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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:03:18 PM EDT
Amazon about to destroy another brick and mortar store. Next question is how long will Best Buy hang on?
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/can-frys-electronics-survive-age-amazon-empty-shelves-numerous-stores-spark-concern/ Founded in 1985 in Sunnyvale, Calif., Fry’s has been an electronics institution for decades, boasting on its website that it caters to the high-tech professional and sells more than 50,000 electronic items in its 34 stores, spread across nine states. But visitors to various locations in California and elsewhere started to see what appeared to be signs of trouble, posting comments and images in online forums such as Yelp and The Layoff. “Fry’s has to be circling the drain,” one person wrote. “There was no way we felt comfortable purchasing something there as the store looks like it could close any day,” another said. A video on the YouTube channel Retail Archaeology called out a similar situation in August at the Fry’s in Phoenix. 
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:07:12 PM EDT
[#1]
When my local Fry’s goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams!
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:07:21 PM EDT
[#2]
They usually are out of everything. It is like they never restock.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:07:40 PM EDT
[#3]
Damn that sucks. Fry's is my go to, every time I'm in Atlanta and my online home for anything electronic.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:09:11 PM EDT
[#4]
As someone who likes handling and reading the box before buying something like a security camera system, this saddens me.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:09:39 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When my local Fry's goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams! |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:10:00 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When my local Fry’s goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams! |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:11:10 PM EDT
[#7]
I remember going to Fry’s in Manhattan Beach/El Segundo, CA area as a kid. Was always so packed you could barely walk through the aisles. Amazing how times change.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:11:34 PM EDT
[#8]
Fry's was the shitz 10-20 years ago.
There's no way I could walk in and not buy something overpriced and unneeded. They were the re-shrink wrap experts rewrapping returned merchandise so that it looked new. 
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:12:22 PM EDT
[#9]
Oh man I love Fry's Electronics.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:13:46 PM EDT
[#10]
I just heard the same thing yesterday from a neighbor that just came home from the Burbank store location
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:16:15 PM EDT
[#11]
I use them for little electronic bits and parts that I can't find anywhere else locally.
I miss the corner electronics store. 
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:16:38 PM EDT
[#12]
I was in this Fry's next to the Burbank Airport in SoCal earlier in the year. Pretty cool. Chris |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:17:49 PM EDT
[#13]
When they started hawking furniture, mattresses, fake perfumes, and As Seen on TV merchandise... you know they're in trouble.
They slashed their blu-ray/dvd section and their TV section looks sad. Only good thing about Fry's and Best Buy is if you want it now and it is in stock you can price match with Amazon, Newegg, Tiger Direct, etc and pick it up same day. Newegg was my go to for PC parts but they started charging sales tax for Texas residents on October 1st 
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:18:51 PM EDT
[#14]
I loved going to Frys whenever we were in vegas. I used to buy electronics there but after a few bad experiences with bad parts and a NIGHTMARE of a return battle on a few things, I got leery. Rather buy from Amazon that will take bad stuff back without any questions and exchange it for functional stuff.
Interesting store, but when I go there I mostly wander around and don't buy much. Suspect it's dead and just hasn't realized it yet. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:19:03 PM EDT
[#15]
I live less than 8 miles from one, but I hate going because they NEVER have what I'm looking for.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:21:36 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I live less than 8 miles from one, but I hate going because they NEVER have what I'm looking for. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:22:18 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When my local Fry’s goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams! 
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:22:57 PM EDT
[#18]
It depressing. After Radio Shack folded, they were the last place locally where I could actually walk into a store and buy electronic components and supplies.
The one in Irving looks terrible. I have no idea how they keep the lights on. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:22:58 PM EDT
[#19]
I wish they'd ship stuff. They often have crazy good deals on the sort of shit I buy but it's always ship to store or pickup only. I guess a simpler logistics chain keeps their costs down.
Closest one to me is in Georgia. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:25:11 PM EDT
[#20]
They treat their employees bad.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:25:57 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When my local Fry's goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams! 
