I noticed the shelves at the Phoenix Fry's starting to get bare a year ago. In November an employee said they were "renegotiating" with their suppliers. This ar

I noticed the shelves at the Phoenix Fry's starting to get bare a year ago. In November an employee said they were "renegotiating" with their suppliers. This article explains "the shelves are empty because it has shifted to a consignment model, meaning that suppliers get paid for goods only after a store has sold them." Fry's was the only store I visited on "Black Friday". Some of the other customers were looking at the bare shelves, like "what happened"? I bought a few items I thought would be useful, but I was not in the market for any big-ticket items. On that day I overheard one of the employees say the "trade war" was the cause of the company's problems. Partially, I'm sure, but not totally. I'd read about an employee at the Fry's corporate office who was caught lining his own pocket with company money: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14906339 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14906339 I think Fry's has a chance because it owns most of its buildings, and it's presumably not being looted by vulture capitalists (as happened to Sears). The stores have been well-staffed for months in spite of their having little to sell. I still shop at Fry's because I don't always know what I'm looking for, and it's nice to be able to browse.