Circuit City fires 3400 employees

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neocisco

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http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2007-03-28-circuit-city-layoffs_N.htm

This is one of several links to be found.

Basically, CC has fired all employees making above a certain amount, depending on their job classification. This is a great idea. Fire the people who work hard enough to earn raises and make more money then replace them with someone at a lower wage who is most likely to be less responsible. CC will get what they pay for. CC is referring to the firings as "separations". That really takes the sting out of it.:roll: If some of you didn't like the service at CC before it's only going to get worse. I saw 8 friends lose their jobs today and to say I'm livid would be an understatement. Demolition Man, DuoMaxwell and anybody who works for CC, I hope you survived the purge. I did but just barely.
 
technically and as the article itself indicates, firing people enmasse really is considered to be a layoff.
a person being fired is usually asked to leave immediately and i doubt they are removing 3400 people immediately without having a significant amount to replace them.
 
[quote name='Arakias']technically and as the article itself indicates, firing people enmasse really is considered to be a layoff.
a person being fired is usually asked to leave immediately and i doubt they are removing 3400 people immediately without having a significant amount to replace them.[/quote]

All of these people were terminated this morning. It's been done. There will be some hiring done but it won't be anywhere near 3400.
 
[quote name='neocisco']http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2007-03-28-circuit-city-layoffs_N.htm

This is one of several links to be found.

Basically, CC has fired all employees making above a certain amount, depending on their job classification. This is a great idea. Fire the people who work hard enough to earn raises and make more money then replace them with someone at a lower wage who is most likely to be less responsible. CC will get what they pay for. CC is referring to the firings as "separations". That really takes the sting out of it.:roll: If some of you didn't like the service at CC before it's only going to get worse. I saw 8 friends lose their jobs today and to say I'm livid would be an understatement. Demolition Man, DuoMaxwell and anybody who works for CC, I hope you survived the purge. I did but just barely.[/quote]

Does that mean you're going to work just hard enough to get by but not hard enough to merit a raise?

What also sucks is you found out a lot of people are were making more money than you are.
 
Wow. Just wow. I went to CC the other day and the customer service and number of employees already is atrocious. I love the store setup as well as their deals, but finding someone to ring you up can take several minutes even though there are designated cash registers- they're COMPLETELY devoid of workers half the time, and if there are cashiers there's only one when there's like 5 registers! This is a step in the wrong direction for them. I think it's only a matter of time before they go down the tubes now. I thought they were working themselves back up, but I was wrong.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Wow. Just wow. I went to CC the other day and the customer service and number of employees already is atrocious. I love the store setup as well as their deals, but finding someone to ring you up can take several minutes even though there are designated cash registers- they're COMPLETELY devoid of workers half the time! This is a step in the wrong direction for them. I think it's only a matter of time before they go down the tubes now. I thought they were working themselves back up, but I was wrong.[/quote]

They might just close over half of their stores like Compusa, as their next strategy to cut costs... That is if this one fails :D
 
[quote name='michaema']They might just close over half of their stores like Compusa, as their next strategy to cut costs... That is if this one fails :D[/QUOTE]
Thing is is that Compusa was completely worthless. CC is a great store with great deals, they just have some retards in upper management who want to screw it all up and let Best Buy basically control the national electronic big-box store industry.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Wow. Just wow. I went to CC the other day and the customer service and number of employees already is atrocious. I love the store setup as well as their deals, but finding someone to ring you up can take several minutes even though there are designated cash registers- they're COMPLETELY devoid of workers half the time, and if there are cashiers there's only one when there's like 5 registers! This is a step in the wrong direction for them. I think it's only a matter of time before they go down the tubes now. I thought they were working themselves back up, but I was wrong.[/QUOTE]

Haha, our CC always has a cashier, but it's always ONE cashier and like 5 or 6 empty registers. No matter how busy it gets, it's always one cashier. Same with customer service, there is just one employee there, always.

