Long-time Apple retailer Fry's Electronics suddenly shuts down

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After 36 years in business, Fry's Electronics, a big-box electronics store founded during the early days of Apple, announced that it is shutting down effective immediately.

A live-music-themed Fry's location in Austin, TX
A live-music-themed Fry's location in Austin, TX


In a letter posted on the company website, the retailer attributed the closure to changes in the retail industry and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fry's said it would implement the shut down "through an orderly wind-down process that it believes will be in the best interests of the Company, its creditors, and other stakeholders."

Fry's had been a long-time Apple Authorized Reseller, selling Macs and eventually iPhones, iPads, and other products as Apple evolved from an innovative 1980s computer company to the $2.3 trillion consumer-technology behemoth we know today.

The first Fry's Electronics opened its doors in 1985. Three brothers, all heirs to the Fry's Supermarkets chain, joined with a fourth partner to shun the grocery industry and instead open the initial location in Northern California. Fry's physical "superstores" were enormous. The first location in Sunnyvale, California, was 20,000 sq ft, and each of the 34 stores it had at its peak reflected that sprawling blueprint.

Stores would implement themes, including an Ancient Rome-themed location in Fountain Valley, California, and an ode to Live Music in Austin, Texas.

Many big-box retailers have struggled to keep up, as Amazon and other online retailers have shifted how consumers buy electronics. Those massive storeroom floors made more sense in the days of bulky computers and TV sets, and fewer Internet-ordering options. Filling and justifying that space in the age of smartphones and flat-screens -- while competing with an online behemoth of Amazon's stature - proved an uphill battle.

In the age of Amazon, fellow electronics-retail pioneer Circuit City closed its doors in 2009, RadioShack filed for bankruptcy in 2015, and Best Buy has struggled to adapt and keep afloat.

Fry's is ceasing operations immediately, closing physical stores and its online presence
Fry's is ceasing operations immediately, closing physical stores and its online presence


In a 2019 blog post, former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassee described Fry's stores as "sad, pale shadows of their glorious past." Gassee, who had worked as a Fry's cashier briefly after getting fired from Apple, lamented the Palo Alto Fry's state when he visited. He saw an empty parking lot, bare and half-empty shelves, and an overall image of "sad poverty."

Fry's Electronics says it is in the process of reaching out to customers with repairs and consignment vendors to help them understand what the closure will mean for them. The company urges customers with active repairs to reach out and know it may be slow responding.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    65026502 Posts: 380member
    This is sad, I loved Fry's. You could buy circuit board components, appliances, devices and everything in between. I've fixed many thing by replacing bad caps and it was nice to be able to bike over to the Palo Alto Fry's and pick up a cap. Their prices were very competitive with Amazon and their sales were great. But, as Gassee said, the writing has been on the wall for a while, the stores were half empty and almost no one was there. Not sure how many buildings they owned vs. leased, but with real estate going for what is does in Silicon Valley, it makes better sense to develop or sell.
    seanismorrisCloudTalkindysamoria
  • Reply 2 of 22
    Damn what a bummer. Loved Fry’s when I was on the West Coast. 
  • Reply 3 of 22
    I've never been to Fry's (I'm on the east coast) but thats sad. It was a bummer when Circuit City and Radio Shack closed down. Its like a part of your childhood is deleted when this happens. Very sad.

    I like Amazon and all, I've had a Prime membership for many years, but F them for causing all this. As great as it is to be able to order anything online and have it delivered right to your door the next day, I still enjoy walking into a physical store and getting to touch, hold and play with all the latest tech gadgets. There's just nothing like it. Amazon could have 1 hour or less delivery, thats still no substitution. 
    randominternetpersondysamoria
  • Reply 4 of 22
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,837administrator
    I've never been to Fry's (I'm on the east coast) but thats sad. It was a bummer when Circuit City and Radio Shack closed down. Its like a part of your childhood is deleted when this happens. Very sad.

    I like Amazon and all, I've had a Prime membership for many years, but F them for causing all this. As great as it is to be able to order anything online and have it delivered right to your door the next day, I still enjoy walking into a physical store and getting to touch, hold and play with all the latest tech gadgets. There's just nothing like it. Amazon could have 1 hour or less delivery, thats still no substitution. 
    Try MicroCenter if you have one near you.
    12StrangersdewmeCloudTalkin
  • Reply 5 of 22
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Bummer!    To be honest I ever liked buying online, to me it is a big hassle, I much prefer brick and mortar.   Being on the east coast we lost most of our good brick and mortar stores years ago.   The local DIY scene really dried up, there use to be a lot of independent dealers in the area serving PC shops and the like.    Most of those are gone now too.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 6 of 22
    wizard69 said:
    Bummer!    To be honest I ever liked buying online, to me it is a big hassle, I much prefer brick and mortar.   Being on the east coast we lost most of our good brick and mortar stores years ago.   The local DIY scene really dried up, there use to be a lot of independent dealers in the area serving PC shops and the like.    Most of those are gone now too.