ETA the Fry's in San Diego was a go-to place for home computer builders for a long time. But NewEgg and now Amazon have put Fry's almost totally out of that business. The only reason I will go there is if I need something like a thumb drive or external backup disk RIGHT NOW, which is almost never. About five years ago Fry's reconfigured the store, adding a lot of shelf space. They made aisles narrower and shelves higher. Now, just as suddenly, they're back to wider aisles and shelves that I can see over (I'm about 5' 10" on a good day.) Last time I went there, it was obvious that a lot of the shelf space was empty. The TV department seems to be the only area that is doing OK. Everything else is withering fast. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:28:58 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It depressing. After Radio Shack folded, they were the last place locally where I could actually walk into a store and buy electronic components and supplies. The one in Irving looks terrible. I have no idea how they keep the lights on.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:32:14 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When my local Fry’s goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams! |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:33:32 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
As bad as it was, it was still a Frys and still better than any best buy. We don't have a Frys here and I miss them Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
It depressing. After Radio Shack folded, they were the last place locally where I could actually walk into a store and buy electronic components and supplies. The one in Irving looks terrible. I have no idea how they keep the lights on. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:37:05 PM EDT
[#25]
Back when I used to travel out to San Jose from the east coast, I would always stop at Fry's after leaving the airport. My favorite store was IIRC near the airport as it seemed to have the most components and parts. There was one I was in that qA done up in Egyptian motif that really did not have much of anything I was interested in. There were about three stores in the San Jose area that I found useful. The rest were meh.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:37:39 PM EDT
[#26]
I have two Fry's close to me. the one in North Phoenix was like 70% empty the last time I went in, that was about a month ago. They said it was because of the tariffs, but this would have been before they took effect
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:37:51 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It depressing. After Radio Shack folded, they were the last place locally where I could actually walk into a store and buy electronic components and supplies. The one in Irving looks terrible. I have no idea how they keep the lights on. No Fry's around here, and as far as I know, never has been. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:38:54 PM EDT
[#28]
The TV department seems to be the only area that is doing OK. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:39:40 PM EDT
[#29]
Love the frys in Austin
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:45:26 PM EDT
[#30]
Problem with Frys is their employees. Hire kids with zero work ethic and a knowledge base consisting of piecemeal google search results, dont expect people to show up. Customers either dont know and need a proper salesperson to help them, or they do know and just want to pick up what they want. Neither need is met by Frys employees.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 1:47:48 PM EDT
[#31]
The only reason why Best Buy survived over Fry’s is that BB offers a more upscale shopping experience. You paid the same price at both places, but BB feels like a Holiday Inn Express compared to Fry’s hourly rate motel.
Same deal with Target vs Walmart. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 2:02:48 PM EDT
[#32]
Hadn't been to a Fry's in years and stopped by the Plano one out of curiosity a couple months ago. There was just a handful of customers and inventory was minimal. I walked out of there feeling like it was the last time I would see a Fry's.
Been to Micro Center multiple times since then. Always full of customers and had the majority of the parts I needed for some new computer builds. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 2:07:41 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Hadn't been to a Fry's in years and stopped by the Plano one out of curiosity a couple months ago. There was just a handful of customers and inventory was minimal. I walked out of there feeling like it was the last time I would see a Fry's. Been to Micro Center multiple times since then. Always full of customers and had the majority of the parts I needed for some new computer builds. Fry's (back in the day) was better for electronic hobbyist stuff. And when Radio Shack went tits up, they were pretty much all that was left in that market. I'm going to have to start looking around to see if there's a Mom & Pop kind of place here in DFW that still sells stuff like that. Sometimes, I want it now, I don't want to order it and I don't mind paying a little more for the privilege. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 2:21:24 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
DO IT!