Circuit City could have saved some money by just building one register per store instead of six ;)

It was hard enough finding an employee already, I can't imagine what it's going to be like now.
 
[quote name='neocisco']
Basically, CC has fired all employees making above a certain amount, depending on their job classification. This is a great idea. Fire the people who work hard enough to earn raises and make more money then replace them with someone at a lower wage who is most likely to be less responsible.[/QUOTE]

Thats called a layoff. It happens every now and then. Companies do it as an easy way to clear some room for profits.

It sucks but thats the way it is.
 
[quote name='H-Town Info']wow, CC is stumbling and folding before our eyes[/quote]

Another slow demise. This is strikingly similar to what happened at CompUSA. I had friends there that were in upper management/jobs that actually require money and slowly one by one through store closures and then subsequent lay-offs/firings they were all let go and look at the company now. I met one of them actually recently and he's doing very well as a teacher at least.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']
Circuit City could have saved some money by just building one register per store instead of six ;)
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I really don't get their logic behind building like 5 registers only to have one person working at them at once. I have NEVER seen more than one person working the registers, and often there's NO ONE working the registers and instead you need to go to customer service to ring you up. I have seen several workers at customer service, though. Makes you wonder why not at least a couple of them aren't at the registers, which SHOULD be busier than customer service.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Haha, our CC always has a cashier, but it's always ONE cashier and like 5 or 6 empty registers. No matter how busy it gets, it's always one cashier. Same with customer service, there is just one employee there, always.

Circuit City could have saved some money by just building one register per store instead of six ;)

It was hard enough finding an employee already, I can't imagine what it's going to be like now.[/QUOTE]

Organization is their other big fault. I bet they lose a ton of sales solely because it is a bitch to find anything in their store. They may have better prices, but half the time I can't ever find what I am looking for unless they have it in a bin.
 
This is how almost every one of my Circuit City shopping experiences plays out:

"Do you have Simpsons Season 6?"
"You see it on the shelf?"
"Well, no, but only because nothing is in alphabetical order, and you have some TV shows mixed in with the movies. Can you look it up on the computer?"
Long pause.
"It says we have some in the back."
Longer pause.
"Can I buy one of those?"
"Oh, yeah, sure."
Long wait, the fear that she's never returning sets in, and then she does.
"Great, can I check out he-"
She's gone. No employees in sight.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Haha, our CC always has a cashier, but it's always ONE cashier and like 5 or 6 empty registers. No matter how busy it gets, it's always one cashier. Same with customer service, there is just one employee there, always.

Circuit City could have saved some money by just building one register per store instead of six ;)

It was hard enough finding an employee already, I can't imagine what it's going to be like now.[/quote]

Shit you guys are lucky, the CC i go to, usually has no registers open and makes you purchase at customer service, where of course you have to wait behind all the people returning and exchanging stuff and arguing with Customer Service. Maybe I just pick the wrong times to go.

*EDIT*
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Yeah, I really don't get their logic behind building like 5 registers only to have one person working at them at once. I have NEVER seen more than one person working the registers, and often there's NO ONE working the registers and instead you need to go to customer service to ring you up. I have seen several workers at customer service, though. Makes you wonder why not at least a couple of them aren't at the registers, which SHOULD be busier than customer service.[/quote]

Sounds like we have the same experience
 
karl-marx-MED.jpg

"What did I tell you kids? WHAT DID I TELL YOU???"

;)
 
[quote name='michaema']Shit you guys are lucky, the CC i go to, usually has no registers open and makes you purchase at customer service, where of course you have to wait behind all the people returning and exchanging stuff and arguing with Customer Service. Maybe I just pick the wrong times to go.[/quote]

Mine is the same way. The only register that is staffed is the one they use at the customer service desk. Waiting on line there takes forever.
 
I really can't believe that CC has no inventory system that can tell what they have instock, yet I can go to there online web site and bam, it will tell me if that store has the product I want. I really would not be surprise if this is the first step in there eventual store closures.
 
