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Microcenter is a great counterexample. The one here in Denver is always full of customers, and it's stuffed with all manner of computer parts, hobby electronics

by teuobk 7y ago

Microcenter is a great counterexample. The one here in Denver is always full of customers, and it's stuffed with all manner of computer parts, hobby electronics, and so on. It's how I too remember Fry's being back in the day. I don't really understand how Microcenter does it, but they often have equal or better prices than Amazon, and in any case, they'll price-match. Also, there's no worry about whatever I buy turning out to be counterfeit. The one slightly odd thing about the Microcenter experience is how all of the salespeople have little stickers to take credit for when they help a customer find something. Are they on commission? Is this Microcenter's way of identifying the most useful floor staff? They're never pushy about it, but it does stand out in stark contrast to pretty much every other retail shop I can think of.

InTheArena 7y ago
It definitely provides a incentive for sales people to be well informed. I’ve never found that to be the case at Frys.
- hcs 7y ago
  It's been a long time since I was in a Fry's, but at least at the Austin location, whenever I talked with a salesperson and decided to buy something (hard drivers, processors) they'd print up something for me to take to the cashier along with the product. I always assumed this was for commission purposes.
  - DrScump 7y ago
    Yes. It's called a "quote".
cookie_monsta 7y ago
I've never heard of microcenter or their sticker system but I'm curious. Does the customer get given stickers that they award to staff or does this happen at checkout or what is it?
- BubRoss 7y ago
  Sales people put their barcode on items after they help you to get the commission for selling them.
  - DrScump 7y ago
    Fry's does this by printing "quotes" that you take to the register.
mc32 7y ago
Fry’s have always had the stigma that they hired unknowledgeable floor staff. If you knew what you were after you were fine. On the non technical side, half the time the staff didn’t know where to find items and would take you on wild goose chases. The stock was better than Microcrocenter or Central Computers (when they were relevant), and their sandwiches weren’t held bad. But the floor staff and that stupid thing where they have people at the exits pretend to check receipts on the purchase side. On the return side it was just awful. Today in age their return policies are just bad. On some items they have restocking fees.
- ganoushoreilly 7y ago
  To be fair lots of places have restocking fees on various items due to the nature of “renting”. I find central computers is often staffed with people that are less than personable.
- sbuttgereit 7y ago
  If you knew what you were looking for and could find it without the dread label that indicated that it was re-sealed, opened box product that is...
  - mc32 7y ago
    I’ve bought resealed items from Fry’s. So long as I can take a peek and make sure it’s all in there, I’m okay with that. I’m kinda upset they charged someone 15% restock and turn around and charge me full price, but materially if there is no difference in contents, I don’t care about the packaging.
    - sbuttgereit 7y ago
      Packaging isn't a concern. To put something back on the shelf, they should not only make sure the contents are complete and not physically damaged, but actually working. Anecdotally speaking, I had a high rate of those items not working and had to return them myself. So while all the parts were typically there and the devices powered on, the product often times didn't work. I finally concluded that they likely didn't differentiate returns that were caused by the customer changing their mind vs. customers claiming the stuff didn't work... or that the only check they made for "not working" product was a simple power on type test; given the quality of staff and costs of doing any thing more probably made it difficult to do better (maybe they didn't have good vendor return terms, good vendor allowances, etc. ... who knows) Again, my experience, but I felt like I was playing for slot machine odds when I bought those products... your mileage may have varied. I stopped shopping there years ago because the quality of the experience and that I didn't trust the open box product and wasn't sure I could reliably get unopened product... the trip to the store just wasn't worth the aggravation. I think that must have been before the restock fees as I don't recall ever having that issue myself (those the returns process was not exactly fun). I did like the store theming, particularly in the Southern CA stores (which is where I shopped them the most).
DrScump 7y ago
I remember when Microcenter in Santa Clara started exhibiting the same visual decline as described here about Fry's.
pfranz 7y ago
> all of the salespeople have little stickers to take credit for when they help a customer find something I was in Fry's recently and they seemed to do the same thing. After asking for some help they asked me to print a "quote," which meant printing out a receipt at a kiosk on the sales floor with their name. They pulled it up when I checked out. I kind of understood what they were doing, but the process seemed a bit awkward--especially when my question was more along the lines of, "Do you have more stock in the back? When you do you think you'll have more?"

