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I usually purchase my computer components from Newegg. However, whenever I was impatient or pressed for time, I used to go to Fry’s. I remember one time in 20

I usually purchase my computer components from Newegg. However, whenever I was impatient or pressed for time, I used to go to Fry’s. I remember one time in 2011 driving from Santa Cruz to Campbell to pick up a hard drive to replace one that suddenly failed; having to wait days for shipping would have been more inconvenient. Fry’s is a great convenience in these cases. It’s unfortunate to see Fry’s in the zombified state that it’s in. Back in the 2000s it was a really nice store, but recently it has fallen on hard times. I went to the Sunnyvale store a few months ago to try to find a TV antenna, and the selection was a bunch of beat-up boxes, some of them with discount stickers indicating that they were returned items, which left me not confident about the whole lot. Meanwhile, I’m a little envious of the electronics stores of Tokyo, particularly Yodobashi Camera and Yamada Denki. I travel to Japan regularly, and every now and then I check out these stores. Their Akihabara flagships are a nice mix of Fry’s selection and Best Buy’s presentation. Sometimes I wonder why we don’t have that in Silicon Valley, but then I remember that Tokyo’s density and transit-oriented planning makes such retail operations more viable than Silicon Valley’s largely car-dependent, US suburbia-style planning, which favors online shopping. Still, these flagship Akihabara stores are wonderful places to shop.

