161–170 of 379 posts
I don't think they revamped their business model as much others who survived did. Their website and newsletter feels like it is from the 2000's.
The stores are just too big and unintuitive.
Most useless products are at the entrance.
The checkout takes ages even if there are only 2-3 customers in the line.
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 price matches to Amazon. They also work with cashback services and often times gives you a $5 coupon after purchasing a certain amount. Finally, they also let you return open boxes, no questions asked. Forgot to mention, you can do same day pick up for an item.
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…
You're assuming that ecommerce is universally a better experience than brick-and-mortar. Given the abysmal reliability of Amazon listings these days, I'm not ready to agree.
Hence the 25 dollar Best Buy USB cables; "Ah Crap.. Do I drive to Walmart?... Nah"
Edit: But actually yes. I was pretty peeved about the cost of a basic A/B USB cable there.
I usually purchase my computer components from Newegg. However, whenever I was impatient or pressed for time, I used to go to Fry’s. I remember one time in 2011 driving from Santa Cruz to Campbell to pick up a hard drive to replace one that suddenly failed; having to wait days for shipping would have been more inconvenient. Fry’s is a great convenience in these cases. It’s unfortunate to see Fry’s in the zombified st…
Even lots of power users just use laptops (and AWS) and don't buy components. And sales of consumer electronics like point and shoot cameras, DVD and CD players, GPSes, etc. have fallen off a cliff.
Well, "trouble" is the wrong word. Fry's is more like "dead man walking". The last time I went to Fry's was maybe 1 year ago. If you walk around, all of the electronics are older models, the game shelves are filled with games that are all several years old, even things like hard drives, etc are all old and expensive. There were no salespeople to help except in places like the TV area. The car stereo area, which is wh…
Fry's is a very strange store. The store here caries both expensive, ancient products as well as reasonably-priced, current gear. It's also the only place I know of to get certain parts and electronics components. The customer service is definitely atrocious though. It took 40 minutes to find someone who could unlock the RAM I needed from a cage (and this was after I had to get a printed PO from someone on the "sales…
They're spending a ton of labor for things that don't matter (like keeping a cafe open). No wonder they dont have money to keep their shelves stocked with anything other than as seen on tv junk.
I usually purchase my computer components from Newegg. However, whenever I was impatient or pressed for time, I used to go to Fry’s. I remember one time in 2011 driving from Santa Cruz to Campbell to pick up a hard drive to replace one that suddenly failed; having to wait days for shipping would have been more inconvenient. Fry’s is a great convenience in these cases. It’s unfortunate to see Fry’s in the zombified st…
Reminds me of the late stages of Circuit City where the stores were just there ... but empty shelves, strange patterns in inventory, employees who just have given up on work .. look like they gave up on life. I was always amazed how long Circuit City stuck around like that.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Watching that store spiral downhill has been very depressing. The roof leaks water everywhere, so they have shopping carts with buckets all over the store; the computer section is now entirely empty ("we're switching to a consignment model") is what one employee told me; just very, very sad. I'd guess perhaps they spent too much on real estate (that store could be 1/3rd its size and still fit everything) but no idea.
That location used to be an AutoNation used car megastore, and its only advertising-friendly feature is being visible from I-69. Since Fishers succumbed to Carmel disease and started putting traffic circles in everywhere, it's even more difficult to get to from the north. I'd say they spent too little on real estate, and tried to repurpose a bad building in a bad location. They would have done better in the old shutt…
Last time I visited there were empty areas in several aisles.
I know someday I’ll have to order all parts online unless I find a local option.
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…
Those were the days :)