One More Thing I Don't Understand About Business

Circuit City has fired 3,400 of its best workers in a cost-cutting measure.

Let me try to understand this. The most experienced, most knowledgeable, longest serving and most dedicated workers got their pink slips. That seems to leave only the lowest paid, least helpful, and least ambitious retail clerks to help their customers. These are the same folk who get your order wrong at the drive-thru. That may only cost you 8-10 bucks and some irritation. Screwing up a home-theater system may cost a bit more.

The word contempt comes to mind. They have contempt for their customers (much like Wal-Mart has) and no consideration for their long-term employees.

Let's take the employees first. They get fired for being competent, loyal and remunerated/rewarded for being so. Circuit City is union free. Don't blame a union for driving up wages. These loyal folk took the company training, obeyed the rules, sold a lot of product and got fired for their competence. Where's the incentive for doing well in one's job? CC took that away. I wonder how CC's recruiting new employees reads? Do well and we will throw you on unemployment? Take the training and we will fire you for being competent? CC may as well open up a drive-thru window.

Now the customers: How stupid do they think we are? We will be satisfied with someone pointing us to the appliance section and asking for an interpreter when the clerk has English for a third language?

I will never again go there to shop. They can discount all they want. I read desperation and contempt in their business strategy. I like shopping, no, make that buying, at an establishment that shows competence and confidence. Circuit City has destroyed those concepts to their demise.

BRB is Write (and still naive)