stevespang 7y ago
Our Fry's in Austin had a "real tough front" on returns. You had to go through a lot of BS to return anything. I wonder if that contributed to the downfall, and if Fry's in other states were tough on returns as well . . . obviously Bezos and company has had an impact
- hellisothers 7y ago
  Same here in CA, you had to wait in line forever, have them dig through your boxes taking everything out, then stand waiting for a manager to also come over and do the same thing and then approve it.
  - sowbug 7y ago
    That happened to me the last time I seriously shopped there (excluding subsequent visits with my kids for historical/tourism reasons). Returned a brand-new, unwrapped HP PC and watched in horror as the returns clerk clumsily defiled its pristine seal right in front of me. I assume it was later wrapped right back up again, but there's no way a roughed-up item like that would have ever been the same. I get the risk of fraud and all that, but it seems the Palo Alto Fry's didn't understand the corresponding brand cost of selling blemished merchandise as new.
emodendroket 7y ago
Well I guess the problem is everyone else uses the store in the same way.
duxup 7y ago
Reminds me of the late stages of Circuit City where the stores were just there ... but empty shelves, strange patterns in inventory, employees who just have given up on work .. look like they gave up on life. I was always amazed how long Circuit City stuck around like that.
- macintux 7y ago
  Reinforces Apple's decision to launch their own retail business. Circuit City was where I rediscovered Macs after having been away for a decade.
  - duxup 7y ago
    I didn't even know they had Macs...
    - macintux 7y ago
      They formed a partnership, didn't last long: 2000-2002. At the time I went there to look at their hardware prices, when I was contemplating building a replacement for my desktop Linux box, the only computer they had on the floor with an Internet connection was a Mac. I used it to do some quick price comparisons, then remembered Macs were UNIX too, and decided it was time to give Apple another try.
  - bluedino 7y ago
    My retail days....we sold Macs at Sears (low end crap like Performas), and we sold them at Best Buy back in 1998 or whenever it was the original iMac came out. But nobody wanted them. We got 25 at our store and almost every one of them came back. People wanted PC's....
    - chrisseaton 7y ago
      > nobody wanted them. We got 25 at our store and almost every one of them came back. People wanted PC's.... I thought the iMac was a massive success? Didn't it save Apple from ruin almost single handedly?
CoolGuySteve 7y ago
In NYC I've had good luck with Amazon Prime Now for urgent computer parts. I've gotten an SSD, power supply, and CPU fan for various work needs within a couple hours and without having to go on an excursion. So thank you, Rube Goldberg machine of human misery, for saving my work day on more than one occasion.
- mod50ack 7y ago
  Microcenter has worked for me in NY. And they match Amazon pricing.
  - tombert 7y ago
    Second thumbs up for Micro Center. I like that they have a combination of consumer-level electronics, mid-level stuff like Raspberry Pis, and low-level stuff like resistors and whatnot. It's a bit of a pain for me to get to MicroCenter (about an hour one the train), but it has always been useful for me when I'm in a pinch. When I visit my parents in Orlando, there's a smaller place called "Skycraft" which has a lot of low-level components, but I haven't been able to find an analog to it in NY just yet. Do you know of any?
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - volkl48 7y ago
      Tinkersphere Electronics, 152 Allen St (Manhattan) - as the name indicates, hobbyist focused. Allstate Electronics - Jamaica Queens - Old school distributor, has basically every electronic component under the sun. If you head out to NJ, there's a couple big shops as well (Wayne Electronics, Green Brook Electronics) but they're not transit-accessible or closer to the city.
      - ocdtrekkie 7y ago
        Used to be an Allstate Electronics in the Chicago suburbs. Fond memories of that store.
smelendez 7y ago
I think smartphones, laptops, streaming and online shopping really decimated this retail sector. Even lots of power users just use laptops (and AWS) and don't buy components. And sales of consumer electronics like point and shoot cameras, DVD and CD players, GPSes, etc. have fallen off a cliff.
- andykx 7y ago
  I'm not sure what the numbers show, but I think, as people who are interested in tech, we often forget a large segment of the population needs some in-person assistance when choosing new devices. My dad asks me every time he needs a new laptop, TV, or whatever. He has no interest in doing the research himself. Anecdotally, my local Best Buy is always packed. I do a good amount of shopping online, but I also like to get certain things in person when possible. To me, it's much more satisfying to buy something and be able to use it on the same day.
  - derefr 7y ago
