Conn's HomePlus: Bankrupt and All Stores Closing! | Retail Archaeology

[@R32R38]

As I understand it their business model was selling overpriced furniture to lower income people on high interest rate credit. Bottom feeders.

[@cmdraftbrn]

just like rent to own and a dozen other vultures

[@LuigiMario-ni3rj]

You can tell by their commercials that they are trying to appeal to the dredges of society. lol -- the one near me opened up in a bad area, across the street from a mall that is literally rotting inside. 🤔

[@OrbitZombie]

Sounds like their name is actually an admission than lol.

[@travishoel3755]

I have bought from them before and if you don't have them deliver to your house, which is very expensive you have to pick up from their warehouse and wait for hours for your purchase.

[@jamesking3330]

Thus the CON name

[@DzrtClaws]

Screw this company - worked for them briefly in the call center by the old Fry’s in Tempe. They took away our breaks and told us why they legally could, and why we wouldn’t miss them. They were terrible to their customers and employees. So happy to see them fall!

[@Code7Unltd]

The one problem with electronics stores leaving is that people needing a niche or uncommon appliance now can't get them. The only one standing is Micro Center, and their stores are states apart of one another.

[@LeonSKennedy7777]

@@Code7Unltdit’s nice that Microcenters still exist for those lucky enough to live near them. We had Fry’s Electronics and it’s so sad to never be able to have the experience of shopping there again.

[@thoughtsforyourlife2k98]

Same place I worked at. The Tempe location I hated the management there and knew the issues always stemmed from the main Texas location.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I experienced this when I worked at a Sprint call center. My break wasn't taken away but it was heavily restricted as to who could go and when and lunch was pushed back about six hours for me (the maximum you legally can do. At least a 30 minute break is mandatory after 6 hours of work). They would feed us at our desk stuff like Church's chicken 😂. So, now you have greasy fingers and are trying to type and whatnot. But, we have time windows for when we need to wrap up a call and for when we take the next call. You can't eat while actively on the phone, so you'd need to come up with a reason to put them on hold, but that would get you in trouble if you constantly use the hold button. The food would honestly just go cold and we'd still be hungry and stressed out of our minds. Sprint was trying to upgrade their towers at the time and the service interruptions caused a ton of calls. And we were also in collections, so we'd have to tell someone that we see the tower won't be up for several years, sorry your service sucks, but could you also still pay your bill right now over the phone with me? Of course, that didn't work and we'd get bitched at by our supervisors for not collecting enough money. Oh! And Sprint also had an absolutely RIDICULOUS extension plan! People could extend out their bill payments by two weeks. They would do this, then make a very small payment, and then skip another two weeks. How the hell are we supposed to get any money when the customer is fully aware they barely have to pay anything and still keep their service? They finally implemented a system that based on your credit score and payment history, you did have to make some kind of a payment before getting an extension, but it was too little, too late. Add in a truly toxic manager for me and I loathed that job so damn much. How I worked there for nearly two years is beyond me. Sometimes I'd be so burnt out, I'd skip work and go to the theaters and watch a movie. But I couldn't come home or my family would see me. A few times, I just sat in a Walmart parking lot. It was winter and it was cold and I was just miserable and not sure what to do (I still lived at home, but I paid for the gas and had a car note). I'm so happy to have those days behind me.

[@DzrtClaws]

@@LeonSKennedy7777 I’ll miss Fry’s. I grew up next to the Woodland Hills location and loved going there. They had EVERYTHING

[@Roadman1000]

Conn's is pretty straight forwards. You come in, have an employee half-heartedly follow you around, and when they realize they might not get anything out of you they go away, only to bring a manager to harass you for the next 10 minutes about what you want. The pay structure for Sales is a meager $10/hr OR -Not plus, OR- commission while the managers makes an upwards of $75,000 a year, so when working there if you aren't up the customer's ass you are making $10 an hour, if you participate in their insurance benefits then you are -along with taxes- having a total of almost $200 scraped from your check. The more zealous managers have a tendency to scream when it looks like employees aren't hitting quota. The scheduling is ass backwards, you can submit PTO but if it inconveniences your manager in any little way they will deny it. As for financing unless you are approved for -the very outdated- Synchrony Home Financing then you might as well consider your finances firmly fucked. Conn's Financing is a high interest gamble, it is by all intents and purposes an INSTALLMENT LOAN, meaning if you don't pay they don't repossess they just sell your contract to a bank and let your credit plummet. Their less profitable American First Finance and Koalafi options are awful, AFF itself will more than double your total payments after 90 days and you can just forget the RTO options if you bank with Chime, CashApp, Venmo, etc. they will outright DENY you if you don't have a physical bank they can force you to pay with. They will outright fuck you on financing, made your payment? Expect to be told they didn't get it and have to either pay again or go to collections. Want LOW INTEREST? Fuck you! 50% interest on a $10,000 sale! High priced items sold to people who can barely afford to pay monthly for it. AWFUL company, the Southwest Regional Vice Pres. Chris Keller was under investigation for EMBEZZLEMENT. The former RVP put in her two weeks notice at the company and was FIRED immediately! They fired a much more competent and qualified CEO for a money hungry idiot who got the Executives a quick buck and ran the company into the ground. He gets paid over 4 MILLION a year! The District Managers threaten your job if you don't preform like a monkey in a zoo. Morale is so low now with the closings, 30% off full priced items when the holiday sales were twice as cheap, barely any communication from the liquidators and corporate, an SEVERE drop in sales numbers. If you still work for Conn's GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN! -Current Conn's Employee

