[rumor]Big changes at Circuit City!!

[SyahM]

Originally posted by: katka
The local News just reported that Circuit City is laying off/cutting jobs. :Q

Also reported on reuters, forbes and WSJ.

 

[Stark]

No slander is 100% correct.

However, it is somewhat reasonable for the salesperson not to help someone who didn't buy the warranty. If you tell them about it and they decide not to buy it, they run the risk of being out of luck if it breaks. The warranty (ESP) basically makes any problems CC's problems for 3-5 years. If they don't buy it, it's the customers problem and they get to deal with the manufacturer after the initial 30 days is up.

I like tweeter much more than BB or CC, but they don't have el cheapo stuff. The service is outstanding and they don't push the cheese.

And BB does have yamaha audio stuff. I have a yamaha reciever with JBL satellites from BB and it's perfect for watching movies.

 

[vtqanh]

CC is gonna cut 2000 jobs.
News

 

[kdegarmo]

Originally posted by: spankyOO7
i see BB's popping up all over the place. when r they gonna open up a fry's around the east coast?!

I'm with ya on that one, only for the Midwest...

I'd love to see a Fry's open up here in St. Louis - I always get depressed when I see all those West Coast Fry's deals.. I lived in Phoenix a few years ago, but Fry's was just opening when I moved away, so I never got to enjoy their deals.....

 

[Deeko]

I haven't been to my store yet because I was at class all day, but I spoke to someone from my old store...MASSIVE job cuts, basically, all the GOOD salesmen, that made alot of money, were laid off, rather than given a huge pay cut. Damn...I'm goin to my store now...I'd better have a job.

 

[Deeko]

NoSlander's comments are NOT true. Maybe they were when he worked there....but today, we are NOT paid based on how much the store makes, like I said, it is a flat percentage, I can upload a sales sheet for the month if you don't believe me. And while we generally know which products pay the store more, we don't KNOW by looking at the screen, and we are NOT judged based on our margin. Perhaps these things were true at Circuit City 5 years ago, and perhaps that's why they are doing poorly today....but it is nolonger the case.

 

[SyahM]

Originally posted by: Deeko
NoSlander's comments are NOT true. Maybe they were when he worked there....but today, we are NOT paid based on how much the store makes, like I said, it is a flat percentage, I can upload a sales sheet for the month if you don't believe me. And while we generally know which products pay the store more, we don't KNOW by looking at the screen, and we are NOT judged based on our margin. Perhaps these things were true at Circuit City 5 years ago, and perhaps that's why they are doing poorly today....but it is nolonger the case.

I concur.

 

[Vic]

I always prefer to work with a commissioned salesperson.
First, only weak-willed or ignorant people are fooled by salespeople. When I walk into any store other than the grocery store, I always remind myself that I don't need anything they sell there, I only want. If I am offered something other than what I want or at too high a price, it never bothers me to just leave and take my business elsewhere. However, good service is worth paying for.
Second, a commissioned salesperson has a vested interest in closing the deal and in making the customer happy. In my experience, they tend to more attentive and provide more service. Is it so hard to tell a salesperson that you're just looking if you don't wish to be helped? How weak are some of you people?
Third, salaried salespeople don't even deserve to be called "salespeople" IMO. They are nothing but clerks and order-takers.

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: NoSlander
Their audio sucks however (DO NOT ever buy Pioneer or Sony).

They also carry Yamaha and Kenwood. Yamaha is a respected name in receivers. However, BB's prices are way too close to full retail, even on sale, to even compete with online vendors. I've also read a lot of good things lately about Kenwood's mid-line receivers (the 6060 and 6070), and they sometimes have those on sale for decent prices.

Oh, and don't forget KLH... the pinnacle of quality!!!

 

[DrPizza]

I'd like to quote Noslander, but his post is too long!... just look up a little bit.

