Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble? • Hacker News Board

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#131

Post by emodendroket » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:29 PM UTC

option wrote: post #104

jonny_eh wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's clear Amazon and online retailing has decimated them And yet, somehow, Best Buy is doing fine apparently. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillgriffin/2018/07/27/best-buy...

Best Buy often has better prices than Amazon. Since last year I find myself always double-checking the price of anything I want outside Amazon and for big items (e.g. TV, tv stand, etc.) Best Buy is a first choice for sure.

Not only that, but have you ever tried shopping for something like a laptop on Amazon? The descriptions are all three lines long and by the time you figure out what the hell you're buying you could just drive to Best Buy and see a display that clearly explains what's on offer.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#132

Post by Macha » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:30 PM UTC

taxicabjesus wrote: post #20

I noticed the shelves at the Phoenix Fry's starting to get bare a year ago. In November an employee said they were "renegotiating" with their suppliers. This article explains "the shelves are empty because it has shifted to a consignment model, meaning that suppliers get paid for goods only after a store has sold them." Fry's was the only store I visited on "Black Friday". Some of the other customers were looking at…

If there's anything to browse beyond water bottles, VGA cables, phone cases and year old DVDs, then your local Fry's is doing much better than the one I visited in early December.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#133

Post by wenc » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:30 PM UTC

LatteLazy wrote: post #71

Sorry to seem all pompous but I can't find another way to say this... How are brick and mortar stores still a thing for products that are NOT either things I try on (clothes), things I need to see before they arrive (groceries) or impulse purchases? The fact that the last one didn't close in 2010 is a monument to how humans refuse to try anything new past a certain age, no matter how much cheaper, easier, faster or b…

I think there's a trend back to B&M (so called omnichannel) but even so, it is definitely not B&M retail as usual. Successful B&M retailers are finding they have to evolve to include BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup in Store), a digital store experience [1], price-matching, etc.

There's something about being able to browse, touch and discover new things that the online experience doesn't provide. Even Amazon's strategy includes B&M these days [2] (Amazon Books, Amazon Go, Amazon 4-star, Whole Foods, etc. -- all of these can be found in the Chicago area and other parts of the country)

[1] New retail technologies:

https://www.retaildive.com/topic/technology/

[2] https://www.amazon.com/find-your-store/b/?node=17608448011

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#134

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:30 PM UTC

danans wrote: post #129

jcranmer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Fry's is dead. Chalk one up for Amazon and automation a-la Andrew Yang. It's easy to say that, but then the retort is why isn't Micro Center suffering the same issues? The two should be facing exactly the same pressure from Amazon, so the reasons for Fry's failures has to be more nuanced than "internet retailers are sucking everyone dry." For my part, I'm much more willing to buy computer parts in person because a)…

> The two should be facing exactly the same pressure from Amazon, so the reasons for Fry's failures has to be more nuanced than "internet retailers are sucking everyone dry." One possibility is that Fry's didn't focus enough on it's core competency: computer components for enthusiasts. Last I was there they were selling a bunch of very tangentially related things, like a lot of kids toys. That's the kind of stuff tha…

[deleted]

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#135

Post by emodendroket » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:32 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #30

ulkesh wrote: post #14

Part of the issue is that their quality of service has gone down. 10 years ago, most people who worked there were knowledgeable in their respective departments, but now it is quite often the opposite. I don’t exactly blame the workers, it could simply be that circumstances have caused training to become nonexistent. I remember the holidays at that time with the checkout line being so long that they couldn’t keep up w…

> 10 years ago, most people who worked there were knowledgeable in their respective departments, The quality and depth of information available online, especially via forums, far exceeds what one can expect from a single employee. I don’t see how any store could compete on that aspect, although the online info is probably limited to people who are adept at reading English.

