Circuit City is Closing, Liquidating

Hardly anyone working in our local Circuit City was supporting a household. They were mostly high school kids. So, in that sense, the 34,000 jobs might not have meant much to the overall economy. Those were lost when they replaced their staff a couple of years ago.

I think we would be better off if we prevented companies from getting too big to fail. Circuit City, like many before them, got too large to manage successfully. Like our overall economy, they were too dependent on momentum. And like a bicycle, they became very unstable without momentum.

You know, its really hard to believe, (of course I do, since it happened), that CC would let their 'professional sales staff' go. Let's visit that for a moment.
I have NEVER been in CC and been impressed with any sales person that I met. If they 'let go' what we're considering a professional staff, and replaced them with something less than that, what did they have with the new personnel?
Here's a fictional account of the level of sales people that certainly must have been in place 'after' they let the good ones go.

Act 1
Scene 1
Salesperson: "OK sir, I see you've picked out that...really big, a flat looking...T.V. thingy...that has a lot of, what? hook ups, and it's really...hmmm black and light at the same time, and like, really, clear.

Customer: "Uh, yea, well that's the Panasonic 52" Hi Def Plasma TV, with HDMI, 3 component, with a contrast ratio of 1Million to one, and it..."
Salesperson: "Whatever...let's see, are you pretty strong, I can't lift this and my service/delivery guy is right in the middle of an XBOX 360 online tournament..."
Customer: "Well, what about you, why can't you help me put it in my truck?"
Salesperson: "Dude...I've got a test in freshman biology tomorrow, I need to get crackin' otherwise I'll spend another year in that class...and I don't think 3rd time is really a 'charm', if you know what I mean."
Customer, with disgust: "Ok, ok, I'll do it, just get me the paperwork..."
Salesperson" "Oh, almost forgot, you wanna supersize that?"

Good riddance.

FWIW, I have had nothing but bad expereinces buying from "Liquidators". Never again!

Not only was your post (admittedly) completely contrived/fictional, but it was also the very definition of classless, Larry.

While I've never worked at Circuit City, nor have I known anyone who worked there, the account you relayed was the opposite of what I've encountered there. Over the past few years, I've bought a variety of cordless phones, clock radios, small appliances, etc. at both Best Buy and Circuit City. While I tend to slightly prefer one over the other, the differences, at least, in my experience, weren't that significant.

As far as customer service at Circuit City stores in our area go, here are a few anecdotes I'd like to share with everyone.

This past autumn, my wife saw a cordless phone setup she liked, though no more were on the shelf. We inquired if they had any more in the inventory, and a person who came over to ask if we needed any help went in the back and checked. There were none, but given that my wife really liked the style and features of this model, she inquired about buying the floor model. After checking with someone else, the answer was yes, and an extremely (less than 50%) attractive price was quoted, which we agreed to. At that point, this gentleman and another guy spent the next 15 minutes gathering up everything they could for this phone (box, charger, ancillaries, instruction manual, warranty card, etc.) for us and giving us a quick rundown on the features and how to use them. At the point where they were walking up (yes, that's right) to the front with us to help out in the checkout, they mentioned that they should probably take another $10 or $15 off the price we'd previously agreed to - which they did. They then worked with the person at the register to ring up the sale.

There were other times where we either went in to buy something or just look around. Among them, over this past Thanksgiving weekend, we were looking at the big screen plasma and LCD tvs. The people we dealt with there asked the relevant questions, and seemed knowledgeable about the product. In fact, they directed us to a different section where they felt a particular model offered excellent value based on what we'd discussed. No, we didn't buy anything that day, but the interaction left nothing to be desired.

Again, as opposed to the story you laid out, our experiences with our local Circuit City stores have been as good or better than we had any right to expect. In fact, I've rarely encountered a high-end audio dealer who was more accommodating as these young adults have been. Beyond that, I reiterate the sentiment that there should be no joy when any business goes under - who benefits beyond those who look down their noses at the hoi polloi with a chuckle or disgust?

Shame on you!!!

Trejla,

I hark back to my friend's experience of, and this is a quote from an 'expert' at CC: "Sir, what does A/C mean to you?", when asked about an A/C adaptor.

Epitaphs are easy as they are now out of business--sort of like writing a movie review, or Broadway play review after they have tanked. But this is/was not an epitaph. Merely an observation on the sad state of affairs at CC.

Theaudiotweek pointed out that CC's decline (recent economic issues nothwithstanding) could be traced back to the elimination of their 'professional sales staff', I only concur with his, and many others assessments. When one goes into an electronics store and the paid help doesn't know what A/C is, what hope could these people have for appealing to any serious customer. This doesn't mean that the people they had working there weren't trying, or didn't work hard, it only relfects on the hiring, training philosophy of the company, in this case, Circuit City.
They spent by actual accounting tens of Millions in advertising, yet would seemingly only hire totally unqualified, then, compounding the problem, untrained help. This is part of a larger problem with some of the work forces in place today in various companies. It goes to a larger problem of values or lack thereof.

Think about what could become of McDonalds if they would actually sell quality food instead of high fat, low nutrition, artery clooging goop--yet advertise at a rate of hundreds of millions of dollars. Why not put some of that money that they use for advertising, into their finished product.

I remember Jim Thiel coming into Kathy Gornik's office while he was developing the CS2.3, several years ago. She and I were planning a Northeast trip to visit dealers.
He stood there for a while looking at a Capacitor. Kathy, knowing Jim was lost in thought said, "What is it Jim?"
He said, "Well, this cap is waaaay better than the one I was using in prototype and I'd like to use it, but it costs four or five times as much."
Kathy, without missing a beat said, "Who are you trying to please here Jim?"

The message, one I never forgot was-- "you do this because it reflects who you are, and what you want to put out into the marketplace--your creation."
The speakers were completed using the much more expensive part.
This to me Trelja, is an example of what all companies should try to do...CC being the polar opposite of this basic theology, IMHO. I know that selling is a tough profession, I did it, taught it, for more than 35 years. Everyone CAN'T and SHOULDN'T be in sales, any more than in Accounting or Medicine.
Companies need to create an identity...work to their strengths, and be consistant. CC didn't do this and paid the price. Sometimes in life we're victims of circumstance...sometimes we plot a course for failure. They belong in the second category, and your one good experience doesn't alter this fact. You and I are usually on a similar page, so I apologise if my observation upset you. No malice toward the hardworking young people at CC, just a silly 'caricature' of a fictional sales experience, meant to add a little deflective humor to some tough economic times.
Within that 'silly story' is a kernel of truth though. How many times have any or all of us gone into a store and had an experience similar to that in the little one act play?