January 26, 2009 11:36 AM PST

Spying on the Circuit City liquidation sale

by Dan Ackerman
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At the risk of beating a dead horse, we dropped by our local Circuit City store this weekend to see if the oft-derided liquidation sales had picked up any steam. Hopefully, a couple of weeks into the CC death spiral, the discounts would ratchet up and we'd finally see some good deals.

While others have been prevented by store managers from getting actual in-store shots of the liquidation sales, we ninja'd our way through with the help of the iPhone's built-in camera, much as we did when sneaking pics of Wal-Mart's iPhone kiosks.

Many items were still listed at 10-percent off -- and that's 10-percent off the MSRP, not Circuit City's normally discounted prices, a distinction that has been noted repeatedly by reporters and bloggers. A few categories went up to 30-percent off (time to stock up on video game-hint books!), and even the 10-percent is worth checking out for items that normally don't get any kind of list price discount.

Check out the gallery below for a quick survey of what's on sale. We've even tossed in a few direct price comparisons for laptops and video-game gear to test just how liquid this liquidation sale really is.

New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 7 pages (212 Comments)
by choctawfootball January 26, 2009 12:26 PM PST
the circuit city in memphis, tn is only 10% off.

DONT waste your time going there to hunt for bargains bc there aint none to be had.

i will probably go in march to bargain hunt.
Reply to this comment
by iff2mastamatt January 27, 2009 5:36 PM PST
Same in NJ
by hair_doc February 4, 2009 6:41 PM PST
Ditto for Boca Raton FL.
by Pauper_Princess February 5, 2009 8:26 AM PST
Ditto for Michigan as well. Don't waste your time.
by parrotluver1 March 4, 2009 9:03 AM PST
I personally think buying refurbished is the best way to go* I have read many reviews on new items that were problematic* and refurbs have been gone through and many times beefed up better than new!
also many items i have bout at like newegg seem to be opened all ready. I just bought a new sapphire radeon 3870 and it doesn't have the plastic wrapping sealed on the box* so where's the real deals?
let me know please i,m looking for a nice 32-37"lcd T.V cheap midnightrider92@yahoo.com (*_*) :-)
by musicalspirit March 22, 2009 10:14 PM PDT
Ditto in Ohio, I know this may be a dead horse, but by having a son who worked for Office Depot, when they pulled a lot of stores out of Ohio, he has told me that the inventory has already been bought by a liquidator, left in the local stores, prices won't hit rock bottom until later this year, much later.
And as for buying refurbished, maybe, as long as it isn't RCA. I bought a "refurb" RCA TV from wallyworld, and within 2 months I was left with a dead tv. Thank heaven for doing an internship at a tv shop for my electronics degree. I also bought an RCA "home theater system", (which I do believe was a referb) has a tendency not to play dvds.
by fcg1502 January 26, 2009 12:42 PM PST
I went this weekend to see if I could buy a floor model of a TV but was told by a couple people that they couldn't do that, even after the inventory was all sold off. I went last week and someone told me the exact opposite, that I could buy the floor model at an even bigger discount as long as the inventory was all sold. There was a 26" Toshiba that I saw that was pretty inexpensive, and after finding out that I couldn't buy the floor model, and after searching for the TV on sites like Newegg and Tigerdirect while at the store, I determined that their price was right in line with what the TV should cost. So I just decided to get it seeing as how I wouldn't be able to get it at a better price elsewhere. Well, when I signed into my e-mail this morning, I had a flyer from Tigerdirect, and of course the same TV was listed in there at $40 less than what I paid for it! So I'd say that unless you're getting game cheat books or accesories like the uthor mentioned, you're going to be getting any sort of deals on much else.
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by jennytalia January 27, 2009 10:31 AM PST
Be very wary of floor model TV's. Apart from the fact that they've been poked and prodded by everone and their granny (think kids with ice creams), they have effectively been running for 12 hours a day 7 days a week for who knows how long.

What that means is that you'll have lost some of the running hours "life". Yes it shouldn't be significant - but do you really know/trust how much you've lost???

If you're taking that gamble, make sure it's a decent discount to compensate.
by shopkins82 January 26, 2009 12:56 PM PST
We lost our CC in the first round of closures back in Nov/Dec... even the last few days before closure the discounts were capping at 40-50% off MSRP, and by that time the pickings were very slim. I assumed that much of the easily transferable stock (DVDs, Video Games, Computer Software) would be sent to other stores remaining open.

