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Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

phoenixnewtimes.com

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Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#21

Post by redwall_hp »

caycep wrote: post #18
ericmay wrote: post #16

I love Microcenter, though I haven't purchased anything from one in quite some time - I don't buy a lot of new electronics. I remember as a teenager we would go on "road trips" to Microcenter - 25 minute drive tops and since none of us had any money we would just try and get someone to spend their paycheck on a new GPU or something so we could get second hand excitement from a purchase. It was also the first and only…

the American Akihabara, land of the khaki otakus

Yodobashi Camera is on my list of places I'd have to visit on a future Japan trip.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yodobashi_Camera

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#23

Post by LgWoodenBadger »

mrbluecoat wrote: post #22

Best Buy meets Costco - a place you can look at things you'll buy later online.

Microcenter costs are often competitive, plus you don’t have to worry about counterfeits.

Where else would you be buying equivalents online anyway?

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#25

Post by toast0 »

dylan604 wrote: post #5
coffee-- wrote: post #2

Step in and replace the loss of our Frys Electronics stores[0], yay! [0] https://www.kjzz.org/business/2025-08-27/fans-of-phoenix-fry...

The death of Frys was one of those that took so much longer than it should. The last time I went into a Frys was a fluke as I had thought it was already out of business. Walking around inside was surreal as the inventory was sad with the vast majority of shelves empty. I remember taking pics at the time of just how much a shadow itself it really was. I just couldn't fathom why someone had allowed the stores to stay o…

Because it wasn't private equity and leveraged to the moon, it was able to shamble into bankruptcy, inlike say circuit city that had a step change bankruptcy.

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#26

Post by peteforde »

Can someone offer an explanation of why this is popular? I don't mean this in a crass way, I'm actually genuinely baffled to see geeks lining up for a Costco-like experience to get stuff that you can easily get online without needing to get into a car.

For me, big box stores just mean markups + staff that know less than most tech reviewers on YouTube. All in an introvert's nightmare. What's the upside?

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#27

Post by bluedays »

peteforde wrote: post #26

Can someone offer an explanation of why this is popular? I don't mean this in a crass way, I'm actually genuinely baffled to see geeks lining up for a Costco-like experience to get stuff that you can easily get online without needing to get into a car. For me, big box stores just mean markups + staff that know less than most tech reviewers on YouTube. All in an introvert's nightmare. What's the upside?

It’s okay for you to not get everything. This one is simple, it’s just not for you. You don’t get it because it wasn’t built for you.

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#28

Post by jedbrooke »

peteforde wrote: post #26

Can someone offer an explanation of why this is popular? I don't mean this in a crass way, I'm actually genuinely baffled to see geeks lining up for a Costco-like experience to get stuff that you can easily get online without needing to get into a car. For me, big box stores just mean markups + staff that know less than most tech reviewers on YouTube. All in an introvert's nightmare. What's the upside?

have you heard of the phase “like a kid in a candy store”?

there’s just something about the in store experience that’s different than online.

Microcenter is also known for having better prices than online retailers, but they don’t ship for many items

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#29

Post by zamadatix »

mrbluecoat wrote: post #22

Best Buy meets Costco - a place you can look at things you'll buy later online.

I thought the same, then I ended up spending >$10k there this year because the pricing was great and I didn't have to wait for shipping. It really is a great place.

It's also great for items likely to be scalped. It doesn't guarantee they'll have stock, but it sure is easier to beat scalpers to checking the store that day than bots to an online cart. I even got a Switch 2 bundle the day after launch at MSRP while there for something else. Edit: shit, prices are worse all around now. Glad I didn't wait :D.

Re: Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks

#30

Post by OkayPhysicist »

peteforde wrote: post #26

Can someone offer an explanation of why this is popular? I don't mean this in a crass way, I'm actually genuinely baffled to see geeks lining up for a Costco-like experience to get stuff that you can easily get online without needing to get into a car. For me, big box stores just mean markups + staff that know less than most tech reviewers on YouTube. All in an introvert's nightmare. What's the upside?

Microcenter has a pretty good reputation for having knowledgeable enough staff. Plus, discovery tends to be a lot better in a curated brick and mortar than online. And sometimes you just want to see and buy cool stuff that you didn't know you wanted.
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