Circuit City and the American Dream 835
An anonymous reader writes "Circuit City said yesterday that it had fired 3,400 of its highest-paid sales staff — 8% of its employees — and will replace them with lower-paid workers. Sign On San Diego called this 'a risky strategy to cut costs that goes beyond the layoffs, buyouts and hiring freezes commonly used by struggling companies.' The fired workers have a chance to apply for lower-paying positions after a 10-week wait, the company said. Quoting a Circuit City spokesman: 'This is no reflection on job performance... We deeply regret the negative impact. Retail is extremely competitive, and if we're going to thrive and operate a successful company... we just have to control costs.' So: work hard, become the best in your field, and get fired so they can offer you a new job 10 weeks later at a lower salary."
You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, sorry -- the folks working at Circuit City don't generally really qualify as being the "best in their field", unless you're defining the "field" as "people who work at Circuit City". Besides, Circuit City's not on commission anymore so you can't even argue that these folks were necessarily their top performers.
But let's accept for a moment the premise of this article. If these folks really are such great salesmen, this is opportunity knockin' at their door -- they can get better jobs at higher-end stores, they can start their own higher-end stores, they can get into selling something that has worthwhile commissions involved with it like software or cars or whatever. I mean, let's face it: Being the best sales associate at Circuit City is along the same lines as being the best cook at McDonald's. If that's where your vision ends, that's almost certainly where you belong.
That aside, what offends me most is that this thread is this horrific notion that we've devolved to a point where the meaning of the term "American dream" has mutated from 'boundless opportunity in the marketplace and the ability to move out of the economic class you were born into' to 'lifetime employment at Circuit City'.
Speaking only for myself, if that really were the case then I'd want no part of it.
The American Dream as I understand it is that when you get laid off from a shitty dead-end job you can go out and find or create something better if you have the drive and/or ability for it. And hey, if your lack the skills or the ambition to go out and work to better your situation, you can always reapply -- I'm sure that red shirt will fit just as well in ten weeks as it does now.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The summary and TFA both have no mention of any "Dreams", American or otherwise.
Not that crappy old Circuit City doesn't deserve some bias the way they treat some of their customers, but bias none the less.
Short Circuit City (Score:5, Insightful)
--David Korten
Democracy? (Score:5, Insightful)
"In the 1980s capitalism triumphed over communism. In the 1990s it triumphed over democracy."
What do employee/employer relationships at Best Buy have to do with democracy? Nobody has subverted representative government here. One particular corporate entity has made a business decision to cut labor costs by getting rid of some of its more highly-paid employees. There's no violation of contract, no usurpation of rights. There is no right to employment in the United States, and never has been.
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Because generally 50% of the smaller nodes are on the bottom of the tree.
How many sales associates work under each manager? How many managers work under each store manager? How many store managers work under the regional coordinator? They're pruning the bottom of the tree- rather than take a chunk out of the executive money-sink, they'd kill off FIVE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED EMPLOYEES. They're
Re:Democracy? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Democracy? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Democracy? (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:Democracy? (Score:4, Insightful)
People mean a lot of different things when they talk about "democracy".
What I tend to think about is the early history of the USA. Basically, you had bunch of monarchies in Europe with the attitude that "what's good for the king is good for the country". Then, some rather enlightened people in what was to become the USA looked at the situation and concluded that if you let the leaders act in their own best interest then they take just about everything for themselves and leave everyone else with very little.
The way I see it, the key realizatoin was that, unless leaders are subjected to oversight and compelled to act in the best interest of everyone, leaders will instead act in their own best interest to the detriment of everyone else. At the time, these ideas were applied to the leaders of governments.
While there are differences between governments and corporations, there are also fundamental similarities. In theory, one can avoid being subjected to either governments or corporations (e.g. buy a house boat and live out on the ocean). In practice, for a normal life, one must be subject to both governments and corporations. While it is the governments that most directly use force (e.g. polie and military), in practice the governments use their force on behalf of the corporations so there is little practical difference.
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What I tend to think about is the early history of the USA. Basically, you had bunch of monarchies in Europe with the attitude that "what's good for the king is good for the country". Then, some rather enlightened people in what was to become the USA looked at the situation and concluded that if you let the leaders act in their own best interest then they take just about everything for themselves and leave everyone else with very little.