[@louisperez1999]

I can confirm this. I actually won the Clearance Obs contest. Where Chris Keller. Called me a liar. And I was stripped out of 15k and a trip. As well as never paid out for my Holiday Contest Winnings.

[@Mx5pro]

Nothing like a cold beer after work and brand new video from retail archaeology 😌

[@DonnaBrutta2]

Watching this while listing on some headphones that I bought at the Conn's liquidation sale.

[@vagamer522]

name of said headphones?

[@Code7Unltd]

I'm sure my over-ear studio monitors could sound batter, despite the flat acoustic colouring.

[@Rescoase]

hell nah syncronicity

[@thecattermat]

@@Code7Unltd who asked

[@thoughtsforyourlife2k98]

They’ll last you like 5-6 months before breaking

[@JCWiley2300]

Couldn't happen to a more deserving operation. I used to live in San ANtonio where Conn's were ubiquitous, and they are so, so trashy.

[@zachlovescats95]

I live in san antonio now and there's so many Conn's, I went there today to check out the going out of business sale. Nothing of value imo.

[@eloymontoya9200]

You're right about that, still here in San Antonio

[@siegfried0752]

Same here. Feel bad for ppl losing their jobs ​@@zachlovescats95

[@codaddict25]

As of today 11/3/2024 conns is closed and shuttered up in San Antonio. Tried scoring a LG G3 Tv from one of their stores but they wouldn’t budge on price. Even after offering cash.

[@viktorakhmedov3442]

IT'S TOO BAD CONNS COULDN'T FIND A WAY FOR SOMEONE TO F THEM OUT OF BANKRUPTCY

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Heh. Nice.

[@Doreas13]

No one wants to screw with them. LOL!!!

[@Hilaire_Balrog]

Nice one

[@JohnWilks-k7l]

Why did they buy badcock

[@JohnWilks-k7l]

So confuaed

[@brentfm741978]

I will say this… and I may be the only one to comment positively on them… but Conn’s financed me when nobody else would and we needed a washer and dryer. They were a bit more expensive but they financed me 12 months same as cash…. and I did get them paid off. I didn’t think much of their furniture though.

[@thoughtsforyourlife2k98]

Because they LOVE people with bad credit. There was a joke we had at the Conns Financing Call Center, “Conn’s would allow a rock to apply for financing if they could”

[@VictorianMaid99]

Conns always did us good. Over the years we bought several things from them.

[@larrybarrera8886]

What a g💯😄 same here

[@keithsuggs7935]

While I know nothing about Conn's I worked for Badcock for years. They were good people. A friend was circumstantially homeless and tried to get an advancement on his pay. Mr. Badcock told him to go find a comfortable house and bring him the paperwork and they would deduct it from his check. Never will forget that. ❤

[@adriannamalick3752]

My family has owned/ worked at Badcock for over 50 years. CONN buys Badcock and then turn all of the owner, managers an sales peoples lives upside down by filing bankruptcy. Very bad management. 😪😪

[@chrisbullock6477]

CONN"S tried to be a SEARS in a time where they are already pretty much dead, and people either get furniture from Rooms to Go or Ashley Furniture and online bed in a box sites, major electronics from BestBuy/Amazon...etc.

[@zachlovescats95]

Facebook marketplace got big in the recent years. You can also haggle there too.

[@chrisbullock6477]

@@zachlovescats95 true

[@drno-xc1yt]

This is a great example of a customer base moving on from a retailer. In the 1980's-90's when electronics were expensive, you could finance or rent to own electronics, however ill-advised that would be. But when you can waltz into Costco and buy a 60" TV for $400, who's going to go to Conn's to finance such a thing? If you want low-end cheap electronics or furniture, there's Costco, IKEA, or Amazon and if you want higher-end stuff, I'm guessing Conn's ain't on your list.

