Fry's Electronics - End of an Era - Chris Titus Tech
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My best memory was... I had built a Gaming PC for my brother who lives 300 miles away and I had a deadline to have the PC built because of the holidays. The board and RAM I had bought were defective, so I went to Fry's and I got parts that worked fine. After that I made a point of trying to get my components from Fry's. Another time I had built a PC for myself but some some reason the old Graphics card didn't want to work in the system. Fry's was close to where I worked so I stopped in there to get a GTX 500 series card. That day I learned that if you wanted to buy a Graphics card from Fry's then Wednesday was the day to do it because they were fully stocked. I got the EVGA GTX 570 SC card to go with my 2600k and p67 board.... in which case I still use that board to this day.
I had returned quite a few items to Fry's and I never had an issue.
Other that those few times, Fry's had been a PITA. There were too many times that I couldn't find what I was looking for, dealt with argumentative employees, items were overpriced, couldn't find help, etc. More often than not I would walk out of Fry's empty handed.
The site to store part of the Fry's site got a little bit better..... but it had a tendency of showing that items were in stock that were either hidden or reserved. I tried to use their site to store feature 4 times but the employee could never find the item in the store. The last item I tried to reserve online was a Corsair HX1200. After the online reservation failed I went to the store.... it turned out the staff was hiding these power supply units from miners. Once I proved to the staff that I was going to use the HX1200 in a Gaming Build, they sold me the power supply.
Here in Washington state, the state started collecting sales tax on ALL online orders a couple years ago.... thanks Inslee. Before that, Newegg had Fry's beat on price, combo deals, and a lack of sales Tax. I remember building one PC with a $1500 budget and if I got the parts at Fry's I could afford a 3770k and a GTX 660ti, whereas the Newegg build got me a 3770k and a GTX 670 for a little bit cheaper.
The other thing I remember is frequently going to Fry's and the item I was looking for being out of stock. I saw another video that tried to cover the decline of Fry's.... in which case they blamed Fry's death on not being able to adapt to online shopping. I've been into the Renton Fry's hundreds of times and I blame Fry's not being able to keep high demand items in stock, poor pricing, bad online price matching policy, hostile employees, and not always being able to get help for items that were caged. At peak times on the weekends the line to the checkout would sometimes spill out to the front of the store. Mainly I blame the stock issues. When I look at pictures of Microcenter's PC Component section, they are stocked to the brim with components... the Fry's in Renton was never stocked that well. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people just gave up on Fry's.
The last item I bought was an HDMI 2.1 cable and a Pepsi back in 2019.
Date: 2022-03-21
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Comments and reviews: 8
CrankyBeach
If I'm remembering correctly... my first time at a Fry's was perhaps around 1994, somewhere in Silicon Valley. I didn't have much time because I had a meeting to go to, but I think my eyeballs were spinning like mad. On either that trip or one soon after, I bought an external modem for the office computer and a copy of Procomm, I think it was called. (Remember when we had to buy the software to run the gadgets? Before Plug and Pray came along?) As it turned out, the modem didn't work so I had to take it back, and they accepted the return. Later I heard about how nearly impossible it was to return anything there and realized I had been very lucky.
I used to enjoy checking out the different locations to experience the various decor themes. The very first store I went to was the one with a giant computerish ENTER key on the entry door and an ESC key on the exit door.
My last time at a Fry's was just a couple of years ago, I think the day before Thanksgiving. It was the Egyptian-themed San Jose store. What did they have? A couple of refurbished laptops, some miscellaneous office supplies (mostly paper goods), assorted reading glasses, a few outdated DVDs, cheap crappy charging cords from China, candy bars, and a lot of gift cards for other establishments. And of course the perfume. I needed a laptop chill pad and they had a few. I wound up sitting on the floor, opening boxes and setting the pads on my lap to see how they felt. They were all terrible, with various protuberances on their undersides that tried to dig holes in my legs even without the weight of a computer to help with the digging process. I was probably sitting on that floor for 30 minutes and not once did a staff member come along and ask if I needed any help. We left the store richer by a candy bar and a gift card for some bakery, I think it was.