Actually it wasn't in the US that these enlightened people came from
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How ironic that the country ruled by the second King George in close sucession is West of the Atlantic this time. Seriously, the U
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Checks on royal authority and the existence of a broad middle class helped the British monarchs keep their heads while absolute monarchs on the c
So what if it is? (Score:4, Interesting)
That's like your plumber telling you "Hey, uh, you should really pay me twice as much, because if you don't, you're just going to keep the money for yourself."
If you want money, EARN it. Don't expect it to just be handed to you.
Economics and Sales (Score:4, Insightful)
They already did this in 2003 and like the article says: "At the time, the move hurt the company's sales, Whalin said."
It's more like the plumber not getting paid by his employers - they will loose sales and skills.
If you want to earn money - invest time and money.
Re:Economics and Sales (Score:4, Insightful)
That's $30 million that can't go to buy Fords. Similarly, when
Ford pulls the same shenanigan that means that there's
$30 million that can't go to by whatever that Circuit City Sells.
A short term cost savings doesn't always benefit the company in
the longterm. Circuit City as a store probably should focus on
other things, like making a guy like me actually WANT to set foot
in their store.
Treating their employees like trash is not going to solve this
basic problem.
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So the pinnacle of humanity was when we were living in caves? From the printing press to industrial robots, machines have eliminated countless jobs that humans used to do. And yet, the human race survives.
Assumptions (Score:3, Insightful)
I believe you are still missing the point here; those salaries represent far greater sales than $30 million - they have to in order to pay them! Those salaries probably produced several times over their value in sales (gross). They are losing more income than ju
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Don't take me for a communist - there was a time when big bosses only got the big bucks when they built a successful firm. Successful in the long term, not just the next quarter. Or am I being nostalgic?
Stupid management never suffers, only employees. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is just another chapter in an old story. The top management of Circuit City doesn't know what they are doing, so the company has trouble making money, but it is only the employees who suffer.
--
Is U.S. government violence a good in the world, or does violence just cause more violence?
Re:Stupid management never suffers, only employees (Score:3, Interesting)
The modern version of the good 'ol fashioned American Dream...
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Funny)
After 10 weeks bored out of your mind on the couch, watching tv with a beer in your hand and listening to your wife pestering you to find another job? not sure the red shirt will fit anymore...
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Just because they're not paid for their performance doesn't mean their performance is not evaluated on the basis of sales.
The whole "don't worry, I'm not commission" line that Best Buy made famous is just that, a ploy to comfort the mark.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Interesting)
Basically, someone should set up "stores" that don't make money on sales at all, but essentially just rent you access to the showroom so you can figure out what you need (and then perhaps rate the people there based on how informative they are -- like Slashdot) and then find the cheapest place online to get it (either using their computers there or just go home having a better idea of what you need). They would have no qualms about telling you, "ah, you don't need this stuff".
Depending on the money needed to make it work, you could either run them for-profit or as a co-op where your "membership fee" is all or partly your service of working there part-time in a department you're already knowledgeable about. You help people find what computer they should get, and in return, old folks there teach you what gardening equipment you should get (for example).
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Funny)
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It involves working hard, making good money, building a family and a good life for all of us. White-picket fence and all of that (though I hate picket fences - I'll take a split-rail please).
If these people were the highest paid sales staff and they aren't making commission, then I would ima
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
The "constant layoffs" are not new to 2007, it has been going on for decades. The 80's had a bad reputation for the decade of greed for the same reason. Again, all you have is what you know you can do. No company will ever "give" you security.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry, no.
I work for the government. I'm a "civil servant". I make high 5 figures, and I'm not management. I'm a member of a union. I will not be fired / layed off / downsized / whatever.
Have a nice day.
