If you wanted to make things you would have to get an engineering degree and then a related job for a large coorporation. Renamed it Aint got it.. Thats with the full expectation of paying more for product on hand in store. I was juuuust getting enthusiastic about that and then poof, local-est branch closed, couple of years passed, futureshop decided to become a 100% clone of Bestbuy, opened a new more local store, no sign of the future-active thing, festered as a were the second best buy after bestbuy outfit, technically I guess Bestbuys actual second string, and died again 5 or 6 years ago. We're committed to providing you with the most innovative products available, with a focus on . https://youtu.be/1ERS111m89A. Fry's Superstore is your one-stop shopping destination for the most cutting-edge items on the market today. Sooner than we think, Im sure. Because Fry's stores were enormous, stocking a wide range of each product category, they were popular with electronics and computer hobbyists and professionals. That is really disappointing to hear, their new PC stuff was often chintzy or pricey but they had stuff not available elsewhere locally. [35], In 2008, the Federal Communications Commission found Fry's failed to place the required "analog-only tuner" consumer-alert label on analog televisions, fining them $384,000. Any electronics store with a cafe/coffee shop at its centre where I could happily spend many hours browsing and purchasing Leathermans and Maglites for 1/4 of their price back home I had to be sensible with weight in the suitcase was something Ill miss. The Anaheim location closed on March 2, 2020. ", "Fry's tries to quell rumors of its demise as customers worry about empty shelves", "Fry's Electronics near Gwinnett Place Mall has closed", "Fry's Electronics in Anaheim to close March 2", "Report: Fry's Electronics going out of business, shutting down all stores", "The remaining Fry's Electronics stores are all shutting down", "Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors", "Fry's Shoppers Offered Chance to Cut in Line - For a Price", https://transition.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2008/FCC-08-102A1.html, "Who benefits from large rebates: Manufacturer, retailer or consumer? I like to think that we vote with our dollars and they should have to do something to earn that vote! Buying your food in a large corporate store or online in a community that historically has survived on local purchases of locally grown food, you are simply contributing to your own communitys demise. [44] The company later bought e-commerce site Cyberian Outpost in November 2001, and started online sales with a different URL (Outpost.com),[45] which confused customers who did not associate the online name with the brick-and-mortar store. Rumors began flying on Tuesday in the form of anecdotes from alleged Fry's employees, who all reported that they'd been summarily fired earlier in the day with zero notice. Very sad to see Frys go! Customers with electronics being repaired in-store store are being asked to. Sam Machkovech [10] Today, Fry's Food and Drug stores are owned and operated by Kroger, and are not affiliated with Fry's Electronics, although they have similar logos. Weve been conned by the (pick your online purveyor of cheap goods) $1.99 including free shipping from the other side of the planet. Finally, the internet came along, and it was a natural fit for the business model of Mouser and Digi-Key. The store was one of the few retail outlets in the country that sold off-the-shelf microprocessors, such as the Intel 80286. Im also still using an ST-506 external disk drive case I got from them, although the disk itself (was probably a WHOPPING 1 GB when I bought it!) I was with a startup (Frecom, fax & fax/modems) that won about 10 feet of shelf space in about 1990. I built many PC computers with Frys purchased components for my family and friends at incredibbly low prices compared to prebuilt PCs. Otherwise, you were left with second-tier companies that mostly existed to sell parts to repair shops and a few retail stores like Radio Shack. The stores began selling (As Seen On TV) products, educational toys, solar powered projects, arduino and raspberry Pi projects as a way to atract more customers. But they really became irrelevant in the Amazon age. Im in the boondocks, and so am pretty limited to mail order. Good store. In the Silicon Valley we also lost CompUSA and Micro Center, and stores like Halted (known for actual circuits, not computers) and WeirdStuff Warehouse (a wild experience itself, read my thread) have long since closed their doors as well. I made the lunch trip a couple times, but it was hard to justify going 5.5 miles for a lunch burrito when there was a Chipotle less than half a mile from work. Its like a project idea factory. I think that local vs. mail-order debate really depends on what level of future life you are counting on. Fry's moved again to its final Sunnyvale location at 1077 E Arques Ave. at the corner of Arques and Santa Trinita Ave, the former