Shopping Online with Circuit City's 24/24 Guarantee

I hate Christmas shopping! There I said it. It's not the season that bothers me, it's just the crowds that drive me crazy. Of course, that's probably how most of us feel about Christmas shopping.

As of the last few years, my family has pretty much stuck to online shopping. The biggest problem is that the for procrastinators like us, the longer you wait, the slower and more unreliable the Postal system becomes. So what's my whole point of this rant? Circuit City has asked me to try out their 24/24 Guarantee. Basically it means I can shop online during store hours and then pick up my merchandise within 24 minutes after I get a confirmation email. If my order isn't ready for pickup within 24 minutes, they'll give me a $24 gift card. Sounds pretty simple doesn't it?

I really like the idea of shopping online and then running buy to pick up my merchandise at the local store. So next week I'll do a litlle mystery shopper test with Circuit City's 24/24 service and give you the scoop on how it works out.

Till then, here's a excerpt from a Press Release that was released last year andit appears all of the details and stipulations are the same this year:

RICHMOND, Va., Oct 03, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- With the busy holiday shopping season fast approaching, Circuit City Stores, Inc. has launched its 24/24 Pickup Guarantee(SM) for qualifying purchases made through its Web site, catalog or its telephone call centers.
Qualifying purchases will be ready for customers to pick up at their designated store within 24 minutes of purchase confirmation, or the customer will receive a $24 Circuit City gift card.*

"Many of our customers have enjoyed the convenience of buying products online and picking them up in our nearby stores," said Fiona Dias, Circuit City's senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "Circuit City pioneered in-store pickup for Web purchases and this guarantee takes our customer service promise to the next level. We know shoppers are especially busy during the holidays and they need to be able to count on prompt service."

Circuit City has offered in-store pickup as an option for its online customers since July 1999, when the company launched http://www.circuitcity.com. Web shoppers can check inventory in real-time to determine if the product they want to purchase is available for in-store pickup. The feature is extremely popular; about half of the customers who buy online from Circuit City choose the convenience of in-store pickup.

*The 24 minute Guarantee applies from timestamp on order confirmation email until the time order is ready for customer pickup. Guarantee excludes customer wait time in store lines. Offer valid on orders placed at circuitcity.com or by phone during pickup store's normal operating hours up to 30 minutes prior to closing. Guarantee not valid the day after Thanksgiving, 12/26 or 12/27. $25 minimum purchase. One $24 gift card offered per qualifying in-store pickup ticket, which must be claimed at time of pickup and is good for future purchases.

So stop by Circuit City's and check the details out and we'll let you know next week how our experience with the 24/24 guarantee went.

At CircuitCity.com

November 10, 2006

Shopping Online with Circuit City's 24/24 Guarantee