FRY'S ELECTRONICS has opened a new store... (1 Viewer)

[Henry Gale]

....in Austin TX. I've seen references to this chain before on HTF. But, since there were none in my area I paid no attention.
My question is, is this just a Circuit City/Best Buy clone?
It's not in a part of town I usually get to, do I need these guys?
Jim

 

[KyleS]

You know Fry's in Wilsonville (Portland) is a great place to go. I cant speak for their other stores but they are a cross between Costco and BB. Usually huge stores with really good deals on new releases. (Not so sure about electronics). One thing to be Aware is that you need to PAY ATTENTION when purchasing in Fry's. Make sure you check the box out thoroughly since they often re-package returns then sell them again. It is noted on the receipt that it is used but they will charge you the same price usually as nothing is missing. The only mark on the boxes is often a small sticker.
KyleS
[Edited last by KyleS on August 31, 2001 at 05:37 PM]

 

[John Garcia]

They tend to have some of the best prices and selections for DVD. Decent, but not the best for electronics. Better than a BB or CC, IMO, but not by a huge margin. Same, if not worse, caliber of knowledge for sales people.
You can often get excellent deals on returned items that are as good as new. I picked up a Sony STR-DE475 that was returned for the beroom for $150, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. The remote and manual hadn't even been opened.
Watch for their "weekend" deals, as sometimes they will have unadvertised discounts on all kinds of stuff.
I've been going there since they opened the very first one right up the street from me in one tiny room in a business complex!
------------------
All progress is based upon a universal, innate desire on the part of every organism,
to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)
[Edited last by John Garcia on August 31, 2001 at 05:45 PM]

 

[Kelly Payne]

Aaaahhhh....Best to experience it for yourself, Jim.
I used to work right across the freeway from one. Some of you out there will understand this next sentence:
I've left the place swearing that I'd never return at least 10 times.

The place is big - has a lot of stuff. Pretty good selection of DVD's with normally good prices. You'll get used to seeing their ads in the newspaper. Some good deals to be had.
Beware:
- Varying caliber of sales people
- Used equipment not necessairly marked as such
- Procedure for returing items encourages just keeping it
- Long check-out line through the "valley of impulse buy items"
What have I missed here guys? Help me out.
-Kelly

 

[Bob McElfresh]

There is a chain of grocery stores on the West coast called "Frys".
The sons of the owner did not want to be in the Grocery business, so they took a section of one of the stores in Silicon Valley and dedicated it to computers and electronics. They bought some name brand stuff, but mostly it was parts for PC's.
Well, this worked fairly well in Santa Clara and eventually grew into several electronics-only stores.
Yes, they carry some brands, but for the most part they carry electronic components (motherboards, hard disks, cases, power supplies, ram chips, computer monitors, etc). Some of these are name-brand, a lot is computer flea-market stuff.
The prices on these are pretty good.
They also sell computer software and DVD movies, but these prices are not nearly as competitive.
They DO put out weekly adds with good prices to entice you into their stores.
I think it is well worth taking an hour or so to go through the store, and then keep an eye on the adds.

 

[charles_w]

"I've left the place swearing that I'd never return at least 10 times."
The last time I stopped to kill time I bought the Alligator records 30th anniversery cd( great Blues Collection)and a
" TIN of ALTOIDS"

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Its definitely worth visiting. Shortly after I moved to DFW I found out about there being a Fry's (or two) in the area. I hunted it down and was blown away. Its a very guy-friendly place. In fact, they used to even carry porn magazines (soft core, but porn none the less). They got just about everything a guy could want, including some food items. Generally I find their prices on computer items to be on par with Best Buy and CompUSA for name brand stuff. However, their selection of stuff is unrivaled. In my experience all though the lines are long, they move fast. On a weekend they sometimes have over 40 registers going. How many Best Buys come close to that? But as other people have said, be careful, its very much a buyer beware situation.

 

[Ted Lee]

prepare yourself for some heavy-duty browsing time. that whole store is one big impulse buy. they've got the most useless, but really cool stuff you'll ever see/want!
need an ohm-meter?
need a remote control car?
need a laser pointer?
need a washing machine?
need a cb radio kit?
need a rice cooker?
need anything related to consumer electronics?
i can easily kill an hour or two there...without really trying!
needless to say, i try not to go there too often.
take note of everyone's warnings though...
------------------
You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

 

[Henry Gale]

HTF is fantastic!
8 replies in 45 minutes...thanks everyone.
Jim

 

[Youchan]

Would anyone be able to elaborate where Fry's is in Austin? I'd really like to know.