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Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Why? You think it's conducive to team building and happy productive employees that get paid reasonably good wages to hold the possibility of layoffs a la corporate greed over their heads? I'm the original poster, and I'll tell you this: The agency I work for has very high standards, excellent employees, and is an all-around great place to work. This is good since we fly planes. It would be extremely hard to attract the quality of personnel that we have if we didn't offer an extremely stable employment environment. We rely on the continuity of experienced employees that don't have to worry about keeping an eye on the Help Wanted ads. All jobs should be like this, people would be a lot happier. With happiness comes productivity.
When I hear people bitch about the benefits that government employees enjoy, I think two things: Most wish they had those same benefits, and are jealous that they do not. The fact of the matter is, the reason that most people outside the rarefied air of the executive class don't have these benefits is corporate greed.
Don't blame government employees that they have it so good, blame corporate pigs that they screw their employees.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
The "constant layoffs" are not new to 2007, it has been going on for decades. The 80's had a bad reputation for the decade of greed for the same reason. Again, all you have is what you know you can do. No company will ever "give" you security.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
I love how all of the large retail business like this are always stressing "team work" and "family" to employees and expect employees to be devoted to the company when most of these same companies will ruin the lives of their employees the second it is 0.001% more profitable for them to do so.
I particularly love the occasional business article that pops up in which employers have the audacity to complain that new employees show no loyalty to their companies and aren't willing to invest in their jobs. Well, that's because we aren't all morons. Corporate culture set the tone and will now have to live with the results.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Your vision of the american dream (the one I had before too) is the stereotypical Horatio Alger story that permeates the entire work culture of the United States, that can be summed up as: if you work hard, you will rise and get a better life. Unfortunately, and this is something that you learn as you get older and have been working for a while for one, more likely several companies, the Horatio Alger dream is just that, a dream. Yes it would be very nice if it was still true, but the reality is that very VERY few better their lives through hard work and perseverance. Very few people start out selling apples and end up millionaires, a-la rockefeller. What happens in reality is that most of the population toils to pays credit, and a sizeable part of the population toils just to make ends meet and stay off the street.
It's my opinion that the so-called american dream is mostly a myth implanted in people's minds early on in their lives to make them work harder for the same wage, constantly hoping for better days. The reality of America today is that the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the middle class finds the "middle" slowly drifting to the bottom.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "leftist" who complains about social inequalities, I have nothing against people being rich, and I myself work hard to have a better future, but without much hope because unfortunately, the social elevator that would allow people to make their lives better through hard work is mostly out of order: most of America is inside the cabin frantically pushing the buttons, hoping that it will finally start to rise, and it doesn't. I think you'll come to realize this too one day.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:4, Insightful)
That is simply not true. Did the poor in the 1950s have access to the kind of healthcare that someone on Medicare has to now? Did they drive better cards? Did they have access to the kind of technology ppl have access to today?
Yes, the rich get richer much much faster than the poor do - but it is false to say that the poor get poorer. That is only true in socialist paradises like Zimbabwe and soon Venezuela.
Read this [latimes.com] for some more commentary. There is also a piece by the leader of the communist party of the USA for more 'balanced' coverage.
Wrong (Score:4, Informative)
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
The second point that is often missed when discussing the American Dream is what made it possible: something I will call the "American Spirit"--that we, as a people, are willing to reach out and give others a hand along the way. I, by no means, suggest that this spirit is unique to America, but I do believe that--at one time--the world would have been hard-pressed to find more of it per-capita than anywhere else in the world. Today, sadly, it is in decline. Up-and-comers demonstrated this spirit by giving good jobs to their employees, and by contributing to those in need. Socially responsible corporations, while tending to long-term profitability and short-term objectives, did this by having a sense of loyalty to those who helped build the corporation. If we, in America, have had any failure, it is in this second aspect--a failure of the American Spirit.
What disgusts me most about the Circuit City scenario (which is also played out in many other industries every day) is that these "artificial persons" (for what is a corporation if not a legally recognized entity under law?) have forsaken their responsibility to society in order to worship at the altar of profitability.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that businesses cannot take action to maintain their profitability--my degree is in business management and technology, so I understand the factors--but I would argue that it was a failure of management that brought them to this place. Had the leadership of Circuit City fully exercised their duty to their business, the could have stemmed this time years ago. Yes, I know many of you will scream "armchair quarterback" or "20/20 hindsight," but it was clear (to me, at least) that Circuit City expanded too aggressively, they did little to differentiate from their fierce competitors, and they never looked (successfully, at least) strategically at their industry and market trends. In other words: they should have seen this coming and made a minor course correction before they were thousands of miles at sea.