    Yeah, traffic jams, red lights, stopping to get gasoline, finding a parking space, and waiting in line to checkout are the best parts of my day!  All the fun you miss by click-click-buy and having it delivered to your door in a day (or same day w/Amazon) is just a real bummer.  /s
  • Reply 7 of 22
    I was an amazon shopper years ago until I realized they were doing the same thing walmart was doing. After they killed Circuit City I canceled my membership and demanded a full refund.
    Now I use amazon to find the item(s) that I need and find out who makes or sells it and buy it there.  I’ll pay 2-3 times the price on amazon but I feel much better having a local vender get my money and hopefully stay in business than giving bezos a penny.
    muthuk_vanalingamdysamoriakingofsomewherehot
  • Reply 8 of 22
    Sadly it looks like this was inevitable, there are a variety of photos online from fall 2019 showing almost bare shelves. Supposedly because of supplier disagreements. No products to sell means customers don't come in and failure is what happens. Spent time last night looking at the variety of stores I was never going to see, some of them were really themed well!

    I did like my nearby Tiki themed one. (Heck, I think it had a tube tester in the corner of the electronic parts section)
  • Reply 9 of 22
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    6502 said:
    This is sad, I loved Fry's. You could buy circuit board components, appliances, devices and everything in between. I've fixed many thing by replacing bad caps and it was nice to be able to bike over to the Palo Alto Fry's and pick up a cap. Their prices were very competitive with Amazon and their sales were great. But, as Gassee said, the writing has been on the wall for a while, the stores were half empty and almost no one was there. Not sure how many buildings they owned vs. leased, but with real estate going for what is does in Silicon Valley, it makes better sense to develop or sell.
    I am kind of surprise they lasted this long, I will miss them too, but I have have been there in some time, I would usually try to visit one of their stores on a trip to the Silicon Valley.  When I lived there I remember going there and just see what they had on the shelves. It was geek heaven. I bough my first Sony Handy Cam there, they were the only store which carried all Sony Models you could easily do a side by side comparison.

    This is where I learned Sony was a master at knowing the features people really wanted and pay for it. Sony would have 10 models priced from $300 to $1200. As you would go from one model to the next you would finds that next model up did not have one or two of the feature the previous model had but have two or three new features. If you wanted the feature you saw in 3 other models you would have to go up 2 or 3 models in the line to find them all in the same model. I came in wanting to spend under $500 and ended up spending close to $800 to get the 3 features I really wanted. Other store would carry the low end mid tier and high end, if you did not know that Sony had other models you could end up buying the high end model just to get the feature you wanted which could have cost you less.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 10 of 22
    I haven’t thought about Fry’s for a long time.  They were amazing to visit in the late 90s.  They crushed CompUSA, etc. with their prices and inventory.
  • Reply 11 of 22
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,312member
    Too bad. They were one of the few remaining stores that still carried stuff that electronics hobbyists were looking for, kind of like what Radio Shack was like during its heyday, you know, before they dumbed it down and started trying to glean everything but a DNA sample from you when all you were buying was a $0.49 battery. That said, Fry's did seem to be heading down the same path as Radio Shack with less hard core hobbyist stuff and more "straight off the last container ship from China" stuff.

    If you want more of the real hobbyist/maker stuff you'll have to go with places like Jameco, Mouser, or Digi-Key. My crude litmus test is to search for "Fluke" on their web site. If they actually sell Fluke brand products, that's a good sign. If the search returns a $22.00 "kinda sorta looks like a Fluke" product (cough cough ... Harbor Freight), try not to run into any of the shipping containers parked behind the store. 

    I agree with Mike that MicroCenter is still very decent, with a mini Apple Store and separate sections for makers/hobbyists and system builders with all kinds of cool toys and components galore. Any place where you can buy motherboards, bare chassis, power supplies, CPUs, memory boards, I/O cards, several dozens of choices for different peripherals, etc., is my kind of place and MicroCenter delivers in spades. Yeah, they are a bit nosy in their quest to get you on their mailing list, and some of their sales people seem to be stalkers-in-training to get their sales sticker on whatever you buy, but their awesome variety, selection choices, and low prices will keep you coming back for more. 

    Amazon is okay too, if you know what you're looking for, brand wise, and don't mind digging around a bit to get the right price.


  • Reply 12 of 22
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    ITGUYINSD said:
    wizard69 said:
    Bummer!    To be honest I ever liked buying online, to me it is a big hassle, I much prefer brick and mortar.   Being on the east coast we lost most of our good brick and mortar stores years ago.   The local DIY scene really dried up, there use to be a lot of independent dealers in the area serving PC shops and the like.    Most of those are gone now too.

