Circuit City to liquidate remaining US stores

AP ^ | January 16, 2009 | Vinee Tong

[re_tail20]

Circuit City Stores Inc. says it has reached an agreement with liquidators to sell the merchandise in its 567 U.S. stores after failing to find a buyer or a refinancing deal.

[twigs]

Same with me. I followed the rebate instructions to the letter and they wrote and said I didn’t. I never set foot in their stores again.

[zeaal]

We had a really bad cutomer service experience at BB about 6 years ago and haven’t stepped a foot inside, gone to their website nor even read their ad in the Sunday paper. Poor customer service - blah. But on to CC -— too bad.

[driftdiver]

Was it the Dylithium crystals?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

My daughter worked for Circuit City briefly about four years ago. I said at that time that Circuit City was moribund. They got stuck between the big box and small local niches and couldn’t keep any traction.

[TruthWillWin]

All Compusa stores were closed.

[redangus]

CC was doomed when they canned all their top salesmen and replaced them with with millennials that knew little and cared less. I used to buy all my electronics from them because they had people who could answer your questions. After the salesman massacre it was a waste of time to even try to get info from the replacements. I actually stood there and listened to some ten year old tell me one lie after another about a Panny LCD TV. Being a videophile I had a good understanding of the TV and its potential and this idiot knew nothing, but that didn't stop him from "explaining" what the TV could do, all of which was wrong. I felt sorry for the average shopper who would have depended on this little s**t to help them with their buying decision.

[Future Snake Eater]

That’s an “Onion” article. Satire.

[jimmyray]

Great story!

I am an IE, and have worked as a Proj Engr, Mfg Engr, Design Engr, and currently own my own Lean Six Sigma consulting practice. When I worked at GE in the 90's, our lead MBB would not hire an engineer unless they had worked on cars, built model airplanes, and played with chemistry/electronics/erector sets as a kid. He would actually ask those sorts of questions in an interview, and he claimed it was one of the best predictors he had found as to the effective problem solving an engineer could do. A measure of practical knowledge and curiosity, he claimed.

[George from New England]

” R.S ...I visit there maybe once every 2 or 3 years”

I always believed that Radio Shack parts were the seconds that manufacturers didn’t want to put their corporate names on.

If at all possible I avoided R/S parts as they were prone to failure and I have a technical bkg.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Radio Shack found the other end of the spectrum. Their outlets tend to be smaller than Best Buy, but local. When I need something like a DSL filter or oddball battery, they have it and I don’t have to drive ten miles to get it.

Wherever they compete with Best Buy, they seem to have fewer choices and higher prices. Some people, usually older folks, go there for electronics because they don’t want to walk half a mile across a mall parking lot to buy a telephone receiver or a TV.

[rwfromkansas]

On Black Friday I got an incredible external hard drive deal better than anybody else’s, and I was even able to get it online when their ad said you couldn’t. Even free shipping to the store with the same low price since they ran out in store.

I love Staples....

[Dr.Zoidberg]

I had one of those Radio Shack 200 in 1 kits, built the crap out of that thing the year I got it for my birthday.

Played with it so much many of the spring clips were sprung and ended up having to use speaker wire to replace the colored wires I lost or broke.

Only circuit I couldn’t get to work was the sonic fish caller. =-)

[jimmyray]

Yeas, and the per capita of snotty ned sales people is lower as well. Go figure.

I like their loss leaders, though, and that is typicaly all I buy from BB or CC.

[caver]

That was Sharp boombox was good for something. Trade in on soemthing that worked!

[Crolis]

No kidding. I like Radio Shack because it’s one of the only places where you can find breadboards and components for building your own stuff. I remember when they had the large vacuum tube tester in the stores. Lately, the stores are like a ghost town.

But if CC goes down, it won’t be the first major retailer. Kmart has been on the skids for a while, although they appear to be hanging in there. Montgomery Wards and Service Merchandise are distant memories, as well as Best.

[rwfromkansas]

I wonder myself.....how does Radio Shack stay open?

I would never pay their ridiculous mark-ups.

The most I do is go through their mall stores just to gawk and see if I need to buy something at Best Buy or Wal-Mart.

[Salamander]

The tyranny of monotony....:-\

[Skooz]

We have a CC and a Best Buy across the street from one another.

I much, much prefer going to the CC. The prices are lower, the selection is just as good, and I don’t get blasted by mind-numbing, ear-shattering Hip Hop crap every time I walk in the door.

[Crolis]

I haven’t checked recently, but I think CompUSA still has stores. I know Computer City closed about 8 years ago though.

[TruthWillWin]

That article capture Radio Shack exactly. I visit there maybe once every 2 or 3 years and I have a technical background. I don't know how they stay in business either. Who do they sell that stuff to??

Not me anymore. Last time I was in RS it was to buy a diplexer to hook up my external dish on a tripod in the motorhome. They wanted $21.99 for the same thing that I found for $3.99 at a local satellite business. I can get that part for about .97 wholesale but didn't want to wait.