Last week I was traveling on business and stopped by a store being completely liquidated... I expected the deals would be better than my home store which closed before liquidation. I was shocked that the deals were in the 10% range, sometimes a bit more on floor stock, and the few items I was eying were far less expensive from reputable online dealers and items at the upper-end of CC's line were cheaper at places like Ultimate Audio-Video and even Best Buy Magnolia.
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by planblove January 26, 2009 1:01 PM PST
10% off MSRP is not a deal. Thats not undercutting anybody. The liquidation company is going to squeeze every last drop of money they can get out the leftover inventory. But eventually they will drop the prices further, they'll have to.
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by techie-worker January 30, 2009 1:15 PM PST
I agree...

Totally different but Linens and Things was very similar in that respect. For the first few weeks the "sales" were terrible...but once it came down to the end, things were like 50%-85% off...
by andrew_reese January 26, 2009 1:32 PM PST
I work at Circuit City. It's true that the liquidation is not really worth its discount! However people need to keep in mind that it's not City that's in charge of pricing things. The liquidator now owns all the inventory, and they don't discount for stuff being a floor model... sorry! But I've noticed that some of our TV's at 15% are better deals than @ Best Buy.. it just depends on the model really... same as always. It's just fun to see everyone coming in to get "deals" when its not really a deal, complaining about prices... and we tell them well you should've come in when we were still in business!!! ...
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by DarkHawke January 27, 2009 12:29 AM PST
...'cept the prices weren't much better then. Best of luck with the job search, though. Never a fun thing, but it can only bite more these days.
by 1kingsfan January 27, 2009 2:30 PM PST
I too work at Circuit City....until recent events I was the Home Entertainment Dept. Manager....and I can tell you NOTHING in our store is worth the discount. I tell every single customer in my department to go shop at Worst Buy or Frys...seriously, they'll be doing it in 2 months anyhow....and not being able to price match just makes it that much easier to turn someone away. I just recently sold our display Samsung 850 for almost $600 MORE than what I sold one for 3 weeks ago. Pathetic.....Circuit City doesn't exist anymore....we're owned and operated by the liquidators and all they care about is getting the most money for every single item....customer service doesn't exist.....looks like we're just like Worst Buy after all huh andrew? :-)
by hevnz2mergatroid January 26, 2009 1:54 PM PST
Rest in Peace CC. Another one bites the dust. The poor ailing economy in addition to the already poor management was the kiss of death. Online retailers also gave the choke hold, especially on large screen TVs.

Yes I worked for an electronics store many years back that got liquidated (in fact, it got liquidated because Circuit City was expanding to the New England area at the time) and they only start discounting off the MSRP and NOT off the actual sale prices. Oddly enough, a lot of clueless customers bought at these prices and there was nothing left when everything got really discounted. I laugh at what some people perceive as a deal. I think people go crazy the minute people hear "going out of business" and they think they are going to get the deal of the lifetime right off the bat...

So if you can't get that HDTV at the price you want it for, no worries. Just think that you know what you should have paid for it and not be the moron who bent over to pay more money for it.
Reply to this comment
by etanhorowitz January 26, 2009 2:17 PM PST
I stopped by a Circuit City store in Orlando today and an employee told me that the discounts vary by store. He also said the store is still getting shipments of new merchandise and that will continue through February.

http://bit.ly/GQca

Etan
Reply to this comment
by julieisthebest January 26, 2009 2:28 PM PST
I went by CC yesterday to check things out. I did pick up a video game but only after cruising around to a few different spots that day to price it out. It was still cheaper at CC.

However, I DID hear a LOT of people complaining to the service desk about the (non) discount. I felt so bad for the employees manning the desk. As if working in an electronics store is not thankless enough (I have done it), they are also about to lose their jobs. I don't think getting all uppity with them is going to do you much good, people!
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by Pauper_Princess February 5, 2009 8:35 AM PST
I recently got a video game there as well. I decided to get it, because (a) it was $5 cheaper than BB and wasn't going on sale, and (b) software you generally can't return anyway, so I thought I could take the risk.