Quite easily; who wants to sift through all that? However, it turns out if you charge higher prices and have knowledgeable employees, many people will take advantage of the employees' guidance, then go home and order the same thing on Amazon for less.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#136

Post by tracker1 » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:35 PM UTC

danesparza wrote: post #106

whalesalad wrote: post #84

The Fry’s by my house is a disaster zone of sadness and empty shelves. The Microcenter up the road has completely blown up as a result. It’s regularly packed to the gills. The employees know it. They’re always referring to how bad it is at Frys and that’s why their store has become so popular. Microcenter is down right dangerous. There are shelves and shelves of new Ryzen processors and those Bucky ball looking Intel…

Being able to get headphones, UniFi gear, a Raspberry Pi Zero W and multiple sensors at Microcenter is very dangerous for me too. And their service to order ahead and just pick it up 20 minutes later is just nuts! I don't have to sift through all the shelves myself! My local Fry's have gotten a terrible reputation for putting used or broken gear on the shelves -- and they've had that reputation for years. I think the…

Totally forgot about that last part... man, never buy a MB or Graphics Card from Fry's if there's a sticker on it... avoid like the plague, and never buy a laptop/desktop there either... head to BB for that.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#137

Post by tracker1 » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:37 PM UTC

option wrote: post #104

jonny_eh wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's clear Amazon and online retailing has decimated them And yet, somehow, Best Buy is doing fine apparently. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillgriffin/2018/07/27/best-buy...

Best Buy often has better prices than Amazon. Since last year I find myself always double-checking the price of anything I want outside Amazon and for big items (e.g. TV, tv stand, etc.) Best Buy is a first choice for sure.

Agreed... I've had relatively bad luck on mail ordered laptops and monitors in particular, stick to a physical location I can return them to in general. Walmart seems like a decent middle ground with online to store and returns.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#138

Post by yborg » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:41 PM UTC

nkrisc wrote: post #76

jcranmer wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been to the Boston, Chicago, and DC-area Microcenters, and had good experiences with all of them (although the Boston one could use a larger parking lot). Never actually been to a Fry's store--it seems that Fry's mostly set up west of the Mississippi and Microcenter east of it.

Same experience with Chicago (Elston) and Rockville, MD Micro Center stores. The employees are helpful and knowledgeable, I've found prices to be good, and being able to bring something home in your own vehicle is also valuable. That's opposed to waiting for it to be tossed onto your porch from across the yard or just simply stolen. I actually purchased a 34" ultrawide monitor from the Rockville store recently specif…

Downers Grove Fry's is more or less a ghost town, and has been for more than a year at least by all reports. It's impossible to believe that they can cover their overhead. The "changing to a consignment model" thing is laughable with Fry's gigantic stores, the whole thing is just bizarre.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#139

Post by blhack » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:42 PM UTC

How is it possible that they've been running in this zombie state for so many months now? The amount of money they have to be spending things like power to keep the lights on and the air at a comfortable temperature must be astronomical with almost no revenue coming in.

If they were going to switch to this model, why not just lock the doors for the months where the transition is happening? Very very weird.

Re: Is Fry’s Electronics in trouble?

#140

Post by sergiotapia » Fri, Jan 03, 2020, 6:42 PM UTC

jonny_eh wrote: post #93

blantonl wrote: post #4

Answer: of course, yes. When I visited Fry's in the DFW area last year (Irving Store off of LBJ freeway) I was shocked at how low energy and sad the place was. It was just one big pile of despair. Just a handful of people were shuffling in and out. They shelves were in complete disrepair, and there were areas where there was no stock on shelves. Computers on display were broken, twisted wrecks. The home theater areas…

> It's clear Amazon and online retailing has decimated them And yet, somehow, Best Buy is doing fine apparently. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillgriffin/2018/07/27/best-buy...

Just bought a new 3700x and 5700xt at best buy this week, I'm surprised I could that in person. I actively try to avoid purchasing anything at Amazon. They are Mr. Robot's EvilCorp in real life. Can't support that.