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I went to a Fry's recently to buy some breadboards and simple chips and was pretty surprised to how hollow (the article's choice of word is totally right) they'

I went to a Fry's recently to buy some breadboards and simple chips and was pretty surprised to how hollow (the article's choice of word is totally right) they've become. I was surprised at first, but then realized it really made a lot of sense given how commerce has changed. Seeing it gave me a sad childhood nostalgia I never expected when going to an electronics store. I guess change really is the only constant.

BrentOzar 7y ago
Fry's is the new Radio Shack. I felt the same nostalgia when Radio Shack started folding up, but then I went to one of the stores and realized they'd become a hollow shell of their former greatness - just hawking cell phones. Just as Radio Shack couldn't compete with Amazon, neither can Fry's. We're going to have the same nostalgia about Best Buy when that shoe drops. I was in a Best Buy recently when I forgot my headphones on a trip, and I was dumbfounded at how bad the gear was. It's less about good gear now, and more about Beats headphones and gold-plated cables. The writing's on the wall.
- dimator 7y ago
  Best buy was much worse off a few years ago. The company and the stores are in much better shape these days, they hired a CEO that did many improvements.
  - mbreese 7y ago
    I agree. It seems like BestBuy is really adapting to the changing market. Then when you couple online purchasing with in store pickup, it seems like they might just make it. I think the parent comment about headphones isn’t a BestBuy problem — its a universal headphone problem.
- bsder 7y ago
  > I was in a Best Buy recently when I forgot my headphones on a trip, and I was dumbfounded at how bad the gear was. It's less about good gear now, and more about Beats headphones and gold-plated cables. Stocking something high-end and good is a losers bet. People who know what "good" is are going to get it online. You want to stock the cheap stuff that moves, and the gold-plated stuff that suckers buy. This is the sad reality of retail in the age of online.
- skinnymuch 7y ago
  Best Buy’s usually have a selection of headphones beyond Beats. Beats is a minority from the 5+ I’ve been to recently.
dimator 7y ago
The funny thing is, based on this article and Fry's (the person) business acumen, why is it allowed to continue this way? The author emphasizes that John Fry is a bright guy with attention to retail detail. Bare shelves are incredibly bad for customers to see. So why is there no retooling, downsizing, ditching the huge warehouse-size storefronts, focusing on service, etc.
- irq 7y ago
  This is an important question that no one seems to be addressing. Why is Fry’s closing only one store if they’re all hollowed out? One would think it’s because they have some plan to revamp the other stores, but there is no sign of that.
  - erik_seaberg 7y ago
    Their Palo Alto lease is expiring, according to https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/08/28/frys-electronics-to-shutter-palo-alto-store-in-january https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/08/28/frys-electron.... Hopefully the other stores are at least close to breaking even.

BrentOzar 7y ago

Fry's is the new Radio Shack. I felt the same nostalgia when Radio Shack started folding up, but then I went to one of the stores and realized they'd become a hollow shell of their former greatness - just hawking cell phones. Just as Radio Shack couldn't compete with Amazon, neither can Fry's. We're going to have the same nostalgia about Best Buy when that shoe drops. I was in a Best Buy recently when I forgot my headphones on a trip, and I was dumbfounded at how bad the gear was. It's less about good gear now, and more about Beats headphones and gold-plated cables. The writing's on the wall.

dimator 7y ago
Best buy was much worse off a few years ago. The company and the stores are in much better shape these days, they hired a CEO that did many improvements.
- mbreese 7y ago
  I agree. It seems like BestBuy is really adapting to the changing market. Then when you couple online purchasing with in store pickup, it seems like they might just make it. I think the parent comment about headphones isn’t a BestBuy problem — its a universal headphone problem.
bsder 7y ago
> I was in a Best Buy recently when I forgot my headphones on a trip, and I was dumbfounded at how bad the gear was. It's less about good gear now, and more about Beats headphones and gold-plated cables. Stocking something high-end and good is a losers bet. People who know what "good" is are going to get it online. You want to stock the cheap stuff that moves, and the gold-plated stuff that suckers buy. This is the sad reality of retail in the age of online.
skinnymuch 7y ago
Best Buy’s usually have a selection of headphones beyond Beats. Beats is a minority from the 5+ I’ve been to recently.

dimator 7y ago

The funny thing is, based on this article and Fry's (the person) business acumen, why is it allowed to continue this way? The author emphasizes that John Fry is a bright guy with attention to retail detail. Bare shelves are incredibly bad for customers to see. So why is there no retooling, downsizing, ditching the huge warehouse-size storefronts, focusing on service, etc.

irq 7y ago
This is an important question that no one seems to be addressing. Why is Fry’s closing only one store if they’re all hollowed out? One would think it’s because they have some plan to revamp the other stores, but there is no sign of that.
- erik_seaberg 7y ago
  Their Palo Alto lease is expiring, according to https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/08/28/frys-electronics-to-shutter-palo-alto-store-in-january https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/08/28/frys-electron.... Hopefully the other stores are at least close to breaking even.