Circuit City: A Shell of a Store

I remember when Best Products closed its doors. That big building with a corner seemingly ripped out had fascinated me and back then I didn't even know why it went out of business. I was there when Montgomery Ward and even CompUSA, one of my favorite electronics stores of that time, went under. It's strange to see a store that you knew so well, that graced the TV in commercials between segments of your favorite shows, dying, becoming little more than a garage sale, before practically fading from the customers' memories.

Now Circuit City has gone. I grew up buying things from that place, mostly CDs. Most of my collection is from Circuit City, in fact. I had even gotten a stereo set and CD/radio/cassette player as a birthday present from that place, and today it is in a state much like the store it was bought from. Walking into the store on the day before its last day of operation, I saw it in a shambles, with tables full of junk in disarray. Most of the merchandise was out-of-box and possibly old equipment, and many aisles were taped off and empty. It was like walking through a ghost town.

Even a few months ago I could walk in the store and look at the Wacom bamboo fun tablets and all the other tempting gadgets and software. When I walked in on the seventh, into this empty shell of a store, almost everything was gone, and even the laptops were almost gutted. They were missing the battery and power adapter, and from what I heard the customers say, possibly more. Even the old computers that they had used in their electronics department were all for sale, for a little over $100 - tempting but money was tight so I passed.

It's amazing how a store I had known so well and grew up with was reduced to this. It was depressing, but a reminder of the precariousness of the business world.

There are quite a few tales to be told about this dead former giant, including customers buying television sets and other equipment that had been broken, and were unable to return it according to this article from The Boston Channel. The liquidation prices were also nothing to brag about as seen in a Mercury News article. Circuit City has also had a bad track record with warranties, as this page shows. There have been people, like my family and myself, who have never had any bad experiences with that company, but cases of bad service do exist, including run-around and carelessness as seen in a complaint posted to The Squeaky Wheel. These unfortunately are not isolated incidents.

My father has always told me that whenever you run a business you have to think of the customers first and give them service, because that is what they pay for. If you work for a company it is most imperative that you show the customer courtesy and respect, because otherwise you will never see that customer again. Losing one might not seem like a big deal, but consider how much it would cost the company if all of the employees were lazy or rude to the customers. Now, years later, I take what he has told me to heart at my workplace and always try to show the customer the best service possible. The customers are the lifeblood of the company, especially during a recession like this.

Competition has also dealt a blow to Circuit City as there are other stores, namely Fry's, Walmart, and Bestbuy, that sell computers and other equipment for far less. I know because early last year I was shopping for a good laptop and eventually found a Toshiba Satellite at Bestbuy for only $488 - batteries and AC adapter included. The computers I saw at that Circuit City were 'missing' the battery and cord, both which were not cheap, and even without those parts they cost around $500 - for display models. To me, this shows how little the company cared about its customers.

Circuit City's demise should serve as a warning to the other electronics retails to always put the customer first. With the combined spotty service records and the economy, it really is no wonder that it went from a shiny, lively store to the near-empty shell I walked out of on friday. It is a sad ending to a once-great company. In a way, I will miss it.

TheBostonChannel.com, "Customers Burned in Circuit City Closeout Sale." The Boston Channel.
Jessica Bernstein-Wax, "Customers frustrated with Circuit City liquidation sale prices." Mercury News.
Gary M. Wilson, "Circuit City/Firedog Poor Service." The Squeaky Wheel.