Saturday, January 17, 2009

Hard To Sympathize

Remember a couple or three years back when Circuit City fired all its veteran (read "higher paid") employees to fatten those executive bonuses? Didn't work out too well, eh? As a heavy duty consumer of all sorts of electronic gadgetry, why would I buy from a retail store of any kind when Amazon, among others, can beat the snot out of anyone on price? Only one real reason: customer service, which you can't get from minimum wage trainees (I can read the damn manual and I wouldn't be bothering you if were not some sort of issue not covered in the manual or on the device's website.) I have my eye on a Sony XBR 52" LCD and when the price drops just a bit more, I'll be at my local Radio Shack plunking down the green. Why? When I could order it for hundreds less from Amazon or Best Buy? Simple-- this is an expensive purchase, it's big, bulky and heavy, and the guys that work there will haul it to my house and install it as part of the purchase price. Plus, I know all them and I know where they live. All Circuit City ever tried to do to everyone I know is jack them into a multiyear, high priced and usually unnecessay warranty. So, it is hard to sympathize...

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: "Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Circuit City Stores Inc., the bankrupt consumer-electronics chain, starts going-out-of- business sales at its 567 U.S. stores today, the beginning of the end for a retailer that began selling televisions in 1949..."

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