[quote name='CaseyRyback']Organization is their other big fault. I bet they lose a ton of sales solely because it is a bitch to find anything in their store. They may have better prices, but half the time I can't ever find what I am looking for unless they have it in a bin.[/QUOTE]

I love how they don't offer in-store pickup on DVD's and games simply because they would NEVER EVER find it within the allotted 24 minutes.

I always take CC's ad to Best Buy now.
 
[quote name='thoughtmecca']This is how almost every one of my Circuit City shopping experiences plays out:

"Do you have Simpsons Season 6?"
"You see it on the shelf?"
"Well, no, but only because nothing is in alphabetical order, and you have some TV shows mixed in with the movies. Can you look it up on the computer?"
Long pause.
"It says we have some in the back."
Longer pause.
"Can I buy one of those?"
"Oh, yeah, sure."
Long wait, the fear that she's never returning sets in, and then she does.
"Great, can I check out he-"
She's gone. No employees in sight.[/quote]

[quote name='javeryh']Mine is the same way. The only register that is staffed is the one they use at the customer service desk. Waiting on line there takes forever.[/quote]

Same thing here. I don't mind their store and they have some awesome deals, but the employees are klutzes and you can never find anything. not only that, but BB beats them in the computer parts/hardware arena and of course Fry's beats both of them.
 
Every CC I've been in has like one register open, but about 5-6 clerks standing around doing nothing but talking to each other and/or watching the TVs.
 
[quote name='Strell']Every CC I've been in has like one register open, but about 5-6 clerks standing around doing nothing but talking to each other and/or watching the TVs.[/QUOTE]


Yup.
 
[quote name='michaema']
Sounds like we have the same experience[/QUOTE]
Sad thing is we're on opposite ends of the country but the bullshit is the same everywhere. Is it written in the corporate handbook to only have zero or one registers open at once and force customers to be rung up at customer service? Is there any advantage to this for the company? I mean, WTF?

And the real kicker is that at the local CC, they have a separate area set aside in the middle of the store for Verizon to sell their wares. And this little area has more people on the floor and more people ringing people up than the entirety of the rest of the store. There's a ton of people just shooting the shit in this area. Yet of course they're not really part of CC itself so they can't help out in the other areas if needed. It's really fucking mind-boggling to see the huge difference in the same store, it's just handled by different people.
 
They did something similar to this when I worked at CC about 4 years ago. They switched from commissions to a set hourly wage. All of the best sellers were told that they would not make near to what they used to, therefore they would be taking a pay cut or leaving.

Many left. So CC ended up with a poorer sales staff. It didn't make a whole lot of sense...
 
Wow...Best buy is getting better than Circuit City in terms of customer service. Thats really sad....
 
[quote name='Xevious']Wow...Best buy is getting better than Circuit City in terms of customer service. Thats really sad....[/quote] I hate BB and much prefer CC, but at least BB has people at registers at all times (even if it's only 2 people) and has a decent amount of people around shooting the shit if people need help, even if the employees are often of no help. Idiotic bodies are better than no bodies.

But honestly, when I DO encounter an employee at CC, they are almost always more courteous and helpful than the dolts at BB. They will ask about a warranty once and then not mention it again if you say you're not interested. The problem is finding an employee.

Also, not really related, but the last time I was at the local CC, this obese woman was buying CANDY AND ONLY CANDY (a good amount of it, too) at the customer service desk (as no registers were open) and holding up the line. What the fuck??????? I can see buying one candy bar when you purchase something for the ride home, but she was buying a ridiculous amount considering it's CIRCUIT fuckING CITY and I'm sure it's a lot more expensive there for candy anyway.
 
[quote name='Strell']Just give me price scanners at any store and a self-checkout line.

There. Problem solved.[/QUOTE]
I'm sure electronics stores will never do this until the technology is more advanced and secure. You'd probably get a shitload of people just walking out with stuff. There's less risk at a grocery store since people seem a lot more willing to steal some DVDs than lettuce.
 