 

[Kieran Coghlan]

Good Lord... Fry's...
I too have left many a Fry's swearing I'd never return. But sometimes, they're the only place to go. It is an experience to be had, no doubt. A healthy hatred of the place though will keep you sane for a much longer time.
Most of my friends and I call the place "FRIED Electronics," and with good reason. Case in point: one time... way back in like '94 or so... a buddy of mine and I were trying to build up a nice 486 wintel machine. We gleefully bought most of the parts at Fried. Through a long process of elimination and swaping with old (working) parts, we determined that the sound card, video card, and motherboard were all D.O.A. We took them back (a nerve racking experience in and of itself) and exchanged them (stupidly) for "new" ones. Well, we lucked out with the video card, thankfully. Video card #2 arrived home opperational. Sound card and mobo? Both DOA again. Returned again, for another swap-session (several hours). Got home. Sound card works! Mobo- DEAD. Back to Fried, in the door minutes before closing time. New mobo. And this time we made sure that the swapped mobo was in the original, unbroken packaging. NOT a return. It worked. Brought it home and finally we were able to finish building this computer. This was spread out over two days, because each time you go into Fried on a weekend, it takes at least 2 hours to return some thing and replace it (stand in line to return, stand in ANOTHER line to purchase replacement.)
Be afraid.... be VERY afraid. And cautious... They WILL sell you defective crap. You have to watch what you buy, and if it's been repackaged... ask for a lower price (if not already given) and be prepared to return with it a few hours later.
Sales staff: Hit and miss... in the computer department, every once in a while you get a local kid who really knows his stuff about computers, and they're very helpful. Mostly the staff is there to point you to what you're looking for, and to answer price and availability questions. In the HT department, don't EVEN bother. They are as clueless as the worst Circuit Shitty employee. Again, only bother them if you need directions, or pricing info.
Speaking of directions... you will need directions. Most Fired stores are HUGE, and it's very difficult to find your way around right off the bat.
Having said all this, it *IS* a fun place to go to and browse around, etc. Not the best prices on anything really. Good prices, but rarely the best. Although... they blew out Toshiba TW40H80's for $1499 a couple years ago... several hundred UNDER normal dealer cost (which was $1862, to be precise). Good Guys wouldn't even touch it for price matching. "you want me to price match that? Sure, I'll send a guy over to Fry's to buy it, bring it back, and we'll sell it to you. But you'd be better off just going to get it yourself." Word for word from the Good Guys manager. Toshiba was discontinuing the TW40H80, and Fried bought out the entire remaining stock of these sets from Toshiba's wherehouse. So every once in a while they do have great deals.
Good luck, have fun, and keep you head!
------------------
-Kieran
My HT Page

 

[Craig Robertson]

it looks like most everyone has the same love/hate relationship that i have with Fry's. some of the deals are great, some are not.
my best advice, know what you want and buy it for the price, do not ask the sales drone for ANY advice or expect ANY techical knowledge. their sales training could be summed up as "right or wrong, give the customer an answer."

 

[Chuck Blair]

Keep an eye on those advertised loss leaders. Shortly after its release I picked up the new Kubrick boxset, which retails for $199.99, for $99.99. Of course I had already pre-ordered this one for about $130 on the internet, but when I saw this price at Fry's I got it for a friend as a birthday present. More than I usually spend, but I couldn't pass this bargain up. Just one of many examples you'll see at Fry's on a regular basis.

 

[Rick Mach]

The location of the Austin Fry's is the shopping center at the northeast corner of Parmer Lane and Mopac in North Austin. It is in the shopping center with Kmart, Sea Island, and the Room Store. The building was the old Builder's Square/HQ store.
From the south on Mopac: Take Mopac north. Exit Parmer Ln. Go straight over Parmer on the access road. Turn right in front of the Sea Island restaurant. Fry's is just behind Sea Island.
From the north/RR: Take 1325 south from I-35. At the last light on 1325 (before it changes into Mopac which is just before Parmer Ln) take a left. This road bends around behind Sea Island. When you see the restaurant look to the left and there is Fry's.
------------------