Granted, Circuit City has not always been considered the most customer-friendly store on the planet.  I know a few people who boycotted CC on their own for their own personal reasons.  But I, personally, had mostly positive dealings with them.  I think that lack of customer service ultimately helped lead to their downfall.  I think it was probably a combination of factors, certainly including the current economic downturn.  I know I haven’t been spending nearly as much on techno gadgets and entertainment as I have in the past.  And I think that’s true for most Americans.

Customer Service Trumps All

But I think the biggest lesson to learn from CC’s demise is: Customer Service Trumps All. 

I said “mostly” above because I did have one bad experience there.  It wasn’t directly with Circuit City, but it was with an Element brand television I bought there.  Element brand stuff could only be bought from Circuit City.  It was kind of an in-house brand.  Basically, the TV died right after the warranty expired.  And that was the last TV I bought there.  So if they have enough people having bad experiences, eventually their customer base will be gone.

And, as it turns out, price isn’t always all that important.  What good is it to pay half as much for a TV if you have to buy twice as many of them?

So as I say, I’m sorry to see Circuit City go.  It was a nice place to grab a game or a computer accessory, or sometimes just to have a look at the latest technology.  Unfortunately, it looks as if too many people were just browsing.