Circuit city going down hill ?

danger boy

I went to CC last night to get me a new ext hard drive since mine stopped working recently.. while there I ventured into the home theater demo room.. and the other speaker room.

Wow.. was I shocked that both rooms were nearly empty of any speakers. This isn't just this one store either. the other CC's here are the same way.

In the home theater demo room were three large flat panel TV's.. hook up to one set of small thin tower speakers.. and no they were not Polks. :mad:

In the speaker room there were just Polk Audio and Bose speakers. A couple of Monitor towers, and a few monitor bookshelves, and a few models of Bose speakers.

Is CC hurting that much? I mean.. i remember going in there in years past and seeing several different brands of speakers. with a fun home theater demo room. Back in the day when I was first getting into home theater about 10 yrs ago. It was sad to see that it appears that most other speaker brands have pulled out from CC.

obieone

I hate to sound like a cospiracy nut, but I believe that BB is putting them, Tweeter, and HHgregg out of business. I believe that BB is becoming the electronic version of Walmart.
I get weekly mailings from Tweeter, basically BEGGING me to come in and shop.
It SUCKS!

Serendipity

Same here in NYC, the Circuit City stores have close to no speakers in the demo rooms, and don't seem to be doing too well.

Rivrrat

It's too bad what's happening to them (same stuff here). I don't really like CC because they were the first to try to hard sell my an extended warranty, but I despise BB, and refuse to shop there.

All of my recent A/V purchases have been online anyway, and maybe that's what CC's real problem is....Internet competetion.

sucks2beme

Last XMAS BB was packed. CC was fairly empty. That was enough to
for anyone to see what their future was. We tend to flock to the hot spots,
and ignore the rest. I don't think their prices were bad. The selection was
not quite as good. But that seems to be the kiss of death for a retailer.
Bigger is better. Same reason Home Depot put all the small hardware stores
under. I hate it, but what are you gonna do?

polkatese

CC is about to be gobbled up by another BB (as in Blockbuster Video) and will be stocked with DVD for rental. The upside is, it will bring traffic. The bad news is, it will be moving downward in electronics totem pole. There was an article in last Friday or Saturday LA Times on the impending buyout.

MacLeod

Same here at the one in Chattanooga. The home theater demo room is pathetic. The home audio demo room doesnt exist. Instead there are a bunch of speakers on a shelf with a bunch of receivers on the shelf below them. Most arent hooked up to anything. Its a damn shame.

I bought a cheap set of Sony floor standers a while back (hey dont **** - $125 a PAIR with 8" drivers. Will hold me over til I can upgrade) and went to CC and they had nothing at all set up to demo and nobody around to ask. Went to Best Buy and they had everything hooked up and plenty to choose from. Actually really liked the Klipsch floorstanders but stumbled upon the Sonys and gave a listen and snagged them. CC wouldve got my money cause they carry the same ones but they didnt even have them displayed much less hooked up to anything for a demo.

Shizelbs

CC has been headed in this direction for a long time now

venomclan

CC a few years back decided to jump on the hot new technology sales of flat panel tv's. They were flying off the shelvs and were a nice money maker. At the same time, the CEO thought it would be a good idea to pad the bottom line by firing all workers who made over $8/hour, which included all their best salespeople who woked on commission. By Christmas 2006, Wally World pulled the rug out from under them and Tweeter by offing a 42" plasma for less than $1000. It hit them hard, since they left the other segments of their business to die on the vine.

Tweeter, is finished. They files for bankruptcy last year, were saved by emergency investment, but will go under again. I cannot see Blockbuster saving CC as I cannot see Blockbuster saving themselves. Netflix, VOD and outright cheap DVD's at Wal Mart keep eroding their business. I now use kiosks at local grocery stores to rent movies at 1/5 the price of Blockbuster. Time will tell.
Venom

Ron-P

Circuit city going down hill ?

When in the last decade have they been going up hill?

danger boy

is this really what consumers are willing to stand for? one store and only one store for electronics, one and only one store for say something like shoes, cars, etc. We shouldn't have to limit our choices because some stores can't manage to compete anymore.

I understand only the strong survive.. and the weak get weeded out over time.. but dang, Best Buy doesn't carry Polk Audio products or lots of other brands. are we only limited now to online purchases?.

Face

danger boy wrote: »

Best Buy doesn't carry Polk Audio products or lots of other brands. are we only limited now to online purchases?.

BB does carry Polk.

TroyD

Shizelbs wrote: »

CC has been headed in this direction for a long time now

BINGO!

danger boy

BB is about to carry some Polk products. although I haven't ever heard of the TSi series before

obieone

It's sad, what's happening to Tweeter. I remember when they were a chain in the Boston market known as HiFidelity- I remember, back in the 70's they had a brochure with a COMPLETE audio set up worth $14k! Doesn't sound like much now, but, think about what that was like in mid-70's?

mrmusicman

C.C. has been going down hill for quite a while... it almost seems like the "higher ups",(ie corprate managment)are driving it into the ground on purpose.I use to shop there all the time when they had good demo rooms,knowledgeable help,great customer service etc...now they lack all of that and expect people to shop there?Seems like thre is absoulutley no effort in trying to better or fix the company,just running it into the ground.:(

WilliamM2

They went downhill here a long time ago. They closed the store 4 years ago.

