Why I don't shop at Fry's

[scubadude]

Why I don't shop at Fry's.

I needed to know the price and availability of an item at the local Fry's. I call them, get put on hold for 15 minutes, then get hung up on. This happens again. The third call I ask for the manager, he's not available but I can put you through to the department manager, again on hold for 10 more minutes then hung up on again. I call again and ask once more for the store manager. I'm put on hold again, the store the manager can't be found but he will have someone call me back. I give him my info and of course no one calls me back.

That's why I don't shop at Fry's...

Anyone else have a similar story? I ended up buying from an internet retailer. I probably paid more when shipping was added on, but in my mind it was worth it.

Scuba

[BlooInBloo]

1. Fry's is obsolete, now that newegg exists.

[Frances]

4. My husband likes Fry's

but what is newegg?

[BlooInBloo]

7. dubdubdub dot newegg dot com.

[Frances]

11. Thanks for the info

I'll pass it on. My husband's motto is, "I'm retired. I have time to get the best bargain." If newegg is the best, he'll love it!

[BlooInBloo]

12. Ergo, he'll love it.

[Kagemusha]

8. 'Tis a website. Add .com to the end and discover.

A good friend of mine swears up and down by it.

[scubadude]

13. That's where I made my order. Newegg.com

Occasionally they will throw in a nice tee shirt or some other small gift too.

The only reason I even considered Fry's was because I was ordering speakers, and they
are heavy and expensive to ship. Shipping ended up being almost $25. The fact
that I didn't have to pay sales tax ordering on Newegg helped even it out a bit, but in the end I still
paid a few dollars more.

I hope someone at Fry's is reading this right now. Perhaps the next time I call I will get the manager.
That chewing out will be real good for sure!

Scuba

[BlooInBloo]

19. They spew swag like there's no tomorrow. But they take care of their customers.

[jillan]

2. I just came back from Fry's. Customer service sucks everywhere.

[lligrd]

3. Ours Is Terrible, Especially The Service

Too bad, it once was a pretty nice store.

[qdemn7]

5. I shop at Fry's all the time

The key is to look up the SKU# online at Fry's.com and THEN call the store with the SKU# to ask for price and availability. Then ask for the appropriate department. Works for me.

[scubadude]

15. I never got to the computer department. I just got put on hold..

That doesn't work for me....

Scuba

[ruiner4u]

6. What is Frys?

I assume its a store, but ive never heard of that chain before..

[BlooInBloo]

9. Cross Walmart with Radio Shack with Compusa.

[ruiner4u]

10. sounds depressing...

[Richard Steele]

24. Sounds like the shiney end of HELL when you put it that way. I think I'll avoid it. nm

[Amerigo Vespucci]

14. Cheapest DVDs (and sometimes CDs) in Silicon Valley.

I agree with all of the comments posted here. The non-existent "customer service" blows.

BUT...

If I don't want to go the Amazon route, they have the cheapest CDs and DVDs in the area...anywhere from two to five dollars off the average sticker price of most stores. They have STOPPED putting BIG new releases on sale on the day of release (like Simpsons & Seinfeld box sets). So, I go to Best Buy for those (another store with its share of negatives, but what the hell).

The Sunnyvale store does an EXCELLENT job of stocking CDs / Videos and keeping them alphabetically sorted in the racks.

The Campbell store appears to just throw shit in the air and sell it from wherever it lands. Don't even TRY to find a CD on the racks in the Campbell store. New releases are easy to find because the worker bees just stick them in front of the alpha section where they belong.

[rwenos]

16. Fry's Machismo

Fry's is for people who want to put stuff together themselves, with NO customer service. I shop at Fry's all the time. All I want is the lowest price. I never buy anything marked "Returned," because sure as hell something's been lifted from the box. I always insist on factory-sealed product. I try to speak to the people who work there as little as possible. "Leave me alone and let me read the shelves by myself."

Any other approach to Fry's is madness. Try a full-service retailer.

[qdemn7]

22. That's it!

I build all my own computers. I'm an inherent tinkerer and modder. Not that CompUSA is out of business locally Fry's in the only place that carries a selection of motherboards, processors, memory, video cards etc.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

17. I don't shop at Frys because the store smells like fish,

I am serious, the store in Orange County smells like fish.

[bananas]

25. That's because they have a huge fishtank with real live fish!

Don't tap on the glass!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

26. where? all I ever noticed was the giant space shuttle

[bananas]

30. Oops, I was thinking of the San Marcos store. nt

[mntleo2]

18. Did You Know ...

...that Best Buy matches Fry's prices if you bring in the advertisement and show the cashier? I have done it twice now and they always honor the price. Now I don't have to bother with Fry's I just bring their ad to Best Buy (which is much closer to my house and I can get it today, not a week from now) and ...VOILA!

Cat In Seattle

[Ms. Toad]

28. Yeah, but Best Buy has only a small fraction of the stuff

. . . just encountered Frye's for the first time and I only wish I had the opportunity to choose not to shop at Frye's - don't know where the closest on is; the one I shopped in was 1000+ miles from home :(

[Raine]

20. I HATE Frys and refuse to go there

ever again. If you're not a computer geek they treat you like crap. :argh: They make you feel lower than dirt as they look down on you with their snotty nose in the air. x(

[StarryNite]

21. I like Fry's

They have good sales on food. Oh, you mean Fry's Electronics. ;)

[KharmaTrain]

23. Customer Service? Bwahahahaha

George Carlin sums it up pretty good...when you go to most of these stores you bend over that get "serviced".

Frys is no different than Best Buys or Circus Shitty...most the sales people are half my age and seem more interested in what time they get off than knowing the inventory or product information.

I've always "done my homework" when I go to these places. If I'm looking for something specific, I search the web or speak with others who have similar products to get the brand and model number...only then do I dare to hop in the car. Most times I end up telling the sales puppy what I want and even then it takes several times to explain what I want from THEIR store.

As others have said upthread...buying online is a better way to go. Most times when I go to a Frys its to load up on small stuff...they always have good prices on CDs and DVDs. While I'm there I'll look around the store and if something strikes my fancy, if it's not a big purchase, I'll toss it in the cart or get the product/model number and do my homework and see if I can find it for a lower price (most times Frys has the best price).

In their defense, last Spring, I bought my wife a digital camera at a Frys...we took it on a trip to Arizona and the camera wasn't working properly. I was able to take the camera to the Fry's in Phoenix and they exchanged it for a new (better) one and saved us a lot of grief on that vacation.

I've long given up on expecting a store...especially a big box one...to be anything more than a warehouse.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

27. Sounds like Verizon's customer service department. You sure you were calling Fry's?

:evilgrin:

[travelingtypist]

29. I don't like Newegg either.

But I won't buy anything big at Fry's ever again. I'll buy a router or
something small that I don't want to wait for, but that's it.

I bought a laptop there once, bought the insurance, two weeks later spilled
some soda on the thing, it died. They said screw you, you're out of luck.

[EFerrari]

31. I no longer have the patience to go to stores.

My mom and I used to go to Fry's and Home Depot and shop for hours and drool over machines and tools. Not any more. Life is too short to deal with that.

Whatever I pay in shipping is worth the years not taken off of my lifespan.

[Raine]

32. Pretty much same with me

I shop on the internet and order from catalogues at least 90% of the time.