Question for the older nerds (like me) in the crowd today: Circuit City or CompUSA? (I am not asking about a third option. I am asking between just these two, where do you land. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

adampknave.com • 1 day ago

Question for the older nerds (like me) in the crowd today:

Circuit City or CompUSA?

(I am not asking about a third option. I am asking between just these two, where do you land.

Comments

loki4778.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City. They were fine.

abendis.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City is what we had in my area. I’d been into a CompUSA a few times though and remember I didn’t like it nearly as much. Circuit City had such a wide selection of stuff!

feralgrumpy.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City had a much larger presence in my area of the time.

serienya.bsky.social•1 day ago

CompUSA. But only just.

tlawson.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City. Not sure I ever even set foot in a CompUSA.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

I mean not a great loss, either way lol

tlawson.bsky.social•1 day ago

Hahaha probably not. I grew up in a small town, so to get to anything like a Circuit City (or a B. Dalton, heck, to get to a shopping mall) was a 45 minute drive.

bkey1970.keyport.name•1 day ago

for emergency only it would have been compusa for me. Closest. Day to day, I wouldn't have used either.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

sure

bkey1970.keyport.name•1 day ago

I did mail order a TON back then.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

smart!

storrieville.bsky.social•1 day ago

Hmm. I think I went to CompUSA more often, but I bought from Circuit City as well. So, CompUSA, I guess?

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Yeah I think most ppl went to both, because well they overlapped but WERE different.

storrieville.bsky.social•1 day ago

I don't remember them all that well. Of course, I didn't buy a lot of computers. I tend to keep mine until they completely give out on me.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Oh of course, I was just also working in the field by then so there was a lot of "Stop by to grab something for a friend because they didn't know the part they needed to replace" sort of thing.

storrieville.bsky.social•1 day ago

I think there was a CompUSA next door to the Borders where I worked, which may account for my going there more often.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Niiiiiiice

mattnelsonart.bsky.social•1 day ago

I only really remember ever going into circuit city, and even then only when they closed because I wanted to get a cheap Xbox 360.

apearlma.bsky.social•1 day ago

I would guess CompUSA if forced. But I lived in NYC then.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

I did too, But we had both.

apearlma.bsky.social•1 day ago

Right. Just I would generally try to avoid both of them, but in an emergency, go to CompUSA. Usually went to the small stores.

apearlma.bsky.social•1 day ago

just recalling there was some phenomenally weird haggling experience where one of those stores said they'd match any deal, I went into their store with an ad that would have been out of my way, but had a very good price, and they were "nope, sorry, but we can charge you $100 more still if you want?"

adampknave.com•1 day ago

lol SO many places did that bullshit

apearlma.bsky.social•1 day ago

Also, being a professor since the mid-90s(emphasis, routinely looked like the youngest person in the room by far) = I had educational discount on a ton of computer things, so I'd go to the places that would let me use it. iirc neither CompUSA nor Circuit City let me do that. Or not obviously.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

I would go down to Coliseum books, and often end up in that compusa because it was THERE and I always needed something, ya know?

jennylangin.bsky.social•1 day ago

I don't remember ever seeing a CompUSA anywhere near me. Circuit City only!

korybing.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City sold blank minidiscs, so by heart is with them.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Hah! Did CompUSA not where you were?

korybing.bsky.social•1 day ago

I don’t remember them but I lived in the boonies so who knows

valentinebarker.com•1 day ago

Seconded.

jonpaulmaki.com•1 day ago

Circuit City won by default just because it was closest to me (when it existed).

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Yeah seeing a bunch of that, their wide coverage in areas really helped.

elfman.bsky.social•12 hours ago

I worked for CompUSA, so Circuit City all the way.

barelysushi.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City, but I honestly couldn't tell you why.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Don't need a reason, sometimes it just IS

bustronaut.bsky.social•1 day ago

CompUSA, but I really only know Circuit City from the death spiral

jiffybsky.bsky.social•1 day ago

OfficeMax

adampknave.com•1 day ago

"(I am not asking about a third option. I am asking between just these two, where do you land."

Good job!

jiffybsky.bsky.social•1 day ago

I excel at following directions 😜. But seriously circuit city

scottms.bsky.social•20 hours ago

CompUSA. I bought a 1st gem ipod shuffle there, and bought Manga Studio there (long before it became Clip Studio Paint).

neilkleid.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City. It was closer

loreleif.bsky.social•15 hours ago

CompUSA purely for computers; Circuit City for AV equipment.

melbeast.bsky.social•23 hours ago

CompUSA is where I always got my Bawls 😎

adampknave.com•23 hours ago

Oh god that stuff was ... a choice.

oopsallwords.com•1 day ago

Circuit City was closer, so went there more, but CompUSA was way better

adampknave.com•1 day ago

I like how this is a common thing, they just had better spread.

zoeew.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City.

amfisher.bsky.social•1 day ago

CompUSA was always better, but Circuit City was easier to get to.

jimmierobinson.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit city, but really… FRY’S beats them all.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Sure but just focused on those two today. Can't add in everything all the time.

