Huge TV Sales Are Huge

The reason for the performance was the same, with television comparable-store sales up in the double digits and flat-panel comps up in the triple digits.

"In December we saw strength in a broad number of categories, but we saw significant strength in flat panel televisions, MP3 players and accessories, notebook computers, video game hardware, navigation products and imaging products," Circuit City said.

The company boosted its forecast for full-year sales growth to 10% to 12%, from 8% to 10%. Domestic same-store sales growth should be in the upper-single digits, up from its previous forecast of mid- to upper-single digits.

Like Best Buy, Circuit City's fiscal year ends next month. Unlike Best Buy, Circuit City did not comment on its earnings expectations.

"Circuit City is especially aggressive with their promotions, and they're especially good at it," Hastings said. "The fact that they're not commenting on their earnings could mean their margins took a hit, but maybe they're just not commenting now."

Shares of Circuit City recently were up 10 cents, or 0.4%, to $22.89.