However, there were no real "deals" there. It was a total mess and really poorly laid out. I won't miss them.
by Cephalgia February 5, 2009 10:32 PM PST
Those people working at CC during the liquidation aren't usually employees of CC, they're employees of the liquidating firm. Could you imagine how much employees wouldn't care if they knew they couldn't get fired?
by JeffofCCity February 28, 2009 11:38 PM PST
Cephalgia you were very wrong the employees during the liquidation for the most part were still indeed the regular circuit city employees. The only ones that were hired in by the liquidators were the sign holders out side. I know this because I worked until the very end of my store closing. Also to those who are all pissed off that there is no good deals or what ever just think of the raw deal for all the 34,000 employees let go, most with families to support. Since Best buy has next to no competition as far as major retailer look for their prices to go up. Although they them selfs are not doing so hot right now either.
by dadsgm23 January 26, 2009 2:28 PM PST
Stopped by our local Indianapolis store and couldn't find a laptop, netbook, or TV that was really a deal. Walmart and BestBuy beat them hands down. Just have to wait for the Liquidation Company to entend their 20-30% discounts to laptops and TVs.
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by disintegration79 January 27, 2009 5:42 AM PST
Thank you! You just saved me a trip up to Castleton.
by nyolsson January 27, 2009 3:01 PM PST
work at the castleton store....

TVs and Laptops, laptops for sure will not go over 20% MSRP. When CC was a going concern, we constantly sold computers easily at $40+ below cost. There just isn't any margin in the PC industry whatsoever. We made our money through extended warranties, and Firedog Services. Btw, extended warranties are still good, and always have been handled through 3rd party, Assurant Solutions. Don't worry if you have one, its still all gravy baby.

And thank you dadsgm23 for saving me another pointless conversation with another pointless customer (disintegration79) looking for the deal of a lifetime!
by BlitzBoy1120 February 2, 2009 2:01 PM PST
They started liquidating everything at 20% now, it's still not amazingly super, but its better than before.
by Pauper_Princess February 5, 2009 8:37 AM PST
Absolutely. I was able to haggle a MUCH better deal at BB than anything that I saw at CC.
by hblauer February 6, 2009 8:04 AM PST
I went to Circuit City a few days ago for inkjet ink. They actually what I needed at a discount. Not a great discount admittedly but it was cheaper than any other place around, including Walmart and Bestbuy.
by pghcraig1 January 26, 2009 3:11 PM PST
The Liquidators jack up the price because there are people dumb enough to pay it. I don't mean to be rude with that comment, but it is true. Any time any store has ever gone out of business, people always flock in and buy everything at 10% off. Usually this is more than the item was BEFORE the store started liquidating. If people were smart, they would wait till the lowest discount was 30%.

I work across the street from a CC that is being liquidated. You wouldn't believe how many people are coming out of there with the Aerosmith Guitar Hero. Across the street at the game spot, it's half the price!
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by zunyo1 January 26, 2009 3:31 PM PST
So true; 2 wks ago I bought GH III Legends of Rock for $40 at Best Buy. Yestreday, I checked out the local Circuit City and they had it for $69.....ugh.
by sting7k January 26, 2009 3:23 PM PST
Nothing is even on sale yet. Total waste, it's just like any other weekend sales. Come on CC I want some deals before I open up that wallet!
Reply to this comment
by nyolsson January 27, 2009 1:43 PM PST
CC has nothing to do with the prices.

CC is NO LONGER IN BUSINESS!!!!!!!!! Don't believe me? Go to the website and try to purchase something!

CC inventory was purchased by up to and including one of four private equity firms (liquidators)

They set every price, every promotion. Everything! Our store director's immediate boss is the liquidator assigned to each store. Come on Liquidators, is what you meant to say.
by 1kingsfan January 27, 2009 2:35 PM PST
Nyolsson - isn't it pathetic? These bargain hunters aren't doing ANY better than they could have if they actually shopped with us before the liquidation. The best store director I EVER had got moved to another store in our district shortly before the liquidation. We get together once a week and laugh at the people ignorant enough to purchase ANYTHING larger than gaming accessories at the store.......some of my long time customers have also come to pay their respects and say the same thing....weeks....months...and years ago my store had the best prices in town...because we were able to take care of the guests....not anymore....and it's sad.
by nyolsson January 27, 2009 2:51 PM PST
kingsfan--

i hear you. like ive said over and over in these comments, unless your purchasing something that is truly price-locked by bose, apple, MS, sony, etc, like ps3s and ipods and 360s and their respective accessories, you are -- in the most respective manner -- an ignorant consumer. yea you might score a good deal on some blu rays or season dvds (they are 20% off) but for the most part, its not "a deal." and we all know it. sucks you cant clown with your old store director, ours is still here, although or ops manager put in her two weeks...

