View Full Version : Why dont we have a Frys or a Microcenter here?



Achilleslastand
11-17-2013, 10:32 PM
It would save me the trouble of using newegg and I despise BestBuy.

bluedogok
11-17-2013, 10:45 PM
Even with a Fry's in Austin and Microcenter here in Denver I still bought stuff from Newegg or Mwave. I definitely buy more in person at those stores than I did when I was in OKC. Some computer items I would get from G&H or the the computer store on NW 27th & MacArthur.

Bunty
11-18-2013, 12:29 AM
It would save me the trouble of using newegg and I despise BestBuy.

Possibly Frys and Microcenter aren't growing by adding new stores in new states.

bchris02
11-18-2013, 09:27 AM
Fry's and Microcenter are like IKEA in terms of their growth model. They only have a few locations and only in major metro areas and/or ones with a high tech employment base. OKC simply doesn't qualify. I do think with CompUSA and other similar retailers gone, there is a market for more expansion from Fry's, MicroCenter, or even TigerDirect, but it's still a very cutthroat market and a tough place to do brick and mortar. By keeping few locations in only major metros they are able to compete with the likes of Newegg and Amazon. If they were to expand too much its likely they would suffer the same fate as CompUSA. I would love for one of those stores to be in OKC, but I don't see it happening. Cities much larger than OKC also lack these types of stores and are pretty much stuck with Best Buy like like we are. I doubt even Austin would have a Fry's if it wasn't for their high tech employment base.

Pete
11-18-2013, 09:39 AM
I went into a Fry's about a month ago for the first time in years and won't be going back any time soon.

Their stores are cluttered and even somewhat junky, their selection is bizarre and their prices no longer stand out.

I do research on CNET.com and then buy on-line, with the occasional emergency trip to Best Buy.

bchris02
11-18-2013, 09:49 AM
Increased commoditization has made computer superstores more of a relic of the 90s and early 2000s. The future of brick and mortar technology stores are stores such as the Apple store and the Microsoft stores. The mom and pop places still exist if you are in a pinch and most enthusiasts order online anyways and have since the advent of broadband.

Even Best Buy has changed its format dramatically since the early 2000s. It's sad because there used to be 2-3 isles of PC games and software and now there is pretty much just an endcap.

Plutonic Panda
02-24-2021, 12:11 PM
Well shiet Fry’s is going out of business. The Fry’s I went to in Dallas was hands down the most badass electronics store I have been to.

http://frys.com/

Plutonic Panda
02-24-2021, 12:13 PM
Another causality of the decline of retail.

jerrywall
02-24-2021, 12:15 PM
I used to love Fry's but the last few times I went to one it was a shadow of what it used to be. The last visit to one reminded me of Circuit City close to the end, so this wasn't really a surprise.

It's a shame we never got one here though.

Pete
02-24-2021, 12:17 PM
Fry's was so 1990's.

It was a big thing in California when I was there but they never adapted to a more online model.

The stores were huge and interesting (the themes were often bizarre), but also a bit of a jumbled mess with all types of random merchandise.


They closed all 31 of their stores overnight, and for good.

Plutonic Panda
02-24-2021, 12:22 PM
I used to love Fry's but the last few times I went to one it was a shadow of what it used to be. The last visit to one reminded me of Circuit City close to the end, so this wasn't really a surprise.

It's a shame we never got one here though.
What happened with the Circuit City relaunch? I heard something about a Dallas location and nothing since. That was a couple years ago.

I really think Radio Shack could have stayed alive if they changed their business model. Go back to focus on special parts, launch an Amazon Store and more online, and only have one or two locations in major cities. I think that would have given them a better chance.

jn1780
02-24-2021, 01:39 PM
Another causality of the decline of retail.

Another causality of online retail anyway. The average young PC builder is probably going to watch a youtube video about a review of a motherboard, SSD/HDD, video card, etc like what they see and than immediately go online and buy that piece of hardware. There go not going to go around to a specialty store and browse.

Plutonic Panda
02-24-2021, 02:21 PM
Lots of people are doing that. I wouldn’t even say they are all young either. I see the appeal but I personally enjoy the experience of going to the store and browsing hardware. I’ve came across hours and hours of great conversations with other people looking for the same. I spent 5 hours talking to some computer wiz in Best Buy in MWC one time and I had a blast which I normally can be introverted. It’s a just a different vibe shopping online.

jedicurt
02-24-2021, 03:46 PM
Lots of people are doing that. I wouldn’t even say they are all young either. I see the appeal but I personally enjoy the experience of going to the store and browsing hardware. I’ve came across hours and hours of great conversations with other people looking for the same. I spent 5 hours talking to some computer wiz in Best Buy in MWC one time and I had a blast which I normally can be introverted. It’s a just a different vibe shopping online.

i love these stores because as i walk through i often find things i had forgotten that i needed. like i love that at microcenter you can just buy a bag of screws for pci slots and hard drives inside your case, i never think to just get online and order them when i am running low, but seeing them in store, i'm like (oh hey, i'm running low on those) and i love that option

Bill Robertson
02-24-2021, 06:00 PM
What happened with the Circuit City relaunch? I heard something about a Dallas location and nothing since. That was a couple years ago.

I really think Radio Shack could have stayed alive if they changed their business model. Go back to focus on special parts, launch an Amazon Store and more online, and only have one or two locations in major cities. I think that would have given them a better chance.I loved Radio Shack. Much of my teens/twenties/thirties I built, repaired or modified electronic equipment. Radio Shack in Mayfair knew me well. But they just didn't adapt to something else when electronics became non-repairable. The new micro components just aren't designed to be replaced. Now you replace the circuit board or more often the whole thing.

mugofbeer
02-24-2021, 08:00 PM
I'm not a techie but l love Microcenter.

PurpleChicken
03-01-2021, 04:32 PM
Fry’s had a sketchy reputation even back in the early 2000s when I used to go there for computer parts. They would take returned items and put them back on the shelf and sell as new. It was well known then to be careful when buying at Fry’s.

SouthOfTheVillage
03-02-2021, 07:10 AM
Anyone had luck scoring a 3090? These bots landing most of the supply.