No Sympathy for Retailers

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A lot of people are making a fuss over Circuit City going out of business, and saying other retailers aren't far behind.

...Is it weird I don't feel much sympathy for them?

I mean I feel bad for the sales associates who're out of jobs, but I've worked several retail jobs over the years. Every last one paid s**t wages, had un-reasonable expectations on hours and skills, had incompetent management, and generally sold crap people didn't need.

Personally I hope this is a purging of the shopaholic tendencies we've had since the 80's and leads to more practical products and spending.

Am I the only one that feels this way?

No, you're not the only one.

I'm finding that a lot of the stores that are going out of business are the ones with poor customer service and/or overpriced merchandise that no one needs.

Circuit City recently fired all their long-term, experienced staff so that they could hire new people and pay them lower wages. They made no secret of this. Consequently, they made themselves unpopular and virtually guaranteed poor customer service. Also, their experienced ex-staff probably went to work for the competition.

I'd say Circuit City deserves a Darwin award.