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If I'm remembering correctly... my first time at a Fry's was perhaps around 1994, somewhere in Silicon Valley. I didn't have much time because I had a meeting to go to, but I think my eyeballs were spinning like mad. On either that trip or one soon after, I bought an external modem for the office computer and a copy of Procomm, I think it was called. (Remember when we had to buy the software to run the gadgets? Before Plug and Pray came along?) As it turned out, the modem didn't work so I had to take it back, and they accepted the return. Later I heard about how nearly impossible it was to return anything there and realized I had been very lucky.
I used to enjoy checking out the different locations to experience the various decor themes. The very first store I went to was the one with a giant computerish ENTER key on the entry door and an ESC key on the exit door.
My last time at a Fry's was just a couple of years ago, I think the day before Thanksgiving. It was the Egyptian-themed San Jose store. What did they have? A couple of refurbished laptops, some miscellaneous office supplies (mostly paper goods), assorted reading glasses, a few outdated DVDs, cheap crappy charging cords from China, candy bars, and a lot of gift cards for other establishments. And of course the perfume. I needed a laptop chill pad and they had a few. I wound up sitting on the floor, opening boxes and setting the pads on my lap to see how they felt. They were all terrible, with various protuberances on their undersides that tried to dig holes in my legs even without the weight of a computer to help with the digging process. I was probably sitting on that floor for 30 minutes and not once did a staff member come along and ask if I needed any help. We left the store richer by a candy bar and a gift card for some bakery, I think it was.
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Matthew
Thanks for the memories, though I didn't work at FRY's I did work at the following: Computer City, Incredible Universe, CompUSA, and lastly RCS Experience. Like you these were my earliest experiences along my journey in TECH. I managed the Part Center (Upgrade Department), sold many desktop units on both platforms (PC and MAC) as well as the short-lived MAC clones. I sold in-store and off-site computer training from the basics to the high-level server integration, the prompted me to go and get CompTIA certified. I had many fond memories of the sales floor especially the -Board Chase-. The was a daily routine whereas every shift had a specific sales team member you would chase to top their sales. Winning would have all meals and drinks paid in full by the loser at the local Bennigings Restaurant (I had my share of meals and drink bonus). Tops salesman would get their ties snapped in exchange for a new one. In addition to the countless number of hours of product training, there was the annual tech show and training at CYBERSMART where you could win complete desktops and components to build your next PC. This same experience lead me to become a MICROSOFT SYSTEMS BUILDER (you could acquire the latest service packs for a fraction of the original cost as a Microsoft insider). The journey continued in the telecommunications industries with companies like CompuHelp Internet Access, Allegiance Telecom, Inc., MCI, and Broadview Networks during the Great Tech Bubble. Though I am no longer a part of this world since I had changed my career path many times over, I will never forget the awesome moment that started from the -Local Tech Retail Giants- from days gone by.
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Thanks for the memories, though I didn't work at FRY's I did work at the following: Computer City, Incredible Universe, CompUSA, and lastly RCS Experience. Like you these were my earliest experiences along my journey in TECH. I managed the Part Center (Upgrade Department), sold many desktop units on both platforms (PC and MAC) as well as the short-lived MAC clones. I sold in-store and off-site computer training from the basics to the high-level server integration, the prompted me to go and get CompTIA certified. I had many fond memories of the sales floor especially the -Board Chase-. The was a daily routine whereas every shift had a specific sales team member you would chase to top their sales. Winning would have all meals and drinks paid in full by the loser at the local Bennigings Restaurant (I had my share of meals and drink bonus). Tops salesman would get their ties snapped in exchange for a new one. In addition to the countless number of hours of product training, there was the annual tech show and training at CYBERSMART where you could win complete desktops and components to build your next PC. This same experience lead me to become a MICROSOFT SYSTEMS BUILDER (you could acquire the latest service packs for a fraction of the original cost as a Microsoft insider). The journey continued in the telecommunications industries with companies like CompuHelp Internet Access, Allegiance Telecom, Inc., MCI, and Broadview Networks during the Great Tech Bubble. Though I am no longer a part of this world since I had changed my career path many times over, I will never forget the awesome moment that started from the -Local Tech Retail Giants- from days gone by.