[@jsnsk101]

the problem with furniture is, its crap. made as poorly as possible and priced like it was something good made out of real materials and not chip board

[@dynamicremakes5592]

That’s not the problem that’s normal.. that’s most American made products they are made with the cheapest materials possible while marking it as high as possible and aimed at low income people

[@ronmckenna5962]

I totally agree with your comment on there's no colour in furniture anymore.l remember in the 70's when the parents went to buy appliances and livingroom furniture, the colours were certainly not boring,some were outrageously bright but that was the 70's. This present time could use colour when purchasing something...especially car interiors, enough with the black only colour.

[@tashalynn29]

There is bo color in anything anymore. Everything is blah gray . Everything.

[@Δημήτρης-θ7θ]

But how many of those pieces of furniture were tossed out in less than a decade because the style became outdated or because the colors faded? This is why people started buying furniture with subdued colors. BTW the same will happen with the trend of everything being grayscale in newly-built apartments, this style will age worse than the bright colors craze. Subdued classic colors are timeless.

[@christopherhindle8371]

When stores are struggling, they usually raise the temperatures to save money on AC (electricity). And sometimes shut-off or dim lights.

[@anthonynelson6671]

Some of that used to routinely happen at Target when I worked for them. Not sure if they still do that anymore.

[@arizonarenaissanceman]

I noticed that at Big Lots too

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I never knew that, but if you make the shopping experience miserable, how the hell are you going to get any sales? I'd say invest more into the online shopping experience instead. Make a "cute" sign saying "Pardon the heat! You can shop instead from the comfort of your home at our website..." or something like that. Still really sucks for the employees, though.

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

Lolz... Remember my local Kmart several years before they closed up had it where only 1 of every 3 florescent lights were on. That along with the half empty shelves gave it a almost abandoned look.

[@saltystephen5626]

i noticed macy's used to do that years ago but surprisingly the macy's by me is actually packed now and their business seems to be doing a lot better

[@Larry]

I quite liked the look of that black sofa that surrounded the TV! But yeah, everything is either beige, white or black. Nothing funky any more. Bit like how McDonalds looks like a prison now.

[@yaosio]

Get back to making more videos! *whipcrack*

[@DissertatingMedieval]

I think everything is made with the idea of being able to flip houses, rather than with the idea that people have individual tastes.

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@DissertatingMedieval It's sad but true, as many people look at a house as an investment to flip for profit every few years then move onto another one, even if they don't need to move instead of buy a house like our parents, and grandparents, and just living in it for the rest of the lives if possible, and passing it down to a family member, and this is just part of why the housing market is so screwed up these days. I'm thankful my grandparents left me their home, and I don't plan to move for rest of my life is possible.

[@Larry]

@@yaosio I'm going to start this week, feeling better now ! :)

[@williamharris8367]

​@@CommodoreFan64 I hope that you have some descendents to leave this property to.

[@cherrybubly1774]

As a single guy with an apartment who got their TV, couch and tables all from Conn's financing it's sad to see them go bankrupt

[@VictorianMaid99]

Same here. We bought several items of furniture from them over the years. We never had a problem with them.

[@justjoe8660]

Same. Purchased a washer & dryer to start building my credit yrs ago

[@TimothyRogersRailfanning]

Not surprised seeing how high the prices were.

[@CommodoreFan64]

Got that right I went in there several years back before plandemic helping my eldest aunt look for a washer/dryer combo, and we did not stay long, and ended up just looking online from Lowe's to get what she wanted at what she could afford being a mid range Whirlpool set delivered, setup, and the old ones hauled away cheaper that what Conn's wanted for a basic ass GE, or LG set without all the extra fees. 😂

[@donaldjones8319]

Conn’s was a good store about 20 years ago. The last couple of years if you wanted to purchase something they would push it on their credit plans with high interest rates. If you wanted to pay cash it was almost a fight to get them to take it. The leader of Conn’s change the store from a retail store to a glorified rent to own center.

[@Beejrich]

This is actually wild because 2 locations just opened barely a year ago near me.

[@benjaminvlz]

I was thinking the same thing. One location opened up near me about a year or two ago.

[@raydenlord]

I went in there once, looking for a chair for my porch. I was almost immediately swarmed by desperate salespeople trying to get me to buy something…anything. They didn’t even have any porch chairs. Never went back.

[@larrylaffer3246]

Not to mention most furniture these days is uncomfortable as hell. It's either overstuffed or too firm.

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

Yeah getting hounded by sales associates is annoying. But what's worse is when you actually need them and they've all run off and hid somewhere.