hope you've got something lined up before the "march 31st" day......
by 1kingsfan January 27, 2009 9:33 PM PST
Amazingly Nyolsson I've had several job offers and every single one so far is willing to let me stay til the end. It's very important to me to be there for my staff that I've grown so accustomed to seeing every single day. I've watched my younger associates grow up, go to college, and get married and have kids in a manner of years. Circuit City was a family and it will be EXTREMELY hard for me to leave many of these people behind. I wish YOU nothing but the absolute best.....anyone who works for Circuit will always have a special place in my heart.
by MrHapyman January 26, 2009 3:42 PM PST
Don't waste your time going to Circuit City for deals. There are no deals just higher prices than you can find at Walmart or online. Huge waste of time. Buying online is really the way to go.
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by bluestar1219 February 5, 2009 12:44 PM PST
so when is wal-fart going under I need some good deals. I like cc I go there all the time and there in a great location and its a shame that they are going unde.
by lokii_0 January 26, 2009 3:59 PM PST
I stopped by two stores, one in the nicer part of town, one in a lousy part of town. The 'nicer' store had the same mediocre discounts (10%) off of most everything, while the store in the lousy part of town had bigger discounts (tvs were already at 15% off) and more inventory especially on higher end items such as tvs and home audio. Just a thought, but if I were buying from CC (which I won't, not for a measly 10% discount on an item which I can never return) I would definitely shop a couple of their stores in my area before making a purchase.
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by fired0328 January 26, 2009 4:42 PM PST
As a former long time employee of circuit city. One of many that was told in March of 2007 that we made too much money and could know longer work for circuit city I could care less if they get anything for the remaining products. The only thing I care about is knowing that the pension check that I have been collecting for the past year and a half is secure. If the company had kept to thier original business model they may still have people who know what they are talking about and thus stay in business. well I guess i have vented enough for. THANKS
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by yahip7 January 26, 2009 5:02 PM PST
I went to CC last weekend and another store the week before (Orlando). I know what most stuff goes for because I own a lot stuff. There are no deals that I saw. The first time I was there the 3 lines were about 35 people deep each. The only exception would be 30% off cables. I asked about the Bose PC speakers system (Companion 5) and was told no discount would be given because of the Bose price-point policy. I checked at the second store and all the Bose products were gone. Any way shop on-line, look for free shipping. Did you know that TigerDirect has a partnership with CompUSA. Ask them about free shipping to the store.
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by nyolsson January 27, 2009 1:46 PM PST
Bose products are discounted respective of their function. Sound docks - 20% Companion series are for computers. anything computer related is typically 10% off.
by xxmjumpman23xx January 26, 2009 7:11 PM PST
I stopped by my local Circuit City and noticed the same things everyone else did. But I was also shocked at the amount of people buying. Everyone had the mentality "Oh they are liquidating, this must be a good price". But a little research shows that other stores have much lower prices. Hold out until items go on sale for more than 10% people!!
Reply to this comment
by KzooPackFan January 26, 2009 7:21 PM PST
I stopped into the CC in Portage, MI this last Sunday. Never saw it so busy. Stuff was marked off 10-30% depending upon what it was. No major deals but a good buy could be found if you looked hard enough.

I bought a iHome ZN9B Clock Radio for my Zune at 20% off retail of $99.00. Had been looking for one of these for a while at a great price. The discount got it lower than I have seen it even on the web.

RIP CC. You didn't always have the best prices or customer service but you did surprise me a few times. I usually didn't buy at CC because they were usually more expensive and lacked stock. How ever I did buy my last computer and an Xbox 360 there because the price was right.
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by jb295 January 26, 2009 7:29 PM PST
1) I dont see why states' attorneys general arent going after this misleading practice. The prices are 10% off MSRP, not off Circuit City's prices. Yes, the liquidators own the stock, but the sign out front still says "circuit city", the employees are the same, in the same uniform, and the receipts still say "circuit city". I saw no indication that the discount was off MSRP, not the ACTUAL prices. Call/write your Consumer Protection Agency/state Office of Attorney General!