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Rob
Fry's was great for probably its first 10 years here in my vicinity, about 15 minutes from home. As a computer & electronics geek, I bought lots of stuff there, especially electronics stuff (oh yeah, it's called Fry's -Electronics-). By around 2010, it was just cheaper to get stuff off the Internet. We did buy a couple of multi-function printers there in around that time for the office. By 2013, I only went there to get the free promotion CPU magazine (Computer Power User), which itself the mag died by end of 2017. In around late 2020 last year, after not visiting Fry's for about 3 years, I was about to go there to buy a capacitor part, but eventually kept putting it off. Never made it back, because by early 2021, it was over. Oh well. There are a couple clips on YouTube of people having recorded videos of the Fry's I go to. It's nice to see the inside again, yet back in the heyday you didn't think much of it as I visited that store dozens of times within about a decade or so. Bittersweet memory now.
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Fry's was great for probably its first 10 years here in my vicinity, about 15 minutes from home. As a computer & electronics geek, I bought lots of stuff there, especially electronics stuff (oh yeah, it's called Fry's -Electronics-). By around 2010, it was just cheaper to get stuff off the Internet. We did buy a couple of multi-function printers there in around that time for the office. By 2013, I only went there to get the free promotion CPU magazine (Computer Power User), which itself the mag died by end of 2017. In around late 2020 last year, after not visiting Fry's for about 3 years, I was about to go there to buy a capacitor part, but eventually kept putting it off. Never made it back, because by early 2021, it was over. Oh well. There are a couple clips on YouTube of people having recorded videos of the Fry's I go to. It's nice to see the inside again, yet back in the heyday you didn't think much of it as I visited that store dozens of times within about a decade or so. Bittersweet memory now.
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Acme
I learned some hard knocks lessons at Fry's. I spent a lot of money on a build your own PC, and it was DOA after I assembled it. I got my money back in the form of a credit receipt, which I could use to buy other stuff. They weren't going to give the customer his money back so he could go somewhere else.
So I bought a number of items that were defective and I had to exchange them for another one. Memory, CD drives, etc. I had the best success with electronic components, cables, tools. Most customers didn't screw the store with that stuff. But any computers and peripherals were most likely to have something wrong because Fry's just took the returns and put them back on the shelf for another sucker to buy. I think people left Fry's because it was turning into a dog-eat-dog world where the customer just went there because they had no other choice. Customers just got fed up with the BS.
reply
I learned some hard knocks lessons at Fry's. I spent a lot of money on a build your own PC, and it was DOA after I assembled it. I got my money back in the form of a credit receipt, which I could use to buy other stuff. They weren't going to give the customer his money back so he could go somewhere else.
So I bought a number of items that were defective and I had to exchange them for another one. Memory, CD drives, etc. I had the best success with electronic components, cables, tools. Most customers didn't screw the store with that stuff. But any computers and peripherals were most likely to have something wrong because Fry's just took the returns and put them back on the shelf for another sucker to buy. I think people left Fry's because it was turning into a dog-eat-dog world where the customer just went there because they had no other choice. Customers just got fed up with the BS.
reply
Jeff
I worked for Fry's in Austin TX and the management there was hinky at best. It was mostly store managers and mid-level manager who defected from Walmart in the late 90's and early 2000's. The computer sales and components sales people were cliquish as all get out. Worst company I ever worked for so far as the way the employees were treated. Also pricing wasn't that great either unless it was a Friday ad. Newegg had better prices everyday. They sold ECS motherboards which were total P.O.S. Apparently some high exec in Fry's was part owner of ECS and so that is why those MB's were pushed so hard. It was great for the first 6 or 7 years they were open... but alas gradually they slowed spiraled downward. One time in 2019 I went in there and the shelves were literally 70-80% empty of stock. Good luck trying to find an employee too.
reply
I worked for Fry's in Austin TX and the management there was hinky at best. It was mostly store managers and mid-level manager who defected from Walmart in the late 90's and early 2000's. The computer sales and components sales people were cliquish as all get out. Worst company I ever worked for so far as the way the employees were treated. Also pricing wasn't that great either unless it was a Friday ad. Newegg had better prices everyday. They sold ECS motherboards which were total P.O.S. Apparently some high exec in Fry's was part owner of ECS and so that is why those MB's were pushed so hard. It was great for the first 6 or 7 years they were open... but alas gradually they slowed spiraled downward. One time in 2019 I went in there and the shelves were literally 70-80% empty of stock. Good luck trying to find an employee too.