Fortune2007

mrmusicman wrote: »

C.C. has been going down hill for quite a while... it almost seems like the "higher ups",(ie corprate managment)are driving it into the ground on purpose.I use to shop there all the time when they had good demo rooms,knowledgeable help,great customer service etc...now they lack all of that and expect people to shop there?Seems like thre is absoulutley no effort in trying to better or fix the company,just running it into the ground.:(

I actually work with Circuit City and I can tell you that that is not the case. The company and leadership has recently been making a lot of changes to improve things. They are not trying to "drive the company into the ground" on purpose.

exalted512

Welcome to the forum.
-Cody

AndyGwis

I've tried to buy stuff at CC before. They built one right next to my old office building and apartment. They have good prices on DVDs when they first come out so I try to give them a little business every so often. BB is further and a couple bucks higher for new DVDs and Walmart's lines are too long (and I'll end up dropping $60 on something while I'm in there).

But, CC is awful. They NEVER have anyone up there to check you out. I don't see how they manage to sell anything. I'll see 4 people at the Verizon cell phone kiosk doing nothing while I stand at the checkout counter waving my hands in the air. I've on several occassions just walked out without buying the DVD cuz I get so frustrated. Shouldn't have to beg people to take your money.

BB is a bigger store, but they actually have good service at the one I go to. Someone will ask if I need help with something, and even if they aren't a rocket scientist, they try to help. They will cut you a deal on stuff from time to time (which CC wouldn't do), including giving me $800 off a plasma cuz I told them I saw it for cheaper somewhere else. Didn't even require proof because it was a floor unit on sale.

Does BB carry great stuff? For audio, not really. Magnolia is okay but overpriced; I liked Tweeter better. But, truth be told, online and used is the way to go anyway. BB is a very decent in my mind for low - midfi, appliances, movies/music, computer stuff, etc. CC is terrible. . . CompUSA is probably the ultimate loathsome store but they're gone now anyway.

SolidSqual

I used to prefer CC, but lately BB is way more equipped with a selection. Also, I live near a magnolia BB which can give many low to mid-fi stores a run for their money. Not to mention I've also noticed that the people at this location really know and use the gear personally.

daboyz

Fortune2007 wrote: »

I actually work with Circuit City and I can tell you that that is not the case. The company and leadership has recently been making a lot of changes to improve things. They are not trying to "drive the company into the ground" on purpose.

Please give us some examples. I'm in the same boat as the others so the perception of CC by all of us can't be off base. I actually go in quite a bit and I'll walk that entire floor w/out one single person giving me the time of day.

But, if I stand in front of a $3,000 TV long enough someone will actually ask if I need help. Problemo is they can't answer my questions and end up wondering off.

One more thing,they'll advertise $4.99 DVD's on Sun. but when I go in on Mon. there is nothing left. Highly frustrating to a consumer.

And yes,the amount of product available or the ability to demo is horrendous. I would love to run one of those stores and make it like what it used to be.

PhantomOG

daboyz wrote: »

But, if I stand in front of a $3,000 TV long enough someone will actually ask if I need help. Problemo is they can't answer my questions and end up wondering off.

Doesn't this describe just about every big box store? Maybe I'm just cynical, but the last place I would look for product information would be from sales staff at a big box store.

In this day where tons of information is just seconds away on the internet, a consumer walking into a big box store looking for advice is just asking for trouble.

daboyz

I read up here and take the advice and what has happened to our members before I would listen to a salesman. I'm just seeing what they have to say. That's the point,I know more about what they are selling than they do. The sales folk hide until someone wants to purchase,once they are asked a question they pull a Houdini.

tommyboy

daboyz wrote: »

I actually go in quite a bit and I'll walk that entire floor w/out one single person giving me the time of day.

But, if I stand in front of a $3,000 TV long enough someone will actually ask if I need help. Problemo is they can't answer my questions and end up wondering off.

People either complain that they never stop being bothered, or **** that they were never asked for help. There is no in between... If you really need help, then go ask. Don't get offended that no one walked up to you.

daboyz

That's another problem. Your salesforce should at least be friendly. Say Hi! If nothing else. I don't need them to go either way but at least they should honor your existence. If any of my salesfolk didn't greet a customer with a smile and a hello they'd be in my office.

Polk addict

They aren't hiring either...

PhantomOG

Unfortunately, the level of service you are dreaming of isn't possible with the amount of money paid to the sales staff at a big box store. There's a reason its mostly high school students.

We can't get the low low prices and expect to get the same level of service. Something's gotta give.

daboyz

Now you're getting me going. It's called atmosphere.You go into a store and feel like you are being treated well and they have a friendly staff you are going to feel more at home and spend your money.

If you go into a place and feel like a second rate citizen,you will not spend your money there. I am finding that more and more businesses are training their people to be that way. CC isn't IMHO. Been in a KMart lately? The one here you can't get too far w/out at least seeing someone who smiles and nods at you.

sucks2beme

Bottom line, inept management and management running it into the ground
look the same to us. Bean counters take over, and the life gets drained
out of the business. I recall some members saying cutting wages and
dumping experienced employees was better than going under. Yet in the
end, CC and Tweeter are going down for the count. It would be nice for
a real go getter to take over and re-invent their business, but normally
they just go out with a wimper. I don't go to BB or CC much anymore.
My audio tastes have moved more upscale. Pc parts are cheaper at Fry's,
I buy my CD's at "used" stores. I don't buy movies. I guess that describes
a lot of people, which is why CC is going under.

treitz3

If they aren't driving into the ground, then why are they paying rent on such huge stores when they have nothing to sell? Just close the business and be done with it.

It's a shame. That's where I bought my first set of Polk's.