[@jessicamessicak]

I spent 10 years of my life working Conns Collections and back-end issues. I left in March of 2023... My heart just hurts for the friends I have made along the way....losing their jobs. RIP CONNS

[@freeagent4lyfe]

Sucks for your friends but conns is a predatory problematic company.

[@CommodoreFan64]

There's a Conn's HomePlus in my area in Augusta, GA I went in there several years back with my eldest aunt to help her look for a new washer, and dryer set, the store was dead as a doornail, and the prices were insane even for a basic Whirlpool set, so in the end we just ended up ordering what she wanted online for 1/2 the price, If they had competed on price with Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.. on price, and overextend themselves, then maybe they would still be in business, so they mainly have themselves to blame.

[@dontgivetwothwips3615]

We have one of these stores. I’ve never been in. You can tell from where it’s located (the very last business on a long road of big box retail stores) to the always deserted parking lot that going in there would just be a sad experience.

[@christiangonzales7429]

The only cars in the parking lot are the employees' cars.

[@thoughtsforyourlife2k98]

working at the call center I was first a Deliver Call center agent for them correcting delivery issues. We got outsourced by Philippine workers; we were given the option to seek new employment or enter the Credit and Billing Department. After a year from the outsourcing. We were all terminated and advised the whole office will be shutting down. I’ve never been more happy hearing that. i put 3+ years into the company and got nothing from them in return

[@pauljourney3251]

Former employee here, the former ceo Chandra ran the company into the ground. She also ordered a bunch of products that didn’t fill the demographic of their customer base. Conns got too cocky during c-19 bc of stock price going up and the did in fact over extend.

[@MsGail61]

I don’t remember the Kmart commercials. The naughtiest ad I remember was “You bet your sweet Aspercream.”

[@benjaminvlz]

"Kick pain in the Aspercreme"

[@NickyClassicBackArchives]

The craziest thing just happened, I just got done watching a WailleB26 Video where he was walking around one of these in Texas, from 2 years ago and then I went to watch your channel and found this!

[@GarrettOHara]

They seemed behind the times when I bought a washer from them in 2020. Their computer interfaces were all text-only interfaces with DOS font where you had to use hotkeys to navigate.

[@ls1brad]

Yup, AS400. Bulletproof warehousing software, but way antiquated.

[@vio2112]

Couldn't have happened to a more deserving company. Their entire business model was predicated on preying on poor people with bad credit. Their stuff was outrageously overpriced, but they would let people walk out of their stores with thousands of dollars worth of appliances, furniture etc. on lines of "credit" and not have to put down a cent. Later on when they inevitably failed to keep up with their monthly payments, Conn's would then attempt to sue them. It is my understanding that this wretched business model essentially kept them afloat for years, but looks like the gravy train is finally over. I normally get a little sad when yet another brick & mortar bites the dust, but not this time.

[@EricaChavira-on4oz]

Nicely said

[@mickeymouse1928-h6e]

And now American Freight too... almost 900 stores across Conn's, Badcock, and American Freight. All will and most are already gone.

[@Troy-McClure81]

Watching this on 1 of 3 Power Recliners I purchased for 180$ each as of 10-14-24...Unlike Circuit City when they closed they are actually selling everything on the cheap at least in my experience.

[@frostanimate]

With conns going away, I guess finance is a bad word after all.

[@HardPourCorn]

No - I think the entire company finally said F it. 😂

[@frostanimate]

@@HardPourCorn lol they knew it the whole time

[@Tvsnumber1fan]

To everyone who is saying it’s just because of Amazon. It isn’t just Amazon that has caused so many stories to go out of business. The reasons are actually very complicated like EVERYTHING is in life. Like Erik has been saying for a long time now we way over built retail from the 1970s through to the 2000s. Also, independent furniture stores are always coming and going and furniture at many furniture stores is always on sale which isn’t really that sustainable unless you carry many other products. Many people don’t buy furniture very often so that doesn’t always help. Plus when it comes large appliances Home Depot and Lowe’s are amongst the major players. It also doesn’t help when certain businesses give credit to individuals who either have bad credit and/or are on low incomes. This can lead to trouble because if not enough people can pay you back then you can eventually go out of business because you don’t have enough revenue coming in. Stores have gone out of business because of that. So stores don’t go out of business just because of Amazon. The reason are varied and what has lead to so many stories going out of business has been coming for a very long time now.

[@roguedalek900]

I think one of the biggest mall killers was market saturation. Too many players jumped into the game . A case of "monkey see, monkey do" one or two guys make money and everyone copies them. I heard a podcaster today saying the venture capital in the tech industry is largely to scam investors. Over-hyped mediocre ideas hyped to get backers who know nothing of the tech industry just to get investors $$.

