Circuit City - Incoming Liquidation

[MuffinMan]

Been hearing rumors lately and it was announced today, Circuit City is closing 155 of it's stores by December 31st. Liquidators are coming in soon to start selling off all of the merchandise so some stores will be gone before then even. List of closing store can be found here. The three closest to me are being shuttered, including two that were opened in the past year.

A buddy of mine still at the store I worked at for three years heard that his store was closing at their "Holiday Kickoff" meeting on Sunday

[Merusk]

Hm... the Cincinnati one that's closing opened about a year ago if I remember right.  The Elyria, OH one is right next to my hometown and has been open forever.

[MuffinMan]

When I first moved here last year there was a Best Buy, Circuit City and a CompUSA within a quarter-mile of each other.

Also, fire sale starts on Wednesday at closing stores.

[Hawkbit]

They just opened the Hilliard, Ohio one early this year and it's closing too.  Sucks, because it was so close to the house.  Figures though, it was nearly always empty.  

EDIT:  they ain't fucking around either... they already removed the store listing from their website for the Columbus stores.

[Rasix]

There are a lot of stores closing in the Phoenix area, including one right by my parent's house.  The only 2 in Tucson are not

While I feel for the folks losing their jobs. I didn't ever particularly like the store, especially the layout and customer service.  They all seem a lot less busy than the Best Buys near them.  My dad absolutely LOATHES the store.  First and only time I've ever seen him get angry at a customer service person/salesman was at Circuit City.

[Cyrrex]

Not too surprised that the one near me is closing...it is right next to a Best Buy, and is a complete ghost town all the time (BB is always busy, in contrast).  How good would the deals get in this sort of fire sale?  Been a long time since I bought a piece of consumer electronics (read:  about three weeks), so I may have to convince the wife that it's time to upgrade something.

[schild]

I'm amazed they lasted this long. Best Buy has been eating their lunch for a decade.

[WayAbvPar]

Circuit City and their 'customer service' deserve to be liquidated. In the old school KGB sense. This is getting off light.

[Nebu]

I'm amazed they lasted this long. Best Buy has been eating their lunch for a decade.

It's so funny to read this.  I worked for Best Buy during the early 80's when it was still a local business. When Circuit City moved into Minneapolis, we were concerned for our jobs. 

Should I mention that I declined to buy Best Buy stock when they made their initial employee offering because I knew the owner and thought he was too big a dumbass to last in the business world?  Lesson learned on that one.

[HaemishM]

I have hated Circuit City since they had that stupid Div-X format war on DVD's. The sheer douchieness of any salesman in the store trying to hawk a Div-X player on anybody that came in the store was legendary. They never had competitive pricing, their video game sections were horribly arranged and their stores were laid out by mole people.

[Venkman]

Man you guys bite. None of the stores in MA are closing. Buy me something nice!

[Riggswolfe]

So, it hasn't been answered yet so I'll ask again. How big is the "fire sale"? What kind of prices are we looking at? This would be the second time in a decade I've walked into a CC. Like the rest of you I hate their layout and pushiness.

[naum]

Will there be good deals available? Or will the desirable items be shuffled off and just the crap marked down in the store?

[Hawkbit]

I have hated Circuit City since they had that stupid Div-X format war on DVD's. The sheer douchieness of any salesman in the store trying to hawk a Div-X player on anybody that came in the store was legendary. They never had competitive pricing, their video game sections were horribly arranged and their stores were laid out by mole people.

Oh man I totally forgot about that.  My bud bought into it.  I went over to his house and he had his dvd player hooked into his internet or some shit... didn't make any sense at all.  When that came crashing down he got I think a $150 check from either CC or Divx as reimbursement.

[Signe]

Should I mention that I declined to buy Best Buy stock when they made their initial employee offering because I knew the owner and thought he was too big a dumbass to last in the business world?  Lesson learned on that one.

My father declined to buy Revlon stock when they only had manicure products and one lipstick!     We could have both been bijillionaires.  Dammit!

[NiX]

I turned down buying EB stocks at a crazy price and 6 months later GameStop bought them out. The manager I knew who had a ton of shares got a nice price for her shares.

[Signe]

We all suck at becoming sooper rich.

[Strazos]

We're too nice.

[Grand Design]

Every Circuit City I've ever visited looked like Helen Keller broke in, got hammered and rearranged the merchandise.

On the flipside, it seemed like a great place to work.  I've never seen anyone lift a fucking finger there.

[Evildrider]

I pretty much stopped going to Circuit City as soon as we got a Best Buy right across the street from it.  I really don't know how the one in my area is still going to be in business. Their parking lot is almost always a barren wasteland.

[Fabricated]

Circuit City hasn't done anything to keep competitive against places like Fry's and more specifically Best Buy, so they're dying. Sad, since it sucks whenever businesses that employ lots of people tank but well...it happens when you don't run your business right.

