OTHER TECH

4. Lots of merchandise has been pillaged That box once held a complete set of mediocre wireless headphones. What's in there now? Who knows. Maybe someone just wanted to swipe the pair of AA batteries that came with it. Or maybe someone bought an incomplete pair of the same model when CompUSA liquidated and was just out for justice. But, no matter the reason, the ultimate result is that it, and a surprising amount of other products in similar states of undress remain completely unworthy of purchase.

5. It's crowded There are certain instances where it's OK to pay a little more for something you really want, one of which is getting your hands on it as quickly as possible. It is not, however, OK to pay too much for something and subject yourself to a long line of bleary-eyed bargain hunters. I watched one person get in line holding a 19-inch LCD (I won't mention the brand, but I used my phone to find it for 40 dollars less on Amazon). By the time they had checked out, almost a half hour had passed. That's Black Friday status.

6. A lot of stuff is broken: Crazed customers and disinterested employees have left the floor looking like warzone. There were cameras on display with cracked LCDs and laptops with broken screens and lots of missing keys. I personally witnessed someone knock over a TV while trying to get a look at the back. He picked it up and walked away. After having seen that, the "open box" deal I saw on a Boston Acoustics home theater set-up was put into perspective.

7. Everything you want is probably already gone: If, after six reasons, you still have any compulsion beyond morbid curiosity for climbing inside of the hulking carcass of the local Circuit City, you'll be disappointed to find that just about everything worth buying is gone. The memory card aisle is populated with older, obscure MemorySticks that are too expensive to warrant a purchase. The cable selection is down to S-Video and generic-brand HDMIs that are still about $60. And the Blu-ray section has been looted, leaving mostly back catalog selections that still clock in over $30 after the 20% discount. I don't think there's a more fitting metaphor for this whole situation than a copy of The Fifth Element Blu-ray, laying broken and expensive on the floor where it shall remain until the doors close forever.