Circuit city’s been around for decades at this point when Best Buy came on strong within the past 10-12 years and DOMINATED THEM with better service, better stores, and the ability to find what you’re looking for if they have it in stock.

Unfortunately Best Buy isn’t that good of an alternative.

One needs only to look at the Geek Squad for an example.

When you have an entire aisle of “Action” (lets say 6 shelves high, and 30 feet long), and there is no further orginization (not even alphabetical)

Why would anyone go there to waste their time in such a manner as going to circuit city?

Circuit city’s been around for decades at this point when Best Buy came on strong within the past 10-12 years and DOMINATED THEM with better service, better stores, and the ability to find what you’re looking for if they have it in stock.

How could they get away with that? Sounds like stealing. “Give us $20 and we promise $20 worth of stuff for the card holder.” Isn’t that a contract? If they don’t honor the card how is that not stealing? Is there some super fine fine print?

Ordinary1 on January 17, 2009 at 4:37 PM

You are now a creditor in line with other creditors; only at the bottom of the list. The gift card is no different than the debt they owe Nintendo, Sony, etc.

Paco on January 17, 2009 at 11:11 PM

Here’s one problem with an internet sales tax. With the way state and local sales taxes are determined, the filing (and remitting) of such taxes can be a heavy burden on small retailers. Just hink of the jurisdictions to which such a small internet seller would have to remit: State, possibly city and county (in states like AZ, CO, IL, and MO, etc.), across the country. The record keeping and audit burden would be oppressive for small internet retailers. They’d have to hire a tax accountant to keep in compliance, i.e., determining the state and local taxability of various products such as clothing, food, etc. How would a small Oregon internet retailer know the sales tax laws of other states when Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax at all? And if the Federal government decides to impose a flat internet sales tax, the localities would never see a dime. (And you don’t think the Federal government would take a cut of state taxes collected just by virtue of them collecting the money?) Think of Texas, which has a state rate, yet the sales tax returns break down the sales (and tax collected) by every city, county, independent school district, and MUD which imposes an additional sales tax above the state rate. (On top of that, there is an extremely quick turnaround on sales taxes, with most states being 20 days, less if payment is by EFT, which, again, is a heavy burden for small internet vendors.) That’s one reason why there has been no agreement yet on internet sales taxes: The localities lose that revenue, revenue from which was passed by local law in the first place. For small internet retailers, there is also the issue of each states’ determination of Point Of Sale. For a large multi-state brick and mortar retailer, sales taxes are extremely complicated, more so when the retailer ships from a store to a location outside the store’s taxing jurisdiction within and without the state; it would be more complicated for a small internet retailer without the tax department support that a large retailer has. Sales taxes were originally based upon the location of the store, with the customer walking away with their purchase(s). Now, with shipping, it is extremely complicated. As for the audit issue for small internet retailers, you just know no slack would be cut by these jurisdictions (someone has to pay the salary of the local auditors). By the Government imposing a flat internet sales tax, they are overstepping the whole concept of Federalism, and states’ rights. I still don’t know where sales taxing of internet sales is headed, then again, neither does anyone else, and it’s been an issue for around a decade now.

“Very, very sad,” said Alan L. Wurtzel, the son of company founder Samuel S. Wurtzel, and the chief executive from 1972 to 1986, board chairman from 1986 to 1994 and vice chairman until 2001. “I feel particularly badly for the people are employed or until recently were employed.”

Wurtzel has previously said Circuit City didn’t take the threat of rival Best Buy Co. seriously enough and, at some points, were too focused on making a profit in the short term instead of building long-term value.

Circut City’s management was doing a bad job all the way up to the top of the company. Its failure isn’t the fault of the economy, as the company was going to fail even in a good economy. It just might have taken a little longer to get to this point.

e-Tailers are putting a hurting on the crappy run Brick and Mortars.

True for now,but how long do you think the no sales tax loophole will last? They will be taxing anything and everything they can to pay the bill for Barrys “raw deal”
If they’re gonna tax cow farts. You can bet your @ss the internet sales tax isnt going to be far behind.

Yes … you’ve already said that. Now, try to address some of the actual points I made to you.

progressoverpeace on January 17, 2009 at 5:02 PM

I suspect you’ll now just hear a click and a dialtone. : )

Sears is the only store I consider that option.

The only dislike I had with C.C. is the Firedog BS.
That was way over the top in the fees they wanted.

I had exactly the same experience the time(s) I have gone there. I eventually ended up buying my flat screen TV there (2008) but only b/c they were having a sale that beat BB, or online retailers, literally by hundreds…and I checked EVERYWHERE.

The sales force, and management was clueless, I almost had to lasso them and hold them down to hand over nearly $2,000 to them, and it had a weird vibe in there that I remember to this day.

We just had a bad experience with KB Toys. My son got a gift card for Christmas…and none of their stores are accepting them. I’d hesitate to purchase gift cards from any business at this point.