[quote name='ImmortalfWd']What's fucked up with this is that the employees can reapply in 10 weeks for their same positions, but would have to take a lower wage.[/QUOTE]
That is fucked up. It almost sounds like it should be illegal, though it obviously isn't.
 
Hey glad to hear someone else as livid as I am. I saw a couple people at my store canned. But the one that stung the worst is the lead for our new "FLOW" team. neociso..your store hasn't started that yet has it? Or do you know about it at all?Just want to get you Thoughts on it. But they just brought us up with this new job team and this guy bustin his ass to get it running gets canned this morning. Complete fuckin bullshit if you ask me. Sorry for the rant just venting.

bill123
 
Hate to be the one to say it, but it only gets a lot worse when you move into more traditional "careers." Worse because the stakes are higher in terms of your financial and healthcare needs and increasing age and also because the screw tends to be harder.

Would be nice to get the term "general strike" back into the English language.
 
[quote name='ImmortalfWd']What's fucked up with this is that the employees can reapply in 10 weeks for their same positions, but would have to take a lower wage.[/QUOTE]

I was a manager at K-Mart, and when I got laid off, I was told I could re-apply within 8 weeks I believe, and even though I wouldn't get the same position, they could probably give me a cashier position but they'd also have to bump me all the way down to minimum wage.

That was insulting.
 
With the registers, I have noticed at the older CC's, I always have to check out at the customer service desk but at the newer ones they usually have 1 register open. I hate how they have 1 line for returns, in store pick ups and checking out since it's usually 1 or 2 employees there and it can take a while in line but their clearance game deals can't (or couldn't since this new $16.96 price level and not dropping isn't so hot)
 
[quote name='mykevermin']
karl-marx-MED.jpg

"What did I tell you kids? WHAT DID I TELL YOU???"

;)[/quote]

We took the bus to the anarchist book fair.
I left the hybrid at home.
I scored an extremely rare, signed copy of the communist manifesto.
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']With the registers, I have noticed at the older CC's, I always have to check out at the customer service desk but at the newer ones they usually have 1 register open. I hate how they have 1 line for returns, in store pick ups and checking out since it's usually 1 or 2 employees there and it can take a while in line but their clearance game deals can't (or couldn't since this new $16.96 price level and not dropping isn't so hot)[/QUOTE]
Mine is a new-design CC and they STILL don't have any registers open half the time.
 
I survivied, but people who make not that much more than I do didn't. It's also good to see the fellow CC CAGs still have jobs, though I think we still await word on Demolition Man. Actually, they fired over 3500 if you count the IT guys who's jobs will no doubt get outsourced. To bone your employees like this is maddening, and needless to say morale at the store is not that high right now. I even feel like quitting just as a show of support, but sadly I'm not that brave and I am powerless in the face of evil. What I like is that from the news reports there's almost no analysts who concurs this is a good idea, even for the long term. I have yet to encounter anyone except people who came up with the idea think it's a good one. The joke going around today was that we all should be a bunch of screwups at our jobs so we don't axed, becuase doing well and earning money will get you fired.

Oh and I get that companies have to these things, but there was absolutely no notice and no real precedence for this. And there's yet another kick in the chops. I came in at 2, well after the meeting (which no one was told about) but I happen to notice we had someone from HR around today in the store. Not once did they talk to me and I didn't see her talk to any other employees, just managers. Now you may wonder how many managers got axed? (3 guesses, the first 2 don't count). So it's lovely to see people representing corprate come in and essentially fire our co-workers and friends, rape whatever little teamwork or comrodery (sp?) we built, destroy any shred of worker morale, and then not say anything to us the whole day. They didn't ask me what I thought, explain the reasons why or give any details, didn't even ask how I was doing, or what my fucking name was. They didn't even bring it up to me, I heard it from my friend about 3 or 4 mins after I got there. That's pretty damn messed up to me...
 
