The Circuit City here in Athens is closing up shop, and all of the CDs there are 50% off. I picked up the new Q-Tip there, Portishead’s Third, and Sly & the Family Stone’s Greatest Hits (so I could get the three songs not included on last year’s box, bastards). Maura posted about Circuit City closing a couple of days ago and how there were tons of Janet Jackson’s Discipline there. “Tons” is an understatement: There were four rows of copies. I got intrigued by this and decided to catalog what other CDs people weren’t buying at Circuit City, even at 50% off.
What I found was interesting. First off, the place is fairly cleaned out. The selection is pretty poor, rife with “gas station greatest hits” and stuff I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole (e.g. Avenged Sevenfold). The jazz section had the most CDs left, but that doesn’t seem too surprising. I didn’t focus on them for this photoessay. I figured, who goes to Circuit City to buy jazz CDs? It’s not their fault! Anyway, I turned my attention to the gutted rock, hip-hop, pop, and R&B sections, where it was feast or famine. I swear I never saw a release that had, say, two CDs. It was either one CD or five-plus.
A lot of these leftovers are high-profile releases, so it stands to reason that Circuit City would have more copies in its closeout ranks. But why aren’t people buying them now at the deep discount? Is it a Kitty Genovese effect, wherein nobody wants to make the first move and actually purchase an E=MC2 for fear of non-conformity? Does the glut of Curtis signify something larger? Or does everybody who want a G-Unit already have one? Beats the heck out of me. Let’s take a trip together through Circuit City’s Island of Misfit Toys.
The shelves are quite barren.
Carly Simon, I bet you think this photo’s about you.
50 Cent looks worried. As well he should be. This was just one of four stacks of Curtis.
Consumers are disciplined enough not to buy this. Like someone said before, this would be better if it was King Crimson.
I know why this is still here: It sucks.
Exist? I didn’t know the Tony Rich Project still existed! I was kinda hoping they didn’t.
I wonder what the Goodyear Blimp says these days?
I found this depressing for some reason. Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of the braggadocio displayed on the cover and the reality of the situation.
I should probably make a “Touch My Body” joke here.
Lots of Nas to be had.
Many copies of Nelly, all scattered around.
These Omillio Sparks CDs were rather dusty. They’ve probably been sitting there unwanted for a year and a half!
Jill Scott and Queen Latifah, huddled together for warmth.
By far, the USDA Grade A No. 1 Big-Time Loser of the sales sweepstakes at Circuit City was G-Unit. This is only a small sampling of the amount of G-Unit’s T.O.S.: Terminate On Sight left behind by disinterested consumers. There were three more top-to-bottom rows of this! Why did Circuit City bet the farm on this record? The world will never know.
@Captain Wrong: I know. And the Greatest Hits album, while a retread in a sense, was a very popular album. In fact, it was really what catapulted them to the next level. Just throw it into the damned box set, already!
@tigerpop: I had forgotten myself.
Thanks for reminding me to check the local Circuit City that’s closing for cd bargains.
@tigerpop: It’s actually his best one since who knows when. Get it.
the ashes divide cd doesn’t suck
@AryzonaBay: Oh, yes it does.
Based on the headline I was expecting there to be a ton of “Walk Among Us” available.
Good reporting! Shame about the Ghostface. Everything else: meh.
I like that the placard just says “Ghostface.”
@Chris N.: On the Pretty Toney Album he’s just known as that. I don’t think the word “Killah” shows up anywhere on that CD.
That reminds me… I need to pick up The Big Doe Rehab AND More Fish. Maybe I’ll stop by the local Circuit City on the way home today.
@baconfat: don’t rush. Doe Rehab was booooring.
Re the Sly box: that situation still pisses me off. With all the bonus tracks, they couldn’t have throw on the three crucial singles that only appear on the Hits album? Come on Legacy!
Looking forward to the CC closeouts hitting here. Reading that the jazz stuff was plentiful makes me happy as that’s pretty much all I buy on CD these days.
I’m not sure if I’m more surprised that there wasn’t a towering end cap filled with copies of “Chinese Democracy” or that it took a store closing and a discount of 50% for people to give that record a whirl.
@PhishsBrevity: circuit city doesn’t sell ‘chinese democracy.’
@PhishsBrevity: And even if they would have they stopped buying new CDs before that record came out.
Wait, wait — Ice Cube made an album?
Was it mostly hip-hop and R&B, or were any high-profile rock releases stacked up in there?
I did see some Kiss albums at my local Circuit City, but not a lot of rawk. Lots of copies of the latest Erykah Badu cd. I bought Q-Tip’s “Renaissance” and Verve Remixed IV.