ETA the Fry's in San Diego was a go-to place for home computer builders for a long time. But NewEgg and now Amazon have put Fry's almost totally out of that business. The only reason I will go there is if I need something like a thumb drive or external backup disk RIGHT NOW, which is almost never. About five years ago Fry's reconfigured the store, adding a lot of shelf space. They made aisles narrower and shelves higher. Now, just as suddenly, they're back to wider aisles and shelves that I can see over (I'm about 5' 10" on a good day.) Last time I went there, it was obvious that a lot of the shelf space was empty. The TV department seems to be the only area that is doing OK. Everything else is withering fast. Sadly, I think the last thing I purchased from there was a motherboard about 8-10 years ago. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 2:27:12 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I live less than 8 miles from one, but I hate going because they NEVER have what I'm looking for. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:21:02 PM EDT
[#36]
I saw an Youtube video about Fry's store in Arizona, how it was empty of customers and merchandise. I went to the local one last week and it was the same. Where there were motherboards and memory modules covering the whole wall there was nothing. Whatever laptops and desktop computers they had were two years old. It was just sad.
And no, I won't blame Amazon for this. The local Fry's were packed and busy a few years back, long after Amazon came around. Another mega computer store, Micro Center, had no problem packing the shop with customers and moving merchandises. I think the problem is they expanded too much with too many different things. Had they focused on computer stuff with a quarter of space they would do just fine. Instead, they had washer, dryer, fridge, TV, porn, etc. I don't even know when was the last time somebody ordered something from their lunch counter. Why was it even there in the first place? |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:23:53 PM EDT
[#37]
I'm not being edgy, but I've never heard of the place. It is sad to see any American chain go out of business though.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:29:02 PM EDT
[#38]
In Vegas, their shelves are mostly empty, their stock areas around the store are empty and they do not have shit in stock. I asked a sales kid what was going on and he has no idea of course. Goodbye Fry’s.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:30:11 PM EDT
[#39]
A couple close enough to me to be kind of handy. But not worth the effort most of the time. They just kept adding more and more lines of business. Should have stuck with the nerd stuff. And people are comfortable buying on line these days. In office supplies we kind of joked than 10% of our product was 90% of our business. Keeping that other 90% around kept some customers coming in but it costs. Anc Costco sells the 10% cheap. They took that 10/90 and began adding product lines. They didn't stop with the 10%, tried to add a chunk of the other 90%, too. Small appliances, large appliances, optics, cameras, trying to get that something for everyone, buy it while I'm there crowd. Can't do that these days. It costs a lot of money to have a couple of everything on the shelves in a lot of stores. And often it was a wide range of cheap crap. They have flashlights? Yep. good ones? Nope. Binoculars? Only a couple of cheap ones. Why bother? apparently it's ending. Anybody need a big empty space with a Space shuttle cockpit?
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:31:12 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When my local Fry's goes belly up......I can pick up that giant superstore for cheap rent. A giant dental emporium! Dreams! 
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:34:28 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They treat their employees bad. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:35:33 PM EDT
[#42]
80% of the merchandise they have left is returned or open box stuff. I doubt they’re paying their bills to suppliers, so they’re liquidating all they have left. No new stock, just trying to push out what’s left. My buddy sent me pictures from his recent trip to the local Frys, and there’s a lot less inventory left than there was when I went several months ago.
It’s dead Jim. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:39:49 PM EDT
[#43]
In the DFW mid-cities, the only one at first was in Arlington, and that damn place used to be so crowded I hated going there, especially on a weekend ... people were back-to-back and belly-to-belly and it took 30 minutes to get checked out. Then they opened some more stores and it thinned out. I haven't been to any of them in quite a while, so I don't know how they're doing, but it strikes me they might have overbuilt.