After reading the article today, and other recent news on Circuit City, I'm just glad I never accepted a position with them back in 1997. The American Dream is not holy writ that allows us each to pursue our interests at the expense of our neighbors. It is objectification of the notion that we all have the opportunity to reach toward a lofty goal--of establishing a place in this world, a good home for our families, adding stability to our communities, and having a (positive) impact on society along the way. Do all achieve this dream? No, but we can be part of it.
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Well, open your eyes, it is a big bad world out there in the 'real world', and it is all business, the dollar is the bottom line, and it isn't even close to being supposedly fair. If you go into it knowing that...it can slide off your back when it happens to you, and you won't waste time fe
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I think it is less the companies care more about the bottom line then they did in the past, and more the idea of investing in your employees has fallen out of favor. Even in retail, if someone knows their job and has been doing it for a long time, you generally
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm in my mid twenties, and am constantly amazed at what people in my age range feel entitled to. I expect to work my way up, and don't expect any particular loyalty from my employer. Pension plan ha - that's a good one - now tell me about social security that cracks me up every time. On the flip side that they expect some long-term loyalty from me is really hilarious.
However, that circuit city feels that they can exercise their lack of loyalty so egregiously is disgusting. As soon as I read about this I decided not to spend another dime there - not that big a loss since the last three times I went in there prepared to throw money at them they made it so frustrating that I drove the extra 15 minutes to Best Buy (not exactly the savior of the little guy I know).
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I understand what Circuit City is doing. As a company I'm pretty convinced they're over with. I can't recall the last time I went to one of their stores although I think that was for giftcard or s
Reminds me of a similar situation... (Score:5, Funny)
The fired workers have a chance to apply for lower-paying positions after a 10-week wait, the company said.
However, that circuit city feels that they can exercise their lack of loyalty so egregiously is disgusting.
Recently, my girlfriend dumped me but said I was encouraged to reapply for the position of "friend" instead. I told her that if she upgraded the offer to "friends with benefits" that we could consider that a severance package for my being so loyal to her. She told me rather sternly to take or leave her original offer.
Bitch.
GMD
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People suffered and died for the current working standards in the West.
It's not a sense of entitlement to expect better.
A little civility is what keeps civilization from imploding completely.
People seem eager to forget that.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
Even crappy retail jobs that are being derided on this site had these kind of benefits. A retail person COULD own a house, believe it or not... almost impossible today.
Of course, back then we had control over markets, imposed trade barriers, and the population had significant union representation. We also actually manufactured things, as opposed to today. Conservatives who want to go back to the 50's conveniently forget these facts.
But, it is irrelevant... at some point we became so jaded when these ideals were stripped from our society, that we now resent and try to bring down anyone who still has health insurance, union membership, or a pension plan. Instead of demanding more for ourselves, we are demanding less for everyone else--somehow it is better for everyone to be dragged down rather than lifting everyone up.
It's a little depressing that Americans have been so beaten down by the system that they are afraid to stand up for themselves. What's even sadder is that posters like yourself seem intent on cutting off your nose to spite your face.
It is no wonder that the United States of America is in such a bad state. It's time for America to rise up and demand the America Dream again. It is our birthright, but only if we stand up for it.
Thanks,
Mike
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Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
And as a guy who turns 55 next week, I'm sorry that yours doesn't. If you work hard, you SHOULD BE entitled to the fruits of your labors.
If you're lazy, steal from your employer, go to work drunk, act like a total jerk to your fellow employees then you should lose your job. But to lose your job when the fat cat CEO earns five hundred times what you do [finfacts.com] so that the company can hire a replacement for you at a lower pay rate, well, that's just plain damned evil.
And for you, as a worker, to believe that this is in any way fair or equitable, or that your employer doesn't owe you a living for your labor, well, that's just plain retarded. If you believe that, you fucking deserve to lose your job.