[@SuperDrocket]

From what I see, the problem here is a whole lot simpler than any of that. The company bought out another company in December 2023. They opened several stores in the past few years, and were in the process of building and opening more when they went bankrupt. In short, you have a company that's been in serious financial trouble for several years now, and their solution for that was to take on a bunch of extra debt to expand until finally the house of cards they built very predictably collapsed. That's just pure bad management.

[@MirorImage]

I worked at Conn's for about 2 years, 10 years ago. One of the worst jobs I've ever had. Managers were power hungry and customers were ALWAYS pissed being in there. I was a porter, so my customer interaction was limited but when I did interact with a customer, they'd always vent about how terrible their experience was. This included being in uniform when being on my lunch break somewhere. I couldn't take it anymore and left when I finally found something better.

[@shigemorif1066]

I always saw the store at their 44th and Thomas location but had no idea what it was. Their section of the parking lot usually was pretty empty. Speaking of furniture, the Pruitt’s Furniture store is closing…or I guess moving to Prescott. Too bad, the interior has such an interesting and somewhat strange old school vibe to it.

[@StarsSpark]

One of these opened up near us a little over a year ago, it took over a space that Rooms To Go was occupying and had moved out of for greener pastures. I worked at the RTG briefly before it's close and our location was struggling trying to sell cheap furniture for high prices to people who couldn't afford it. IDK what gave Conn's the idea that they could do it better. But they reno'd the whole place in a not great area right across from a dead and decaying mall. Looks like that unit is gonna cycle through buyers again or maybe sit abandoned like everything else in that area.

[@Oceanblue_Art_]

You know how you walk into a lot of dying department stores and are like "damn these clothes look like stuff from twenty years ago"? That's what all the furniture in this store is like, it's painfully unfashionable dark brown wood and beige fabric that's stuck in 2005

[@bmarie216]

I’ve never shopped at Conns and never heard of the store until your video. Thank you. 👍🏻

[@RoseanneSeason7]

It's a Midwest thing

[@blastedmcgraw152]

I just moved to the Southwest and bought a couch and ottoman from them last month. Had a perfectly good experience with the purchase and the furniture was very fairly priced, but I did notice that I was one of probably 10 people in that HUGE store when we went couch shopping.

[@Big_Tex]

Surprised they’ve still been around at all. I remember encountering Conn’s 25 years ago thinking it seemed tired and pointless then.

[@karmillious9188]

What a coincidence, I just found your channel a few hours ago, and you upload. I like the videos. They're pretty interesting.

[@d.b.gaston665]

The old mall in my hometown that's been there since the 70s is probably finished then, Conn's was one of their big anchor stores, it replaced the Sears that was there before. I never went into it, everything I heard about it indicated that it had "con" in its name for a reason.

[@FlyingCookie13]

Is this Golden Triangle Mall in Denton TX?

[@d.b.gaston665]

@@FlyingCookie13Sunset Mall in San Angelo, TX

[@agbook2007]

@@d.b.gaston665, that makes some sense seeing the location on the list. The one in College Station is an old Sear’s and it’s also going the way of the dodo (Sears).

[@ForestTekkenVideos]

The Brick, a major furniture store chain here in Canada, carries the arcade 1 up machines. The Brick seems to be doing okay.

[@roguedalek900]

"furniture is so bland today" . Me: have you been to a car lot lately? I went to the hospital last week and the whole parking lot was monochromatic. In living black and white . The world of gray. Remember when blue and red cars had blue and red interiors? We are living in a bland world. Even McDonald's look like occupational health clinics now. Sure wasnt like that in the 70s.

[@RadFox1320]

Conns had high end products for people with bad credit. Underneath them is Aarons, and at the bottom is RAC.

[@GR8FLMD3AD]

It’s not inflation if companies are raking in record profits; it’s corporate price-gouging.

[@johneldorado]

Except this company is going bankrupt...so not record profits.

[@FilmandComicsSanctuary]

The Conns by my work was never busy despite being open for 4-6 years. Personally, i think that the opening of the IKEA across the highway did alot to affect its business along with all of the other furniture stores that were also open and running when it was opened.

[@Dana_Rose_]

I could not be happier. They have been harassing me with junk mail for at least 30 years. I never purchased anything from them ever. I'll be glad to see them go.

[@smoothlyrough512]

This is honestly the first time EVER hearing of this store. Live in TN

[@UndeadEggmiester]

I've never heard of cons until now and man those ads were quite bad. Unfortunately store's are learning the hard way that people no longer want to spend hundreds of dollars on big ticket items.

[@KaneshaAndrews]

Ironically, yesterday afternoon, I, along with my sister and brother in law were headed to the movies and we passed by a Conn's store and I saw that it was going out of business. And today, this video of Conn's going out of business.