JannyMae on January 17, 2009 at 4:27 PM

Those “gift cards” are actually debit cards issued by a bank such as Citi; the funds used to purchase the gift card are routed into the associated debit account. One way of looking at this situation is that you do not have a credit account with KB — you have a debit account with the bank backing the gift card. There are ways of finding out which bank is behind the gift card. They are the deep pockets in this transaction.

Big Box retail, soon to be followed by many small specialty retailers, are “victims” of the housing boom. With the false wealth created during the housing boom…

I work for Wal-Mart in the Home Office and though I feel bad for the folks at Circuit City their liquidation benefits us.

Made in USA

DerKrieger on January 17, 2009 at 10:41 AM

Maybe, but then if your hypothesis as to the reason is true, maybe not — you may only be the middle fish.

As for “Made in USA”, I’m a WalMart customer, and nothing in the clothing section is made in USA. Ditto for watches. Nothing. WalMart buyers are world-wide, and in some areas, the USA apparently doesn’t cut it price-wise.

We have (had?) a Circuit City and a Best Buy about equidistant from our house, and they were fairly competitive price wise, and I shopped at both. I’ll miss CC — especially when Best Buy raises prices as is done when there’s no competition. Those who’ve bought on the internet have yet to go through a return, I think — I buy there too, but nothing which costs $50 or $100 to ship back if I don’t like it — I buy a little insurance by buying those things locally.

doubleplusundead on January 17, 2009 at 5:33 PM

*sigh* meant to add that gift cards are a no-go for the liquidation firm because that contract was with the cardholder and KB Toys (or Circuit, or whoever), not with the liquidator.

We just had a bad experience with KB Toys. My son got a gift card for Christmas…and none of their stores are accepting them. I’d hesitate to purchase gift cards from any business at this point.

JannyMae on January 17, 2009 at 4:27 PM

How could they get away with that? Sounds like stealing. “Give us $20 and we promise $20 worth of stuff for the card holder.” Isn’t that a contract? If they don’t honor the card how is that not stealing? Is there some super fine fine print?

Ordinary1 on January 17, 2009 at 4:37 PM

Janny, hate to say it but your kid probably isn’t going to be able to use that gift card. The reason for that is usually when a retail store folds and goes bankrupt(in this case a whole chain), the individual stores aren’t technically KB Toys anymore, they’re technically owned by a liquidation firm. Which is why a store in liquidation usually has a strict No Return policy and limits the means of pay (checks in particular, because of the time they take to process). The only thing I could possibly suggest is to see if KB has a catalog or website that you can order and use the card at.

Noneya on January 17, 2009 at 4:53 PM

Yes … you’ve already said that. Now, try to address some of the actual points I made to you.

That was about the response I expected from you. Take your 3 shriveled brain cells and go cheer the idiot messiah.

progressoverpeace on January 17, 2009 at 4:46 PM

Your party drove this country into the ground, i will certainly celebrate the fact you guys are finally disgraced and out of power, hopefully forever.

Noneya on January 17, 2009 at 4:40 PM

That was about the response I expected from you. Take your 3 shriveled brain cells and go cheer the idiot messiah.

He was wrong.

progressoverpeace on January 17, 2009 at 4:13 PM

blasphemy! better keep this opinion to yourself at your klan rallies….

During the last four years (the economic meltdown), the Democrats have controlled congress. It looks as if the left is to blame to me. Stop hitting the straw man and put the blame where it is due, The Congress and The Democrats.

Theophile on January 17, 2009 at 4:32 PM

huh? The Democrats came to power in 2006, that makes 2 years, hardly enough time to clean up the mess by you Repugs for the prior 6 years. but hey your math skills are as good as your party’s legislative ones so you are in like company…

We just had a bad experience with KB Toys. My son got a gift card for Christmas…and none of their stores are accepting them. I’d hesitate to purchase gift cards from any business at this point.

JannyMae on January 17, 2009 at 4:27 PM

How could they get away with that? Sounds like stealing. “Give us $20 and we promise $20 worth of stuff for the card holder.” Isn’t that a contract? If they don’t honor the card how is that not stealing? Is there some super fine fine print?

The Congress has a lot, lot more control of the economy than the president does. Let’s see, during most of Clinton’s Presidency, the Republicans controlled congress. During the last four years (the economic meltdown), the Democrats have controlled congress. It looks as if the left is to blame to me. Stop hitting the straw man and put the blame where it is due, The Congress and The Democrats.

We just had a bad experience with KB Toys. My son got a gift card for Christmas…and none of their stores are accepting them. I’d hesitate to purchase gift cards from any business at this point.

Ordinary1 on January 17, 2009 at 4:18 PM

Thanks. You’re right, but the liberals’ arguments need to be slapped down wherever we see them. And they need to be publicly shamed about their stupidity as much as possible, since libs are emotionally driven in their ideology.