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:42:20 PM EDT
[#44]
Quoted:
I bought my last CPU at Microcenter, because they were cheaper than Amazon or Newegg. It's a pretty cool place. Fry's (back in the day) was better for electronic hobbyist stuff. And when Radio Shack went tits up, they were pretty much all that was left in that market. I'm going to have to start looking around to see if there's a Mom & Pop kind of place here in DFW that still sells stuff like that. Sometimes, I want it now, I don't want to order it and I don't mind paying a little more for the privilege. Here's a link with a good write up in them with pics of the store: Link |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:45:21 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm not being edgy, but I've never heard of the place. It is sad to see any American chain go out of business though. Many of the stores had decoration themes. El Segundo was IIRC ancient Egypt, Anaheim Hills was Space Shuttle, Burbank was Lockheed, etc. If you didn't have electronics manufacturing in your area, you probably didn't get a store. Think of them as a big box Radio Shack with ALL the stuff a Radio Shack should have had. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:45:47 PM EDT
[#46]
Spotted this in the Seattle store about a year or more ago, the last time I was over there. Went looking for some parts, some cables, and a few other things. Left the store empty-handed, because not a damn thing was in stock. The shelf tags were there, and ninety-nine other kinds of things I didn't need, but not a damn thing I did.
Overall, a disappointing shopping experience. Won't be going back, either--The drive just isn't worth it. Lots and lots of retail businesses are going to go the same way--The era of a centrally-controlled stockage system and massive slow-moving infrastructure is dying, and these companies can't adapt. Lowe's and Home Depot are going down the same path--You go in needing something, and what do you find? It's not there; you ask about ordering it, and they tell you it's three weeks to get it in. Motherhumpin' frikin-frack... I can get it from Amazon in two days, max. Hell, I sat there in the store and ordered a set of blades from Amazon while the salesclerk was trying to sell me on waiting three weeks to buy from them, and Amazon says "Overnight-Free". Showed him the Amazon order, and walked off. I walk into NAPA, and if I need a part, it's usually overnight from the local warehouse. NAPA can do it, and if the rest of these local brick-and-mortar stores don't start emulating them, they're going the way of the dodo... |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:47:20 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48860622992_d1e9f1259c_k.jpg I was in this Fry's next to the Burbank Airport in SoCal earlier in the year. Pretty cool. Chris |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 3:57:05 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Spotted this in the Seattle store about a year or more ago, the last time I was over there. Went looking for some parts, some cables, and a few other things. Left the store empty-handed, because not a damn thing was in stock. The shelf tags were there, and ninety-nine other kinds of things I didn't need, but not a damn thing I did. Overall, a disappointing shopping experience. Won't be going back, either--The drive just isn't worth it. Lots and lots of retail businesses are going to go the same way--The era of a centrally-controlled stockage system and massive slow-moving infrastructure is dying, and these companies can't adapt. Lowe's and Home Depot are going down the same path--You go in needing something, and what do you find? It's not there; you ask about ordering it, and they tell you it's three weeks to get it in. Motherhumpin' frikin-frack... I can get it from Amazon in two days, max. Hell, I sat there in the store and ordered a set of blades from Amazon while the salesclerk was trying to sell me on waiting three weeks to buy from them, and Amazon says "Overnight-Free". Showed him the Amazon order, and walked off. I walk into NAPA, and if I need a part, it's usually overnight from the local warehouse. NAPA can do it, and if the rest of these local brick-and-mortar stores don't start emulating them, they're going the way of the dodo... Also, most of the national auto parts chains have invested heavily into parts distribution and inventory. They study what VIN numbers are registered in every zip code and base inventories on what is registered and on the road. VIO (vehicles only operation) is generally the term used for this. If you can plan out your preventative maintenance ahead of time, you could order online and save money, but most people don’t plan ahead. Not to mention, the DIY sector for auto repair is dying anyway. It’s all about DIFM business, and shops can’t wait a day or two for parts. Amazon cannot match 20-30 minute wholesale delivery times that local parts stores and dealerships are able to do, and if they could, the cost savings would be gone. It’s expensive to have product closer to the customer, and to provide pizza delivery speed or faster delivery times. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 4:09:39 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They treat their employees bad. |
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Posted: 10/7/2019 4:12:41 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Back when I used to travel out to San Jose from the east coast, I would always stop at Fry's after leaving the airport. My favorite store was IIRC near the airport as it seemed to have the most components and parts. There was one I was in that qA done up in Egyptian motif that really did not have much of anything I was interested in. There were about three stores in the San Jose area that I found useful. The rest were meh. 
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