    > I'm not sure what the numbers show, but I think, as people who are interested in tech, we often forget a large segment of the population needs some in-person assistance when choosing new devices. My dad asks me every time he needs a new laptop, TV, or whatever. He has no interest in doing the research himself. Sounds like you could make a good business out of being an "online shopping guide", to help people pick the right [whatever] out of an endless array of [whatever]s. Do credit cards offer this as a concierge service at some level?
    - rrix2 7y ago
      That sounds like what wirecutter.com does these days across a pretty wide selection of product categories. Just got a new pillow through them after drowning in Amazon reviews looking for a good side sleeping pillow.
      - derefr 7y ago
        Sure, there are reviewers that publish "objectively best for use-case X" reviews. But they don't review niche product-categories on demand, nor do they filter by your weird personal requirements (say... needing the tool you're buying to be made out of a material that will survive having other parts TIG-welded onto it.) Though I guess you could track down the people that write for one of these sites and commission them?
chubot 7y ago
I didn't know about Fry's closing until this article, and that makes me sad. It's one of the first places I went to when I moved to the bay area in 2002. But yeah since I moved to SF it just doesn't make sense to drive down to Palo Alto to buy computer stuff. The traffic kills it :-( I think the last time I went to Fry's was like 2011 or 2012 :-( I think part of the loss of customers may have to do with younger people moving to SF instead of Palo Alto / Mountain View? In addition to them buying online. Interestingly I remember my first roommate in 2002 was the one who told me about Newegg.
bluedevil2k 7y ago
The prices in these flagship Akihabara stores are much higher than you'd see online though (20%). You can either search the side alleys there looking for a good deal, or try to negotiate with the salespeople on the floor there. Here in the US, at Fry's and Best Buy I've seen, they'll match Amazon's price without having to do any deal-making.
- gryson 7y ago
  Most Japanese electronics stores including Yodobashi Camera have point-based discount systems. If you have a membership card, you get 10% of your purchase back in points, which can be used on the next purchase. Of course, prices can still be high. And yes, you can often negotiate with salespeople, particularly on higher priced items. At a store like Yodobashi Camera, I think it's possible to negotiate for more points on your point card. At smaller electronics stores, particularly out of the city, negotiating price is more common. I was once looking at a TV at a store (I think K's Denki) towards closing time and the salesman walked over with a calculator and gave me 20% off without me even initiating the negotiation.
dreamcompiler 7y ago
I just visited Yodobashi in Akihabara and was impressed with the energy and selection, but the prices were awful: At least 50% higher than US prices for many things. Some of this might be due to the yen/dollar exchange rate but I didn't notice particularly high prices on other products in Japan--just stuff at Yodobashi.
- reaperducer 7y ago
  But unlike Best Buy, at Yodobashi and BIC Camera you can buy a personal radiation monitor! Still, you're right — you're paying for convenience and selection when you go to the big electronics stores in Japan. I try to be conscious of where the things I buy are manufactured. Sadly, the last two items I bought at Yodobashi (a radio and a voice recorder) were made in China. When I asked the salespeople if they had any made in Japan, they seemed very sad (ashamed?) to deliver the answer.
  - LargoLasskhyfv 7y ago
    I'd bet they stock the radiation monitors since Fukushima only. And that when another one blows up in another country it would be the same. Though i'm not absolutely sure about that, because i remember reading news headlines about a run on them, and being out of stock in germany because of that at the times.
jmspring 7y ago
I recall a point where I was had to go to Frys because places like Quement Electronics, etc. closed down. Frys was always a "hold your nose" and "be careful/picky" sort of place. Often they restocked bad returns, I had problems with them giving out bad ram at times, etc. Generally, the employees weren't particularly knowledgable either. It's sad to see it go, especially Palo Alto. It felt like they expanded incredibly rapidly - including to Sacramento/Roseville, southern CA and WA state. I've been using Newegg almost exclusively these days for components. But, yes, the lack of instant gratification can be trying.
- LorenPechtel 7y ago
  I wouldn't call it hold your nose but I did run into problems with bad returns getting restocked and what I assume was employee theft in the form of putting bad items in new boxes that weren't marked as returns. (And for which the serial # wouldn't match, that's how I realized what was up.)
- mlyle 7y ago