[@josephtafur]

I went to conn's one time and one of their associates was following and it made me Uncomfortable and annoyed. But that's how on commission it's employees were, it's really sad honestly.

[@cslusarc]

Hudson's Bay, Canada’s last full-line department store is also experiencing deferred maintenance issues. Many stores don't have working A/C, elevators or escalators. Some stores now regularly close during regular business hours because it's so hot.

[@SueBobChicVid]

No abandoned drink cup? I feel let down.

[@AnotherTruth]

I was hoping for the same thing. Maybe in the next mall video, somewhere in a shop there, will find the abandoned half cup of whatever.

[@d3fault1420]

probably too hot inside to not have a drink on you

[@nickmoney]

When I worked retail, I asked at first but when they said no then I moved on and every ten or fifteen minutes I still see them in the store then I just asked "still good" as I passed to not be pushy but let them know I'm around still.

[@homedeezyfasheezy5662]

Bought a bunch of stuff off Conns in the Austin area. They would finance almost anyone…they even financed me again after I quit paying on a previous loan from them.

[@PandorasFolly]

My first time going into a conns was yesterday after eatching this video. Nothing i need nothing i want. Our store didnt have any of the smaller items. Appliances, large tvs, and large furniture. That's it. No small appliances, lamps, etc. Employees said they had stopped restocking that stuff months ago

[@mistermonday1994]

I remember seeing a 105 inch tv once in Conn's back in 2014 It was thick, and it sat on the floor. I'd never seen such a thing

[@chaseman94]

I haven't been to Conn's since 2011 when we bought a 65" Mitsubishi DLP rear projector TV for $1100 which only lasted until late 2015.

[@nathynrollins3451]

I came here after seeing all their ads for the 50% off store closing sales and it’s funny bc almost everything they have listed is about double the normal retail price

[@Orangewood76]

The Fingerhut of home stores. Prices were jacked way up so they could offer financing to people with no or lousy credit and shitty financial sense.

[@dynamicremakes5592]

Isn’t that like…every American retailer tho?? America is one of the few countries in the world that has nearly 0 laws protecting consumers do you think that’s just by accident?

[@AuntieKnowsKitchen]

They just opened here in ATL area about 1.5 years ago

[@Rhewin]

When I worked selling appliances at Sears, Conn's was always seen as the sleazy alternative taking advantage of people with bad credit. Of course, Sears eventually adopted a similar scheme in the 2010s with Why Not Lease It. Anyway, I had a buddy work as a manager at Conn's for a good while. Definitely didn't help their image in my view lol.

[@adventureswithjose9739]

Conn's just opened a location not that long ago in my hometown. Ironically it was a Big Kmart and a Venture before that.. It originally opened as a Woolco in the 70s and became a Walmart in the 80s.

[@thesaexplorer]

There's a Conn's where I'm at that moved into an old Toys R Us after they went out of business...looks like that building is going to be vacant once again

[@arizonaalchemy7572]

My friend and I were just there last week. We were the only ones in there looking around.

[@stevew8513]

That always seems to happen, a company buys up a competing chain, can't make a profit fast enough to cover their financial loss and the whole chain goes under. Several chains I liked have gone down that route.

[@mrsparex]

I was in the furniture business for about 30 years. One of my stores was in Winston Salem... I don't EVER recall a customer mentioning Conn's?

[@Suchatool98]

I’m not too surprised. I worked at a high-end furniture store for about a year in 2022 and we struggled then. This was still when Covid had major impacts on the supply chain. Essentially since COVID the demand for new furniture skyrocketed so much that most companies were averaging six to nine-month lead times, the time from when they received a store's order to when the store got the order. Over that year the time came down to about 14 weeks, which was about double what it was before Covid. But, demand was so much when the economy shut down for three months, that the supply in mid to late 2020 shrank up. By 2021 you had an influx of demand but a stagnant/negative supply. Then skilled workers who worked in the industry for decades decided in 2021 to retire causing a drop in production rate. So a whole bunch of factors made furniture prices skyrocket. Our introductory furniture brand’s starting sofa went from $1200-1300 when I started to $1800-2000 when I left. Just imagine the margins on all of the furniture that they had sitting in warehouses.

[@DBR00]

I live in Las Vegas. The last time I went to Conn’s, I literally had to use the restroom and I was on a code-red. I stopped in, used the restroom, browsed for 5 mins and then left.

[@miekwavesoundlab]

I bought 65 inch 4k smart TV $370 from closing location near me, I ain’t complaining it works perfectly.