I didn't realize everyone's CC had the same shitty one cashier setup. I used to work there and would try and do my best to satisfy customers. No one would ever get the games from the back and put them in the case until about 2-3 weeks later ( I couldn't do it and my manager would give me a hard time for getting games for the back because it took so long to find). They have terrible workers, management and the minimum wagers. I'd rather shop at BB any day of the week.
 
[quote name='neocisco']http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2007-03-28-circuit-city-layoffs_N.htm

This is one of several links to be found.

Basically, CC has fired all employees making above a certain amount, depending on their job classification. This is a great idea. Fire the people who work hard enough to earn raises and make more money then replace them with someone at a lower wage who is most likely to be less responsible. CC will get what they pay for. CC is referring to the firings as "separations". That really takes the sting out of it.:roll: If some of you didn't like the service at CC before it's only going to get worse. I saw 8 friends lose their jobs today and to say I'm livid would be an understatement. Demolition Man, DuoMaxwell and anybody who works for CC, I hope you survived the purge. I did but just barely.[/QUOTE]
I am greatful for all the great deals that CAG post pertaining to CC. But after the last episode with them I am ready to do away with them altogether. The customer service is lousy. Best Buys service is far better than CC. This news may be the straw that broke the camels back.
 
It also takes me forever to find anybody to ring me up when I go to Circuit City. I think that is one of the reasons why I hardly ever go to the store any more.
 
It's odd. Near me, save for one location, CC has some of the worst employees I have ever dealt with in an electronics store. I think the last time I went in there my brother was looking for a TV for college. The employee didn't know how to use the computer on the floor, barely knew anything about the items on the floor (although this is excusable since she probably works in another department instead of TVs), and made a 5 minute search take around 28 minutes because she couldn't check the stock on the TV my brother wanted properly and kept bringing up the wrong models and brands.

The kicker was not when it took 20 minutes on line with only one checkout open for the five people already waiting but probably when, while waiting for the item to be delivered to the front for pickup, most of the people who were working in the back were out on the floor chatting with co-workers or were on break. That was another 20 minutes of waiting.


Oh well. Experiences like that just makes me avoid certain stores, not to mention sending a snail-mail letter to corporate. It also makes you appreciate customer service a bit more and all. I'm just shocked that that particular CC hasn't closed as of yet, but the high employee turnover rate may be telling.

Here's hoping all of the CC CAGers made it out of this layoff alright!
 
[quote name='CitizenB']Thats called a layoff. It happens every now and then. Companies do it as an easy way to clear some room for profits.

It sucks but thats the way it is.[/QUOTE]

technically, what CC did is not firing, layoffs, or downsizing....it is considered, "right sizing" which is the current politically correct way to say firing

but, as an Industrial Psychologist, i can only stress what is common knowledge in my field.....right sizing is never a good decision and it usually leads to bigger problems and another round of right sizing in 1 year or less......

so yes, as someone said, CC is killing themselves
 
CC is slim over here... I think there are two left that are a ways from me. I figured they'd follow suit of Good Guys and CompUSA. They've been headed that way anyway. I think the only reason they've continued to be around is their DVD and Tvs anyway.

Hopefully BB follow soon after. They are getting pretty worthless too.
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell']I Actually, they fired over 3500 if you count the IT guys who's jobs will no doubt get outsourced. ...[/quote]

I hear a lot of companies are heading this way, which somewhat concerns me as an IT person. Theres always someone overseas who can do what you do cheaper. I guess people in IT need to start building in job security into their code. :twisted:
 
[quote name='michaema']I hear a lot of companies are heading this way, which somewhat concerns me as an IT person. Theres always someone overseas who can do what you do cheaper. I guess people in IT need to start building in job security into their code. :twisted:[/quote]

LOL, isn't that IT's job function #1? To make themselves indispensible because management can't really oversee what's going on?
 
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