  > I recall a point where I was had to go to Frys because places like Quement Electronics, etc. closed down. Frys was always a "hold your nose" and "be careful/picky" sort of place. Often they restocked bad returns, I had problems with them giving out bad ram at times, etc. Generally, the employees weren't particularly knowledgable either. Yup. I remember a whole lot of scammy behavior on the part of reps, too. After I picked up a box running after me to try and get me to let them write it up for commission. Lies from sales reps. RAM inventory being 80%+ bad, taking 3 trips to try and get a working set and realize that I had been being sold the same DIMM I had just returned (I finally put a dot on it with a sharpie). There's fewer choices than ever for electronic components and misc fixings in the Silicon Valley. Fry's is gone, Radio Shack is gone, Halted is gone, Weird Stuff is gone, a lot of the computer shops are gone (and the ones that remain are dodgier than ever), Triangle Machinery is gone, etc. We've got Alltronics and Jameco and Excess Solutions now...
  - jmspring 7y ago
    Weird Stuff is probably my most missed place. I always found something worth buying even if wandering by on lunch. It was dangerous when I worked a few blocks away from there.
echelon 7y ago
> I travel to Japan regularly Sorry for prying, but I'm curious. Is this for business? Do you plan your flights around travel sales? How's your Japanese? I'm asking because I'd like for similar arrangements.
squarefoot 7y ago
Your mention of the Akihabara market brought to memory a thread at theradioboard filled with useful info and photos. http://theradioboard.com/rb/viewtopic.php?t=5558 http://theradioboard.com/rb/viewtopic.php?t=5558 That market is a dream place for any electronics enthusiast, at least those who grew when an electronics shop wasn't a cellphone reseller. I wish there was some way of purchasing those Aitendo modules in the EU at decent prices. Unfortunately some stores are closing over there as well, albeit much slower than in other places.
bytematic 7y ago
I've stayed away from newegg since they got bought by a chinese company and allowed third party vendors. The prices are rarely the best anymore
- reaperducer 7y ago
  And selection seems terrible. The last time I bought something from Newegg was maybe five years ago. Since then, I've never been able to find what I want in stock on their web site.
- bsder 7y ago
  What's a reliable alternative to Newegg nowadays?
  - bytematic 7y ago
    Honestly, Amazon. I usually find a microcenter because the drive (90miles) results in money saved anyways
bayareageek 7y ago
we dont have big akihabara tech marts like japan does and frys was the closest but there are still some good local shops for computer stuff and some consumer electronics there are a bunch of central computers and in the south bay theres anchor for electronic components and excess for surplus
chrischen 7y ago
Everything in Tokyo is because of density.
samstave 7y ago
Back in the day, I had an expense budget at Intel that allowed me to purchase anything I needed for my lab from Frys... I used to buy gear there and often would find failures... I would return them to Fry's but in doing so would mark the box with a sharpie in a known place (to me) I would always check back in the aisles for my returned items and would frequently find them replaced on the shelves to be sold again - knowing that they were bad items. So Frys would be wasting multiple peoples time, plus their own resources on throwing shit that I tested bad in my lab at Intel back on the shelves... One time, I went through ELEVEN returns of some SuperMicro mobos that were all bad... (SuperMicro had a REALLY shitty run in the late 90s, early 2000s) Frys is dead to me know though, for the most part.
reaperducer 7y ago
I usually purchase my computer components from Newegg. It’s unfortunate to see Fry’s in the zombified state that it’s in. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but what did you think was going to happen?
tkgally 7y ago
> the electronics stores of Tokyo, particularly Yodobashi Camera and Yamada Denki And not only Tokyo. Yodobashi has a couple of dozen stores throughout Japan, some of them, such as Yokohama and Umeda (Osaka), as big as the flagship in Akihabara. They're a good source for household appliances, too. I live in Yokohama, and I shop at Yodobashi not for the prices but for the service: More than once a salesperson has saved me a lot of trouble by confirming that whatever I bought (a monitor, a hard drive, a cable) was actually compatible with the computer I was using. The staff know their products, and they are willing to give up sales in order to keep from selling people something they can't use. That makes me a more loyal customer. Yodobashi seems to have a lot of Chinese-speaking staff these days, which is understandable considering the large number of Chinese tourists in Japan in recent years. Probably some of the staff speak English, too, though I've never asked.
- dreamcompiler 7y ago
  They do assist English speakers, but it's the usual deal for Japan: If you ask a question in English, they recognize it immediately and call a staff member over who can at least speak some English. If you begin your query with "Ohayo Gozaimasu" and are courteous, they try very hard to help you.

