Micro Center, Please buy Fry's Electronics! - Share your stories

[EternalSunKing]

There's been a Fry's here in Indiana for as long as I can remember. It's always been a fun place to go look around and put your hands on some new tech. When I finally decided to build my first PC two years ago I ventured down to Fry's to take a closer look at some of the components I was interested in. It was sad to say the least. There were 2 versions of B450 motherboards and I couldn't find a case that wasn't NZXT or fit for the bargain bin. It's sad to see them go, but no one should be surprised.

[Gamestormer999]

46 minutes ago, EternalSunKing said:

There's been a Fry's here in Indiana for as long as I can remember. It's always been a fun place to go look around and put your hands on some new tech. When I finally decided to build my first PC two years ago I ventured down to Fry's to take a closer look at some of the components I was interested in. It was sad to say the least. There were 2 versions of B450 motherboards and I couldn't find a case that wasn't NZXT or fit for the bargain bin. It's sad to see them go, but no one should be surprised.

I have to drive almost an hour to get to Microcenter, but it's always worth it

[PianoPlayer88Key]

I'd love to see Micro Center in San Diego (and also the southwest "half" of Arizona (if you divide it diagonally), or southern New Mexico or west / central Texas, cause those are some places I'm maybe thinking about moving to sometime.)

 

One time I was in Fry's last January (2020) the song "Highway to Hell" came on over the PA.  I thought that was appropriate then, and even more so now....

[Purgent]

This doesn't make any sense... why would microcenter have incentive to buy a failing competitor?

 

I think what you want is for them to simply expand and build a store near you, which, as someone who lives 15 mins from a microcenter... I understand.

[Middcore]

I think what people really mean is they want MC to take over some of Fry's retail locations. Certainly the company itself doesn't seem to have any assets worth buying, they don't even have inventory.

 

The thing is that as I understand it most of Fry's retail spaces are much larger than MC's in terms of square footage (possibly because they used to devote aisles and aisles to videos and music which I don't think MC ever has) and I would imagine the rent at many of their west coast locations is also quite high. So I can't see MC viewing it as a wise move to take over any of those spaces.

[GDRRiley]

5 minutes ago, Purgent said:

This doesn't make any sense... why would microcenter have incentive to buy a failing competitor

its about buying the locations. no one should want to touch the frys name anymore.

[seven199o]

i honestly think it would be cool to see those two forces team up. i know fry's was having a hard time keeping things in stock but didnt know it was that bad. 

[whm1974]

16 minutes ago, seven199o said:

i honestly think it would be cool to see those two forces team up. i know fry's was having a hard time keeping things in stock but didnt know it was that bad. 

I only heard of Fry's after hearing about the BeBox, and how Be inc developed the Prototype. They brought the parts from Fry's

[AlexOak]

Microcenter is looking to expand but they won't do such thing as by a dead location. There is a reason why they stayed at 25. 

 

[seven199o]

i remember them from when i was a kid living in florida but didn't hear much about them since. id honestly thought they went out of business until i seen a bitwit vid where he goes to one in las vegas. even then they had nothing for stock. after that i found more and more stock shortages and had a feeling it was there time. 

[Middcore]

30 minutes ago, seven199o said:

i honestly think it would be cool to see those two forces team up. i know fry's was having a hard time keeping things in stock but didnt know it was that bad. 

Fry's hasn't been a "force" in a very long time, and one does not "team up" with a corpse. 

[Donut417]

No Frys here in Michigan. While we have a Microcenter, I’ve never been. It’s just too long of a drive for me to go just to look around. I buy everything on Amazon generally. 

[Dillpickle23422]

1 minute ago, Donut417 said:

No Frys here in Michigan. While we have a Microcenter, I’ve never been. It’s just too long of a drive for me to go just to look around. I buy everything on Amazon generally. 

yeah the microcenter location sucks in michigan, long drive from grand rapids where I'm at. I'd be really happy to see one a little closer, and not near detroit

[Dedayog]

On 2/24/2021 at 8:42 AM, EternalSunKing said:

There's been a Fry's here in Indiana for as long as I can remember. It's always been a fun place to go look around and put your hands on some new tech. When I finally decided to build my first PC two years ago I ventured down to Fry's to take a closer look at some of the components I was interested in. It was sad to say the least. There were 2 versions of B450 motherboards and I couldn't find a case that wasn't NZXT or fit for the bargain bin. It's sad to see them go, but no one should be surprised.

