Sam, a reader who says he is a current Circuit City employee, writes in to offer his advice on navigating the liquidation.

Sam says:

I have a few tips for people that are planning on shopping there during the “sale:”

1. All of what you have seen is correct, not much is actually on sale. Looking at items I remember from a couple weeks before, most everything is more expensive. Especially things like blank CDs, flash drives, and anything in the computer area. Cables are less expensive than usual, but still way more than online. Game systems are not a bad deal either.

2. You’re right: We really don’t care about you. I and anybody else will answer any questions about the product or return policy, or show you where something is. But that is it. I really can’t do anything else for you under our new policies, and that is honestly fine with me. It is hard to care when you know the job is gone in 2 months anyway. It becomes even harder when you see how busy we are with prices being higher. It kills me to see these people scrambling over terrible prices when we were dead the past year.

3. This goes even more so for management. They have been stripped of all of their power, and are relegated to people that are allowed to have keys. Chances are they needed their job more than the part-timer like me, and they are not very happy about being jobless soon, and they are making it known.

4. Bring a copy of the CC return policy from Consumerist in if you have a valid return. As you have seen already, a lot of the Customer Service and even managers don’t know the real return policy for items bought before January 1.

5. No, we cannot change ANY PRICE in the store. Whatever it says in the computer is what we have to sell it at, regardless of what the sign says, or what the associate told you. It is all set by the liquidation company. I wish we could change it, but that is the way it is.

6. (And this is more of a rant:) Don’t act happy that we are going out of business, please. I have had more than a few qualms with my job and the company the past few years, trust me. But I am still sad to see it go. I helped out a lot of very nice people, and I genuinely believe I helped them out and went above and beyond for them. I may be the exception, but I helped as much as I could and didn’t sell people things that I didn’t think they could use. Part of what is so depressing about working there right now is how smug people seem to be about us closing. You don’t think the price on that camera is good? Neither do I, and I am sorry that I and 34,000 other people losing their jobs could not have saved you 12 more dollars on a camera. See how much better it gets in 6 months when Best Buy is the ONLY option for that TV you are looking for.

Poor Sam. We hope you land on your feet, buddy. Thanks for sharing your advice.

(Photo:Matt McGee)

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