stevespang 7y ago

Our Fry's in Austin had a "real tough front" on returns. You had to go through a lot of BS to return anything. I wonder if that contributed to the downfall, and if Fry's in other states were tough on returns as well . . . obviously Bezos and company has had an impact

hellisothers 7y ago
Same here in CA, you had to wait in line forever, have them dig through your boxes taking everything out, then stand waiting for a manager to also come over and do the same thing and then approve it.
- sowbug 7y ago
  That happened to me the last time I seriously shopped there (excluding subsequent visits with my kids for historical/tourism reasons). Returned a brand-new, unwrapped HP PC and watched in horror as the returns clerk clumsily defiled its pristine seal right in front of me. I assume it was later wrapped right back up again, but there's no way a roughed-up item like that would have ever been the same. I get the risk of fraud and all that, but it seems the Palo Alto Fry's didn't understand the corresponding brand cost of selling blemished merchandise as new.

emodendroket 7y ago

Well I guess the problem is everyone else uses the store in the same way.

duxup 7y ago

Reminds me of the late stages of Circuit City where the stores were just there ... but empty shelves, strange patterns in inventory, employees who just have given up on work .. look like they gave up on life. I was always amazed how long Circuit City stuck around like that.

macintux 7y ago
Reinforces Apple's decision to launch their own retail business. Circuit City was where I rediscovered Macs after having been away for a decade.
- duxup 7y ago
  I didn't even know they had Macs...
  - macintux 7y ago
    They formed a partnership, didn't last long: 2000-2002. At the time I went there to look at their hardware prices, when I was contemplating building a replacement for my desktop Linux box, the only computer they had on the floor with an Internet connection was a Mac. I used it to do some quick price comparisons, then remembered Macs were UNIX too, and decided it was time to give Apple another try.
- bluedino 7y ago
  My retail days....we sold Macs at Sears (low end crap like Performas), and we sold them at Best Buy back in 1998 or whenever it was the original iMac came out. But nobody wanted them. We got 25 at our store and almost every one of them came back. People wanted PC's....
  - chrisseaton 7y ago
    > nobody wanted them. We got 25 at our store and almost every one of them came back. People wanted PC's.... I thought the iMac was a massive success? Didn't it save Apple from ruin almost single handedly?

CoolGuySteve 7y ago

In NYC I've had good luck with Amazon Prime Now for urgent computer parts. I've gotten an SSD, power supply, and CPU fan for various work needs within a couple hours and without having to go on an excursion. So thank you, Rube Goldberg machine of human misery, for saving my work day on more than one occasion.

mod50ack 7y ago
Microcenter has worked for me in NY. And they match Amazon pricing.
- tombert 7y ago
  Second thumbs up for Micro Center. I like that they have a combination of consumer-level electronics, mid-level stuff like Raspberry Pis, and low-level stuff like resistors and whatnot. It's a bit of a pain for me to get to MicroCenter (about an hour one the train), but it has always been useful for me when I'm in a pinch. When I visit my parents in Orlando, there's a smaller place called "Skycraft" which has a lot of low-level components, but I haven't been able to find an analog to it in NY just yet. Do you know of any?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - volkl48 7y ago
    Tinkersphere Electronics, 152 Allen St (Manhattan) - as the name indicates, hobbyist focused. Allstate Electronics - Jamaica Queens - Old school distributor, has basically every electronic component under the sun. If you head out to NJ, there's a couple big shops as well (Wayne Electronics, Green Brook Electronics) but they're not transit-accessible or closer to the city.
    - ocdtrekkie 7y ago
      Used to be an Allstate Electronics in the Chicago suburbs. Fond memories of that store.

smelendez 7y ago

I think smartphones, laptops, streaming and online shopping really decimated this retail sector. Even lots of power users just use laptops (and AWS) and don't buy components. And sales of consumer electronics like point and shoot cameras, DVD and CD players, GPSes, etc. have fallen off a cliff.

andykx 7y ago
I'm not sure what the numbers show, but I think, as people who are interested in tech, we often forget a large segment of the population needs some in-person assistance when choosing new devices. My dad asks me every time he needs a new laptop, TV, or whatever. He has no interest in doing the research himself. Anecdotally, my local Best Buy is always packed. I do a good amount of shopping online, but I also like to get certain things in person when possible. To me, it's much more satisfying to buy something and be able to use it on the same day.
- derefr 7y ago
  > I'm not sure what the numbers show, but I think, as people who are interested in tech, we often forget a large segment of the population needs some in-person assistance when choosing new devices. My dad asks me every time he needs a new laptop, TV, or whatever. He has no interest in doing the research himself. Sounds like you could make a good business out of being an "online shopping guide", to help people pick the right [whatever] out of an endless array of [whatever]s. Do credit cards offer this as a concierge service at some level?
  - rrix2 7y ago
    That sounds like what wirecutter.com does these days across a pretty wide selection of product categories. Just got a new pillow through them after drowning in Amazon reviews looking for a good side sleeping pillow.
    - derefr 7y ago
      Sure, there are reviewers that publish "objectively best for use-case X" reviews. But they don't review niche product-categories on demand, nor do they filter by your weird personal requirements (say... needing the tool you're buying to be made out of a material that will survive having other parts TIG-welded onto it.) Though I guess you could track down the people that write for one of these sites and commission them?