It's time to quintuple the minimum wage, and then bring back the unions. Bullshit like Circut City never happened back when 75% of workers were unionized. Now that only 10% of us are in unions, they have us by the balls. And it's idiots like you who think it's the UNIONS that are evil that allow this bullshit to happen! Grow a fucking brain, moron.
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
You're right, it is evil. Hopefully this news will keep people from applying to Circuit City. I know I sure as hell would not want to work somewhere that's going to do something like this. With no one wanting to pickup those jobs, they'll just fall further and further until they've declared bankruptcy and closed down the whole chain. In fact, even if I wasn't one of the ones layed off, I'd definitely be looking for a new job now. Despite the stock price going up, this is going to prove to be disastrous for them. Hell, start a boycott if you want. They may sell some decent stuff, but they treat their employees like shit, so there's no reason to patronize them.
Hopefully people will remember this so that if the mere idea ever creeps into another CEO's head he'll forget about it instantly or risk losing his company.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
By far, the largest contributor to the failure of the Big Three is due to complete and total mis
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
GM may be having problems because of pensions, but remember they made the promises in the first place. They could have invested to make sure they could pay out on those benefits, but instead they followed the modern corporate motto - "If you can no longer compete, buy some random crappy companies and increase your debtload". So they squandered money on investments that in no way made their automobile business more competitive as their market share dwindled. Ditto for Ford. Those are poorly run companies. They ran afoul of the unions and could no longer compete in labor, sure. But that was only one bad business decision among thousands. Having billions of dollars in medical and pension costs is only a problem if you aren't selling cars.
So what's your problem capitalist? Go sell some fucking cars and all your problems will go away.
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Enjoy taking you car to the dealer to get the spark plugs changed or the transmission fluid topped off.
Haha, funny. It's not just VWs you have to take into the dealer or other service center to have fluid level checked or tuneups done. Cars made by US manufacturers are the same today. As a "shade tree mechanic" I have worked on my own as well as others' cars. I've even rebuilt the engine and tranmission in one of my cars, the only thing I had to take something into a shop for was when I rebuilt the e
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:4, Insightful)
In court, you're right. But to a reasonable person, if I work hard for someone, I deserve and am owed respect and fair treatment. It doesn't mean I'm going to get it, just like having a right to life, liberty, and happiness doesn't prevent the government from doing its level best to interfere with all three.
The most important message is that respect works both ways, but fear only works in one. If you work for an employer who, when they fire someone, always just drops it on them without notice, that has a chilling effect on your loyalty. If you work for an employer who fires people and hires them back at less pay to save money, well, don't you think that has a chilling effect? It's bad for everyone.
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The strongly religious folks got into an unholy union with the rich and corporations because they hoped to overturn abortion and gay rights.
Consider some points:
The "conservative" party has been remapped from "small government/pro business" to "anti-abortion/pro corporation". (i.e. small businesses are struggling under some of these laws).
The rich have had the rules changed so now the top 360,000 make as much as the bottom 150 million COMBINED.
Corporations have extended their rights to the
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work hard, become the best in your field, and get fired so they can offer you a new job 10 weeks later at a lower salary
Once you've been through this cycle more than twice you will begin to see how the game really works [slashdot.org]. Then you resolve yourself to waiting out the bullsh*t until a real opportunity comes along. Unless you're some spoiled rich brat you have two decisions: keep recycling yourself back into the game or become homeless while waiting for providence.
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a) Retail is an obsolete business model since the internet offers more convenience for lower prices
or
b) Retail needs protection from the internet in order to preserve jobs
Circuit City is, IMO, doing the only thing they can to try to compete with Amazon, NewEgg, etc. They need to cut costs to keep _some_ people employed or given more time
Have we learned NOTHING from Star Trek? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
While I appreciate your sentiment and agree that the 'American Dream' is MUCH more than lifelong employment at Circuit City, I'd like to offer an opposing view of what is going on here.
My view is basically this: The American Dream, as you defined (and which I think most Americans would agree with) - is crap. And this action on Circuit City's part only confirms that assertion. It's a lie we tell ourselves to take pride in something that is inherently destructive, something that while it seems good in theory, becomes nearly impossible in practice: Capitalism itself.