[@mewregaurdhissyfit7733]

I live in the DFW, Tx area, and I can say I've only been to 3-4 Conn's since 2015.....and each and every one has been completely DEAD. As you pointed out, not even ONE sales person can be found. They are eerie, because there's all that stuff for people to buy, yet......there ARE no people in the building!!! How they've stayed open this long is beyond me. There's a Conn's down the street from where I live now, and I've NEVER seen any vehicles parked in the customer parking lot. The Dollar Tree is two doors down from it, so I'm there almost every weekend at the dollar store getting something. I've lived here for 7 years now, and been shopping at that shopping center since I've moved here, and have NEVER seen any vehicles in the customer section of their parking lot. Between Conns and the dollar store is a flooring store, which is ALWAYS busy. And you'd think with carpenters, contractors, and such people going in and out of the flooring store.........at least some of them would be over at Conns looking at appliances and such. But nope. Nada.

[@frankieknows1]

Sounds like Conn’s “F’d” up with that commercial. 😂

[@angelsonic999]

I'm a Conns employee. The stores being absolutely dead has been a thing for years now. The AC thing is something i didn't know was a common thing with our stores, though it was just mine. The whole thing about not hounding customer's after the first greeting was something my manager had taught us a while back, don't pester just stay close in case they have questions. I definitely agree that the commercials were cringey and i never had a single customer ever bring them up when entering the stores. I'd say one of our major flaws is just how poor the company was at handling consumer complaints and honestly a lack of loyalty to long time shoppers. But definitely with our furniture pricing too. I'd check the cost on some items and it would show a markup of near double what the company paid for it. Our interest rates were insane unless you were approved for a 1y term or the Synchrony Home card, and even then if you missed a payment or the duration of the term all that interest would come back. We stopped offering free delivery as well which definitely didn't help us retain anyone.

[@RikiGuitarist]

Surprised Conn's didn't go with "Shipped the bed" when they tried to be edgy with their marketing

[@phantom193]

like you said, furniture store are definitely struggling in this economy. Here in WI we have had 2 bigger name local companies announce that they are closing this year. Assuming more people are buying used off FB or looking to walmart etc for bigger purchases. With inflation eating up more and more of peoples incomes stuff like this will happen. But if you read the news i guess our economy is booming😅

[@roguedalek900]

Economy wise they are cooking the books until after November. Then it will be either Orange mans fault or pick whatever the momentary hot topic is. War in Europe or giant nuclear cockroaches or foreigners or Nixon farted in 1973. Take your pick. Whatever excuse the MSM can dream up.

[@Tyneras]

Seems furniture has the same issue that cars do. Most people have a color or two the LOVE, many they HATE, and are neutral on black, white, grey or other neutral colors. Since most people will accept the model they want in a color they are neutral on, but not one they hate, everything gets made in neutral colors. This is something we knew decades ago, but as the market gets saturated companies can't gamble that someone will like that color and everyone go toward neutrals.

[@marukuanfuni]

LOL, there is/was a Conn's that was being built for a year, and it opened less than a year a go, here in central Florida, and I literally passed it, randomly when I was taking a different way home from my Dr, earlier this month (October 2024, for future readers). I saw the "Store Closing Clearance Sale" yellow banner sign, and said "Damn, this Conn's place closed faster than the time it took for them to struggle to open it up." Admittedly, I saw that Conn's had "Electronics", and had a little FOMO develop in me, since I was wondering what kind of electronics Conn's could possibly offer, yet "I have been broke" lately, like the average person these days. However, seeing it was kitchen appliance-type electronics, and possibly stuff you would see at any Best Buy thanks to this video, I can actually rest easy in knowing that it is "nothing that I need" there (I have never seen a Conn's in my life, but would see advertising for them, sporadically living along the east coast of America from N.Y. down to here in Florida, for the last 3 decades). Those two personal quotes there are 2 big reasons I believe home furniture type stores are increasingly failing towards the future, because 1) they still, generally, feature and sell big priced items, that are also commonly waaayyy overpriced based on disingenuine seller praise, and 2) most people today already have the furniture they can afford and desire, be it via; generational family hand-me-downs/heirlooms (I know several generation X'ers to Millennials with late 19th century high quality wood chairs to dressers that were even imported!), getting good deals at a thrift shop (where I normally go) or garage sales (I used to be big on this...good items at good prices hare hard to come by simultaneously), and even in a community on curb side waiting for bulk trash pickup (I used to be big on dressing neatly and taking drive-by's in ritzy/fancy neighborhoods and seeing what very decent treasures people would just toss away, since it was below them to have it any longer, lol),...but ultimately most people, who can establish themselves, sadly Millennials like myself and older, have what we need already. No insults to Gen Z, but America is truly making it hard for a lot of them to launch into housing to begin with, so they dont really want/need to invest in furniture. Side note: I have noticed I really hate those fancy-smancy washers and dryers with the advanced integrated computers, because they break soo easily, and the corporations make them hard for the average consumer to fix (I really need a classic turn-dial washer and dryer that has that "heart attack inducing" loud AF buzz when they are done. That last part is getting on nerves too, since everything is built upon "Making" the customer come back for more, or an expensive replacement. Lastly, sounds like Conn's was eponymously cunning with their Name, since they Con the consumers with terribly high prices and Con their workers out of a good work environment/experience, bravo, current CEO! That CEO can try to "F" around some tactics, like the commercials say, and finance themselves out of bankruptcy......