chubot 7y ago

I didn't know about Fry's closing until this article, and that makes me sad. It's one of the first places I went to when I moved to the bay area in 2002. But yeah since I moved to SF it just doesn't make sense to drive down to Palo Alto to buy computer stuff. The traffic kills it :-( I think the last time I went to Fry's was like 2011 or 2012 :-( I think part of the loss of customers may have to do with younger people moving to SF instead of Palo Alto / Mountain View? In addition to them buying online. Interestingly I remember my first roommate in 2002 was the one who told me about Newegg.

bluedevil2k 7y ago

The prices in these flagship Akihabara stores are much higher than you'd see online though (20%). You can either search the side alleys there looking for a good deal, or try to negotiate with the salespeople on the floor there. Here in the US, at Fry's and Best Buy I've seen, they'll match Amazon's price without having to do any deal-making.

gryson 7y ago
Most Japanese electronics stores including Yodobashi Camera have point-based discount systems. If you have a membership card, you get 10% of your purchase back in points, which can be used on the next purchase. Of course, prices can still be high. And yes, you can often negotiate with salespeople, particularly on higher priced items. At a store like Yodobashi Camera, I think it's possible to negotiate for more points on your point card. At smaller electronics stores, particularly out of the city, negotiating price is more common. I was once looking at a TV at a store (I think K's Denki) towards closing time and the salesman walked over with a calculator and gave me 20% off without me even initiating the negotiation.

dreamcompiler 7y ago

I just visited Yodobashi in Akihabara and was impressed with the energy and selection, but the prices were awful: At least 50% higher than US prices for many things. Some of this might be due to the yen/dollar exchange rate but I didn't notice particularly high prices on other products in Japan--just stuff at Yodobashi.

reaperducer 7y ago
But unlike Best Buy, at Yodobashi and BIC Camera you can buy a personal radiation monitor! Still, you're right — you're paying for convenience and selection when you go to the big electronics stores in Japan. I try to be conscious of where the things I buy are manufactured. Sadly, the last two items I bought at Yodobashi (a radio and a voice recorder) were made in China. When I asked the salespeople if they had any made in Japan, they seemed very sad (ashamed?) to deliver the answer.
- LargoLasskhyfv 7y ago
  I'd bet they stock the radiation monitors since Fukushima only. And that when another one blows up in another country it would be the same. Though i'm not absolutely sure about that, because i remember reading news headlines about a run on them, and being out of stock in germany because of that at the times.

jmspring 7y ago

I recall a point where I was had to go to Frys because places like Quement Electronics, etc. closed down. Frys was always a "hold your nose" and "be careful/picky" sort of place. Often they restocked bad returns, I had problems with them giving out bad ram at times, etc. Generally, the employees weren't particularly knowledgable either. It's sad to see it go, especially Palo Alto. It felt like they expanded incredibly rapidly - including to Sacramento/Roseville, southern CA and WA state. I've been using Newegg almost exclusively these days for components. But, yes, the lack of instant gratification can be trying.

LorenPechtel 7y ago
I wouldn't call it hold your nose but I did run into problems with bad returns getting restocked and what I assume was employee theft in the form of putting bad items in new boxes that weren't marked as returns. (And for which the serial # wouldn't match, that's how I realized what was up.)
mlyle 7y ago
> I recall a point where I was had to go to Frys because places like Quement Electronics, etc. closed down. Frys was always a "hold your nose" and "be careful/picky" sort of place. Often they restocked bad returns, I had problems with them giving out bad ram at times, etc. Generally, the employees weren't particularly knowledgable either. Yup. I remember a whole lot of scammy behavior on the part of reps, too. After I picked up a box running after me to try and get me to let them write it up for commission. Lies from sales reps. RAM inventory being 80%+ bad, taking 3 trips to try and get a working set and realize that I had been being sold the same DIMM I had just returned (I finally put a dot on it with a sharpie). There's fewer choices than ever for electronic components and misc fixings in the Silicon Valley. Fry's is gone, Radio Shack is gone, Halted is gone, Weird Stuff is gone, a lot of the computer shops are gone (and the ones that remain are dodgier than ever), Triangle Machinery is gone, etc. We've got Alltronics and Jameco and Excess Solutions now...
- jmspring 7y ago
  Weird Stuff is probably my most missed place. I always found something worth buying even if wandering by on lunch. It was dangerous when I worked a few blocks away from there.