Whenever I shop where the salesperson is on commission, I keep in mind 2 or 3 things:
1. The salesperson is more knowledgeable about what they're selling and can answer more questions for you.
2. The salesperson isn't looking out for *MY* best interests, they're looking out for themselves, as long as they can keep me happy while doing it.
3. Extended warranties aren't offered by companies hoping to lose money... they're hoping to make money. Thus, they expect to take in more money than they pay out. Sure... I'm going to lose someday and get something that I have to pay to have repaired.... but when I do, I can add up how much I *didn't* spend on extended warranties for a refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, stove, stereo, computer related items, etc. The extended warranties add up to far more than the repair cost on any one (or two or three) of those items. Plus, given this handy internet thing, I can actually look up how to repair them myself... many (but not all) repairs are quite easy.
If you play blackjack, you can buy insurance (bet) that the dealer doesn't have a blackjack, when the dealer has an A showing. Would you buy insurance every hand before the cards are even dealt? Sure, the dealer will get blackjack sometimes.... but it's not worth it. Neither are extended warranties. But, those salespeople certainly like selling those warranties!

For minor purchases, $10 to $50, I don't care if I didn't select the exact item I needed... I'll let the salesperson help me out, and go with his advice. ie. if the salesperson could talk me into paying $50 for a 48 times CD burner instead of the sale price $30 for a 40 times burner because it was faster.... Is the difference worth $20? debatable. It wouldn't be worth the thought.

But, for any purchase over $100, you'd have to have money to throw away if you're not going to do a little research into the different brands. Read the reviews, especially customer reviews (I never trust reviews from companies getting paid advertising dollars by whatever they're reviewing). The commissioned salesperson is only 1 little part of my decision, not the deciding factor. If you don't know what you want when you walk into the store, you shouldn't be making your mind up in the store. "Sounds like a good tv... I'm going to go home and read the reviews on it to make sure this is exactly what I want. Do you have a card so that I can get you when I come back to make my purchase? You've been helpful and I wouldn't want you to lose your commission."

 

[badluck]

I always prefer to work with a commissioned salesperson.
First, only weak-willed or ignorant people are fooled by salespeople. When I walk into any store other than the grocery store, I always remind myself that I don't need anything they sell there, I only want. If I am offered something other than what I want or at too high a price, it never bothers me to just leave and take my business elsewhere. However, good service is worth paying for.
Second, a commissioned salesperson has a vested interest in closing the deal and in making the customer happy. In my experience, they tend to more attentive and provide more service. Is it so hard to tell a salesperson that you're just looking if you don't wish to be helped? How weak are some of you people?
Third, salaried salespeople don't even deserve to be called "salespeople" IMO. They are nothing but clerks and order-takers.

If you know what you want, why do you prefer to work with a commissioned salesperson? Just tell the "order taker" to get what you need and be done with it......

:disgust:

 

[Thump553]

My perspective, as a middle-aged male customer who is generally knowledgeable about what he is buying:

1) CC employees definately give you better, and more attentive service. However they do frequently swarm the incoming customer-I'd say this happens at least half the time I go in one of the three local CCs. BB employees, in contrast, move only slightly faster than the counter clerks at Motor Vehicles-and are just about as helpful. I spent 3/4 of an hour at BB recently picking up some CDRs I ordered on line (well, there was one person in line ahead of me who took half that time)-this is 5 minutes max at CC.

2) CC's advertising, at least in the Sunday papers here in the last year, is pretty much nonexistent. I'm always surprised to see a stack of flyers when I go in the store-do they think customers are going to run out to their store to see what's on sale this week? BB, on the other hand, distributes flyers every week, with good sales in them.

3) As far as service goes, CC is better but frankly if I think I'm going to need service I would avoid both stores.

4) CC lost a huge bundle of cash a few years back, and got a lot of bad publicity, with their Divx experiment. Maybe those losses are now coming home to roost.

5) BTW, the local CCs no longer pricematch to internet companies-they have had this policy posted since before Xmas.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: badluck
If you know what you want, why do you prefer to work with a commissioned salesperson? Just tell the "order taker" to get what you need and be done with it......

:disgust:

I said why. Service.

 

[NoSlander]

Originally posted by: Deeko
NoSlander's comments are NOT true. Maybe they were when he worked there....but today, we are NOT paid based on how much the store makes, like I said, it is a flat percentage, I can upload a sales sheet for the month if you don't believe me. And while we generally know which products pay the store more, we don't KNOW by looking at the screen, and we are NOT judged based on our margin. Perhaps these things were true at Circuit City 5 years ago, and perhaps that's why they are doing poorly today....but it is no longer the case.

Yeah, I worked there from '95-'97. So I'm sure their policies have changed. Didn't mean to disparage your place of work, man. They've trained you well. You're loyal.

