Frys has a special place in my heart. It was where I got my first 80486 IBM laptop (with monochrome screen), my first Pentium CPU on its debut, where I got my first copy of Windows 95, and where I bought almost every PC parts for upgrades. I used to marvel at the motherboard and RAM that were displayed in the display behind the glass, and where I was able to get anything from soldering iron to cat5 cable to digital camera. I fondly remember watching Doom on a PC for the first time at Fry's with amazement. I'm saddened to see it go along with CompUSA, Egghead, RadioShack (original), Toys R Us, and even ComputerLand back in the 80's (where I bought Apple IIgs).
Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
271–280 of 316 posts
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#272Lots of nostalgia about Fry’s here. Well, I have a different take. Fry’s was my first job, and my first introduction to wage slavery. They never at any point cared about employee health or well-being. Breaks were the state minimum. Pay was the state minimum. The entire staff (and there were hundreds back in the day, when the checkout line would back up into the store even with 20 registers open) shared one 7x7 beige…
> The repair bar employees would regularly rifle through customers’ hard drivers and keep the juciest pictures Pretty creepy. And this is from a well known company/establishment.
This reminds me of a time about two years back where I smashed my iPhone screen dropping it without a case in a parking lot and I immediately needed it for 2FA and things so I took it directly to a phone repair shop. The guy there attempted to ask me for my pincode several times and I had to deadpan stare him in the eyes and say "You will not get my pincode to replace my screen. Just put a new screen on it."
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#273I went there about 2 years ago. It was a graveyard. I just wanted a USB extension cable, and they only had one, and active extension cable that must have been languishing on the shelf for 10 years. What I don't understand is how best buy has survived and Frys (I think a much better store) did not survive.
I just saw this displayed in a Best Buy store, but not on the headlines yet. This one is in North Irving, Texas. I hope it is some other issue and not related to what we discuss here. https://d3926qxcw0e1bh.cloudfront.net/post_photos/e9/97/e997...
Is that the Best Buy right next to the Irving Fry's?
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#274Earlier quoted context omitted.
Geek Squad personnel are paid FBI informants.
Surprisingly, true: https://www.cnet.com/news/fbi-paid-geek-squad-staff-to-be-in... However, they aren't all FBI agents (duh).
This isn't surprising to me. What does boggle my mind, is that anyone would take their personal PC to any repair shop and allow strangers full access to their filesystem in the first place. What an odd and ignorant thing to do.
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#275Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sad to hear these stories. For me, Fry's was the opposite. I wouldn't call them experts, but they were more knowledgeable than the competition (Best Buy, etc). Also, no other place in this city that has some of the components they would sell. Now the only option is to buy online.
To be fair, "more knowledgeable than Best Buy" is a pretty low bar. In desperation I went to a Best Buy looking for a SATA controller (circa 2004) and they said "The controllers are over here..." and took me to the game pads and joy sticks.
I can beat that.
A couple of years ago, I'd asked where their UPS's were (I'd bought one from a Best Buy more than 10 years back so I knew they had stocked them) and they told me there was a Fedex near by.
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#276I've never heard of fry's. Is it local to SF?
Most of their (30'ish) stores were in California, but they had a number of stores in Texas and the Western states. The SF Bay area had a few locations including Fremont, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, and San Jose.
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#277Lots of nostalgia about Fry’s here. Well, I have a different take. Fry’s was my first job, and my first introduction to wage slavery. They never at any point cared about employee health or well-being. Breaks were the state minimum. Pay was the state minimum. The entire staff (and there were hundreds back in the day, when the checkout line would back up into the store even with 20 registers open) shared one 7x7 beige…
> The repair bar employees would regularly rifle through customers’ hard drivers and keep the juciest pictures Pretty creepy. And this is from a well known company/establishment.
Snowden has said similar activities go on in the NSA too
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#278Earlier quoted context omitted.
HSC is gone too, sadly. The last surplus store standing in the Bay Area (I think - at least in the South Bay and Peninsula) is Excess Solutions in San Jose ( http://www.excesssolutions.com/ )
I think HSC was sold to ES
Before that, I think they were mail order only for a while.
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#279After midnight in timezone of the alleged store, and still online, with deals listed until end of month. Will obviously check back, but so far not seeing proof.
Next morning, am seeing a notice on the landing.
Re: Fry's Electronics is closing all stores
#280I will miss Fry's for all the nostalgic reasons, but recently we found home at Micro Center. Still, nobody can match the variety Fry's once had for the enthusiast!