Circuit City

Serendipity

What's going on with CC? I was just there today to pick up a DTV converter box, and I noticed that there were literally 10 people in the store. There were no speakers hooked up in the demo room, nor any salespeople to help.

Is this a sign that CC is going out of business? I have some extended warranties with them on PC's and wonder if this is a sign of bad things to come?

mantis

I heard from the grape vine that it's a big possibility . Sad business is so bad. CC is not my cup of tea but there are many out there that like that level of store. I will be sad if they close the doors.

I'm sad when any audio video store goes away. years ago in NJ we had a store called The Wiz. I loved that store and the people who worked there. It was a place I could go and listen to Polk audio after Bryn Mawr Stereo didn't carry them anymore. They went belly up and I was sad.

ND13

They've shut down virtually all of them in the Indy metro area that I've driven by in the last several months.

Serendipity

mantis wrote: »

I heard from the grape vine that it's a big possibility . Sad business is so bad. CC is not my cup of tea but there are many out there that like that level of store. I will be sad if they close the doors.

I'm sad when any audio video store goes away. years ago in NJ we had a store called The Wiz. I loved that store and the people who worked there. It was a place I could go and listen to Polk audio after Bryn Mawr Stereo didn't carry them anymore. They went belly up and I was sad.

The Wiz is one of those stores that stood out vividly in my mind. I remember when I used to go there as a kid and look at all the stereo gear they had there, it was awesome!

They were big in NYC 10 years ago or so.

MillerLiteScott

They just opened one near me about 3 weeks ago and it more than sucks.

It will close soon just like the huge golf place next to it.

bigaudiofanatic

I use to work for Best Buy and they were saying that CC is going down hill and will be going out of business. Another hint is that Best Buy is now selling Polk Audio.

Serendipity

What I don't get is why everyone flocks to Best Buy but nobody goes to Circuit City. This is the case even when the stores are right next door to each other!!

So how long do you guys think before CC goes out of business?

bigaudiofanatic

I think by the middle of next year is what I think I heard don't quote me on it.

obieone

Best buy SUX! They're the electronic Walmart, IMO. They won't be happy til they're the only ones left. And the Magnolia's I've been in don't even have anyone WORKING in that section. Stupid bastahds!!

bigaudiofanatic

I have to disagree they know what there selling but they dont know how to install it.

Serendipity

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

I think by the middle of next year is what I think I heard don't quote me on it.

Wow that's very short time. In fact, it seems like they will close sooner based on what I've seen today.

This sucks...besides Best Buy, that only leaves P.C. Richard's, J&R, and 6th Ave. Electronics as the only chain stores left in the NY/NJ area.

Serendipity

Keiko wrote: »

Sign of the times. Economy has gone to hell and my 401k is suffering. CompUSA recently closed down its store here.

IIRC, the CompUSA near me has been closed since last year. After Circuit City, there won't be a major computer parts store left around here!!

Ron-P

obieone wrote: »

Best buy SUX! They're the electronic Walmart, IMO. They won't be happy til they're the only ones left. And the Magnolia's I've been in don't even have anyone WORKING in that section. Stupid bastahds!!

I will say that the BB in my area are getting better, more knowledgeable, but it's a very, very slow process with them. I will continue to shop there.

Norm Apter

I could be mistaken, but I thought I heard a while back (a few months ago?) that Blockbuster, which is having its own troubles vis-a-vis competition with Netflix, was going to or did even make an offer to buy Circuit City and had a plan for restructuring it. Either way, the offer never came to pass or it was rejected. In either case, it seems both are struggling.

Maybe these things vary store by store and location by location, but in my limited dealings with the two I prefer CC over BB. The local BB (here in SoCal) are always swamped like a zoo (which I guess is clear sign of their success) but its nearly impossible to track down a salesperson to ask questions. Perhaps because CC isn't doing as well, I feel like when I've gone in there I've gotten better service and thats the bottom line for me. On the whole, though, I wouldn't be sad if either had a few less stores and if locally owned stores were able to compete better, but thats certainly not the trend of the times.

