That’s actually there in some retail chains as a check on the cashiers to make sure they didn’t make any mistakes. Since most of us customers rightly perceive it as “The Final Insult”, though, it’s not very effective over-all.
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The owners are three brothers who effectively don’t have any assets seizable for this. The store has no assets.
The Sacramento one (in Natomas). I last tried in 2016 or so. They had decent stock at the time and I kept thinking I would go back but the checkout, online account experience, and overall vibe just made it too much of a bother when I had other options.
My local micro center appears to be killing it (and so is the best buy). Most of my tech purchases over the last decade have come from brick and mortar, some of it is because of “local”, but mostly it is for the price matching, in my hand within 30 minutes, having someone to ask questions, and ease of returning. Online order/pickup in store, or curbside, is the cherry on top!
Of course I can’t predict the future, but right now brick and mortar is figuring it out. Alternatively, I’m not sure Fry’s is a good example of anything but their own incompetence, the sales experience should have never made it past a trial store.
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MicroCenter is competitive on price, has a decent selection of products, and is relatively small footprint. Our nearby one is always busy, like 10 minute wait to checkout busy, everytime we go in.
Seems to me they’ll be fine.
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I haven’t been there in a couple of years, but the Fry’s in Sacramento always seemed to be bustling when I went there. The one Palo Alto (before it closed) and the one in San Jose much less so. Having some successful stores won’t save you if the whole chain is in trouble, and I think all retail electronics is vulnerable to the threat from the biggest online retailers.
The thing I liked was that they seemed to have everything. Need an obscure tool? Fry’s has it. Need a billion pack of AA batteries for kid toys? Fry’s has it cheap.
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It’s conceivable we could still find “electronics,” like phones and stuff, at the other Fry’s
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Well, I agree that I would rather shop online than Fry’s.
Same story in the Los Angeles locations - I found out today that that was because they switched to consignment-only sales a couple years ago. It makes for a very lean business model, but it’s an intensely stupid way to run a bricks-and-mortar store.
It isn’t agreement with me. I think every loss of a B&M shop makes things worse.
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