I used to love going in Circuit City, just to see the employees scurry away and act busy, all to avoid so much as greeting me. God help you if you need help in that forsaken store...

True story: My partner and I went in to look at new monitors for his desktop. We'd found an Acer model on newegg.com that was cheaper at CC, so we went in and took a look at it. After sitting there, staring at the monitor for 15 minutes, and several attempts to flag down employees who apparently "didn't work in this department and don't know where monitors are", I decided to climb up the damn wall and take down the display. This IMMEDIATELY got someone's attention, who yelled across the store for me to get down, and that someone would be right with us. Some kid, not even in uniform, hands us a "ticket" and tells us we can pick it up at the desk in a few minutes. When we went to check out, an extremely foul-mouthed employee took our order, refused to sell us an extended guarantee since he didn't know how (his words: "This piece'o'sheeeit computer don't give me that fuckin' option") and handed us the monitor. I haven't been back since, and don't plan on it.

philbert

@frigg: Despite reorganization worries, Ballbuster begins offering the best video rental service available, orbitally dropping rented movies through your rooftop just minutes after ordering them online. Ballbuster and roofing stocks skyrocket.

Griffehpoo

Circus will survive by closing a bunch of stores. Blockbuster??? Hmmmmm I dunno. I have heard of this thing called the internet and videos you can download.

originalgermy

@kumuasata: Dont worry, I read that at first too.

Simpsons-Movie-ruled

@kumuasata:

only reason best buy would want CC around here would be if they wanted to be like starbucks with stores across the street from each other.

we all see how well thats working out.

endless

Ball Aerospace buys Blockbuster, renames company Ballbuster.

frigg

For a second I thought you wrote "Best Buy".

I'm like MONOPOLY WHAT? lol

kumuasata

"What could have been and awesome two-fron"

an**

l4crosse

First Fretter, then Suns, now CC :)

Earthslide

game over for CC?

this can't be good news for them...

endless

What do you get when one big, crappy company buys another big, crappy company? A Ginormous pile of crappy company.

The flip side to the merger would have been one about-to-die dinosaur company instead of two.

wildness

circuit city is great is you are spending over $1000 dollars, if you have alot of money to spend they are more then willing to help, but if you are not there to break the bank, your on your own. When i bought my plasma screen, i had like 5 sales reps around me, telling me about it and running around finding all the accessories i wanted, but when i went to buy a $20 joystick for x-plane, no one wanted to help me at all.

Block Buster is great for kids who love video games, but dont have alot of money. I used to buy the used n64 games from blockbuster for like $1 a game, not bad when the same game was selling at gamestop for $30, and blockbuster promised it worked or my money back.

HawkSkater0

From the inside, I'm just guessing at several layoffs. Places like CC reanimate around christmas time, so if I were you, I'd expect to see tinsel and fake snow comming early as an attempt to get you in the mood.

Our location appears to be doing ok despite news to the contary elsewhere. But then again, alot of my fellow associates were former CompUSA alums. I wonder if they felt this way before CompUSA closed down...

...and for the record, the opinion among them regarding their current home is: "that place sucked, it had to die."

TonyTriple

I like Blockbuster. Also, downloaded HD movies aren't true HD. I like my Blu-ray. I do wish Blockbuster had more Blu-ray movies though.

Circuit City, on the other hand, I never liked. I get the same feeling in there as I do in a Radioshack, like I'm getting ripped off and my a** will hurt tomorrow.

Digo

I don't think I cried this hard over a break-up since Brad left Jen for Angelina and started importing Nike assembly line pieces from certain third world countries.

Wait.

That was in bad taste.

I'm sorry Nike.

doobiebros22

i remember when the wiz closed, they announced they were closing the day after i bought my big expensive tv, and the big expensive wiz warranty for it, which became useless.

HawkSkater0

Seems to me that both of these companies are victims of their own unwillingness (or inability) to change.

Walking into a CC feels like stepping into the past. The lighting in sort of dim, the colors are drab, lowish ceiling (at least the one by me), etc. On the other hand, think about Best Buy, BRIGHT colors, extremely well-lit, high ceilings, etc.

Blockbuster is obvious, "what's with this new fangled internets?", seriously, when management is THAT oblivious to new technologies and business methods the company deserves to die.

oldmanstan

If Compusa can limp around for years I am sure Circuit City will stay alive for a while. Blockbuster however I am not so sure about Netflix is just so much more convient and every day we get closer and closer to a better way to digital transer movies.

taftsearlobe33

@Digo: I get that feeling when ever i buy anything!

HawkSkater0

@philbert: I totally believe it.

Circuit City is hilariously bad. Comically rude to customers.

I hope they get taken over and reorganized to keep Best Buy honest(er) but then if the net can keep the prices down I would say let's molotov every last red box in the country!

rudolphdude

Do people actually still go to Blockbuster?
The place is awful. Clerks that can't help you. A horrible movie selection.
When I was in college I worked at a great large independently owned laserdisc store. This was at a time when DVD was just starting to make a name for itself. After seing the kind of help you could get there from employees who were true movie buffs, and being able to get pretty much any movie you could think of, there is no way I could ever walk into Blockbuster and leave happy.
The last time I went in there, all I saw was walls full of really bad movies, and then a few good movies that were out of stock.

I hope Blockbuster and Circuit City both go out of business.
Shop at independent stores if you want knowledgable and willing help.

suburbancowboy

I still think there may be a glimmer of hope. This may just be a tactic to get a lower price. You know that Circuit City stock will tumble. I think that this deal is one of the only ways for these two companies to survive long term. This could have been an awesome business. Imagine buying a TV and getting a year of free DVD rentals at any block buster or circuit city. Or a year of free game rentals with the purchase of an XBOX, PS3 etc. This could be a major selling point and create quite the revenue stream. After the first year or for a stand alone service they could get a flat rate of $60-70 a year for DVD rentals. Otherwise there will be no blockbuster (dollar a day dvd rental machines will become norm or netflix will domonate) and at the current pace Circuit city will be out of business within 3 years.

matt.d

All dinosaurs will die

EndwaterAngry

On the radio today they said something about how it seemed like a good idea a couple of months ago. I couldn't help but picture a bunch of drunk Blockbuster executives rolling around until one of them chimes up with "Hey, let's by Circuit City!".

wjousts

I'm reminded of this Onion report:
[www.theonion.com]

I love the Onion :)

SgtMac02

CC has restocking fees. What retail store has those? They are dead within 2 years. BB dominates by having bright stores, great prices and selection but without the retarded staff.

slaughter33