2) Too bad CC, went under--their prices were similar to Beast Buy, but had reasonable return policies, which BB is renowned for NOT having.
Reply to this comment
by bbenner January 30, 2009 10:03 AM PST
what ever happened to buy beware? you need someone else o tell you you're getting a deal? that's why you shop around! stop asking others to do things for you and you'll find you can figure things out yourself. also, cc was and always has been a sleazy company. still, i feel bad for all the employees losing their jobs.
by jmullins01 February 3, 2009 1:30 AM PST
Do not write to anyone. Do not waste their time. In 6 weeks it will be completely gone. There will be no one to file your claim unless you want to go to bankruptcy court. Circuit was dissolved, don't split hairs.

I work for circuit city so please If you do go in to a circuit city before we close here are a few things to remember now. 1. Merchandise is everwhere - We have too many customers now and not enough staff to keep things straight. Also no one really is motivated to have a perfect store any longer. We probably have no idea where things are same as you 2. If you are not polite, there will be no service for you. The staff is losing their jobs. We have been pretty much demoted to cashiers also. If you have specific questions about products thats fine, but don't bother looking for a sales pitch. Tell us what you want to buy and be done with it 3. The liquidator has very specific policies about no returns/exhanges or markdowns under any circumstances so there is nothing we can do for you if there are issues. 4. The liquidators are not giving away merchandise. When you complain about the price not being low enough, you just look like an idiot. They are trying to make money, NOT make you happy.
by Pauper_Princess February 5, 2009 9:00 AM PST
To: jmullins01 February 3, 2009 1:30 AM PST

A little bitter, are you? I realize you are probably upset, but there is no reason to be so mean.
by heeroy7 February 23, 2009 10:23 PM PST
Pauper Princess i completely understand how jmullins01 feels and why he feels that way. Everything he said in his reply about how things are at the store is spot on. Now if you were his customer i would like to think that when he tells you these things he is being as respectful as possible.
by jeffsawyer January 26, 2009 10:00 PM PST
It's unfortunate that these sale prices just don't seem like they're really wanting to sale all the merchandise they have yet. There's a ton of stuff they need to sale. Seems like they're just dragging this out way too much... No price match too? That doesn't make sense to me at all. Do you want to sale your stuff or not?
Reply to this comment
by mderby05 January 27, 2009 4:36 AM PST
@jeffsawyer,

Jeff, These liquidation companies have an algorithm for what they do. For the first three weeks, which is their most profitable time of any given liquidation, many consumers who do not typically frequent a Circuit City, (Or linens n' things, or any other venue in a similar situation), will see that "10% off" sticker and go crazy. As a result, they are able to keep up this charade. It is only after the first 3 or 4 weeks that we begin to see what would be considered "regular" Circuit City prices, and after that we really see some excellent deals.
Is this ethical? Arguably, considering that if people would have just had the common sense to hop online and do a price comparison (which some people can do one their phones in store) they would be able to see this, so it helps the liquidators sleep at night. I was at my Florence, KY CC a couple of days ago, and an associate flat out told me that the prices were higher than he had ever known them to be, yet people were still eating these "clearance" prices up. What a joke.
by nyolsson January 27, 2009 2:11 PM PST
You can't even really argue ethics in a liquidation sale. It's not like a former CC location is the ONLY place to purchase electronics. As everyone has commented, there are atleast 5 brick and mortar locations that offer the exact same products. BB, Walmart, hell Office Max and Depot, Gamespot, Blockbuster, not to mention online retailers like ZipZoomFly, NewEgg, TigerDirect, Amazon.com..... If consumers are willing to spend a certain amount on an item they want, So be it! That is called Capitalism!

If you want a deal, buy something from a former CC location that are truly price-locked by Microsoft, Sony, Etc. wherever you look. iPods, Xbox 360s, PS3, video game accessories, Bose items....
by heeroy7 February 23, 2009 10:27 PM PST
Jeff is you were selling your home for $150,000 would you sell it to me for less then your asking price? probably not considering that there is SOMEONE who is willing to pay your asking price! No price match because CC is not CC anymore its what ever liquidation company bought the merchandise which means they set the rules now. There job is to make money not make customers happy!
by psu_jedi January 27, 2009 7:16 AM PST
Since companies like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo generally control the pricing of their gaming products, the 20% off that Circuit City is currently running on all video games and accessories is a true bargain. Case in point, I picked up Guitar Hero World Tour complete set (video game, drums, microphone, guitar) for $150, which is usually marked at $190. Even at Costco I saw this for $175, so it's a good deal.
Reply to this comment
by dragontsd January 27, 2009 7:19 PM PST
109 at amazon.
by LinePlanVolume February 22, 2009 10:52 PM PST
$3.50 on ebay
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