I have spent the better part of my life attempting to understand the intricacies of human nature, particularly with regard to how they influence our social systems (and thus, what the requirements of those social systems are) - and the one point that has always stuck with me is Capitalism itself.
It seems like such an ideal solution, doesn't it, the economic embodiment of freedom, the nearly boundless promise of free enterprise..
Except that when you make money the motivating factor for why you do things, the things that SHOULD motivate you as a human being in a human culture - cease to function. The RIAA's recent behavior (suing a 10 year old girl.. come on) eloquently demonstrates this assertion.
Oh certainly, money need not be the ONLY motivating factor, and for a long time it wasn't. But over time it becomes harder to justify taking a hit to the bottom line just because you care about your employees, doesn't it? Especially when your shareholders are harping on you to increase the stock's value. Especially when there are, at any given moment, dozens of lawsuits against companies for NOT fulfilling their obligations to shareholders.
And especially, when companies are so richly rewarded for their abuse of the human cultures in which they participate.
What I am getting at is this: Circuit City doesn't care one whit about the success of our civilization, and accordingly, the value of their employees as ANYTHING OTHER than "human resources" is essentially nil. There is no value in seeing them as people, because well, it makes them just slightly less profitable. Can't have that now.
No, society falls to shit, and the money-making business doesn't care.. because if the society fails, there's no need for money anyway, but so long as it exists, those with wealth hold all the cards.
Seeing people as human beings is a liability in a civilization that values wealth as much as we do.
Quoting Heinlein, "a dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than a riot."
Re:You have *got* to be kidding me. (Score:5, Insightful)
There are features of Capitalism which I do actually really like, and that I still think are workable. But since capitalism is a system we invented, we are consequently responsible for how we run it. The choices we make, the values we hold, influence how we build our civilization. We can choose to be responsible in our pursuit of value, or we can choose to cut every corner, cut every throat, in our grasp for wealth.
Currently, we are increasingly choosing the latter. It doesn't have to be that way. But Capitalism isn't an end in itself, and its purpose can ONLY BE to serve us.. but we have to make it do so. It's hard, to choose to give up wealth for values, but that isn't really a sacrifice, when we consider how much our values actually mean to us.
Unfortunately, we don't seem to be making that choice. Or we are, and what we're choosing really is this destructive.
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Most of the problems really emerged with widely held companies. Every investor wants a return, and everyone is an investor. The problem is that this is a self-defeating proposition, because to increase profits means to cut costs, and the investor is also an employee. Essentially the investor is urging for his own termination.
Not that there aren't serious problems with private companies, but when only a few people make the dec
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I don't know where you're from, but I'd bet it has a higher unemployment rate than the US. If businesses can't fire employees, they're going to be very reluctant to hire anybody in the first place.
Exactly how long should a company be obligated to provide charity to workers that are producing less value than they cost in wages and benefits?
So take your business to Best Buy (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:So take your business to Best Buy (Score:5, Funny)
Wrong place to cry ... we all just got out sourced (Score:2, Insightful)
Will Circuit City get (Score:5, Insightful)
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Jumping the logical gap. (Score:4, Interesting)
There is a huge logical gap between "We're not getting rid of these people for performance reasons" and "These people are the best in their field". I don't think you can read any of this and come away even with the idea that these people were any better than the other, lower paid employees in their same stores. If they think they can employ the *exact same people* for less money in 10 weeks, then clearly these salespeople were paid beyond what the market can bear.
Why do we need to make up negative stuff about this when we could simply point to the fact that the salary savings look pathetic in comparison to what they continue to pay their executives?
Re:Jumping the logical gap. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Jumping the logical gap. (Score:4, Insightful)
"I quit".
I've seen it done, and, unfortunately, did it myself, once. And my best salesman quit.
People determine their value on what they get paid. If they are valuable to your company(high dollar sale people), pay them more to keep them. Don't force them to make it up in more sales. Someone else will pay them the base they're looking for, in addition to the commission. I'd rather pay one person who has great sales 10% more each year, than two people who are little more than warm bodies taking up space.
