editor Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Amazing how time flies. I remember we bought a frig at a Circuit City in West LA in 1989! They eventually came into Houston shortly after I think? Fry's cheap prices and availability of very rare DVD's help put them out of business I would say. Sayonara Circuit City! Selection was always a problem at the Circuit Cities I'd visited. Best Buy always seemed to have more choices. And Fry's... Well, fuggedaboudit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tertiary77u Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 It's kind of sad, since it's been around so much longer than places like Best Buy...But a previous poster was right... Best Buy has a better selection, better prices...and just seems better!Plus, I like their color combo a lot better, and who can beat the Geek Squad with VW bugs?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxmulder Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 The league city store just opened...Not long ago...(about 2 or 3 months!) CC sucks. The one is Pasadena sucks. No price tags, every associate is hanging out at fire dog. I went to buy a Windows Home Server...I just bought the damn parts from microcenter after not being able to get anyone to open the case... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 looks like they filed for bankruptcy today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanith27 Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Long overdue in my opinion. Textbooks should use Circuit City as a case study on how to succeed: take the existing Circuit City model, and do the complete opposite of what they did. Seriously, I dont think they've done anything right. Every time I've gone into a store (fewer and fewer times) I walk away each time convinced they are driving themselves into the ground on purpose. Its so obvious what is wrong with this place, and I dont even have a business degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citykid09 Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Long overdue in my opinion. Textbooks should use Circuit City as a case study on how to succeed: take the existing Circuit City model, and do the complete opposite of what they did. Seriously, I don't think they've done anything right. Every time I've gone into a store (fewer and fewer times) I walk away each time convinced they are driving themselves into the ground on purpose. Its so obvious what is wrong with this place, and I don't even have a business degree.I was just about to ask you were you a business major. You are right, I remember doing a cases over the AOL, Time Warner merger and Circuit City would be a great organization to do a SWOT analysis on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 http://www.time.com/time/business/article/...1858079,00.htmlThis TIME article explains the failures of Circuit City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 And I just bought 40,000 shares at $0.24 on Friday. UGH> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 It's kind of sad, since it's been around so much longer than places like Best Buy...But a previous poster was right... Best Buy has a better selection, better prices...and just seems better!Plus, I like their color combo a lot better, and who can beat the Geek Squad with VW bugs?!?and BB Honda Elements.I think Fire Dog uses Scion xB's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moni Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 FWIW, we had two Circuit Citys here in Deming and when Walmart came in, we lost both of them. You could get the same merchandise for a much lower price at Walmart. Too bad, but there it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technoevil Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Stick with Conn's. It's headquartered in Beaumont. They sell to normal people and employee normal people. It seems to work well for them.I went to the one on the Katy Freeway between Gessner and The Beltway once and the sales people were really annoying, and the prices were higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecondTour Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I went to the one on the Katy Freeway between Gessner and The Beltway once and the sales people were really annoying, and the prices were higher.The few times I've ever been in a Conn's, that's been my experience also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 The few times I've ever been in a Conn's, that's been my experience also.As in you will be conned if you shop there. The name says it all. Stay clear.Regarding Circuit City... the only thing fitting for that store is Chapter 7 liquidation at this point. Shut'er down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 The few times I've ever been in a Conn's, that's been my experience also.Yeah, I went a couple of times long ago and it was high prices and high pressure. They seemed like one step above rent-to-own, with the big draw being their easy credit terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBuddy06 Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 All electronics store sucks when it come to customer service. You stand around for a long time looking for someone to help you, you get tossed around by associates who don't know what they're doing. Best Buy is just a quarter of an inch better than the rest of them. Just get the best bargain online and use free shipping or pick up in store if you're impatient.By