Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Circuit City liquidation sparks a Black Saturday
latimes. ^ | January 18, 2009 | Catherine Ho

Posted on 01/18/2009 5:32:36 AM PST by dennisw

Marked-down merchandise attracts throngs to L.A.-area stores as the bankrupt electronics chain prepares to close.

Shoppers eager to grab their share of discounted plasma TVs and Blu-ray DVDs lined up in droves today as Circuit City stores began liquidating inventory. Bankrupt electronics retailer shutting down 567 U.S. stores, laying off 34,000 workers.

By late morning, the line outside the Circuit City in Hollywood was almost 100 people long. Carlos Reyes, 24, and girlfriend Diana Anzora, 22, of Los Angeles, lined up to buy video games and DVDs.

"We don't want to get anything too big," he said. "You don't want to not be able to return an HD or plasma."

Andrew Lobel, 26, had different plans. The screenwriter from Los Feliz -- and first-time Circuit City shopper -- stood in line for 40 minutes for chance to snag a 46-inch LCD television on sale.

"I'm waiting to trample someone to death," he joked.

The scene outside the store looked very similar to that on Black Friday, Lobel said. Steady stream of customers had been lining up outside since the store opened at 10 a.m., said store director Jesse Alcaraz. A handful of them read books to pass the time. Some called friends to pass on the word about the sale.

Inside, the atmosphere was busy but not hectic, as customers mostly flocked to TVs and browsed bins of marked-down PlayStation and X-Box games. Merchandise was marked 10%, 20% and 30% off.

By 5 p.m., the Circuit City in Glendale was running low on popular merchandise, having sold out some television monitors. Laptop computers were also in high demand, said Miguel Hernandez, Glendale store manager.

Today's sales were up 25% compared with most days, and the store had four times as many customers as normal for a Saturday, Hernandez said.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: circuitcity; electronics; retail
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-52 next last

1 posted on 01/18/2009 5:32:36 AM PST by dennisw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Circuit City stores closing

The scene outside a Circuit City store in LA
Better use your CC gift cards now!
Yo!
I'm getting me a 47" bigass plasma!
2 posted on 01/18/2009 5:34:49 AM PST by dennisw (he put the following words in the mouth of his sock puppet deity:......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

salescircular.com lists practically nothing electronic this week. The other retailers aren’t bothering.


3 posted on 01/18/2009 5:37:00 AM PST by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

My brother thought he’d get a good deal on a Nintendo Wii but they were sold out there and every other store in town.


4 posted on 01/18/2009 5:38:40 AM PST by mainepatsfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

With sales up 25 percent, they should run a going out of business sale everyday! Going out of business sales we can believe in!


5 posted on 01/18/2009 5:38:51 AM PST by Jagman (Don't tax me, bro!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Shoppers wait on line to enter a Circuit City store in Tyler, ...

Shoppers wait on line to enter a Circuit City store in Tyler, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009. Bankrupt Circuit City Stores Inc., unable to work out a sale of the company, started a going out of business sale today in preparation for closing its 567 U.S. stores and cutting 30,000 jobs.

In this Nov. 28, 2008 file photo, a woman looks at television ...

Make up your mind!
---USE THAT CC GIFT CARD NOW!-----

In this Nov. 28, 2008 file photo, a woman looks at television sets at a Circuit City store in San Francisco. Bankrupt Circuit City Stores Inc., unable to work out a sale of the company, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2009 said it will go out of business — closing its 567 U.S. stores and cutting 30,000 jobs.

Shoppers head into a Circuit city store in Richmond, Va., Friday, ...

Richmond VA

6 posted on 01/18/2009 5:39:55 AM PST by dennisw (he put the following words in the mouth of his sock puppet deity:......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

The vultures are picking at the bones.


7 posted on 01/18/2009 5:41:43 AM PST by reg45
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jagman

“”We don’t want to get anything too big,” he said. “You don’t want to not be able to return an HD or plasma.” “

...this is classic!...return?....they’re going out of business moron.


8 posted on 01/18/2009 5:42:22 AM PST by STONEWALLS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

I don’t know why, but I’m thinking about vultures...


9 posted on 01/18/2009 5:44:31 AM PST by Mark was here (The earth is bipolar.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STONEWALLS

I think that was the point the “moron” was making - buying something big would not be a good idea because they would not be able to return it....because the store would be closed.


10 posted on 01/18/2009 5:46:09 AM PST by aberaussie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Jagman
With sales up 25 percent, they should run a going out of business sale everyday! Going out of business sales we can believe in!

In NYC they had to actually pass a law regulating multiple going out of business sales become some retailers kept having them for years.

11 posted on 01/18/2009 5:46:59 AM PST by Dahoser (America's great untapped alternative energy source: The Founding Fathers spinning in their graves.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

Gee theres an idea mark down some goods and get people to buy. They should have thought about that months ago.


12 posted on 01/18/2009 5:54:37 AM PST by linn37
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dahoser

Ah, yes. Another government restriction in response to a non-problem.

Either they were offering insanely low prices every time they were “going out of business”, in which case people can shrug and keep getting fantastic deals, or their prices were crappy in which case people would just ignore them.

I suppose the former case would be “unfair competition”, and the latter would be...whatever euphemism NYers are currently using for “you’re too stupid to do your own shopping so we’ll protect you from paying more than we think you should”.


13 posted on 01/18/2009 5:55:38 AM PST by BobbyT
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
Our CC didn't have any deals yesterday because they said the liquidators had not come through yet. Many people were buying electronics, however I didn't see any price reduction. Talked to some of the employees and they said they didn't expect any substantive discounts until February. But buyer be ware, all sales are final, so don't plan on bringing anything back and good luck dealing with the manufacturer.
14 posted on 01/18/2009 5:57:29 AM PST by lt.america (Looking for a bailout)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

I set out Friday night to buy a new 42” flat screen. I saw the news earlier that day about Circuit City starting to liquidate and knew that there’d be some good deals to be had. Then I thought about if there were any problems later on I probably wouldn’t be able to take it back to the store.

I opted to stick with Best Buy instead.

I’d like to see Best Buy hire the soon to be unemployed Sales people and get rid of the kids they now have posing as sales people who do nothing all day except BS with each other and on their cellphones.


15 posted on 01/18/2009 5:57:58 AM PST by diverteach (http://www.slapobama.com/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: reg45
The vultures are picking at the bones.

"Buzzards got to eat, same as worms..."

:-)

16 posted on 01/18/2009 6:02:01 AM PST by meyer (We are all John Galt)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

“”I’m waiting to trample someone to death,” he joked. “

Ok, I want to be his friend. That’s freaking funny. In a very dark dark way. But I have that kind of sense of humor I guess.


17 posted on 01/18/2009 6:03:53 AM PST by autumnraine
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lt.america
..."however I didn't see any price reduction."

Exactly. Same thing I saw a few months ago with some bedding/linen type store my wife wanted to go to. Even with the giant 25% off stickers we realized that the same thing could be had at Wal Mart for cheaper.

We didn't buy anything, but saw plenty of lemming---er---shoppers there taking advantage of the "deals" being offered.

18 posted on 01/18/2009 6:05:26 AM PST by Sam's Army
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: diverteach

best buy stocks are going to have unreasonable exhuberance when the markets open on tuesday...


19 posted on 01/18/2009 6:07:33 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

There’s an electronics retailer where I live that has an outlet store. The prices there are actually higher than their retail stores.


20 posted on 01/18/2009 6:08:06 AM PST by Moonman62 (The issue of whether cheap labor makes America great should have been settled by the Civil War.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-52 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson