Comments on: Op/Ed Inside Circuit City’s implosion

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:07:41 +0000

I’m glad they went out of business Circuit City was a very arrogant company. The use to laugh and snicker at Best Buy in many meetings saying that BB could never beat them in marketshare. Their prices were always 10-15% higher than other retailers and their “extended warranties” were nothing but a rip-off that added almost 40% to their bottom line.Their hiring practices were way to intrusive and their training SUCKED. Good riddance!

All hail Best Buy!!!

By: Marsha Killington

Marsha Killington — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:50:28 +0000

Customer service at CC had gotten so bad by the last couple of years that it was a truly jaw-dropping experience just to witness it. I came to believe that salespeople had been hired at random off the streets and put on the job with no training at all. I suppose CC could be a business-school case study about how to ruin a company.

By: Carmen S.

Carmen S. — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:51:22 +0000

They should’ve revitalized the brand. There was things they could’ve done that would’ve fixed them right up.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:38:21 +0000

I enjoyed this article. It’s all so sad.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:39:02 +0000

Elizabeth,
I worked for Circuit City for over 24 years. I worked very hard over the years for this company and I just didn’t think it would come to this. Call me stupid or call me optomistic – I just didn’t believe it… I have a hard time believing it still. I was planning on retiring in 7 years. I lost 6 figures in stock – really hurts – I know executive management wasn’t doing what was right but I had seen times in the past where we were on a rocky road but we eventually got back on track. I had faith that the new management team would find a way, unfornately we literally ran out of time and money. It is very sad for not only the Circuit City employee but all of it’s loyal customers. I had some great times at Circuit City – many, many good friends. I know I will stay in touch with most of them, I will miss seeing them and working with them on a daily basis. I am currently looking for a job and it is a very difficult time to do so. I wish all my co-workers much success in their future endeavors.

By: gnomc

gnomc — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:03:01 +0000

Elizabeth,

This may have been a surprise to you, but to anyone who took my class in a Richmond business school in the last 3 years, the only surprise was the timing.

As part of my class, students pick companies to analyze. Not the balance sheet, but the management and strategy. The management of Circuit City was so bad, it became the punchline to jokes. More than one student asked why the board didn’t fire (or execute) executive management. My question is why the board didn’t fire themselves.

Perhaps with some distance from your first job and some experience to give you perspective, you will understand why everyone else saw it coming. You and many good employees have learned a lot going down with the ship, and learned it the hard way. Take soem time to reflect on what you saw so that you can recognize the signs when you find your next job and avoid companies with similarly gross incompetance.

And we are learning the price of having a feckless and impotent regulatory system that allows executives to loot the stockholders and employees and suppliers year after year. And we are going to be paying for that lesson for a very long time. While many decry the costs and burdens of a regulatory system, it does nothing more than enforce the rules of the game and ensure that all play fairly. When cheating and self-dealing become rampant, the game collapses and all the players take thier money and go elsewhere.

Perhaps we should all take a business class again.