The one right next to our Best Buy is going under. I wish I had the cash to spend since I'd probably take a shot at getting a ridiculously cheap display model of a really really high end TV.

[Hayduke]

I never go to Best Buy or Circuit City since I do most of that shopping online, but I'm surprised this hasn't happened years ago.  And they'll probably still go under and become K-mart of consumer electronics.  Could never compete with Best Buy's advertising campaign and they always had terrible locations.  Oh well, Best Buy's just as big of a shithole so this can't be good for those dinosaurs who still shop at brick and mortar stores.

[Strazos]

I think there's still something to be said for going and looking at the stuff you intend to buy In Person.

Sure, I have no problem with buying software or MP3 players and such online....but a TV? Having to deal with shipping a bigass TV to my house, and the possible nightmare of trying to return it? And not being able to see the model in person on a website?

B&M stores will still have a place for quite some time to come.

[Selby]

I hate Circuit City and they can rot in hell.  Not having a register or a salesperson ANYWHERE when you want to buy something?  One of many reasons they are going out of business and deserve to.  Sure, the store exists just to give people a paycheck, not actually do things like sell merchandise or make people work.

[Big Gulp]

They never had competitive pricing

True enough.  A month ago I needed an emergency power supply when my old one gave up the ghost.  I wanted at least a 650 watt one, but the most Circuit City had was 500 watt.  The price?  Nearly $200.

Yeah, fuck you Circuit City.  I went to Best Buy which is only marginally less distasteful.

[Torinak]

So, it hasn't been answered yet so I'll ask again. How big is the "fire sale"? What kind of prices are we looking at? This would be the second time in a decade I've walked into a CC. Like the rest of you I hate their layout and pushiness.

If it's anything like the "fire sale" when some of the Seattle-area CC's closed a year or so ago, they'll mark up prices by 50% first, then drop them by "up to 40%" or something like that, so you're getting ripped off even more than normal.  If you go to one, make sure you know what good prices are for the things you're looking for...

[Velorath]

Mervyn's is going through Liquidation sales right now too (whole chain is going out of business).  Wouldn't be surprised to see Borders go under next.

[naum]

Mervyn's is going through Liquidation sales right now too (whole chain is going out of business).  Wouldn't be surprised to see Borders go under next.

Have not seen P&L sheet on Borders but from the looks of inside the store, I'd say they're circling the drain, at least in AZ.

I buy lots of books, and most of those purchases have shifted to Amazon. Or if IRL retail, B&N since everytime I goto Borders, book is not there. And a few months back, they totally removed the new release tables except for a short display. Don't know if they're trying to transform into a DVD/CD store, but in that way lies success not…

[Lantyssa]

We all suck at becoming sooper rich.

Not me!

[Strazos]

Nice Shop. ;p

[Riggswolfe]

So, is this starting today? Does anyone know?

[Salamok]

good riddance! Bought a cd changer (part of a $2000 rack purchase) there in the late 80's that put these fine curly scratches all over my CD's, craptastic customer service made me send the player in (weeks at a time) 3 times before replacing it with a newer model.  On top of this they only replaced 5 of the 12 or so CD's it mangled in the same way. 

[rattran]

I bought my TV last year from CC, after doing enough research to know which ones I wanted see in person and muck with. And this way I could bring it home and check it myself in case of any problems. Other than that, I only buy loss-leaders and clearance stuff from them. And the occasional price-mistake. But between the bad layout, the annnoying yet unknowledgeable and unhelpful sales drones, ludicrous 'regular' prices, and a general air of gloom, I'd rather buy almost everything from Amazon.

[Sky]

My tv was an epic price mistake by CC. Only thing I ever bought there. Our local stores aren't closing though.

[Broughden]

Mervyn's is going through Liquidation sales right now too (whole chain is going out of business).  Wouldn't be surprised to see Borders go under next.

Have not seen P&L sheet on Borders but from the looks of inside the store, I'd say they're circling the drain, at least in AZ.

I buy lots of books, and most of those purchases have shifted to Amazon. Or if IRL retail, B&N since everytime I goto Borders, book is not there. And a few months back, they totally removed the new release tables except for a short display. Don't know if they're trying to transform into a DVD/CD store, but in that way lies success not…

Rumor I heard in NYC prior to moving was that they were bring bought out by Barnes and Nobles. Not sure if thats still in effect or if it were ever true.

As far as Circuit City's fire sale prices, hopefully its better than whats happening at Linen's and Things.
L&T is going under nationwide. They are clearing out all stores. The "HUGE" sale? They marked everything down a whopping 10%, wont accept any coupons (which generally give better than 10%) and wont accept returns. Its fucking retarded.