jimmierobinson.bsky.social•1 day ago

Then yeah, Circuit City. The car audio alone was worth it.

bobbby.omg.lol•1 day ago

CompUSA for computer stuff (software, cables, etc.) and Circuit City for AV stuff. I remember Circuit City carried just rancid computer brands (Packard Bell, eMachines)

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Huh I remember them being equalish on parts brands (not whole unit brands) but, memory and long time ago.

bobbby.omg.lol•1 day ago

Back when a 4MB DIMM was $150! Those were the days

adampknave.com•1 day ago

It was all we needed then!

sarahgiffrow.bsky.social•1 day ago

CompUSA always seemed to be my go-to

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Sadly, though, for them, you couldn't replace their name in lyrics for Paradise City. ...though that worked against CC when they were closing, too easy to mock.

djkirkbride.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Circuit City

adampknave.com•23 hours ago

They were circuits! That had their own city!

djkirkbride.bsky.social•23 hours ago

adampknave.com•23 hours ago

lol

battlehork.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City used to sell the floor models for next to nothing so you could occasionally get a really good deal, but CompUSA was more consistent

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Huh never tried to buy the floor model!

93418.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City, by default. Simply because we didn't have any CompUSA. The one made the jump to Canada, the other didn't.

(Also for the fact that even before then, I had been to a Circuit City in Buffalo, but never the other.)

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Well yeah it wasn't CompCA

93418.bsky.social•1 day ago

It felt like CompUSA was the only one that didn't. Best Buy came up here, wound up merging with Future Shop. Tiger Direct had infomercials up here.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

I feel like it HAD to be the name, right? (It probably wasn't)

karaboo.bsky.social•22 hours ago

Circuit City is the only one I've seen in Canada so that one.

sbor.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City. They'd have like "Buy 1 get 2 free PS2 Games" sales for no reason at random times

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Oh nice!

sbor.bsky.social•1 day ago

I got Prince of Persia, Beyond Good and Evil and Psychonauts all for $30 one time. I still remember that deal 20 years later lol

jenniferdeguzman.bsky.social•1 day ago

Hmmm, CompUSA was where I actually went once in a while, but Circuit City had those animated commercials where electric plug zoomed into the ground and became one of their stores, so gotta give it to CC.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Hahhahah

hesster56.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City, if I have to choose.

kimota1977.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City but only because of the A/V wall they had at peak.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

It was a good a/v wall

kimota1977.bsky.social•1 day ago

I was a Shackie back then. Ran multiple stores for them over the years and the City was our mortal enemy, but I secretly loved going to their stores.

caidid.bsky.social•1 day ago

CompUSA. At least where I lived Circuit City was just a store - something between a Radio Shack and a Best Buy - but the CompUSA near me had comprehensive, extremely knowledgeable tech support with everything from troubleshooting to physical repairs, for whatever kind of computer you had.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Oh nice

hillingsama.bsky.social•1 day ago

I never heard of CompUSA…. But I never shopped Circuit City…

Awe common no third option? But the answer is Fry’s… maybe I’m too young for this question. 😏

goosname.bsky.social•1 day ago

CompUSA hands down.

CompUSA was an actual computer store. Circuit City was an electronics/appliance store.

Circuit City had pushy salespeople w/ commissions.

CompUSA had clueless teenagers who would get the price tag wrong and then honor the price as tagged. Great deals.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Huh I gotta say where I was the employees were about the same? But yeah it was a lot of need focus.

goosname.bsky.social•1 day ago

might’ve been unique to our location. i lived in a smaller city, and there weren’t a lot of options

goosname.bsky.social•1 day ago

come to think of it, yeah, even the CompUSA in Austin was about 50 times the size of the one in my hometown, like a totally different experience

ours was about the size of a 7/11

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Yea that would be weird one that small.

longtalljodie.com•1 day ago

CompUSA. Just better vibes, even though I respected Circuit City's weird fucking architecture.

awalrusdarkly.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Circuit City, though my family's first computer did come from a CompUSA.

zippyrich.bsky.social•1 day ago

Circuit City.
Being a Mac guy, CompUSA didn't have what I needed most of the time & CC had more than just computer equipment–I could get a new VCR as well as Zip cartridges (how's that for dating myself?).

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Fuck yeah zip drives, and jazz drives.

zippyrich.bsky.social•1 day ago

A full gig in a removable Jazz drive–at the time it was a miracle.

adampknave.com•1 day ago

And SCSI was fast as SHIT compared to other stuff then

zippyrich.bsky.social•1 day ago

Crazy fast. Ah, the good old days, when CRT monitors weighed 90 tons and took up whole rooms…

adampknave.com•1 day ago

Mmmm tubes

virginiabarksdale.bsky.social•23 hours ago

Circuit City. From my first video game console to my first home computer.

adampknave.com•23 hours ago

Ahh bought a compaq did you?

virginiabarksdale.bsky.social•23 hours ago

I have no memory of what kind it was but it had Oregon Trail and SkiFree on it

adampknave.com•23 hours ago

What else did you NEED? Done.