the way in an economy heading south, their line of business just have to suffer; new techy gadget's not life sustaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Yeah, I went a couple of times long ago and it was high prices and high pressure. They seemed like one step above rent-to-own, with the big draw being their easy credit terms.Their target marget is lower middle class to middle class and uneducated. Their product is lesser quality. I bought a cheap no-frills dryer there for $199, and it did what it was supposed to do. I would not buy anything more technologically advanced than that at Conn's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 unfortunately, all the electronics stores are getting bad. you'd think a type of business that sells big ticket items would class it up just a bit or at the very least, hire employees who know a little bit about what they sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Yeah, I went a couple of times long ago and it was high prices and high pressure. They seemed like one step above rent-to-own, with the big draw being their easy credit terms.That's because Conn's pays all of its sales staff on commission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 The problem IMO is they can't compete with online vendors. You basically have to do your own product research as it is, so people who already know what they want will almost always find a better price online, and without sales tax (granted, you're supposed to ante up, but my guess is most people don't). Take buying an HDMI cable for example. Circuit City charges $55 for a 4' HDMI cable. Best Buy charges $64 for a 4' HDMI cable. But I can go online and find one for less than $10. In fact, I bought several 3' HDMI cables from amazon.com awhile back for about $2 a piece. An HDMI cable is something you would expect to be an inexpensive last-minute item, yet every brick and mortar store insists on blatant price gouging on certain last-minute convenience items like cables. Since their selling model doesn't really add any value to the educated consumer, it's no surprise they are struggling. I am surprised that Best Buy is doing better, as I always thought they were more expensive and had worse customer service than CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxmulder Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 The problem IMO is they can't compete with online vendors. You basically have to do your own product research as it is, so people who already know what they want will almost always find a better price online, and without sales tax (granted, you're supposed to ante up, but my guess is most people don't). Take buying an HDMI cable for example. Circuit City charges $55 for a 4' HDMI cable. Best Buy charges $64 for a 4' HDMI cable. But I can go online and find one for less than $10. In fact, I bought several 3' HDMI cables from amazon.com awhile back for about $2 a piece. An HDMI cable is something you would expect to be an inexpensive last-minute item, yet every brick and mortar store insists on blatant price gouging on certain last-minute convenience items like cables. Since their selling model doesn't really add any value to the educated consumer, it's no surprise they are struggling. I am surprised that Best Buy is doing better, as I always thought they were more expensive and had worse customer service than CC.Best buy doing better? Yeah don't hold your breath. i'll spare the story from last week in 10 min long line with one cashier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 The problem IMO is they can't compete with online vendors. You basically have to do your own product research as it is, so people who already know what they want will almost always find a better price online, and without sales tax (granted, you're supposed to ante up, but my guess is most people don't). Take buying an HDMI cable for example. Circuit City charges $55 for a 4' HDMI cable. Best Buy charges $64 for a 4' HDMI cable. But I can go online and find one for less than $10. In fact, I bought several 3' HDMI cables from amazon.com awhile back for about $2 a piece. An HDMI cable is something you would expect to be an inexpensive last-minute item, yet every brick and mortar store insists on blatant price gouging on certain last-minute convenience items like cables. Since their selling model doesn't really add any value to the educated consumer, it's no surprise they are struggling. I am surprised that Best Buy is doing better, as I always thought they were more expensive and had worse customer service than CC.In some ways I do agree, other ways I do not. Yes, you are going to do your own product research. Employees of the store just know where things are (or should) - but really have no knowledge of what they are selling.Depending on the cost of the item, it is unwise, in my view, to order everything on line. HDMI cable? Yes. DVD player? Other stereo components, less than $500? Probably. But no one with any sense is going to buy a $3000 plasma or LCD TV and have it mailed to them. You save the tax, but you have to pay the shipping. And if you have to return it... what a nightmare. You need to buy those kinds of things from the store, so you have easier recourse returning a damaged unit, warranty service, etc, etc.And I disagree on pricing. I have found Circuit City to be generally higher on everything, except maybe special sale items. Even in some stores that are having going out of business fire sale pricing... the same item - not on sale - at Fry's goes for 20% less.So long Circuit City! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 But no one with any sense is going to buy a $3000 plasma or LCD TV and have it mailed to them. You save the tax, but you have to pay the shipping. And if you have to return it... what a nightmare. You need to buy those kinds of things from the store, so you have easier recourse returning a damaged unit, warranty service, etc, etc.I wouldn't hesitate to buy a $3000 TV from Amazon. I'm already paying for Amazon Prime, so 2-day shipping wouldn't cost anything extra. Their return policy is pain free; they pay the shipping, and I've never had any trouble with it. Warranty service? That's covered by the manufacturer, not Best Buy or Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I wouldn't hesitate to buy a $3000 TV from Amazon. I'm already paying for Amazon Prime, so 2-day shipping wouldn't cost anything extra. Their return policy is pain free; they pay the shipping, and I've never had any trouble with it. Warranty service? That's covered by the manufacturer, not Best Buy or Amazon.Our next tv (yay! plasma!) is coming in the mail from Costco. I've gotten other 'spensive stuff from them, and it has worked out fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanS Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 I wouldn't hesitate to buy a $3000 TV from Amazon. I'm already paying for Amazon Prime, so 2-day shipping wouldn't cost anything extra. Their return policy is pain free; they pay the shipping, and I've never had any trouble with it. Warranty service? That's covered by the manufacturer, not Best Buy or Amazon.Is it really pain free... after about 2 years when your TV craps out... and have one year left on your extended warranty? ...which I never buy.... You still have the shipping labels from 2 years ago? Still have the original box? All for what? Because you wanted to save $10 on a $3000 purchase? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Is it really pain free... after about 2 years when your TV craps out... and have one year left on your extended warranty? ...which I never buy.... You still have the shipping labels from 2 years ago? Still have the original box? All for what? Because you wanted to save $10 on a $3000 purchase?First, the sales tax alone would save you $250. Second, extended warranties are sucker bets. I don't buy them from Best Buy or Amazon, so that's a non-issue.So yes, it's really pain free. I've bought big electronics from Amazon and it was totally pain free. Same with groceries, clothes, car stuff, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 First, the sales tax alone would save you $250. Second, extended warranties are sucker bets. I don't buy them from Best Buy or Amazon, so that's a non-issue.So yes, it's really pain free. I've bought big electronics from Amazon and it was totally pain free. Same with groceries, clothes, car stuff, etc.I'm with you on the sales tax savings. I pretty much buy everything online from computer parts to TV's. I look for free shipping deals but even if I have to pay shipping, with the sales tax savings I still come out ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I bought my last TV from a reputable online retailer. The price difference was just too huge...it would have cost at least $1300 more to buy it from a local store, and then I would have paid extra for delivery plus sales tax. It really was a hassle free experience to buy it online. I don't see repairs as being an issue. I wouldn't trust most retailers to fix an LCD TV. I would take it to a Sony authorized repair shop if anything ever broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff8201 Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Anyone remember about 9 or 10 years ago when DVD was still coming up, and the people who own Circuit City tried to push a rival technology called Divx? (Not to be confused with Divx, the video compression codec)It was a pay as you play DVD. You'd get the player, hook it to your phone line, and enter your billing information (considering you also just gave a company the knowledge of what you watch and when you watch it... with maybe a chance of identity theft). You then go to Circuit City and get a super cheap $5 Divx DVD (which were all only in 4:3 aspect ratio, too bad if you were an early adopter of widescreen sets), and play it all you wanted for a 48 hour period. If you wanted to see it again, you'd pay as you play it each time thereafter, or unlock it for about the full price of a normal DVD (pay for something you already paid for and own basically)... or just be environmentally unfriendly and throw the disc away.Yeah, dumb decision by CC's owner to develop and push this technology, since they were the ONLY ones selling it... there was a huge uprising on the internet to boycott this and CC, and most whom remember it just consider it a small road block in the success of the DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Texas stores closing:4312 LEAGUE CITY 3270 S GULF FREEWAY LEAGUE CITY TX 77573Hard to compete when you got a Best Buy and a Fry's within a couple of miles from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBuddy06 Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 The Sharpstown store is already advertising up to 30% off laptops, lower discounts on all store items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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