from the signs-of-the-zombie-apocalypse dept.
Circuit City [Ed:Circuit City was a multinational consumer electronics retail company that operated stores across the United States] is coming back, and this time, the license holders propping up the ancient big-box retail chain say they mean it.
Following a tease of a CES announcement, current company CEO Ronny Shmoel confirmed on Monday that something called Circuit City will arrive as "a new, more personalized online shopping experience" starting February 15. The announcement event, which was reported by tech-business outlet Twice, included promises of AI-driven recommendations fueled by IBM's Watson platform, plus unexplained "augmented reality" and "search by photo" features.
[...] With this news in mind, we're keeping an eye on Radio Shack's own shambling corpse. That company currently lives as a license granted to one of the former company's creditors when nobody else bid more for the rights in 2017.
(Score: 5, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Monday January 15 2018, @11:58PM (4 children)
A lot. It's called PROSPERITY, folks. It's called SUCCESS. It's called WINNING. You're welcome. Now go and thank President Xi of China.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:21AM (2 children)
If what you say is true, which it is not, why are there so many abandoned businesses and homeless beggars on the street?
You know something, Mr President, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for doing your part to help bring an end to segregation in the city of Chicago. During the prosperous times of prior decades, we had a very segregated city, with the rich whites living on our north side and the poor blacks living on our south side. But now blacks and whites alike are poor, and the homeless can be seen begging in the streets in our northernmost neighborhoods, and in our north side neighborhoods we find homeless beggars frozen to death under bridges. Empty lots are no longer seen only on the south side. Now an unprecedented number of our north side businesses lie vacant. Now our north side business districts see entire buildings burn down, and no one cares to rebuild. On behalf of Chi-Town, thank you Mr President, for bringing equality of poverty to Chicago. Thank you.
(Score: 3, Touché) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday January 16 2018, @01:54AM
Let me tell you about Chicago. I brought a lot of money to Chicago, and housed a lot of people, when I built the Trump International Hotel and Tower. The first skyscraper, as you know, was in Chicago. But there's only one building in Chicago that's taller than mine. I wanted it to be the tallest. But I saw what happened to the World Trade Center, the TERRIBLE attack on the World Trade Center. And I decided having the second tallest would be better. I got Adrian Smith to do a beautiful design. The condominiums in my building are the most beautiful housing in Chicago. Some folks didn't want me to build there. And some didn't want me to put my name on my building. People were saying, "Don't put a sign up." Now, they saying, "We love the sign." It's become like the Hollywood sign. It's 141 feet long, 20 and a half feet tall. I wanted it to be much bigger. The city wouldn't let me! The VERY CROOKED DPD, the Department of Planning, wouldn't let me. It's still an amazing, and beautiful, landmark. It could have been much bigger, believe me.
And you've got horrible carnage going on. At one time, more than two homicide victims per day. What the hell is going on in Chicago? When I took office, I told that mayor he needs to get tough, or I'll send in the Feds! And it's gotten much better since I said that. Let me tell you, Obama didn't care. He came from Chicago, but he did nothing to stop the crime, stop the violence. Just a MASSIVE wave of crime and violence, as you know. He was a terrible leader, very weak in many ways.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Sulla on Tuesday January 16 2018, @02:32AM
Because when you offer those homeless (most of them) a 10 or 15/hour job they tell you to fuck off. The lumpen prolitariate does not want to work, they just want handouts.
Either that or meth/coke/booze or insane. My personal favorite was the girl who was excited about her "first night street sleeping in the big city" .
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday January 16 2018, @06:55PM
Are we tired of
whiningwinning yet?Paid for by Americans for Renewable Complaining and Sustainable Whining
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:09AM (14 children)
Just why?!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:12AM (12 children)
Because apparently Best Buy wasn't enough.
Or it is a scheme to fleece investors or launder some money.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:22AM (7 children)
It's name recognition, an online retailer named "Circuit City" is going to attract more shoppers and make them feel more confident in doing business than one named "Gadget Geeks" (except maybe in the UK where there was a TV show....) The name has some residual value, even after the whole fiasco that was their brick and mortar customer experience. Same for Radio Shack.
I was always pretty confused why the seaplane company in Miami bought the PanAm name for their operation, but, apparently it was worth something...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by bob_super on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:32AM (6 children)
My problem with that name recognition is that I, and many others, decided to never buy from them again, after the previous management decided to lay off all their experienced salepeople to replace them with cheaper bodies (optionally, offer them the new lower salary).
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:37AM (2 children)
Sure if you want to hold a grudge like that then you will never shop again anywhere. Abandon electronics entirely and live off the grid because that is where you are headed. Capitalism is not going to get any better for your benefit.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:55AM
As I wrote, "previous management" did something dumb to line up their pockets, while screwing the workers and reducing the quality of service to customers.
It turns out that didn't work out so well for the company (can't tell about their pockets).
If some random unrelated guy wants to revive the name, I hold no grudge and understand the concept of Name Recognition.
