NYT: Circuit City to Cut 8% of Staff

[edhopper]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/business/29circuit.html

"RICHMOND, Va., March 28 (AP) — Circuit City Stores Inc. said on Wednesday that it would cut costs by laying off about 3,400 retail workers, or 8.5 percent of its in-store staff, and hiring lower-paid employees to replace them. It is also trimming about 130 corporate information-technology jobs."

But I thought that better training was the key to keeping your job in today's "Flat World" of globalization?

[thunder35]

1. This should be made illegal

they let go higher paid people and replace them with cheaper ones, time to call your local CC and tell them what you think.

[Greyhound]

3. Guess they should've been in a union. Thank god we live in a capitalist utopia

where the upper class never has to worry about bearing the consequences of its mistakes.

[AndyA]

2. Everybody, please take the time to contact Circuit City and let them know

you will not be shopping in their stores in the future due to this.

Lower paid employees also equate to worse service. Consumer electronics requires knowledgeable people, and Circuit City will always be training new hires, so their level of expertise on products will likely be less than the employees they replaced.

Customer service in their stores historically hasn't been all that great to start with, so they really don't have much room to drop.

Let Circuit City know that as a consumer, you resent companies taking advantage of their employees, and you will not support them by making purchases in their stores.

Here's a convenient online contact form:

http://www.circuitcity.com/cs_customer_email.jsp?c=1

[AndyA]

4. My message to Circuit City:

I just wanted to let you know that I am outraged at your recent announcement to get rid of employees and replace them with lower paid employees.

Having highly trained, happy, well paid employees is an asset for a retail company, but you apparently don't know this. As a consumer, it's frustrating going into a store ready to make a purchase, only to be confronted with poorly trained employees who can't answer your questions, and have a generally poor work ethic.

Working at Circuit City will now become a throw away job, with no dedication on the part of your employees, and no longevity and employees with good product knowledge for your customers.

I believe you are abusing and taking advantage of your employees, and as such I will not be shopping in your stores going forward.

Circuit City should be ashamed of itself, and policies such as this should be illegal in the United States of America. Shame on you, Circuit City.

I will be sure to share my outrage with my friends and family and other contacts, and encourage them to shop at your competitors stores instead.