site of a facility of the Link Flight Simulation Division of the Singer Corporation. Whats saddest to me is that this was just about the last vestige of Silicon Valleys hardware heritage. The web site has a useful price list for concise shopping. Karen Dowarot wrote a comment on project log An essay about knobs. Dont get me wrong, I understand that local stores serving local areas have a lot more overhead than a big warehouse serving the world but there are still limits of what is reasonable. Frys could have been Newegg if theyd have taken what worked from Outpost and further refined it. I dont know where most audiophiles would go for listening anymore, thats a big loss (since Best Buys selection is pretty slim, do they even have those magnolia rooms anymore?). Everything from vacuum tubes to chips. Ive had good luck getting stuff from Micah at A2D Electronics (Ottawa, ON: https://a2delectronics.ca/) in the past. Again, no discernible retail outlet. Its hidden in a little office strip block on the corner, pay attention to the signs. Theyll have most components in stock in the back, and out front there is an ever changing supply of junk, and we all know how much we love a good pile of junk. If theyre looking to get rich on the backs of people doing what they love, I dont mind if they disappear. That location really could have used a giant squid crashing a UFO into a volcano or something. [9][14] At first, roughly half the store was stocked with groceries, including fresh produce, but the groceries section quickly diminished to displays of soft drinks and snack foods. [7] He gave a portion of the proceeds, around $1 million, to each of his sons, John (who had worked as the IT manager for the supermarket chain), W. Randolph (who goes by the nickname "Randy"), and David, none of whom had much interest in grocery store retailing. It was my first taste of Final Fantasy VII on a demo PlayStation as well. [59], Various Fry's locations were decorated in elaborate themes. That has left the older distributors playing a game of catch-up ever since. Bid on Whirlpool 5.3-cu ft Electric 5-in-1 Freestanding Range with Air Fry Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel - MAP $1,219 - Browse through our selection of wholesale Kitchen Appliances lots today! They dont appear to have a retail outlet, though. We just might be living in something a lot closer to the best of all possible worlds than many of us would like to believe. Report an issue or PM me. The first big change was toll-free telephone lines, making it easier and cheaper for people to place orders. I personally began shopping more online and by 2019 i stopped going to Frys completely. TVs, Computers, Cell Phones, Cameras - Fry's Food Stores Home Shop All Departments TVs, Computers, Cell Phones, Cameras ELECTRONICS Headphones Blu-rays & DVDs Streaming Computer, laptops & Tablets Cameras & Camcorders TVs & Home Theater Video Accessories & Consoles Video Games Speakers & Soundbars Computer Supplies & Accessories Connected Home This news truly saddens me. I might like to visit while thats still an option. The Modern WWW, Or: Where Do We Want To Go From Here? For. Updated: 11:23 PM EST February 24, 2021 INDIANAPOLIS Fry's Electronics has announced it is closing its chain of 31 stores for good. Electronics from Staples. That would be a lot fewer people collaborating. The company deleted its Facebook page, and set the company Twitter account to protected, hiding all activity. Eventually it began to fail and was no longer engaged, bummer. It was near Gwinnett Place Mall, and to their credit they seem to have outlasted the mall at least. Liquidation.com will be undergoing maintenance on February 18, 2021, between 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm Eastern. Andrew Wasson wrote a comment on Classic RadioShack ProtoBoards. As of Feb. 24, the stores, website, and social media accounts are closed, and the company says they were doomed by changing retail shopping habits and complications from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Palo Alto location closed on December 27, 2019. Alas that means that it hasnt fully kept up with some of the progress in the industry; last time I was there (a bit over a year ago, a bit before the pandemic hit) you still couldnt buy solder paste or SMD soldering tools there. On the evening of February 23, 2021, several internet sources began claiming employees were given notice that all remaining stores would close to the public nationwide, with the Frys.com website scheduled to go offline at 12:00 am PST. WE have chosen the route of lowest price and now we are paying the cost. Many suppliers werent. Goodbye Fry's. #100BestBudgetBuys (Opens in a new tab) #AllAboutEVs (Opens in a new tab) 126. r/Brownsville 2 yr. ago. Now it seems I never will. The burritos were great, but they only lasted a couple months. ), Hence, Fry's locations began earning a notorious reputation forbarren store shelves. Mail order or a chance that you find him with a stall at a Ham flea or similar, this guy is alright, doesnt quite