But in this particular case, my immediate reaction, like many other people I'm sure, is not positive.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 16 2018, @01:37AM
Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg are all more established online sellers of electronics. Along with Staples, Walmart, Office MaxDepot, Target, etc. If someone decides to boycott Circuit City, they won't be starved for alternatives.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:54AM (1 child)
Yeah, but you know something and might be able to make a rational decision - that puts you in a small minority. Also, if you're really thinking rationally, you know the new entity has absolutely nothing to do with prior management.
Most people deciding between A and B will choose the one they've heard of before, instead of an unknown, even if there's been some bad blood with the one they know, it's not as scary as a total unknown.
Sears has screwed me and my family, hard, many times in the past, and I generally avoid them - but... about a year ago when I needed a socket wrench, all that bad blood didn't stop me from buying it from them.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Tuesday January 16 2018, @06:55AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday January 16 2018, @03:33PM
That is why I stopped going there. Their salespeople knew nothing at all about technology, and invariably pointed me toward the mega-pack of something that cost the most.
I have had better luck with Micro Center. They have everything Circuit City had plus a DIY section. Their salespeople know something about tech, and they try to help you find what you need. They don't have that many locations [microcenter.com], but there might be one near you.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:24AM
Or, because Best Buy was never anything approximating the Best.
Breaking into the already overcrowded on-line market is going to be tricky.
Still "a new, more personalized online shopping experience" is probably better chances than opening brick and motor stores again.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:26AM (2 children)
Who needs Best Buy? We got Target.
Who needs Target? We got Walmart.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:57AM
Who needs stores ? We got Amazon !
Timely: http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2018/01/14 [gocomics.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday January 16 2018, @01:44AM
Best Buy is the most comparable to what Circuit City used to be. And it has a strong online presence today.
But yes, there is also Target, Walmart, Amazon, Staples, Office Whatever, Newegg, and Fry's and Microcenter where available. Anything that can make it onto the front page of Slickdeals [slickdeals.net].
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Funny) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday January 16 2018, @01:40AM
Because they didn't cover the grave with concrete. Any good zombie prepper knows that.
(Score: 4, Funny) by looorg on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:28AM (3 children)
They are ticking a lot of the boxes -- AI, "Augmented Reality" (AR) .. search by photo that seems interesting ... but I'm really missing out on the block chain or cryptocurrency features.
(Score: 4, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:56AM (2 children)
They totally need to have a pricing in BTC and Etherium option, that would guarantee a huge investment - this week. Next week? Nobody knows when the pop is coming, but this one is going to be so big, fast and hard that you can almost hear the echo from the future.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Funny) by frojack on Tuesday January 16 2018, @01:34AM (1 child)
Cool. Have every price listing being a spinning dial like a slot machine on steroids, the price you pay would never be known till the instant you clicked the Check Out button.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:35AM
Hey, if you can't stand the thought that a TV might cost you anywhere from 0.02 to 0.05 BTC, depending... then you're obviously not ready for the bleeding edge of currency development.
In seriousness, I could see "bidding" up to 0.032 BTC for the transaction, and if the vendor can get the hard currency they want for 0.032 BTC or less, then 0.032 BTC is all that you pay.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Funny) by SomeGuy on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:31AM (1 child)
Are they also going to try and bring back the DIVX video disk players?
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIVX [wikipedia.org] for those who have purged it from their memory)
Customers are so used to getting raped up the butt, they probably could get away with it these days.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday January 16 2018, @07:02PM
Bring Back the Newpliance iOpener! [anandtech.com]
Basically, at the turn of the millennium, when the cheapest Linux computer was about $400 or more, the Netpliance iOpener was a decent Linux computer for $99 that you were supposed to be magically obligated to subscribe to their $21/month dial up service. But you could just buy it for $99, walk out of the store with it. Hack it. Use if for something else. What a cheap way to get a minimal but functional Linux computer.
Oh . . . bring back the CueCat! Remember that? A barcode scanner given away for free because you would use it along with their application and service to scan products and somehow they would make money. But hackers could figure out the simple protocol and how to write a keyboard driver for it and have an instant FREE barcode scanner.
These and other winning business models brought to you by Make America Grate Again thinkless tank.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 3, Funny) by chromas on Tuesday January 16 2018, @12:33AM (1 child)
Last time I was in our Radio Shack (before it closed a couple years ago) they had some sort of intentional dirty hamper scent floating about. It didn't look nasty; they were just trying to appease hipsters, I guess. Also, it was almost as empty as a K-Mart parking lot.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:40AM
Last time I went to a Radio Shack (about 10 years ago, now), they didn't have solder - had to go to Sears to get some retail, right away.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by donkeyhotay on Tuesday January 16 2018, @03:44PM (1 child)
No doubt, it will just be a site that sells cheap Chinese electronics, so poorly manufactured that there is a high probability that it will burn your house down. Just another advance in the current war being waged by the Chinese in order to demoralize us.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday January 16 2018, @07:06PM
At least it won't threaten Radio Shack's genius business model of rebranding American electronics and selling them above retail price of the non-rebranded product sold at other retail stores.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.