Apparently Circuit City isn’t doing well. And to fix things they’ve decided to lay off 3,400 “high paid” clerks. High paid means anywhere from $8-15. Once they’re laid off, they will be replaced with lower paid clerks. Brilliant.
I wonder how much in bonuses Circuit City executives are paid? But did they cut these?
I worked at Circuit City when I was in college. It paid well, and my co-workers were sales professionals; mostly men, well dressed, articulate men that knew the products they sold. What did Circuit City do? They replaced this highly qualified staff in the late nineties with low-wage workers with little training and where product knowledge is not as important as taking the order. And now it’s time to take on the low paid worker?
It is particularly galling that they trying to right their company (and stock price) on the backs of people who are barely making the minimum wage. I have an idea – how about selling more products? Cutting executive perks? Cutting customer service is not the way to increased sales. But it is the way to increased stock prices, which of course went up when this news broke.
So I will not be shopping at Circuit City, and neither should you. Any company that so blatantly builds profits on the backs of the poor, doesn’t deserve your patronage.
That’s capitalism. What are you, a pink-o?
Just kidding.
I don’t think I’ve ever made a single purchase at a Circuit City, so I feel that I’m on the forefront of this boycott. Down with Circuit City!
I needed a new phone for my apartment, and checked all over creation for something I could afford. Finally found a two handset deal on CircuitCity.com for $19. I was thanking the heavens for this (and thinking it was an information input error, as that same set-up was $79 everywhere else.) As my phone was in death throes, I did their “order online, pick up at the store in 24 minutes” deal. Made the order, got the confirmation from the store that my stuff was waiting for me, and I trekked up the road. Got there and was told, “Oh we called you a couple of minutes ago. You should have stayed at home. We don’t actually have that here. You can drive 20 minutes to another location, though.” When I insisted on my $24 gift card for the inconvenience, the manager treated me like crapola. But I stood my ground and got my card (and the phone was delivered to me, gratis, thanks to the card.) But now, I figure that $24 came out of the pocket of some “overpaid” clerk. Never again. Never, never.
We used to buy all our electronics from Circuit City. We were happy with the service and with the well-informed sales staff. Then we went shopping for a new computer and needed to look at a small stereo for one of the kids. We couldn’t get waited on, and when we finally did, the lady was clueless. We went down the road to Best Buy, and I spent over $1600 on a computer and Bose sound system. Believe me — we don’t plan to cross the threshhold of another Circuit City! ~ Jim
Excellent opinion poll on the Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo/circuit_city_cuts_3_400_overpaid
Well, crap. I haven’t been shopping at Best Buy since they’re big Republican donors. Just yesterday I spent a couple hundred bucks at Circuit City (where it took me about 10 minutes to track down someone to answer my questions). If only I’d read your blog first! Now where’s a good place to buy electronics?
Man – you’re killing me. I already can’t go to Dominoes Pizza – I don’t think I can not go to Best Buy. I should buy online more – although you never know that who you’re buying from isn’t trying to rebuild Nazi Germany.