Fry's business model is nowhere near Microcenter's.  It would make more sense for Best Buy to purchase Fry's.  Or even Costco/BJ's/Sam's Club or another big box for the spaces.

 

Let's keep Microcenter a nice smallish computer store, I don't want them expanding too much.

[UpTheDons]

I wish we could have good focused computer stores here in the UK, something much more specialist like microcenter would be so good compared to the only real big one here which is Curry's who tend to focus on more mainstream electronics (and that's pretty much it). Not that there's much of a place in the market for any company breaking into that business now, especially because of the pandemic

[airborne spoon]

On 2/24/2021 at 6:30 AM, Gamestormer999 said:

I have to drive almost an hour to get to Microcenter, but it's always worth it

Lucky you must be nice to have one so close. My store is 2.5 hours each way 

14 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

its about buying the locations. no one should want to touch the frys name anymore.

Exactly fry's is dead, but they have nice locations and good sized buildings. i could see micro center buying the real-estate but not the name.

[Action_Johnson]

Only if they keep the theme going in the stores, like the Mayan Temple in San Jose, or the Alien Invasion theme of Burbank 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

I just want a microcenter in Central Illinois. The closest is up by Chicago.

[The_russian]

15 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

I just want a microcenter in Central Illinois. The closest is up by Chicago.

I just want a Microcenter closer than 1000 miles away from me. Closest thing to it other than Best Buy and similar stores is Memory Express, but that's across the border and still a few hundred miles away. 

[Donut417]

5 minutes ago, The_russian said:

I just want a Microcenter closer than 1000 miles away from me. Closest thing to it other than Best Buy and similar stores is Memory Express, but that's across the border and still a few hundred miles away. 

Sad thing its its like 35 miles from me and Ive never been. The shortest route its like thru Detroit. Last time I drove in Detroit I hated it, the traffic is horrific. The other routes are a bit longer, but traffic is likely as bad. Its not worth it to me If Im not going to buy anything. Maddison Heights is not exactly a place I will ever visit without a purpose. Would be nice if they built one closer down by me, but I dont expect that ever to happen. 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

45 minutes ago, The_russian said:

I just want a Microcenter closer than 1000 miles away from me. Closest thing to it other than Best Buy and similar stores is Memory Express, but that's across the border and still a few hundred miles away. 

Microcenter should build a location exactly 999mioes away from you Now lol

[Letgomyleghoe]

I'd love for this to happen, frys coming back into business or a micro center anywhere within 100 miles from here has been my wet dream for the last six months, knowing my luck though, we won't get a micro center, portland genuinely just doesn't have a lot of interest in pc's, most people here who can afford to buy pc hardware wear hand knit beanies and  uses their macbooks to write dystopian love novels in the middle of coffee shops, not a huge custom built community. 

[XXX_BlueFire_XXX]

I think the thing that made me the saddest about Fry's going under was the idea that we're loosing the experience of tangibly going to a store and buying computer hardware. You no longer will have that human interaction at a store and we'll move progressively towards this landscape of only buying online. At best chatting with some bot or customer service rep who knows nothing half the time. The thing I really don't want to happen is Amazon becoming the marketplace on which stores are built so they can control prices with no local options available. When I hear rumors about Amazon having a role in this, it infuriates me. When I would go to Fry's to get hardware, it was genuinely cheaper than what I would find online in a lot of places. At least there are still online retailers like Newegg and B&H. Though the only other large distributor which you can actually visit seems to be Microcenter and Best Buy off the top of my head rn. Prefer Microcenter overall as they carry some really niche parts and offer them at amazing prices.They seem much more centered around broad use case, as was Fry's. I'll take a trip one last time down to mine before it closes.

 

R.I.P. company I thought actually sold French Fries as a kid, I always wanted to try some...

[NineEyeRon]

I’ve never heard of Fry’s, I have heard it Microcentre but never been in one. 
 

Can they bring back Maplin too? If so I will vote yes.