ESG927

Today I placed a web-order from Circuit City for pick-up at the store and paid for it with my Visa card. I figured this might be a time-saver since I was going to be on my lunch hour.

I get to the store and have to wait in line (irritation). Then they have to find the product in the back room (more irritation). More incompetence behind the counter and my order gets handed off to another clerk/jerk (irritation still growing). He scans the item, asks for my drivers license and credit card, SWIPES my card (didn't I already pay???) (irritation, irritation). Oh you're not paying twice ma'am, it's just verifying this is the card you used online. Then finally I have to sign the credit card receipt.

Ok, so if everything has to be scanned, swiped, and signed at the store, what's the point of web-order with store-pickup??? I input a bunch of information online that essentially didn't get used. I might as well picked up the item myself from the shelf and then stood in line for scan/swipe/sign. It probably would have been quicker. If I could have gotten it shipped for free, I would have! I also did a web-order at Best Buy and thankfully was able to get it shipped for free. (no irritation!)

kaze0

Dont they still have the 24 minue guarantee? If they have to actually look for your product you should be bitching for a $24 giftcard.

excom101

The guarantee does not include time waiting in lines. If it took 24 minutes to find the product while waiting at the register... there might be a case to be made.

Pistol Pete

Hold on...
I have some email editing to do. Looks like its going to be a profitable summer!

Xbox69

Actually, NO . . . you didn't pay online. IIRC, when I used Best Buy's in-store pick up (assuming it's a similar process), it only authorized my card for the amount. A few minutes later, the e-mails I received indicated the order was ready to pick up. I then had 8 days or the order would be canceled -- by then the authorization would have dropped off my CC and the charge not have gone through. The DL and card swipes probably serve as fraud prevention measures as well.

disneyguy

What if you never showed up, do you want them to charge your card..
Then you would be complaining that they charged your card and you
didn't have the item..They did it the right way IMO..
DG

tonyc3742

The one time we did store pick up, even counting line waiting time, they didn't have it ready in 24 minutes from the 'come get it' email. Instead of giving a 24$ GC, they actually took 24$ off the purchase.

DVDKrayzie

it's only beneficial to take advantage of their "web-only" discounts or if you want to reserve a hot item and not sure when you'll be there (used it for the 360 HD-DVD player when they had it 3 days before any other store and were sold out). That being said, I use it if I'm going to buy anything other than media from circuit city because my local CCs are so unorganized that I might as well no-risk shot at getting a $24 giftcard because they might not have my order ready anyway. But yea, it won't save you any time at all usually.

ESG927

Yeah, I learned that the hard way! And I wouldn't have qualified for the $24 gift card anyway because the order was under $25. Oh well, live and learn. But the whole system really is rather assinine.

Bandit03

I used Circuit Citys in store pick up once and hated it. I had no problem until the cashier actually gave me my DVDs. It was the Superman Ultimate box set and the metal case had looked like it was run over by a semi. I laughed when i saw it and asked her if she actually expected me to take it in that condition. She said it was their last one, so I returned it and ended up getting a better deal online.

Heat

It's a trade-off. By doing in-store pickup you are supposedly gauranteed that the item will be there when you arrive, but you might have to wait.

If you don't do in-store pickup and just go, you can get out quicker if it is in stock but you are running the risk that it is not in stock.

Quatermass

The same thing happened to me a long time ago when I bought a video card, only there was no "back room" where it was reserved, the guy had me follow him over to the shelf where he picked it up. At least 12 hours elapsed between the time I ordered and the time I picked it up, so it was utterly pointless.

TomOpus

I've used it twice and, both times, it was a breeze. I was out at the car in about 10 mins. I guess it's a YMMV situation. Of course, it's one of the few things they do right there

JP5683

I only did it once. There was a mouse I wanted and I couldn't find it in the store, and even the guy I asked couldn't find it.

I came home, placed the order online, went back an hour later with the printout, and bam! got my mouse.

No problems for me.

C_Fletch

"No problems for me."

Except for the simple fact that you had to go to the store, come home order it, and then go back to the store again and then go back home again.

Goldblum

Yeah, doesn't sound too convenient.

Shannon Nutt

Best Buy Web-Order/Store Pick-Up is exactly the same process.

JP5683

I meant no problems in going back with the paper and picking it up. No lines, no confusion, etc.

It was a good enough deal that I was ok with going back later.

fujishig

Every Circuit City store I've been to no longer uses the registers scattered around the store, everyone stands in one line for in-store pickup, returns, and regular purchases at the customer service desk. So I don't think it's any faster if you get it in the store... in fact, most of the time it's a challenge to find anything in CC by yourself anyway.

What I'd like to know is... who thought it'd be a good idea for everyone to lineup at the Customer service desk to check out?

Jeraden

It's better than the old way where you had to track down an employee just to check out. As soon as you needed them, none were around or were helping other people. I was always asking myself "wtf don't they just have a checkout lane like every other freaking store"