I miss early 2000s Fry’s Electronics. Back when they still cared.
Even 2010s Fry’s was a shit show. They always sold out if the ad special of the week. They had random out of stocks that took up huge chunks of the aisles, with a lot of old, undesirable stuff left over. And then they’d give you a hard time with returns.
End stage Fry’s was so weird it could have been a Terry Gilliam movie or something. Vast expanses of mostly empty aisles with the few bits of leftover inventory still there, but interspersed with filled-up cages of AliExpress junk at 10x the AE price or 3x the “get it tomorrow” Amazon price. Then there would be one or two areas where the vendors had gone along with their cockamamie “we’ll sell your shit on consignment!” scam, and a few sad employees trying to avoid making eye contact.
We still have one in Illinois but I’m not sure how it’s still holding on. Used to love going in there. Loads of specialized parts and equipment as well as staff that were super knowledgeable and helpful. But at least we have Microcenter now… Which is like if you took a Fry’s and scaled it down and made it work more like a car dealership 😭😭😭
I miss Fry’s Electronics Stores
I miss early 2000s Fry’s Electronics. Back when they still cared.
Even 2010s Fry’s was a shit show. They always sold out if the ad special of the week. They had random out of stocks that took up huge chunks of the aisles, with a lot of old, undesirable stuff left over. And then they’d give you a hard time with returns.
End stage Fry’s was so weird it could have been a Terry Gilliam movie or something. Vast expanses of mostly empty aisles with the few bits of leftover inventory still there, but interspersed with filled-up cages of AliExpress junk at 10x the AE price or 3x the “get it tomorrow” Amazon price. Then there would be one or two areas where the vendors had gone along with their cockamamie “we’ll sell your shit on consignment!” scam, and a few sad employees trying to avoid making eye contact.
Yet Microcenter endures.
At least I can generally go into Microcenter and they’ll have what I need.
The one in Burbank, CA was awesome. It was done in a 1950s sci-fi movie theme. The outside was made to look like a UFO crashed into it.
http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=221
And an Alice in Wonderland themed one in the valley
We still have one in Illinois but I’m not sure how it’s still holding on. Used to love going in there. Loads of specialized parts and equipment as well as staff that were super knowledgeable and helpful. But at least we have Microcenter now… Which is like if you took a Fry’s and scaled it down and made it work more like a car dealership 😭😭😭
Last time I went to one (2020), the shelves were 80% empty, and what they had was mostly karaoke machines on consignment sale.
It was super depressing.
I was just gonna say. So many good memories with my dad going to Fry’s. The sole reason i went HARD into techie stuff