 

[Stark]

Originally posted by: NoSlander

Originally posted by: Deeko
NoSlander's comments are NOT true. Maybe they were when he worked there....but today, we are NOT paid based on how much the store makes, like I said, it is a flat percentage, I can upload a sales sheet for the month if you don't believe me. And while we generally know which products pay the store more, we don't KNOW by looking at the screen, and we are NOT judged based on our margin. Perhaps these things were true at Circuit City 5 years ago, and perhaps that's why they are doing poorly today....but it is no longer the case.

Yeah, I worked there from '95-'97. So I'm sure their policies have changed. Didn't mean to disparage your place of work, man. They've trained you well. You're loyal.

i worked there about that same era... i was under the impression that 12v, audio and video were still under those same rules.

Doesn't really matter though... looks like a lot of salespeople will have to find new work. They got rid of all the REAL old timers when they got rid of majors. Now they're trying to model themselves after BB.

 

[Freejack2]

Deeko, please watch where you tread here. There have already at least 2 people off these forums who have been fired for posting information about who they work for that they have deemed sensitive even if it's something like clearance prices on an item. I don't know what a sales sheet is for CC but I suspect if you posted it you'd be out of a job. Please watch what you say. I don't think anyone here wants to read about how you got fired because of talking about CC on here.

 

[Miramonti]

Speculation was right, all hourly and no more commissions.

CIRCUIT CITY, WHICH RANKS behind industry leader Best Buy Co. Inc., also said it is converting into a single hourly pay structure for its store employees instead of a mix of hourly pay and commission, a step which would cut pretax earnings for the year ending Feb. 28 by about $40 million.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: Freejack2
Deeko, please watch where you tread here. There have already at least 2 people off these forums who have been fired for posting information about who they work for that they have deemed sensitive even if it's something like clearance prices on an item. I don't know what a sales sheet is for CC but I suspect if you posted it you'd be out of a job. Please watch what you say. I don't think anyone here wants to read about how you got fired because of talking about CC on here.

werd.

 

[slycat]

never bought anything at CC...
nearest one to be is at Serramonte, Daly City, CA.
the store manager is an ass

 

[her209]

Circuit City sux!

 

[fr]

Originally posted by: Freejack2
Deeko, please watch where you tread here. There have already at least 2 people off these forums who have been fired for posting information about who they work for that they have deemed sensitive even if it's something like clearance prices on an item. I don't know what a sales sheet is for CC but I suspect if you posted it you'd be out of a job. Please watch what you say. I don't think anyone here wants to read about how you got fired because of talking about CC on here.

He doesn't care because he doesn't work there anymore.

What I'm curious about is how they decide what they hourly rate will be for people that were on commission.

 

[Deeko]

I spoke to a few people from my old store today. Basically, they canned all the top employees. If you made under, say, $15/hour, they kept you, and your new wage is only slightly lower than your old hourly average, so not too bad if you stayed on board...everyone else, the people that made good money, ya know, the good salespeople, they are all out. I think this is horrible for the company, and the stock market seems to agree with me, stock went down 11% today, don't stocks traditionally go up following layoffs?

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I spoke to a few people from my old store today. Basically, they canned all the top employees. If you made under, say, $15/hour, they kept you, and your new wage is only slightly lower than your old hourly average, so not too bad if you stayed on board...everyone else, the people that made good money, ya know, the good salespeople, they are all out. I think this is horrible for the company, and the stock market seems to agree with me, stock went down 11% today, don't stocks traditionally go up following layoffs?

Depends on how many people they lay off and if it was the expected number or higher/lower.

 

[fr]

I used to work there up until a couple years ago.

So they canned all the people that were in the President's Club and the Platinum (?) Club? I quite a few people that had been there 10+ years.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I spoke to a few people from my old store today. Basically, they canned all the top employees. If you made under, say, $15/hour, they kept you, and your new wage is only slightly lower than your old hourly average, so not too bad if you stayed on board...everyone else, the people that made good money, ya know, the good salespeople, they are all out. I think this is horrible for the company, and the stock market seems to agree with me, stock went down 11% today, don't stocks traditionally go up following layoffs?

Thats brutal, moral is going to seriously tank because they now have all the lower end performing workers. I'd question this wisdom. Given the stocks move it probably means that things are worse than people/analysts thought.