Circuit City shorts out…customer service still rules

November 10, 2008 · Posted in Featured, Financial Crisis, Funny and Odd, Things to think about, Thoughts on the economy · 3 Comments 

This news is not surprising considering the economic tailspin right now, but I think I saw this coming long ago.   It was a sure sign back in October when this retail chain began closing stores…ding ding!  It goes back to something that I felt in my shopping gut even before this news came out – customer service. 

It’s a heavily overused term in the retail business, but for the first time in the spring of this year did I realize what bad customer service felt like.  It was a simple oversight but it was the way they handled it that made me even more angry. 

Searching for a new video camera is not fun especially with all the features and brands, it can be downright depressing.  So anyway, I find a Circuit City coupon in a local mailer that advertised this sweet Sony DVD hand held video and digital camera combo – had to have it!  We walked into the store on some lazy Sunday afternoon and the first thing I notice is the lack of customers.  The second thing I notice is the lack of employees in the various departments.   This is normally not a big deal unless you have a specific question and are looking for one paritcular item and really need to find someone!  Let me preface this by saying I am not one of those snobby customers that expects an associate to help me blow me nose, but if I have a question or appear to be actively checking products out – then come talk to me!  I’m standing in the video camera aisle sifting through the displayed cameras – nobody walks up.  Fifteen minutes or so goes by (you can tell by this time I’m executing my own little secret shopper experiment) and I’m still perusing through the cameras – still nobody walks down the aisle. 

Finally, after looking around and losing faith that I’ll be discovered, I walk over to the counter.  I explain the mailer I have and that I’d like to see one of these advertised cameras.  He disappears only to reappear and tells me “well, according to the computer we have some but they haven’t been unloaded off the truck yet”.  After picking my jaw up off the floor, I ask “uh, well will you be getting them off the truck and will they be displayed sometime today?…since you have a mailer that was sent out to the public”.   

He proceeds to ask a manager who heads into the backroom, only to return and give me the exact same update.  They’re still on the truck but could I check back in about an hour or two.  At the time, I didn’t throw a stink, I didn’t cuss – I simply complied and walked out the door.  Lesson here – Unload the truck if you want people to buy your products.  

I was calmly disturbed that day and promptly drive over to Best Buy.  So, I head through the double doors as the yellow shirted dude gives me the proverbial “what’s up” accompanied by the ‘up and down’ glance they’ve so perfected.  The minute I walked into the video department I was swamped by at least three different associates asking if I had a question.   Think for a second, haven’t you noticed how utterly different and more positive the Best Buy experience is going to be simply because someone asked me if I needed help?  They’re already doing something that Circuit City failed to do.   

I’m not advocating one store over the other but this really stood out to me that afternoon.  The Best Buy store was brighter, there was more activity, more kids playing video games, there was this bustling feeling of people really digging the stuff and spending money.  There are so many associates it overwhelms you at times.  However, at that moment I needed that overwhelmed feeling considering what had just happened.  The Best Buy department manager honored the Circuit City advertised price which is common for stores to do – Best Buy is no exception.  I walked out with a sweet video camera at the Circuit City discounted price…cha ching’!

I personally declared I would no longer set foot in a Circuit City store.  Sadly, I don’t like to see economic hard times fall on companies which directly impacts a lot of good employees (and not so good ones).   That being said – I’m sure people have had horrible experiences in a Best Buy store as well.  It is amazing how a good or bad experience can completely rub you the wrong way and influence your purchasing decisions.  Based on the news of the store closings, maybe I wasn’t the only one.

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