Serendipity

I'm all for the locally owned hi-fi stores in the area. But having a CC means that I have somewhere to go to find something last minute, like a hard drive or something like that.

obieone

Keiko, sorry for my earlier rant, and it's redundancy, but, I like competition. They're affecting Tweeter as well. And if they go away, I'll have to do all my shopping online.
Yes, I know I save $, but, trying to coordinate delivery is a pita. I like the convenience of walking in and waliking out with my purchase.
JMO

Serendipity

obieone wrote: »

Yes, I know I save $, but, trying to coordinate delivery is a pita. I like the convenience of walking in and waliking out with my purchase.
JMO

Same here.

If my hard drive dies and I need a new one ASAP, I don't want to wait for delivery from an online store. Plus there are some emergency things that I've needed for presentations (cables, etc.) and CC was very useful.

danger boy

screw CC and BB, go to Fry's instead.

obieone

^^^Um...who? We don't have those in SC.

Serendipity

obieone wrote: »

^^^Um...who? We don't have those in SC.

We don't have that in NYC. Just BB and CC.

Norm Apter

Not sure if there are any Virginians here, but my favorite place for audio (not computer stuff) is Crutchfield. They have one retail store in Charlottesville and another in Harrisonburg -- unfortunately nothing beyond those two for those who don't live in the Tidewater area. (We do have Fry's here in SoCal; I had never heard of it before moving here, and while they have a very impressive stock of products and really good sales on items, I never really feel relaxed when I go in there). I like the way that folks at Crutchfield set up there stores; its a pretty chill atmosphere and my impression is that all (or at least most) of their staff really know what they are talking about. I suppose that I also have a soft spot in my heart for Crutchfield because thats where I first heard, and was swept away by, a pair of Lsi9s. If you're every cruising through C-Ville or H-burg on your way to DC or somewhere else, check out Crutchfield if you get a chance.

mhardy6647

FWIW, given the choice between Best Buy and Circuit City (which are both conveniently located, by local standards, to our house)... I far prefer the shopping experience at the latter.

Not that I am too crazy about either...

Serendipity

mhardy6647 wrote: »

FWIW, given the choice between Best Buy and Circuit City (which are both conveniently located, by local standards, to our house)... I far prefer the shopping experience at the latter.

Not that I am too crazy about either...

Same here. I like personalized service that takes care of the customer. BB is too much like Walmart for my tastes.

KrazyMofo24

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/CircuitCityGivesUpTheFight.aspx

JohnLocke88

Used to work at CCity; there system are outdated and suck. Half the people in the store didn't even know how to ring up an order. If bestbuy has only one thing that ccity doesn't, it's a system that any monkey can use. (and based on the minimum wage + a dollar or two an hour the employees get paid, that's a good thing).

JohnLocke88

danger boy wrote: »

screw CC and BB, go to Fry's instead.

Agreed 100%. I've got all my speakers, minus a few pairs, from Fry's.

mhardy6647

No Fry's around these parts... I was within walking distance of one, long ago, when I worked in Sunnyvale (CA).

concealer404

ND13 wrote: »

They've shut down virtually all of them in the Indy metro area that I've driven by in the last several months.

The one in Greenwood seems to be doing ok last i checked, but BB always seems to be busier. Why? I dont know.

But that's ok, we have Frys.

jakelm

CC 3 cars...., across the street.... BB 300 cars

Walked in to CC to possibly buy a DLP. Watched 5 sales people stand around a desk laughing and joking for about 15 minutes. I finally left.

Walked into BB and was greeted at the door.

MacLeod

As far as I know, Blockbusters has backed out of its offer to buy CC.

I hate seeing CC go down. They were the first electronics store I ever saw. I remember going there to rent videos back around 1984 when they first came out for rental. It was a tiny store with a rental room the size of my bedroom.

I bought my first 2 or 3 car audio systems from there as well not to mention TV's DVD players and God knows whatever else.

I think they shot themselves in the foot when they got rid of all the salespeople that knew their stuff and replaced them with a bunch of 16 year olds making $4/hr with piercings in their face and pants around their knees. Best Buy may not have the highest paid people in there and they may not be as knowledgeable as most of us here but they at least knew enough to point most people in the right direction.