law. As a result, most companies don't even bother with the non-competition agreement


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## bass_lover1

Went in to my local CC today just to check it out. Almost bought a Nikon D40 kit for 349, but go figure every SLR was display model only, and I couldn't believe it, but someone decided to break the pop-up flash on the display D40 so I passed.


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## TXwrxWagon

06BLMUSTANGGT said:


> I hope that they didn't try that **** here in Louisiana because a non-compete clause isn't worth the paper it is written on in this state.
> 
> When I was a manager at a local CPA firm, they tried to get me to sign a non-competition agreement. The partners choked when I told them that I will sign it, but, your non-competition contract will only be useful as toilet paper should you try to enforce it! As a result, I didn't have to sign it and they stopped trying to make other manager level and above employees sign one.
> 
> In Louisiana, case law has already determined that if a non-competition agreement is too restrictive, it is not enforceable! In fact, if the agreement hinders one's ability to "make a living" it will get thrown out in court of law. As a result, most companies don't even bother with the non-competition agreement


In Illinois (where I grew up) they are VERY inforceable & a very regular part of hiring practices. Here in Texas they are technically "legal" but almost impossible to inforce due to Texas being one of the few "right to work" states.

The way I got around them in Illinois, was to be hired in a different capacity if I left 1 company for another. from a federal point of view, as I understand it, simply being in the same industry does not = a breech of competitive agreement. If I am an installer & sign a non-compete. I am only held responsible for the term (usually 18 months) for the same job/title. Accountant is kinda hard to fight... but installer versus sales, versus home audio instead of car... etc.. is a loop hole..

but if I were an attorney I wouldn't be scraping by right now.. LOL


Rob


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## W8 a minute

Another question:

With all of these "superstores" closing what is going to happen to all the huge buildings they recently built? I doubt other stores will lease the property in this economy and Circuit City is far from the last retailer we'll see close this year. I can't count the number of new stores and strip malls that were built in my area in the last 5 years or so. Am I going to be driving around in a boarded up ghost town?


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## King Nothing

Thats a good question. The shopping center that our CC is in will now have 2 big vacancies. there was a Big Lots there that closed a few years back. We also have an outlet mall that was built several years ago that never took off. I would say its 10 percent stores, 40 percent converted office space, and 50 percent vacant now


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## AudioBob

I worked for Circuit City when they were a smaller operation many years ago. They were a good solid company at that point and then they had a shift in upper management and the typical moronic corporate stuffed shirts took over.

The warranty and subsequent focus on that aspect of the business was just one of the more obvious culture shifts that started the demise of Circuit City. Circuit City had the best trained and most informed sales people at one point and their shift pushed most of them to other industries. I was busy getting my college education when I worked for them and I am thankful that I was able to move on.

I had several friends that worked for them in operations until last year when they decided to fire many of their higher paid employees. One of my best friends had to fire about 35 people in one day and that is when he finally decided to leave after about 20 years with Circuit City. I pretty much stopped shopping there the day they fired all of those workers.

I hate to see Circuit City go because competition is a good thing and now there is less of it.


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## Notloudenuf

I hear a lot of talk about competition but was CC every really anyone's competition? I would usually look at CC and then go pay 5-10% less at BB. 

I went into the liquidating CC in Greenville, NC this past weekend. The place was nearing empty. TV's and audio equipment were still way overpriced even with 20-30% off. The car audio dept. was nearly empty, I did find some 4ga. wire in a blister pack for $6/foot. :laugh: No, I didn't buy it. 

I wound up buying 1 CD for 30% off and Season 1 of Nip/Tuck for my brother as a gift.


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## RoRo

cruised by for the first time since they started this non-sense, they actually had some decent deals on metra dash kits and harness's, ranging from 6-30 bucks each.
30 for the more elaborate ones that required the heating and a/c dials integrated in the kits, like newer Mazadas need... normally they were 100 bucks so its at 70% off.

I also saw some tsunami mini anl fuses, around 4 bucks for 5 packs ranging from 40, 60 and 80 amps. A lot of XM / Sirus stuff, some sub boxes, a dual 12 box was going for 21.


