R.I.P. Frys Electronics

[Garion_55]

I worked at the very 1st fry's electronics in Sunnyvale when there was only one store in the chain. Eventually we moved to a new store in Sunnyvale and at that point they had 3 stores total.

I knew the frys brothers, the owners, they were always in the store giving product demonstrations and meeting customers.

When I quit they were expanding into multiple States. Going into these stores was like Disneyland for nerds. You could spend hours just walking around. The stores were always packed tourists would come in from different countries just to see the place.

It's sad to see what's happened to these places now, they are like ghost towns. Looks like they have gone the way of the indoor mall. Change really sucks sometimes.



https://m.

[Miguelito Loveless]

1. Went to one outside Atlanta about 15 years ago

and it was spectacular. The only thing better was COMDEX, back in the day. THAT was like Mecca for computer hackers.

[LastDemocratInSC]

4. COMDEX in Atlanta

Unforgettable.

[klook]

2. Oh noooo!

I love(d) Fry’s! It was sort of like a combination Best Buy and Radio Shack, but a lot better than either of those. Lucky you, getting to work there and know the Fry Bros.

[Clash City Rocker]

3. What a shame

I shopped at the Sunnyvale and Palo Alto stores many times. They had such an eclectic selection. You could find DVDs that you would never see anywhere else, for example. I had a desktop computer that I built entirely from parts I bought at the PA store. Their salespeople tended to be condescending, but I got used to it.

I believe the brothers’ father owned the Fry’s grocery store chain, which is still operating, although I haven’t seen one in a long time. In the early days, they carried a few grocery items. I remember my dad saying, “I can’t believe this place. You can buy a quart of milk, a bag of Doritos and a computer.”

[MLAA]

7. I shop at Fry's Food in Tucson.

Now owned by Kroger, but maintains Fry’s name.

[yellowdogintexas]

13. not the same...this is Fry's electronics which was a nerd paradise

I bought a lap top there and we were forever going over there to get parts for various projects.

[MLAA]

14. I understand it's not the same, I thought the poster I answered referenced the father

of the electronics Frys stores started the Frys food stores and wondered if the food stores were still in business. 🙂

[lagomorph777]

5. They were a tourist destination for me when I visited LA.

Very disappointed to see them go.

[William Seger]

6. No store near me but I've bought several things from them online

Hopefully, that side is doing well enough for them to survive.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. I always wished we had some over here on the east coast

Anyone who geeked out on electronics and tech parts would always hear their name mentioned. Other than Radio Shack, we sortof had some warehouse places like Micro Center, but nothing like Fry's, where I would read where people could just pick up mobos and CPUs off the shelf, etc.

[Jirel]

9. I can't mourn.

I loved Microcenter, when I lived near one. But Fry's... Fry's... the last time I went there was about 5 years ago, and it was anything but awesome. It was a godsawful, disorganized mess. They had lots of junk, and more junk. It was like the last days of Circuit City.

[OxQQme]

10. I went to Fry's in Wilsonville, OR

two weeks ago looking for an ipad.
Maybe fifty cars parked in the lot.
Middle of the day.
No greeter at the entrance.
Darker than normal in several sections.
Zero computers.
Many bare spots in the TV department.
Two cashiers at the checkout, only one busy with customer.

Last time I was there, two years ago on a Saturday, they had a tram to bring people in from the outer edges of the parking.

[Zorro]

12. Spent lots of time at the first Fry's off Oakmead Parkway back in the day

It really catered to the computer nerds, with computer chips on one aisle and potato chips on the next.

I occasionally stop by the San Marcos store these days, a spectacular aquarium-themed space that is so neat even my wife likes going there. It's not very crowded these days and a little depressing with all the empty shelves, but one can still find good bargains there.