I was amazed at Circuit City......

[Blueface]

Went to my local Circuit City yesterday to check out the "deals".
The place was mobbed.
It was like a feeding frenzy.
Couldn't find a spot to park.
When I get into the store, people hanging onto boxes like if it was their last meal.
As I walked around the store, many items were not discounted at all.
A rare few things like cables for connections were at a whopping 30% off.
Some things like CD's and DVD's were at 20%.
The rest (and I mean like 20% of the store) was at 10% off.

So, people were going nuts, carrying printers, TV's on and on at 10% off regular price.

WTF??? Am I missing something? Best Buy on a regular weekend, has many more items at better prices.
At Circuit City, you get 10% off a $2,000 TV that you can't return as all sales are final, that you can't get 18 months to 36 months "same as cash" as Best Buy has.

Isn't it post Christmas? Isn't the economy bad? I was amazed that 10% can be such a motivator.

[rack04]

I had the same experience. I fought for a parking spot and crazy crowds for a chance at 10-20% off their regular prices. I couldn't understand why there was such a long line at the checkout.

[Blueface]

I forgot to mention, some TV stands were 30% off.
I think I now covered it all.

[mikeyj23]

I forgot to mention, some TV stands were 30% off.
I think I now covered it all.

Ah, so now you come clean... :D:confused:

[longknocker]

I forgot to mention, some TV stands were 30% off.
I think I now covered it all.

:r I agree completely! No warranty, no buy as far as I'm concerned!:)

[gettysburgfreak]

I read an article on Yahoo a few days ago that said buyer beware. CC raised their prices a little bit so people think they are getting a deal at 30% but really are not.

[Blueface]

I read an article on Yahoo a few days ago that said buyer beware. CC raised their prices a little bit so people think they are getting a deal at 30% but really are not.

Makes total sense.

[hotreds]

People think they are getting a deal, so they don't pay attention to prices- just the "sale" banners everywhere.

[Tombstone]

Idiots

[Lorglath]

I had the same reaction when I went in there. I figured I would wait untill it is picked clean and they really drop prices, then go in and see if there is anything worthwhile

[LordOfWu]

I saw the same phenomenon, there were a few good deals but "all sales final" on electronics, highly risky when it's not a more significant discount. And the line was the length of the store and started to curl around it! Crazy!

[gettysburgfreak]

Unless I can get a PS3 for 150 bucks Im not going anywhere near that store.

[kaisersozei]

Same story here in Richmond. I drove by our nearby outlet a few times this weekend, and it was a mob scene every time. I considered going in just to see what the madness was about, but then I remembered that I absolutely hate crowds.

What's interesting is that Best Buy, which is located DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET, had as many cars in their lot as they normally do on the weekend.

Despite CC's closing and the expected impact here on the Richmond economy (where they are HQ'd,) I have the good fortune of now receiving a ton of applications for many call center openings I am trying to fill. Yeah for me.

[lightning9191]

I haven't been to Circuit City, but Goody's is closing too. I went looking for a pair of jeans (I wear Levi's) to see if I could get a deal on them. The first time I went the Levi's were 20%....and the price was higher then what they normally had them on sale for. So I walked out....but there was a huge line at the register. I came back a week later and they were 40% off and I managed to find a pair and it was under the usual sale prices. I think people just think that they are getting these great deals, but they simply are not. If people shopped more with their brains, instead of their emotions (letting the store's psychological warfare win), they could get real deals.

[Starscream]

I haven't been to Circuit City, but Goody's is closing too.
Hated to hear this. The only cheap clothing store in our town.

[King James]

right before they close down for good I may take a peak around the store if the deals get to the 40-50% off range or higher.... probably not even look before then.

[mike]

ditto

[Ace$nyper]

I read an article on Yahoo a few days ago that said buyer beware. CC raised their prices a little bit so people think they are getting a deal at 30% but really are not.
Yupper.

Heck better to sneak in any last dollars before shutting down.

[rizzle]

I walked in and took a look, was out of the store within 5 minutes. I can get much better prices online within minutes that includes free shipping and no sales tax.

RIP Circuit City.

[kayak_rat]

Ours closed before Christmas. The night before the "Clearance" they went through and remarked everything at MSRP. They then marked they whatever percent off.......so for the most part you were paying more than you normally would. Ignorance of the masses.

[macpappy]

Saw all this when the local Circuit City closed in November. I was looking for a new monitor at the time and the one I wanted was on sale for 30% off and that made it $319.

Bought the same monitor at Best Buy - not on sale - for $279.

Any guess why I think Circuit City went bankrupt?

[rack04]

Ours closed before Christmas. The night before the "Clearance" they went through and remarked everything at MSRP. They then marked they whatever percent off.......so for the most part you were paying more than you normally would. Ignorance of the masses.

There was a news story on local news that discussed liquidated sales at a popular clothing store. What they found was higher price tags on top of lower price tags. They would tear of the price sticker to find a price much lower.