Didn't they do this years ago? (Score:5, Insightful)
Either that or they need the stock boost that comes from indiscriminately firing workers - Wall Street loves that.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
>> indiscriminately firing workers - Wall Street loves that.
CC is down 71c so far today.
wall street knows a dumb move when it sees one.
The lowest of the low (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: The lowest of the low (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm a developer at my company and I ma
Re: The lowest of the low (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, now. That's not the only reason. If they decide to replace the janitor, they can train his replacement in a very short time. If they replace a developer, it will take (hopefully) much longer.
It boils down to supply and demand. If there is a line of equally-skilled people willing to take the job, then the value of that job will be less. Simple as that.
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Oh wait. Nevermind.
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...or I can make $10000 per month selling crack.
No you can't. A low wage CC jackass is going to have to start at the bottom of the drug trade, and that means standing on the corner hawking $5 rocks. $10,000 per month is about 66 five dollar rocks a day, Even working 12 hours a day, there's no way you're gonna move 5-6 rocks an hour without a) attracting the attention of the police, or (more likely) b) attracting the attention of the guy who USED TO sell to the crackheads in your area. Either way, you're fucked.
Seriously, anyone who thinks the drug tr
Parody (Score:5, Funny)
Business savvy decision allows new employees a chance at sales fame.
Top business analysts have determined that a growing number of people have become "too wealthy for their own good", according to one high-ranking Wall Street spokesperson. "It is in the interest of the common good that we allow other, less priveleged folks, to have the opportunity to buy their own food and afford both rent and car payments."
The dismissed workers, having reached their allowed quota of wealth, were given peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on their way out the door and told that they could reapply after their savings had been reduced to zero. While the average lifespan of a salesman's savings is about ten weeks, according to financial analysts, it was widely agreed that dismissed employees would not truly be eligible for reassignment until they had accumulated enough debt to prevent them from ever owning a house or car again.
"These people were beginning to factor into systems that have long been the exclusive playgrounds of the rich and powerful. We simply could not allow them to tip the scales and upset the balance," said Circuit City spokesman Bill Cimino.
It doesn't matter (Score:5, Insightful)
The CC stores I've been in have lots of empty shelves, especially in the home audio area. The center area is mostly CDs and DVDs. They had a decent selection of TVs, which, supposedly, are low margin items, so they're not going to be much help in keeping CC profitable.
UNIONIZE (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I do (Score:4, Insightful)
I do when you don't have a choice about joining the union or not, which is generally what happens with unions - and they turn that same attitude back on fellow workers they do not like.
A workers union is a slippery slope to a whole other parallel layer of management above you, and that honestly does not do the company or you any good in the long run.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
The will become K-Mart (Score:5, Insightful)
First boycott Best Buy, now Circuit City? (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway, this reminds me of a friend of mine. He graduated from college with a degree in History. Yes, a rather un-saleable degree. So he lived on my couch for a few months after he graduated while he tried to find a job. The only job he could find was telephone credit card sales. Yes, he was *THAT* guy. Every day, he came home from his job, the first words out of his mouth were "I hate my job." What made it even worse is that he was *GOOD* at it. His second month there, he set a sales record. His third month, he broke that record. Then he got fired. Because he wasn't following the script to the letter.
Now, if someone comes in, and, by *NOT* following the script to the letter (he did say all the parts that the law requires creditors to say,) sets sales records two months in a row (he got a plastic slinky with the company name on it in thanks,) shouldn't you have the OTHER people follow his lead, rather than fire him?
Re:First boycott Best Buy, now Circuit City? (Score:4, Interesting)
Simple truth? The highest paid slashdotter isn't magically worth more than that Wal-mart store greeter. We all should be making min. wage and min. wage should be enough to buy a house, car, food, pay monthly electric, cable, internet, cell phone bills, raise offspring on and then donate more money for boyscouts, girlscouts, schoolfund raisers, or other various charities, and let's not forget about Christmas were you are expected to buy tons of gifts for family and little gifts for special friends and family. (Pity you if you have a large family.) Oh, afford various insurances life, health, auto, home, and anything else that folks need.
