re: Circuit City to be liquidated

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You know, now that you frame this dialogue in that manner, I'm inclined to kick my own arse...

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Can you video it? That would be some funny shite.

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played Guitar Hero for the first time back in 2006. It's pretty fun, although I tend to get a little dizzy from watching the scrolling for too long. As a guitar player, I was pleasantly surprised at the interface they came up with, although at times, I felt disadvantaged by actually knowing how to play a real guitar.

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Ditto. That was my exact review of the game. Pretty damn fun, though.

Definitelay not - now it says:

Circuit City would like to thank all of the customers who have shopped with us over the past 60 years. Unfortunately, we announced on January 16, 2009, that we are going out of business.

Please check back later for updates about the status of our website. In the meantime, we hope the information below will help answer most of your questions.
What's going on at Circuit City?

* Due to challenges to our business and the continued bleak economic environment, Circuit City is going out of business and the company's assets will be liquidated to pay off creditors.
* The process was extremely difficult and we were left with no other choice but to liquidate. Circuit City had a proud heritage of serving the public for 60 years and we deeply regret the impact this decision will have on our associates, our customers and the communities where we have operated stores and other facilities.
* We had hoped to be able to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as a stronger, more competitive company and we made significant progress during the reorganization to improve our business. Unfortunately, the economic climate is so poor that we have no choice other than liquidation.
* Liquidators will start arriving in our 567 stores across the U.S. over the weekend, and closing sales will start as early as Saturday, January 17. Closing sales will run as long as it takes to sell existing inventory, but are expected to wrap up by the end of March. When the liquidation sales are completed, the stores will be closed.
* At the company's corporate offices in Richmond, Virginia, a small staff will remain on duty during the completion of the liquidation process; most associates will be relieved of their duties immediately.
* Consistent with federal labor laws, Circuit City associates are receiving 60-days notice of the termination of their employment. Those who stay on to help with the liquidation, of course, will receive pay and benefits. Those who are dismissed earlier will be receiving pay and benefits for the 60-day period beginning January 16, 2009.
* Associates at our company headquarters will be asked to come back on Monday, January 19, to find out more about their status and to retrieve their personal belongings.

Are you also shutting down your operations in Canada?

* No, our Canadian operations will continue. They are not affected by the liquidation of Circuit City's U.S. operations. The Canadian operations employ approximately 3,000 associates.

How many people are losing their jobs as a result of this action?

* Circuit City employs approximately 34,000 associates in the U.S.

Can you provide some background on Circuit City?

* Founded in 1949 as the Wards Company, Circuit City is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. At the time of the liquidation announcement (January 16, 2009), the company operated 567 stores in 153 media markets in the U.S. and approximately 765 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada.
* For a timeline history of the company, go to LINK and click on Company Information.

Will Circuit City stores continue to accept Circuit City gift cards?

* Yes, customers holding Circuit City gift cards may redeem them at full value at our stores during the liquidation sales. Once the stores are closed and the company is out of business, the gift cards will have no value.

Are Circuit City's extended warranties affected by the liquidation?

* No. Circuit City Advantage Protection Plans® (extended warranties) have been backed by third-party independent companies for more than 15 years and as a result, are not impacted by Circuit City's closing.
* Currently, all Circuit City Advantage Protection Plans are fully backed by the Assurant Solutions companies. Assurant Solutions operates as Federal Warranty Service Corporation, Sureway, Inc., and United Service Protection, Inc. Assurant Solutions is part of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), and its extended service contacts are backed by an Assurant insurance subsidiary rated A "Excellent" by A.M. Best Co.

When will the liquidation sales begin?

* Liquidation sales begin as early as Saturday, January 17, 2009, and will last as long as it takes to sell through the merchandise at each of the stores. We expect the sales to wrap up by the end of March 2009.

How much will merchandise be marked down, and can customers negotiate prices for the merchandise?

* There will be clearance pricing, but specific discounts are not being announced. All sale prices are at the discretion of the liquidator. Prices are non-negotiable and all adjustments must be approved by the liquidator's on-site managers.

What payment types will be accepted at the liquidation stores?

* Stores in liquidation will accept cash, Circuit City gift cards and most credit cards. Personal checks will not be accepted. All sales are final.

Will Circuit City's price matching policy or the One Price PromiseSM apply during the liquidation sale?

* Because the liquidation company is in charge of the sales at the closing stores, their policies are in force. So, One Price Promise does not apply during liquidation events, nor does the company's Unbeatable Price Guarantee. All sales are final.

What about returns and refunds?

* Customers can return products they purchased prior to January 16 for a 14-day period for exchange or refunds. All other terms of return policy are in force.
* When closing sales begin on or around January 17, 2009, all sales will be final.

Will delivery service be available for products purchased from liquidation stores?

* No. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide delivery services for products purchased from liquidation stores.

Will Circuit City offer home theater installations during the closing sale?

* Yes, we will continue to offer home theater installations during our closing sales.

Will Circuit City offer PC services and repairs at liquidation stores during the closing sale?

* Services already underway at the liquidation stores will be completed promptly, but no additional jobs will be accepted at these stores.