echelon 7y ago

> I travel to Japan regularly Sorry for prying, but I'm curious. Is this for business? Do you plan your flights around travel sales? How's your Japanese? I'm asking because I'd like for similar arrangements.

squarefoot 7y ago

Your mention of the Akihabara market brought to memory a thread at theradioboard filled with useful info and photos. http://theradioboard.com/rb/viewtopic.php?t=5558 http://theradioboard.com/rb/viewtopic.php?t=5558 That market is a dream place for any electronics enthusiast, at least those who grew when an electronics shop wasn't a cellphone reseller. I wish there was some way of purchasing those Aitendo modules in the EU at decent prices. Unfortunately some stores are closing over there as well, albeit much slower than in other places.

bytematic 7y ago

I've stayed away from newegg since they got bought by a chinese company and allowed third party vendors. The prices are rarely the best anymore

reaperducer 7y ago
And selection seems terrible. The last time I bought something from Newegg was maybe five years ago. Since then, I've never been able to find what I want in stock on their web site.
bsder 7y ago
What's a reliable alternative to Newegg nowadays?
- bytematic 7y ago
  Honestly, Amazon. I usually find a microcenter because the drive (90miles) results in money saved anyways

bayareageek 7y ago

we dont have big akihabara tech marts like japan does and frys was the closest but there are still some good local shops for computer stuff and some consumer electronics there are a bunch of central computers and in the south bay theres anchor for electronic components and excess for surplus

chrischen 7y ago

Everything in Tokyo is because of density.

samstave 7y ago

Back in the day, I had an expense budget at Intel that allowed me to purchase anything I needed for my lab from Frys... I used to buy gear there and often would find failures... I would return them to Fry's but in doing so would mark the box with a sharpie in a known place (to me) I would always check back in the aisles for my returned items and would frequently find them replaced on the shelves to be sold again - knowing that they were bad items. So Frys would be wasting multiple peoples time, plus their own resources on throwing shit that I tested bad in my lab at Intel back on the shelves... One time, I went through ELEVEN returns of some SuperMicro mobos that were all bad... (SuperMicro had a REALLY shitty run in the late 90s, early 2000s) Frys is dead to me know though, for the most part.

reaperducer 7y ago

I usually purchase my computer components from Newegg. It’s unfortunate to see Fry’s in the zombified state that it’s in. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but what did you think was going to happen?

tkgally 7y ago

> the electronics stores of Tokyo, particularly Yodobashi Camera and Yamada Denki And not only Tokyo. Yodobashi has a couple of dozen stores throughout Japan, some of them, such as Yokohama and Umeda (Osaka), as big as the flagship in Akihabara. They're a good source for household appliances, too. I live in Yokohama, and I shop at Yodobashi not for the prices but for the service: More than once a salesperson has saved me a lot of trouble by confirming that whatever I bought (a monitor, a hard drive, a cable) was actually compatible with the computer I was using. The staff know their products, and they are willing to give up sales in order to keep from selling people something they can't use. That makes me a more loyal customer. Yodobashi seems to have a lot of Chinese-speaking staff these days, which is understandable considering the large number of Chinese tourists in Japan in recent years. Probably some of the staff speak English, too, though I've never asked.

dreamcompiler 7y ago
They do assist English speakers, but it's the usual deal for Japan: If you ask a question in English, they recognize it immediately and call a staff member over who can at least speak some English. If you begin your query with "Ohayo Gozaimasu" and are courteous, they try very hard to help you.