by teuobk 7y ago

InTheArena 7y ago

It definitely provides a incentive for sales people to be well informed. I’ve never found that to be the case at Frys.

hcs 7y ago
It's been a long time since I was in a Fry's, but at least at the Austin location, whenever I talked with a salesperson and decided to buy something (hard drivers, processors) they'd print up something for me to take to the cashier along with the product. I always assumed this was for commission purposes.
- DrScump 7y ago
  Yes. It's called a "quote".

cookie_monsta 7y ago

I've never heard of microcenter or their sticker system but I'm curious. Does the customer get given stickers that they award to staff or does this happen at checkout or what is it?

BubRoss 7y ago
Sales people put their barcode on items after they help you to get the commission for selling them.
- DrScump 7y ago
  Fry's does this by printing "quotes" that you take to the register.

mc32 7y ago

Fry’s have always had the stigma that they hired unknowledgeable floor staff. If you knew what you were after you were fine. On the non technical side, half the time the staff didn’t know where to find items and would take you on wild goose chases. The stock was better than Microcrocenter or Central Computers (when they were relevant), and their sandwiches weren’t held bad. But the floor staff and that stupid thing where they have people at the exits pretend to check receipts on the purchase side. On the return side it was just awful. Today in age their return policies are just bad. On some items they have restocking fees.

ganoushoreilly 7y ago
To be fair lots of places have restocking fees on various items due to the nature of “renting”. I find central computers is often staffed with people that are less than personable.
sbuttgereit 7y ago
If you knew what you were looking for and could find it without the dread label that indicated that it was re-sealed, opened box product that is...
- mc32 7y ago
  I’ve bought resealed items from Fry’s. So long as I can take a peek and make sure it’s all in there, I’m okay with that. I’m kinda upset they charged someone 15% restock and turn around and charge me full price, but materially if there is no difference in contents, I don’t care about the packaging.
  - sbuttgereit 7y ago
    Packaging isn't a concern. To put something back on the shelf, they should not only make sure the contents are complete and not physically damaged, but actually working. Anecdotally speaking, I had a high rate of those items not working and had to return them myself. So while all the parts were typically there and the devices powered on, the product often times didn't work. I finally concluded that they likely didn't differentiate returns that were caused by the customer changing their mind vs. customers claiming the stuff didn't work... or that the only check they made for "not working" product was a simple power on type test; given the quality of staff and costs of doing any thing more probably made it difficult to do better (maybe they didn't have good vendor return terms, good vendor allowances, etc. ... who knows) Again, my experience, but I felt like I was playing for slot machine odds when I bought those products... your mileage may have varied. I stopped shopping there years ago because the quality of the experience and that I didn't trust the open box product and wasn't sure I could reliably get unopened product... the trip to the store just wasn't worth the aggravation. I think that must have been before the restock fees as I don't recall ever having that issue myself (those the returns process was not exactly fun). I did like the store theming, particularly in the Southern CA stores (which is where I shopped them the most).

DrScump 7y ago

I remember when Microcenter in Santa Clara started exhibiting the same visual decline as described here about Fry's.

pfranz 7y ago

> all of the salespeople have little stickers to take credit for when they help a customer find something I was in Fry's recently and they seemed to do the same thing. After asking for some help they asked me to print a "quote," which meant printing out a receipt at a kiosk on the sales floor with their name. They pulled it up when I checked out. I kind of understood what they were doing, but the process seemed a bit awkward--especially when my question was more along the lines of, "Do you have more stock in the back? When you do you think you'll have more?"