The Last Will and Testament of Circuit City

Harry writes "Sunday is the final day of business for Circuit City, the once-dominant national consumer electronics chain done in by the rise of Best Buy, the crummy economy, and multiple failings of its own. I paid a final visit of respect to my local store, and found that they'd gotten rid of just about all the unopened electronics products, and were therefore selling off stuff like broken computers and the toilet-paper dispenser from the restroom. Whether or not you were ever a fan, it was a sad scene." NPR has a segment on the end of the Circuit City era as well.

Comments

sad?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Whether or not you were ever a fan, it was a sad scene"

Newbie.

Great place to work

[Sesticulus]

I remember in the early nineties when the Circuit City car audio installation department employed all those otherwise out of work recent EE grads. Good times.

Where do EE majors work now? The wife is looking for work.

Re:Great place to work

[Dogtanian]

Clearly, you jest. You really expect us to believe you are married and you read slashdot?

Believe it or not, even geeks can get married. Slashdot has been around a while now and the demographic is getting older.

This has resulted in something akin to sublimation; many Slashdotters have gone straight from not getting laid because they can't get a girl to not getting laid because they're married. ;)

Re:Great place to work

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

That's terrible. You're telling me that BB employees are voluntarily obnoxious?

Dibs!

[Anonymous Coward]

I call dibs on the lady that worked in printers.

Stephen King

[Anonymous Coward]

"Whether or not you were ever a fan, it was a sad scene"

Hey, that reminds me of something...

I just heard some sad news on talk radio - electronics retailer Circuit City was found dead in its Stripmall, Illinois home this morning. There weren't any more details. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss him - even if you didn't enjoy his work, there's no denying its contributions to mass market electronics. Truly an American icon.

Overheard

[Waffle Iron]

and were therefore selling off stuff like broken computers and the toilet-paper dispenser from the restroom

At the checkout:

"You know, I've got a couple of these toilet paper dispensers, and they always seem to jam at the most inopportune times. Could I interest you in purchasing our exclusive 5-year extended warranty protection plan for only $179 more? It would really give you more peace of mind in the bathroom."

The Real Reason Circuit City went under

[microcars]

from : http://www.barracudamagazine.com/downcline/commentary/circuit-city-cant-locate-any-help/

The company was unable to reach a deal with a new buyer or secure debt refinancing.

Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, had been named as a potential buyer of the troubled retailer, but an agreement was not reached.

"We were just looking to buy one company," said Pliego in a statement, "We were sure it would just be an easy in-and-out. Five minutes, tops."

However, during takeover negotiations, Pliego said he stood around Circuit Cityâ(TM)s executive offices waiting for someone to show him "a balance sheet, an income statement, a cash flow statement, anything."

After fifteen minutes of being ignored by Circuit City executives, Pliego decided to try to find the documents himself. Frustrated, Pliego ultimately tapped acting Chief Executive James A. Marcum on the shoulder and told him he couldnâ(TM)t find the financial statements he was looking for.

Marcum said he would go in the back to check if they had any more. He reportedly did not return.

"I think he went on break," said Pliego as he stormed out of the building, sarcastically muttering to himself, "Sorry to bother you."

Hopes of making an 11th hour deal with the Golden Gate private equity firm broke down late last night after the organization became annoyed by a hard-sell on an extended warranty plan.

Re:They didn't know who they were competing with

[Grishnakh]

Best Buy should try to learn from their demise.

I sincerely hope not. I'm looking forward to BB going out of business too. After that, I'd like to see Starbucks go under.

Yup

[coryking]

Pretty much you are left out in the cold.

There is way better arguments for using cash than tin-foil-hat paranoia though:

1) Banks fucking suck. They don't always post your CC transactions right away so they can lie about your true balance and fuck you over with overdrafts and NSF's.
2) It is cheaper for the merchant. Cash = no merchant fees.
3) You can tip waiters and know they have the option of pocketing the cash instead of reporting it.
4) That is about all I can think of.
4.1) Oh yeah, the NBA, CIA, and Odwalla is spying on you when you use credit/debit cards. Only Russians and Odwalla spy on your cash transactions.

That said:

1) Pay in cash, and you can't reverse the charge if the seller fucks you over. You can sue them, yeah, but that is more expensive and you might not win. CC's let you chargeback.
2) Loose your wallet, loose your cash. Loose your wallet, deactivate your credit card.
3) You can import your bank statements (after everything settles down and posts correctly) into your favorite financial app and account for your spending.
4) The NBA and the NSA have joined forces to provide you with personalized mind control based on your credit card transactions. This is a good thing because all hail Uncle Sam.

Re:Yup

[AdamHaun]

Oh yeah, the NBA, CIA, and Odwalla is spying on you when you use credit/debit cards.

If it weren't for this comment, I never would have known that the National Basketball Association and a juice company turned Coca-Cola subsidiary were spying on my credit card transactions. Thanks, Coryking.

Re:Yup

[palegray.net]

The Kool-Aid man showed up at my house with a couple of guys wearing suits last week. Was he curious about my new habit of purchasing competing products? OH YEAH!!!

Re:Yup

[geminidomino]

Isn't checkbook registers proven technology, and there use is taught in highschool?

Yes, right next to conjugating the english verb "to be."

Awesome store

[Teppy]

Yeah, I went in there yesterday for the sale. Got a pretty sweet deal on a Divx player. Anyone know how long the "waiting for server" screen takes?

Re:Really?

[poena.dare]

That's all well and good until your pregnant wife has a sudden craving for pickles and plutonium and you don't have $1 million in cash lying around.

Re:Really?

[palegray.net]

Just get some from the Libyans in trade for a bunch of used pinball machine parts, of course.

I'm allergic to all synthetics.

Re:Really?

[couchslug]

"Though we did have an amusing time wondering just what you planned to do with the several tubs of Vaseline in your last grocery bill and that mannekin of Sarah Palin you bought off eBay."

No speculation required.

They will go in my "man cave" along with my Realdoll collection, between the Golden Girls and Maggie Thatcher.

Re:Really?

[Guysmiley777]

But, but, but the Best Buy MONSTER CABLE©®â has nitrogen-filled, oxygen-free copper hand-wound by Franciscan monks. It's insulation is specially designed and has a racing stripe and a spoiler to make the signal go faster. How could you NOT want to pay a 1000% premium??