All SLR's were gone, most other cameras were also. Everything else was still a ripoff, laptops, TV's, etc.

One sign said that there is 9 days left, so should be interesting.


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## stereojnky

bass_lover1 said:


> Went in to my local CC today just to check it out. Almost bought a Nikon D40 kit for 349, but go figure every SLR was display model only, and I couldn't believe it, but someone decided to break the pop-up flash on the display D40 so I passed.


Yeah, the one I saw was broken too and with no accessories for the same price they were selling the new ones. Which was _*still* @30%_.

They jacked the price up on the sat. radio accessories some as much as $50 over retail, then took 60% of that. 

Even in death trying to rape people. So sad.


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## Hispls

AudioBob said:


> I worked for Circuit City when they were a smaller operation many years ago. They were a good solid company at that point and then they had a shift in upper management and the typical moronic corporate stuffed shirts took over.
> 
> The warranty and subsequent focus on that aspect of the business was just one of the more obvious culture shifts that started the demise of Circuit City. Circuit City had the best trained and most informed sales people at one point and their shift pushed most of them to other industries. I was busy getting my college education when I worked for them and I am thankful that I was able to move on.
> 
> I had several friends that worked for them in operations until last year when they decided to fire many of their higher paid employees. One of my best friends had to fire about 35 people in one day and that is when he finally decided to leave after about 20 years with Circuit City. I pretty much stopped shopping there the day they fired all of those workers.
> 
> I hate to see Circuit City go because competition is a good thing and now there is less of it.


I say good riddance. Overpriced Chinese slave-made junk and ****ting on their employees. It's just a shame that the people at the top that ran it into the ground are probably not going to be on the unemployment line.


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## seagrasser

Went to mine local CC today, an there was nothing left but electrical cords, USB cables, and some CAT 5. There were selling the 30amp strips off the walls. Today was the last day for mine. Closed up for good at 8pm.


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## chuyler1

you wont see true discounts until the stuff shows up at partsexpress as "Buyouts".


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## captainobvious

Circuit Sh!tty always had higher prices than anywhere else around here. It was pretty much always the same level of service as any other big chain like BB.

I honestly think that people who complain here about the bad service at CC are full of sh!t themselves. Nobody here went to CC looking for advice on products or to learn something.


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## dsg74

captainobvious said:


> Circuit Sh!tty always had higher prices than anywhere else around here. It was pretty much always the same level of service as any other big chain like BB.
> 
> I honestly think that people who complain here about the bad service at CC are full of sh!t themselves. Nobody here went to CC looking for advice on products or to learn something.


I hear ya. I worked at CC here in Peoria the first year it was open in '93. We had great service and our prices were as good as anyone's. Plus, they always seemed to have that one product line that was better then anything Best Buy had. I came back to shop a year after I left and it was like a completely different company. The sales people (if you could find one) didn't wear jackets and ties anymore and they just didn't seem to care. They didn't carry the higher end stuff anymore either. To be frank, I'm real surprised it lasted as long as it did.


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## soundlevel

I went to all the circuit citys in the area and cleaned house, just like ice cube it was a good day


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## prodigy215

wow..


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## W8 a minute

prodigy215 said:


> wow..


Someone trying to build up their post count?


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## Mooble

captainobvious said:


> I honestly think that people who complain here about the bad service at CC are full of sh!t themselves. Nobody here went to CC looking for advice on products or to learn something.


Since this thread came back from the dead, I'll comment.

Damn right I complain about the service at ****hole City. When I go into Best Buy, there is no one around to consult. Fair enough. I can deal with that. I pay less, I get no service. 

Every single time I went into ****hole City, there were 5-7 sales idiots standing around talking to each other. Could I get any help from them? Hell no. They were more interested in helping a chick buy a phone battery than in selling me a $600 component. Hell, I saw 3 of them go over to help the chick and I couldn't even get anyone to help me. I didn't even have any questions. I just wanted someone to bring the damn box from the warehouse to the counter. That was the last straw. I stormed out via the managers podium, giving him an earful and explaining why I would never be back. That was probably the 5th time something like that happened at CC in three different cities.

Good riddance!


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## Pseudonym

Grow a pair of tits. Problem solved.


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