What changed to make Best Buy good and Circuit City bad??

[Kelemvor]

Shopping anywhere that is based on commissions will always make me assume they are lying to me to get me to spend more since it pads their pockets. Since CC is mostly commission, I wouldn't go there unless I knew they had something I wanted and could just grab it and go.

But when I did go in there, it was always a ghost town. No idea how they stayed in business.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
Shopping anywhere that is based on commissions will always make me assume they are lying to me to get me to spend more since it pads their pockets. Since CC is mostly commission, I wouldn't go there unless I knew they had something I wanted and could just grab it and go.

But when I did go in there, it was always a ghost town. No idea how they stayed in business.

they stopped commision.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
Shopping anywhere that is based on commissions will always make me assume they are lying to me to get me to spend more since it pads their pockets. Since CC is mostly commission, I wouldn't go there unless I knew they had something I wanted and could just grab it and go.

But when I did go in there, it was always a ghost town. No idea how they stayed in business.

err yea...comission was dropped long ago. as was done at the good guys before they too went kaput.

and actually, the lying continues. places like best buy pressure their employees to sell as if they were on commission which is even worse.

 

[IronWing]

Radio Shack is running radio ads highlighting their financial strength. I remember when Tandy stood at the edge of oblivion.

 

[PrinceofWands]

I've seen it all now...someone used Best Buy and the judgment 'good' in the same sentence. *boggle*

Just because they aren't bankrupt doesn't mean they aren't horrible.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: StumpyX13
There was a article in Time about this like a week back, not sure how accurate it is, but it was interesting.

http://www.time.com/time/busin...0,8599,1858079,00.html

Circuit City still owes $118 million to Hewlett-Packard, its largest vendor, plus $116 million to Samsung and $60 million Sony.

Holy crap.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I've seen it all now...someone used Best Buy and the judgment 'good' in the same sentence. *boggle*

Just because they aren't bankrupt doesn't mean they aren't horrible.

CDs for ten bucks ain't bad. Again, if you're expecting more than stockers and cashiers at BB you only have yourself to blame when you are disappointed.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I've seen it all now...someone used Best Buy and the judgment 'good' in the same sentence. *boggle*

Just because they aren't bankrupt doesn't mean they aren't horrible.

CDs for ten bucks ain't bad. Again, if you're expecting more than stockers and cashiers at BB you only have yourself to blame when you are disappointed.

I hate them much more for the customer service issues. Also, while CD costs may not be bad, most of the other costs are WAY high.

 

[Deeko]

This was a LONG time ago. People in this thread are pointing out recent events - geek squad vs firedog, commissioned sales, laying off higher paid workers (which also happened when they stopped commissioned sales), etc....but the question the OP is posing was long before that. I worked at Circuit City my junior/senior years of high school, along with my freshman year of college. This was circa 2001-2003, so before ANY of those things took place, and already Best Buy was firmly #1, even back then, Circuit City was teetering on falling to #3 behind WalMart.

Reasons why CC failed:
1) They didn't crush Best Buy when they had the chance. Way back when, before I worked there, is the event the OP was talking about (I don't remember the exact year. mid to late 90's sometime). They had them on the ropes, and they basically just let them go. They figured they weren't a big competitor and continued on their merry way, rather than being competitive and driving BB out of business.

2) Since then, they've been reactionary. Rather than trying to innovate, they copy things that Best Buy did 5 years early. For example - getting rid of commission, upgrading their stores to be bigger and brighter (the more best buy-like "warehouse" look), in-store third party vendors like Verizon, Firedog. Its always too little, too late. They never do something fresh and new to draw in costumers, they're just fighting to retain what few they have left

3) Consumer perception. Consumers consider Circuit City to be old, slow, dark, pushy, etc. Even if they've become "best buy-like", even if they've launched dozens of ad campaigns to try to change that image, they haven't been successful in doing so. For example - there are people in this thread posting about commissioned sales. Circuit City has been 100% commission free since 2003.

4) They continually cut their best employees. When they got rid of commission, they gave you your hourly average as your salary. If that average was above a certain amount, they fired you. Basically, they fired all their best sales people! Terrible. Someone posted that they recently did that again. That doesn't work.

5) DIVX. DIVX was a monumental bomb that CC had backed big time.

Its a shame, really. Circuit City carries MUCH better brands than Best Buy for audio equipment, both home and car. I guess I'll have to turn to the internet for that stuff.

 

[dudeman007]

I work in a concept store for Circuit City called "The City"...and if you've ever been to one of those I think your perception of CC would change. The stores are generally much more open, much cleaner, and have a lot more knowledgeable/friendly employees. We have a regular CC nearby and it's a fucking joke.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I dunno about some of the other closing stores, but the one near me had obviously marked up certain products to mark them down. The Harmony remotes were still $15-$20 more expensive, after the 15% price reduction, than the same remotes at the Best Buy across the street (non-sale price). I had been in the same stores a couple weeks before looking at those Harmony remotes too (mine's dying ), and specifically remember them being the same price.