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Steven
Is this by chance the Irving location? (I think it is, seeing it's by Home Depot and the freeway) I haven't been there since mid 2019, and it looked already gone by then... Empty shelves, and not much left to see. I see the place is officially closed for good now. I wanted to go one last time, and take pictures, but that never came to fruition.
On a side note though, I'm still rocking my Enermax Saberay chassis I picked up with my partner from this particular location, (bought two) and knowing it's the last item I'll ever get from Fry's, I have no intention on ever replacing it!
Random note: If anyone here plays -Garry's mod- I have a reference to the place closing down in my -Buildings Pack 2.0- that I added in the PC Shop building as both an easter egg, and my disappointment and shock of what I saw that day.
reply
Is this by chance the Irving location? (I think it is, seeing it's by Home Depot and the freeway) I haven't been there since mid 2019, and it looked already gone by then... Empty shelves, and not much left to see. I see the place is officially closed for good now. I wanted to go one last time, and take pictures, but that never came to fruition.
On a side note though, I'm still rocking my Enermax Saberay chassis I picked up with my partner from this particular location, (bought two) and knowing it's the last item I'll ever get from Fry's, I have no intention on ever replacing it!
Random note: If anyone here plays -Garry's mod- I have a reference to the place closing down in my -Buildings Pack 2.0- that I added in the PC Shop building as both an easter egg, and my disappointment and shock of what I saw that day.
reply
George
Back in 2006, I loved the Fry's in Phoenix. I thought it was an awesome place because they had a huge range of stuff including computer nuts and bolts for me as a techy guy. I bought lots of computer and camera stuff such as SD cards, memory, cases, tripods, cables, and so on. The battery prices were the best. I also bought my 60 inch HDTV there. This went on for several years. I loved that place because I could always find what I needed. A couple of years ago I noticed that a number of shelves were empty. They had cleared out floor space too, so there was less stuff. It was not a good sign, I thought. And sure enough, now they have closed. Too bad.
reply
Back in 2006, I loved the Fry's in Phoenix. I thought it was an awesome place because they had a huge range of stuff including computer nuts and bolts for me as a techy guy. I bought lots of computer and camera stuff such as SD cards, memory, cases, tripods, cables, and so on. The battery prices were the best. I also bought my 60 inch HDTV there. This went on for several years. I loved that place because I could always find what I needed. A couple of years ago I noticed that a number of shelves were empty. They had cleared out floor space too, so there was less stuff. It was not a good sign, I thought. And sure enough, now they have closed. Too bad.
reply
Luke
I used to live in Orange County in CA. Fountain Valley store was store I went every Friday after I checked with LA times with Fry's weekly ad page. I went practically every weekend with the ad on my hands to check out things I would like to buy. I found myself buying buying items not necessary needed. grasping something hot items off the self and running up at the checkout line was experience I would not forget. I also worked there as a sales associate for a few months. It is not a good place to work especially on Black Friday. You needed to report to work at 4 am before the door was opened. It was a long day in a mad house. Fun memories.
reply
I used to live in Orange County in CA. Fountain Valley store was store I went every Friday after I checked with LA times with Fry's weekly ad page. I went practically every weekend with the ad on my hands to check out things I would like to buy. I found myself buying buying items not necessary needed. grasping something hot items off the self and running up at the checkout line was experience I would not forget. I also worked there as a sales associate for a few months. It is not a good place to work especially on Black Friday. You needed to report to work at 4 am before the door was opened. It was a long day in a mad house. Fun memories.
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