have range a hacker would desire, but reasonable pricing for things already in Canada https://www.pcboard.ca/. by Bay Area TV station KRON-4 was the first press outlet to confirm the news late Tuesday, saying that Fry's will shut down all 30 of its American locations. I will miss Frys. Collin Matthews has added a new project titled Simple Vacuum Tube Tester. Mouser is really amazing in that regard. You can order at the counter and someone will pick it for you in ~15 mins, depending. haha right? Yah, I like ordering from there too actually need a sealed lead acid I should check them out for I didnt realise they had a physical store until a few months ago when mentioned on here derp. I think they do mailorder. Im glad Sparkfun exists, coz all the others have folded. Hours at first were theoretically 9-5 right, so one day I manage to get down there about 5 after 9.. not open yet.. hang around a bit, staring in windows at the rest of the plaza, 9:25, still no sign of life.. and I had an appointment, so Im gone.. okay, another day a wednesday, arrive at 3pm hours have changed now only open until 2pm weds.. ok whatever.. maybe a month passes.. see their ad in local rag Now open Saturdays great, thats a lot easier, 9-1pm, so this Sat is not good, next Saturday then, arrive around 11am Sorry, Family Emergency on the door, seriously?? When I freelance in Chicago/Downers Grove, I always make it a point to stay in a hotel down the street from that Frys and bring an extra suitcase. [17][18] One of the few stores to challenge Fry's in all dimensions (production selection and store-wide themes) was Incredible Universe, a series of Tandy (Radio Shack) superstores, which were established in 1992 and bought out and converted into Fry's in 1996. The tech superstore has been a favorite of computer enthusiasts for almost 36 years. We took over the local Active Tech Store in Calgary, Alberta. Bummer. My heart has been broken since we lost weird stuff. Liquidation.com will be undergoing . - Only 9 Trailers remaining. hung from the ceiling, and the bodies of 1957 Chevys and Buicks served as dining tables in the cafe. Frys electronics actually have reasonably price components. I got a microwave, refrigerator, and a unique LCD bathroom scale that was powered by a tiny generator that you tapped with your foot still using it to this day, although the plastic case broke, and its bare metal now. It would scare some of the custumers with its odd cracking and rummbling cage sounds. Electronics Plus is small, but he packs a lot in there. Ive only been to Electronics Plus once: I happened to park across the street from it when in Littleton for other reasons, was surprised such a store still existed in 2019 (and was open on Saturday, no less), and had to stop in and check it out while I was there. If you just buy what they sell for the price they sell it there is no competition. Fry's Electronics to permanently close all stores (msn.com) The remaining Fry's Electronics stores are all shutting down (engadget.com) Fry's Electronics workers claim managers told them retailer is closing its doors (eastbaytimes.com) I'm a bot to find news from different sources. Such a fun place to visit. [47] In October 2006, a grand reopening of Frys.com introduced the online store with the same name as the retail outlets. It added a childrens toy aisle, huge racks of As Seen on TV gadgets, even perfume. Greed is often the furthest thing from a makers mind. :). Its great for those of you that live in larger populated areas but what about those of us not in that class. It's my understanding the location in Vegas is having a liquidation sale on Black Friday. If youve ever visited a Frys anytime in the past two to three years, none of this will come as a surprise. Plus its just 10 mins from me. If you have a few hours free, its worth wandering around there. Then also, hitting up the surplus aisles in Princess Auto is often worthwhile, some fans, actuators, heatsinks, random mechanical bits turn up in there. If anyone knows of others, Id love to know, but my workshop has more and better selection of parts than Frys ever did. No retail presence, but you can pick up orders if youre in Toronto, and their shipping is quick otherwise. Fry's Electronics, one of the last big brick-and-mortar electronics store chains in the United States and a Silicon Valley institution in particular is permanently closing nationwide . is out. Aint you never seen no sci-fi set 100s of years in the future? 