You need to do all that on min. wage. Now, tell me what "min. wage" needs to be. It's been funny reading this. This article assumes that a college educated person can find a job that'll pay 4x5 times min. wage. Um, we aren't worth that much more than a highschool drop out though we'd like to think we deserve a lot more money than them because we made it through college.
Re:First boycott Best Buy, now Circuit City? (Score:4, Funny)
Assuming that "you" are the guy in charge of a credit card telemarketing company? No, that isn't what you should do. You should, in fact, find the nearest wood chipper and jump in.
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Downsides of course are 1) you have to wait for shipping and 2) you have to receive the package. Waiting is not a big deal for me, and Newegg ships fast. You can always upgrade the shipping. Receiving the packages can be a big deal for some, but I live in a building with a desk that takes packages (and that's a big reason I'm not eager to move into a house!)
If you want a retail experience for
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The incentives of the middle manager can be perverse sometimes. The too-smart-for-his-own-good salesman may attract the attention of higher-ups and become a potential threat to the middle manager. The middle manager reacts by eliminating a perceived threat (i.e someone who performs better and is more productive than they are) before it is too late for them to act. The middle manager typically wants to improve overall performance b
It's happening everwhere! (Score:3, Funny)
Circuit City slogan: "We're evil" (Score:3, Insightful)
It seems that Circuit City has decided that a more experienced and thus higher-paid salesperson doesn't sell much (if anything) more than a high-school dropout hired right off the street. If that's the case, raises and higher pay simply don't make sense and a switch to a model where they hire people who can't get anything better, never give raises, and accept the resulting high turnover makes business sense. Even if it is pretty much evil.
Ah yes. (Score:3, Funny)
Ah yes, the American Dream: to languish in pitiable work conditions hoping some rare enlightened higher-up will have mercy on you and, if not actually pay you more, at least fail to sack you.
Wait. That's not the American Dream I know about. Oh yeah -- it's more about self-determination and a drive to succeed by the power of one's own capabilities. But hey, I can see how a person could get the two ideas confused...
Get in line now, avoid the rush (Score:5, Funny)
Circuit City: You make too much money. You're fired.
Dumbass Employee: What? Noooooooo! My PS3 comes in next week and I need the employee discount! I'll work for less!
CC: Not good enough. First you must go without a paycheck for 10 weeks to prove you are worthy.
DE: Aaaggghhhh! Okay, then what? I'll do anything.
CC: Then you must crawl back here, and I do mean crawl, and beg for your job back at half your previous salary!
DE: *sobbing* I'll do it!
CC: Oh, and bring me a shrubbery.
And people wonder... (Score:3, Insightful)
This country is out of production and manufacturing and is now relying upon sales, research and services for job growth. The simple fact of the matter is that the children of the largest section of the population that lied on factory jobs is waking up to find themselves forced into retail after high school. Certainly there are colleges, education, etc but like it or not some people don't always have these options. When you are forced to get a job out of high school nowadays it's usually at a circuit city or a walmart. Maybe this is why I agree with the Green Party in saying that they should make $10 an hour minimum wage. The simple fact is that it would force companies to pay a decent living wage for these workers they take for granted, play around with, throw everything on top of and then throw out the door once they start advancing their supposed "career." I for one will never shop at Circuit City again.
A little insight (Score:5, Informative)
"Good to Great" Circuit City: what happened? (Score:4, Interesting)
So what happened?
I no longer shop at the local CC if I can avoid it. Black Friday last year they were a complete mess. It took several minutes to process a customer. Rebates were filled out by clerks, keeping the line waiting. Lines were randomly woven throughout the shopping aisles: you didn't know what aisle you were in and customers were kept from shopping by the congestion. Presently, during normal shopping, their checkout system is quite slow and cumbersome.
In contrast, Best Buy was very well organized and the checkout lines as fast as possible.
Where did the "great" Circuit City go?
Even during
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I agree with you that online sales have definitely strengthened the aspect of competition on bottom line price alone. However, I do think that there's still a market niche for excellent customer service. This is something that "brick and mortar" stores normally would have a leg-up on their internet competition. The problem is making sure that your stores just don't become the quazi-showroom for your competition. (i.e. "Thanks for the info, I'm going home now to buy it online at the lowest price I can fi