Will car electronics installations be available at liquidation stores during the closing sale?

* No new car installations will be offered.

Will Circuit City's extended warranties still be available on products purchased from liquidation stores?

* Yes, we're making no changes to our Circuit City Advantage Protection Plans®. Coverage is national and purchases will still be protected just as they always were.
* Circuit City Advantage Protection Plans® have been backed by third-party independent companies for more than 15 years and as a result, are not impacted by Circuit City's bankruptcy or liquidation.
* Currently, all Circuit City Advantage Protection Plans are fully backed by the Assurant Solutions companies. Assurant Solutions operates as Federal Warranty Service Corporation, Sureway, Inc., and United Service Protection, Inc. Assurant Solutions is part of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), and its extended service contacts are backed by an Assurant insurance subsidiary rated A "Excellent" by A.M. Best Co.

What if a customer purchased products at one of the closing stores and the product needs service?

* For products covered under the manufacturer's warranty, customers should call the manufacturer.
* For products covered under Circuit City Advantage®, guests can call the toll-free number that is printed on the bottom of the product receipt.

» Read the press release about Circuit City's liquidation

» Learn more at our investor relations website

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* Founded in 1949 as the Wards Company,

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As in monkey (Montgomery) Wards? interesting.

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The song selection is not nearly as tilted to metal

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Dude, that's a good thing.

Don't expect great deals. Maybe 20%, 35%, then it all goes to resellers.

I'm a former Circuit City "Associate." It was a great job for an 18 yr old. Averaged around $14/hour back in 1999 for playing with electronics.

Sad to see them go...Even though I hardly shop locally these days, when I had to, I much prefered going to Circuit City over Best Buy.

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The song selection is not nearly as tilted to metal

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There definitely needs to be more metal. GH or Rock Band needs some Pantera songs so I fake play some Dimebag squeals.

yeah, i'm good with the warranty.

I had until may of this year.

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Guitar hero is a helluva lot harder. What irks me is that you can use the guitar hero guitar on rockband but not vice versa.

I personally think that rockband has a better music selection, since its more than just metal.

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Pretty spot on.

What makes RB so much better is the download content, there is just so much shite, with new stuff coming out just about every week.

GH doesn't offer much.

But the gameplay is much better and tougher on GH.

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Circuit City stores are going to be open through March: there's little point in having them simply sit there empty thanks to too-big early discounts.

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Interesting.

I was just reading through an article on this in Time on the same stuff (" How Liquidators Profit from Circuit City's Loss"), and it ended with these two paragraphs:

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You also need to time the discounts correctly. The liquidation firms are running against the clock. They can't drop the discounts forever, and the longer the sale lasts, the more expenses it has to pay. How long will they let the $1,300 plasma TVs sit at 10% off? They won't tell the customer, of course. The Great American Group wants you to buy, now, before it's forced to move the discount down to 20%. The customer also has to make some bets. For example, Erickson, the Great American CFO, worked on the liquidation for the Montgomery Ward department stores a few years back. He gave himself a 30% off threshold for a backyard shed. Once the sale dropped that far, he would jump. But all sheds were gone from the store at 20%. "I got screwed on our own sale," he says. (See the top 10 gadgets of 2008.)

At the Lincoln Center Circuit City, Fried is prepared to clear the shelves. In a stockroom, he's got hundreds of additional discount stickers piled up — 40%, 50%, all the way through 80% off. Electronics are rarely discounted as desperately as, say, clothes, so 10-20% deals alone could move the merchandise. According to the liquidation firms, Circuit City sales are beating projections thus far. But with consumer spending so dismal, and so many stores desperate for dollars, Fried might need to shift those stickers to the sales floor. "It used to be that if you were doing a liquidation, you were the only one out there," Fried says. "Now, there's much more competition. You have to be sharper." And ready to sell a 40-inch plasma for chump change.

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Consumer Union also found the Circuit City deals less than stellar so far ( LINK):

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Nonprofit consumer watchdog Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, did a spot check of prices the weekend of Jan. 17-18, immediately after the liquidation sale began. The Washington, D.C.-based organization compared prices at Circuit City with those of competitors and also with prices in Circuit City’s most recent sale flier, which was published before the liquidation began and was not being honored at the stores.

Their findings: “The advertised sale prices were in some cases hundreds of dollars less than what we saw at the liquidation sale on Sunday on E. 14th Street in Manhattan. And in most cases, we found much better savings at Circuit City’s competitors.”

Other issues shoppers should be aware of, according to Consumers Union: All sales are final; the store no longer accepts Circuit City credit cards, personal checks or coupons; and it won’t match competitors’ prices.

The bottom line on liquidation sales, according to Anthony Giorgianni, associate finance editor at Consumer Reports Money Adviser: “As we’ve seen many times, prices often are higher than the best deals you’ll find elsewhere, at least initially. And by the time the liquidator is offering substantial savings, you may find there’s little left worth buying.”

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For the consumer, perhaps the best part of the Circuit City liquidation is that, over the next couple of months, it will eventually force prices down at other big stores.

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