Same shit the local CompUSAs pulled. Anyone else notice the same?

And yeah, the in-store experience noticably changed after their layoffs and remodeling. The atmosphere absolutely wen to crap. Disorganized, stale, unfriendly and unknowledgable staff, etc...

It's still a shame though because I did like some of the alternative/superior brands they carried compared to BestBuy for certain things (especially audio, like Deeko mentioned).

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
I dunno about some of the other closing stores, but the one near me had obviously marked up certain products to mark them down. The Harmony remotes were still $15-$20 more expensive, after the 15% price reduction, than the same remotes at the Best Buy across the street (non-sale price). I had been in the same stores a couple weeks before looking at those Harmony remotes too (mine's dying ), and specifically remember them being the same price.

Same shit the local CompUSAs pulled. Anyone else notice the same?

And yeah, the in-store experience noticably changed after their layoffs and remodeling. The atmosphere absolutely wen to crap. Disorganized, stale, unfriendly and unknowledgable staff, etc...

It's still a shame though because I did like some of the alternative/superior brands they carried compared to BestBuy for certain things (especially audio, like Deeko mentioned).

Yes, I noticed the same 2 weeks ago. I went to get a UPS for my pc. I checked their website, and the one I wanted was $50. When I got to the store, I was shocked to see that it was $70, and that was with 10% off. I won't be going back.

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
I dunno about some of the other closing stores, but the one near me had obviously marked up certain products to mark them down. The Harmony remotes were still $15-$20 more expensive, after the 15% price reduction, than the same remotes at the Best Buy across the street (non-sale price). I had been in the same stores a couple weeks before looking at those Harmony remotes too (mine's dying ), and specifically remember them being the same price.

Same shit the local CompUSAs pulled. Anyone else notice the same?

And yeah, the in-store experience noticably changed after their layoffs and remodeling. The atmosphere absolutely wen to crap. Disorganized, stale, unfriendly and unknowledgable staff, etc...

It's still a shame though because I did like some of the alternative/superior brands they carried compared to BestBuy for certain things (especially audio, like Deeko mentioned).

Yes, I noticed the same 2 weeks ago. I went to get a UPS for my pc. I checked their website, and the one I wanted was $50. When I got to the store, I was shocked to see that it was $70, and that was with 10% off. I won't be going back.

Same - A couple months ago, an external HD i was buying as a gift showed up on the website at 89.99 which was 10 bucks cheaper than BB and I couldn't wait to get it shipped. Purchase online, pick up in store wasn't an option but whatever I was going to have to go to the store anyway and it wouldn't really save that much time. What the hell, I'll give CC a try if it's cheaper.

I went, and in store it was 99.99. I was upset, brought it up with the sales person who told me he'd get a manager, who never came. Some other sales associate said that's just the way it is. After a ten minute wait I said fuck it and just bought it and left.

Later when I got home, I was pissed off enough to email Customer Service through their contact us page and didn't even get a reply.

The salt on the wound is they started advertising the whole "the price you see online is the price you pay in store" campaign a few weeks later. Whatever, I'm never shopping there again.

 

[foghorn67]

I liked ordering stuff on the web and picking it up there. They did that before BB.
The CC's around my area aren't bad. I prefer them to BB.
The BB's in my experience are filled with HS/college kids that care more about gossip than answering my questions. Every time I approach someone, they are in pairs or groups. All they do is talk, talk talk. Sometimes I would wait to see how long it would take for them to stop talking and notice someone was there. Most of the time I politely butt in, because they are fucking oblivious.
Also, whenever there is female helping me, some insecure dude would butt in from out of nowhere. Look dude, I ain't picking up on her, stop trying to cockblock.

So if you are at BB, and need prompt service. Just walk to the closest female wearing a blue/yellow shirt.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
I dunno about some of the other closing stores, but the one near me had obviously marked up certain products to mark them down. The Harmony remotes were still $15-$20 more expensive, after the 15% price reduction, than the same remotes at the Best Buy across the street (non-sale price). I had been in the same stores a couple weeks before looking at those Harmony remotes too (mine's dying ), and specifically remember them being the same price.

Same shit the local CompUSAs pulled. Anyone else notice the same?

And yeah, the in-store experience noticably changed after their layoffs and remodeling. The atmosphere absolutely wen to crap. Disorganized, stale, unfriendly and unknowledgable staff, etc...

It's still a shame though because I did like some of the alternative/superior brands they carried compared to BestBuy for certain things (especially audio, like Deeko mentioned).

Yes, I noticed the same 2 weeks ago. I went to get a UPS for my pc. I checked their website, and the one I wanted was $50. When I got to the store, I was shocked to see that it was $70, and that was with 10% off. I won't be going back.

They probably brought in a liquidation company to do it (think of the homeless guys on the street corners with the yellow signs). Every one of the stores that brings in a company like this marks UP prices over what they were pre-liquidation only to put a discount to bring it back to parity and make you think you are getting a deal. And sadly masses of brain dead "bargain shoppers" that see % off instead of net dollar amount fall for it.