[Blueface]

How could I forget to mention this.
My wife overheard a woman at the store who said she was at the West Palm store (mind you, that is about 40-45 minutes away from the Boca store) and she came all the way to this one because she needed two CD racks and they only had one in West Palm.

Now, here is what is funny.
That CD rack was $30 with 10% off for a whopping savings of $3.
Now, anyone care to guess on average what gas would cost to travel an hour and a half round trip?
Unreal!!!

[Stogieboy]

This thread provides more evidence that some people are just plain stupid. :hnJust like the idiots on cbid, ebay and others that pay retail or higher just to win the bidding. :confused:

[N2Advnture]

How could I forget to mention this.
My wife overheard a woman at the store who said she was at the West Palm store (mind you, that is about 40-45 minutes away from the Boca store) and she came all the way to this one because she needed two CD racks and they only had one in West Palm.

Now, here is what is funny.
That CD rack was $30 with 10% off for a whopping savings of $3.
Now, anyone care to guess on average what gas would cost to travel an hour and a half round trip?
Unreal!!!

Now THAT'S funny!

[GTsetGO]

some people are just retarded.

I stopped into our yesterday to look at some compact flash cards for my camera. for the 4gb one they wanted $55 with 10% off. The same CF card is at walmart for $34 everyday price.

it's a joke.

[Blueface]

some people are just retarded.

I stopped into our yesterday to look at some compact flash cards for my camera. for the 4gb one they wanted $55 with 10% off. The same CF card is at walmart for $34 everyday price.

it's a joke.

But why pay "retail" when you can get 10% off?:r:r:r

[GTsetGO]

But why pay "retail" when you can get 10% off?:r:r:r

hey, i was saving money cuz it was on sale. :D

[taltos]

Wait until the liquidators take over. They will jack up prices and the discount off of those prices and make folks think that they are saving money. I was a long time warehouse manager for Service Merchandise and when they folded, I went to work for a liquidator. It took ten years of doing charity work to cleanse my soul of what those liquidators did to me. My advise is when those vampires take over, know the price of items before you buy and don't buy house brands since there is extremely limited recourse on warranty problems.

[fxpose]

I don't like crowded stores, no matter what the discount.

[Blueface]

Wait until the liquidators take over. They will jack up prices and the discount off of those prices and make folks think that they are saving money. I was a long time warehouse manager for Service Merchandise and when they folded, I went to work for a liquidator. It took ten years of doing charity work to cleanse my soul of what those liquidators did to me. My advise is when those vampires take over, know the price of items before you buy and don't buy house brands since there is extremely limited recourse on warranty problems.

Seems they may be there already.
Their website says it is all in the hands of the "liquidators" already.

[Blueface]

I guess I was not alone in this thought.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/34216

[replicant_argent]

Circuit City never tripped my trigger, nor has Best Buy. I think both of them are way too proud of their product, as evidenced in their prices and markup. They could (have) be much more successful if they only were a little more honest with the more intelligent public.
I can proudly say I have purchased less than a dozen or so things at either store.

[Rabidsquirrel]

Saw all this when the local Circuit City closed in November. I was looking for a new monitor at the time and the one I wanted was on sale for 30% off and that made it $319.

Bought the same monitor at Best Buy - not on sale - for $279.

Any guess why I think Circuit City went bankrupt?

I don't know if this is the case in the ones that closed earlier, but the pricing is no longer in the hands of CC. The liquidators are now setting the 'great deals'. It's a tactic that they use frequently, and for good reason.

It works.

[chippewastud79]

One of the initial articles I read about Circuit City closing was the fact that the liquidators are in charge of selling at no less than 71% of retail.

So people expecting to break the bank saving money might as well just wait and hope stuff goes to auction. But by then all the idiots will have snatched up most of the stuff left. :bh

[omowasu]

Circuit City never tripped my trigger, nor has Best Buy. I think both of them are way too proud of their product, as evidenced in their prices and markup. They could (have) be much more successful if they only were a little more honest with the more intelligent public.
I can proudly say I have purchased less than a dozen or so things at either store.

When I heard the CC liquidation, I was of course concerned for the employees... But I agree, CC was overall awful. The one or two things I purchased there (one small TV for a basement bar / cigar room years ago) werent that great of a deal, and to make matters worse, they always tried to cram the extended warranty down your throat at ridiculous costs. They were required to ask (or insist) on a useless extended warranty three times per transaction. Of course, I didnt return.

In addition, their cable and connector prices were ridiculous. $39.00 for a 3 foot USB connector with "gold plated" plugs? Seriously, their margin on those must have been 95%, especially given that they can be found on eBay for $0.99 each + shipping.

Best Buy is really no better, but they seem to have a more welcoming environment than CC, given their success. I have found it much easier to purchase electronics at Costco. They provide a 2-year warranty at no cost and they are usually cheaper than any electronics retailer. They even took a laptop back once when it had one dead pixel out of the box. That is service.

[ucla695]

The prices are a joke! Definitely know your prices before you go shopping because it’s easy to get caught up in the moment when you’re there. Unfortunately, the real deals will be found closer to when the stores close and the merchandise has been picked over thousands of times.