The Last Vestiges Of Circuit City To Disappear On Dec. 31

Image courtesy of RIP Circuit City

RIP Circuit City

It’s been four years since Circuit City, once the nation’s second-largest electronics retailer, filed for bankruptcy. In the spring of 2009, the brand’s new owner, Systemax (you know it better as TigerDirect), resurrected Circuit City as an online-only operation. But it looks like the chain’s name didn’t carry enough worth, and it will soon vanish into history.

Visitors to CircuitCity.com are now greeted with an alert that reads:

“CircuitCity.com is changing! By December 31, we will be consolidating with TigerDirect.com, a top e-commerce brand with over 41 local stores for the tech expert. Continue to shop the same great products, but with even better value. You’ll love the new Daily Deal Slasher PLUS enjoy FREE SHIPPING on thousands of products!”

So the Circuit City name will die, only to be occasionally resurrected a decade or so from now when a TV show needs to flashback to the ’90s and wants to add some authenticity by having people reference the store and how awesome it is.

UPDATE: We had completely forgotten about Systemax’s other zombie brand, CompUSA. Consumerist reader rob points out that CompUSA.com now has the same alert as the Circuit City home page. So Dec. 31 will be a sad day for fans of dead electronics retailers.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.