[@louisperez1999]

Worked here. Highest I made was 5-6k for the month. Won a competition was supposed to make 15k plus a trip to Miami. I ended up being called a liar.. by RVP Chris Keller. Was told my Credit applications were fake. Even though the next three months I did the same. Through my own hard work. Of calling everyone in the leads! I got the 15k stripped from me. Forget you Chris Keller. I’m glad you were stripped from your job. I hope you don’t get one again.

[@mjg1544]

We’ve noticed the same corporate blandness of appliances too….especially washers and dryers. The paint is gray and led lights are white. We had a set of LGs from 2008 that were Bahama Blue. Miss those days.

[@kaileepaige5]

I used to be a store manager for them. I could definitely give you on a few insights on why they close.

[@Mom2my4blessings]

A couple of days ago, we were driving home from a vacation in Virginia. We passed a Conn’s and my husband asked me if I heard of it before. And now I see they are going out of business. Furniture and appliances are items people keep for a long time especially nowadays. It must be a difficult business to be in.

[@PWB69]

This is very interesting. Nearby they just built a store. It was nice, staff were great, they were busy, and had the best prices. Oddly it was also very hot inside.

[@DOCDOCFLAMINGOS]

Never heard of the store or the other chain of stores they bought a few years back. Doesn't seem like was missing much at all!!

[@dougclendening5896]

I've literally never heard of this place. It makes me surprised that ABC Warehouse is still in business.

[@laraoneal7284]

TY for taking us down memory lane.

[@TheEasterFerret]

I visited a Conns once when we were hitting several furniture stores looking for recliners. It was by far the worst experience. Sales person was desperate and cringey, kept trying to get us to look at their financing even though I showed zero interest in doing that. Eventually the sales person sent the manager on us to see if he could get us interested. That’s about the time I determined they were awful and left. Their furniture wasn’t comfortable anyway.

[@garmack12]

We had one about 2 miles from my house for over 15 years as a kid. Drove by it any time we needed to get on the interstate. Never went inside.

[@TheHrb1234]

Not a company I will miss.

[@AMtheAlmostAce]

The last time I went there, my mom took forever browsing all over the store during lunchtime. I got my feelings hurt!

[@TexTom1981]

Went to our local store once. Prices were high and the financing they were offering was insanely high regarding interest rates. People with good credit undoubtedly will buy elsewhere with lower rates. I had the distinct feeling it was a trap for people with bad credit or no credit.

[@WeSRT4]

My thoughts are this... everything is depressing because things are depressing in this country.

[@lasttractionhero]

Couldn't have said it any better.

[@LatitudeSky]

Never heard of Conn's until the BK and realized there were some in my area. Badcock had stores around here and I suppose they rebranded to Conn's and then rebranded to out of business so quickly, nobody even knew Badcock was gone. Guess Hilco or Gordon Brothers or similar will be taking over. Would love to see a video on who does a better closedown among the big companies like Hilco.

[@MyDreamIsAStory]

I agree everything looks boring and doesn’t make you want to go inside and shop. Best Buy has gotten so boring. I only go there when o get a new phone or tablet. Only because I don’t have an Apple Store near me.

[@vio2112]

Agreed. Best Buy was awesome 20 years ago, but now it is just plain pathetic. Sadly their days are numbered too. I would be shocked if they're still around in 10 years.

[@MissMTurner]

Not familiar with Conns but we have Badcock here in Tampa Bay. Its hard to forget that business name.

[@jasonelkins6582]

Never been to a store. I used to get their junk mail for financing all the time but it has stopped. Now I know why.

[@DissertatingMedieval]

They were busy expanding even before the purchase -- they filled in half of the Sears footprint in the dying mall in College Station, Texas the year before the pandemic hit.

[@mryoutuber2426]

Can you make an update video on Parkway Plaza mall in El Cajon CA because some of the stores close like Walmart Macy’s and Sears and some of the others

[@edman813]

We have one here in Austin that closed then reopened at the same place a decade later, only to reclose. Kinda figured that would happen especially because it came back just barely not long after the pandemic, which was a really awful time to do so