701. The Reuseum in Garden City, Idaho https://www.reuseum.com/ all kinds of surplus etc. Sometimes their staff know their stuff, sometimes they dont speak English / French well. That practice has worked for some chains with a decades-long head start on the practice, particularly Walmart. Sad to see. I loved going to Sayal electronics and A1 when I lived in Toronto. If a store isnt open past 5 or on weekends they are doing well enough without me considering the luxury hours, A few years ago, store opened up that I wanted to like had the right stuff on the sign, peering through the windows looked intriguing. Sadly the place closed in the early 2000s. I didnt stop. Company History. I used to frequent HSC in Sunnyvale, but the owner retired/sold the business to Excess Solutions on 7th St in San Jose. Frys Electronics, one of the last big brick-and-mortar electronics store chains in the United States and a Silicon Valley institution in particular is permanently closing nationwide, the company has officially confirmed Wednesday, following Tuesday evening reports from SF Bay Area broadcaster KRON4, as well as Bill Reynolds and Matthew Keys. I have enjoyed some significant browsing at YDI, but they are more than an hour away so I dont get there often. For example, the Burbank store, which opened in 1995, carried a theme of 1950s and 1970s science-fiction movies, and featured huge statues of popular characters such as the robot Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still and Darth Vader from the Star Wars movie series. I do like Mouser and been with them since well nevermind. Gen Tojos Teeth: Morse Code Shows Up In The Strangest Places, Keebin With Kristina: The One With The Music Typewriter, Vintage Computer Festival East Was A Retro Madhouse, My Great-Great-Grandad, The Engineer Who Invented A Coffee Pot, Hackaday Podcast 216: FETs, Fax, And Electrochemical Fab, This Week In Security: Session Puzzling, Session Keys, And Speculation, Making Hydrogen With Solar Energy, With Oxygen And Heat A Bonus, ESAs Jupiter-bound Probe Hits Antenna Snag, Op Amp Challenge: An Op-Amp Buck Regulator, A Medieval Gothic Monastery Built Using CAD / CAM, A Microneedle Vaccine Patch Printer For Thermostable MRNA Vaccines, LED Matrix Displays Get New Look Thanks To SMD Stencils, Patent Spat Leaves DJI Owing Textron $279M. Ive shopped at the Frys in Fountain Valley, CA since it opened 30 years ago. "The Future of Retail: Fry's Electronics-part Disney, part S/M dungeon." I will miss Frys. In August 2019, Fry's announced that it would close its oldest extant location in Palo Alto, by January 2020; the company said its lease at the location would not be renewed. About Fry's Electronics. Fry's Electronics was late in establishing an online sales presence. Fry's Electronics, Inc. was founded in 1985 in Sunnyvale, California in a 20,000 square-foot location by the three Fry brothers, John, Randy, and Dave; and Kathy Kolder. [12] The original Sunnyvale store (located near the intersection of Oakmead Parkway and Lakeside Drive[13]) stocked numerous high-tech supplies such as integrated circuits, test and measurement equipment, and computer components, as well as software and various other types of consumer electronics. As the 70s progressed into the 80s, the new-school companies thrived because the people who started out in those 70s startups continued to order from their familiar sources rather than switching over to the old school distributors. Lets use this thread to recommend said old-school supply stores, maybe itll help keep them alive! Coincidentally enough, while driving near a Frys on Sunday I commented that I should go in there and buy some components to help keep them going. Totally agree. Denver/Boulder used to have a bunch of good electronics stores. I always prefer supporting my local stores over the internet market place to keep these local stores in business. You are going to drive prices up and selection and quality down. The computer I am using to type this was built from Frys parts. People pat themselves on the back for buying cheap online while our local stores go out of business. Signs of the retailers growing challenges were seen back in 2019 when the company began shifting toward a consignment model in an attempt to cut overhead and liability. One anonymous report posted at The Layoff, the electronics chain would make a formal announcement "this week" about closing all of its stores and liquidating any remaining assets, ill-fated Pono Player from famed musician Neil Young, theft of over $65 million from the company's coffers by its then-vice president, shut down its Anaheim, Califiornia, location, November closure of its Campbell, California store. Be careful with Jameco, they sell counterfeit ICs: https://northcoastsynthesis.com/news/beware-fake-parts/. Help spread the word about your favorites that are still open in the comments below. One anonymous report posted at The Layoff alleged that every remaining Fry's store in the US was "permanently closing tomorrow," and that statement was repeated hours later at a Fry's-related Reddit community. They had a quirky and unusual inventory at times, and they were the best place to get electronic components in-person. They all growed up now. The shelves were 20-30% full and not a computer in the place, so I knew this day was coming. Not bearly a half assed hacker in the store nevermind a qualified Sales associate. Most of us never did have very many local stores to chose from and certainly dont have many now. Staples (our computer/supply store) rarely has what I need. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. So what we are really seeing here is a trend of people being convinced not to care about the people they should care about (their local neighbors) and care only about themselves and how cheap they can get something. Photos taken Wednesday the 3rd. As good as sparkfun and adafruit are it was nice to have someplace where I could run over to buy a switch or a resistor on a Saturday. Over the years, weve lost Radio Shack, Toys R Us, The Sharper Image and Brookstone, the Bose stores, Circuit City, the Microsoft Store and more. Siddiqui used the funds to feed his gambling habit in Las Vegas, where he lost about $162 million. [21] On September 10, 2019, The Mercury News reported that customers were finding barren shelves in most stores, speculating that the chain was about to fold;[22] Fry's responded by stating the company was changing to a consignment model with its vendors and was not planning to close any store other than Palo Alto. ", "Fry's Electronics putting warehouse in Hanford", "Fry's to close its Palo Alto doors for good in January", "Fry's Electronics stores soon to close, seeing same fate as Toys'R'Us? After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals across nine states and 31 stores, Frys Electronics, Inc. (Frys or Company), has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. They were walking-dead long before Covid. Wed go to Frys just to stare at it it felt like SUCH an an incredible achievement. I wholeheartedly agree Id even occasionally grab some food, either a packet of discount astronaut ice cream or one of the many, many selections from their tremendous candy shelves attached to the checkout line. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Graeme, who was Actives store manager, now runs the Gorilla Store (complete with the original and smelly Professor Banana) . The Fremont location had a huge room sized faraday cage with a tesla coil that would be engaded on a schedule every day. Took my daughter to YDI maybe three years ago when they were running a class on soldering. A long-time store manager tells me employees got paid out (including vacation pay) through February 24th. I used to work in Anaheim Hills and many of us were excited when that store opened. It was fun to to see all the stuff they carried. Declining sales staff. My first Android tablet was purchased at Frys as was a lot of my electronics. As a visitor from the U.K. to BlackHat & DefCon in Las Vegas back in the early 2010s, a trip (or two, possibly more) down to Frys at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard was an amazing experience. Volume purchase only - 50 pcs min in any combination of items. that its San Jose store might be replaced with an office campus, Lenovos newest ThinkPads feature Snapdragon processors and 165Hz screens, CalDigits new TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock has the most ports ever, Samsung leaks new notched tablet on its own website, Satechis new charger provides 165W to four ports and has a cute stand. They currently have 1,000 10 amp mini-blade fuses on special for just ten bucks. Manufacturer website: remo-electronics.com Electronics Goldmine is another one that I mail-order from often. I tried my first VR headset at a Frys, long before Oculus came around. Fry's Electronics was founded by the sons of grocery magnate Charles Fry, who's family founded the Fry's Food and Drug chain. Thank you [Ryan], [John], and [Jack] for tipping us off. Stuff hasnt been restocked for a while, but it looks like the business has changed hands and is being revived. Great prices doesnt hold up without product. The new owner of the Active-Tech chain has split up the stores to be localized under an umbrella arrangement\. Online stores like NewEgg and Amazon became the new norm for me. Ive been in several Frys but I like YDI better. Always loved the Frys themes for their stores in California. Down from a peak of 34 locations in 2019. With the opening of the store in Fishers, Indiana, Fry's made a "race track" theme with various hanging displays, including "stop" and "go" signs, as well as many photos of what life looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Indianapolis. My local Frys in Concord had been a ghost town for more than a year so this isnt a surprise. [29][30][31][32], In 2003, actors Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sued Fry's for $10 million each for posting their images on television sets on their print ads and flyers without permission. As the chain expanded to more stores throughout the US, particularly in taking over multiple defunct Incredible Universe locations, Fry's rode the build-your-own boom of personal computing. The internet is a great thing in many ways however, we can clearly see what it is doing to local retail sales. Fry's retailed software, consumer electronics, household appliances, cosmetics, tools, toys, accessories, magazines, technical books, snack foods, electronic components, and computer hardware. Im trying to think of any Silicon Valley electronics stores left, save Central Computer and of course Apple and Best Buy.