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[thekonamicode]

Found 2 of the photos I took... Imagine the entire store looking like this with rain dripping from the roof.

Hydration Station indeed!

 

[Shig]

I worked at the one in Webster, TX for years, and my friend is the current store manager. I still go in occasionally for random parts here and there.

Every time I go in there, the staff is more confused and lost than the previous visit. I know the company management changes things on a weekly basis, from endcaps and sales and merchandising to pay, positions and roles. There is quite literally no direction in the company, and it's only getting worse. The entire business is built on the whims of Randy Fry and his brothers.

I know they've been seeking buyouts for years, including Best Buy almost taking the plunge but deciding against it simply because the stores are just too damn big to be profitable. I'm shocked they're still around, to be honest.

Kinda surprised Best Buy didn't take the tactic they took with Musicland. Buy them, nerf their advantages to make Best Buy look better, then dump them off and let them stumble toward an earlier grave. Oh, and annex their main warehouse on the way out so they're extra fucked.

 

[JoeyJungle]

All their best deals are in store only, and I don't live near a Fry's anymore so I have no way of shopping there. Haven't bought anything from them since the early 00's because their online prices aren't competitive.

 

[Eusis]

One thing that was really striking last time I went was how they went from an aisle of video cards to having an end cap of just evga nVidia cards, the 970s and 980s only I believe. Really highlighted how they'd fallen over the last decade plus.

 

[Damaniel]

Frys supposedly used to have amazing game deals during the PS2 era but last I was there the game prices were pretty awful....most everything is MSRP and loads of stuff won't be priced to reflect price drops that are common at other retailers. Especially with Best Buy's gamer club, Frys just isn't a place where I go to buy games.

So for me personally, I'm not sure what purpose Frys has for me other than acting as an Amazon/Newegg showroom. I love being able to see monitors or keyboards before I buy them...and I have purchased both of those things at Frys since an extra $5-10 is worth it for the instant gratification. If I'm building a PC or purchasing a television, I'm probably going to price that stuff across the Internet and other retailers trying to get the best price. For TVs, models can be retailer exclusive for some crazy reason so that also complicates things.

I bought so many DS games for $1-$2 each back in the day. Nothing mindblowing, but since I was trying to work on a complete set at the time, getting the shovelware cheap was a bonus. I also got a copy of Samurai Deeper Kyo there. In 2012.

I almost never go there anymore (the Wilsonville one in Oregon). Poor stock, so-so prices, a general dingy appearance. I think the local one has been on deathwatch for a couple years now.

 

[Livingskeletons]

The Fry's I used to got to too was always a damn mess. The lighting was off too.

El Segundo CA, location if anyone knows what I'm talking about.

 

[canoli2006]

So an update from my visit last week to the Thunderbird store here in Phoenix. Empty and lifeless. I went there on this rare occasion to see if they had any Prince vinyl in stock and the vinyl section was no where to be seen. Hardly any employees to offer help. DVD and bluray section was very light with lots of bare shelf space. Just not the same experience as in the past. I was in and out in about 10 minutes.

 

[radioactivez0r]

It's Anniversary Sale time. I went ahead and bought an LG PH550 mini projector for about $200 off list price with the promo code for use on the screen I have outside by my hot tub (came with the house, kinda rad). That seems alright for a device that came on the market 4 months ago. Hoping it's as great as it seems.