    Yeah, traffic jams, red lights, stopping to get gasoline, finding a parking space, and waiting in line to checkout are the best parts of my day!  All the fun you miss by click-click-buy and having it delivered to your door in a day (or same day w/Amazon) is just a real bummer.  /s
    Yeah because buying something and dealing with the PITA to return or exchange it is so much better /S. Honestly I avoid buying on the web if I can’ Oh some things, like computers, or books are fine. Not clothing, there’s so much variance between sizes I want to try it on. Not Food because I want to pick out my own stuff. Not a lot of stuff because I want to see it, touch it , feel it, before I decide. 
    dysamoria
  • Reply 13 of 22
    I’m from Florida and never heard of Fry’s. But when I lived in the Palo Alto/Stanford I thought it was pretty cool you could walk into a retailer and buy a digital oscilloscope right off the shelf.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 14 of 22
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,019member
    The Fry's I went to visit was always busy and the shelves were always very messy and disorganized. While it was fun going in there. I did once buy a Sony flat screen TV and a Sony five DVD changer that came with 5.1 speakers. It worked for all but a few months then weirdly enough the DVD changer stopped working, followed by the flat screen. Both were new unopened products, to my knowledge. They had a horrendous return policy where you could pretty much return anything for any reason and they would usually just throw it on the shelves as if it were brand new so the unexpected buy would think they are getting a new product when it was in fact used. 
  • Reply 15 of 22
    I've never been to Fry's (I'm on the east coast) but thats sad. It was a bummer when Circuit City and Radio Shack closed down. Its like a part of your childhood is deleted when this happens. Very sad.

    I like Amazon and all, I've had a Prime membership for many years, but F them for causing all this. As great as it is to be able to order anything online and have it delivered right to your door the next day, I still enjoy walking into a physical store and getting to touch, hold and play with all the latest tech gadgets. There's just nothing like it. Amazon could have 1 hour or less delivery, thats still no substitution. 
    Try MicroCenter if you have one near you.
    I lived in a Duluth, Georgia.  Within a 2 mile radius, I had Microcenter, Fry's, Best Buy.  Microcenter and Best Buy are still standing.  Microcenter is, and always has been my favorite electronics store.  Friendly, knowledgeable people who don't crowd you.  They all price matched but 80% of the time Microcenter got my money.  They tend to have great sales on Apple computers as well.
    muthuk_vanalingamdysamoria
  • Reply 16 of 22
    I had a love/hate relationship with Fry's. I remember when one opened up here near Seattle back in 2003 and I was so excited. I've always been a Mac guy but still enjoyed looking at electronics and marveling at the dozens of motherboards out on display. Back then the store was packed full of products and customers. The lines were long, and the staff was largely ambivalent and even somewhat rude. But it was still fun to drive down to Renton and find deals on recordable media.

    Late last month I drove down there for the first time in about ten years because I wanted to try out red, brown, and blue cherry keyboards. The shelves were bare, and what products they did have on the shelves were all no-name crap. The huge section of furniture had nothing but a couple of random boxes in it. The audio demo rooms were empty and only had random wires sticking out of the walls. The appliance and car audio sections were roped off. The hardware section no longer had motherboards, CPUs, nor RAM on display. The cafeteria looked like it had closed long before COVID would have shut it down anyway. I saw a grand total of five other customers and three employees (one of whom, to her credit, actually asked me if I needed any help - something that never happened back in their heyday).

    I did not get to try out any keyboards.

    Last time I was there, all 25 checkout stations were open with lights flashing to identify the next available cashier. Thankfully I found nothing to buy this time because it looked like none of the registers were open. I wondered how many days they had left. Judging from the timestamp of the photos I took of the empty store that day, it turns out they had exactly one month left.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 17 of 22
    I don’t understand anyone ever loving this place. Yes they had a good selection of movies, games, and electronics. (I actually think digital downloads and streaming may have done more to kill Fry’s than Amazon.) But the service was the worst, the way that they managed their check out was insane, and waiting in a second line after making your purchases for the security to go through your bags in minute detail as if every customer was a criminal was infuriating. Goodbye and good riddance.
    edited February 2021 dysamoria
  • Reply 18 of 22
    ITGUYINSD said:
    wizard69 said:
    Bummer!    To be honest I ever liked buying online, to me it is a big hassle, I much prefer brick and mortar.   Being on the east coast we lost most of our good brick and mortar stores years ago.   The local DIY scene really dried up, there use to be a lot of independent dealers in the area serving PC shops and the like.    Most of those are gone now too.

    Yeah, traffic jams, red lights, stopping to get gasoline, finding a parking space, and waiting in line to checkout are the best parts of my day!  All the fun you miss by click-click-buy and having it delivered to your door in a day (or same day w/Amazon) is just a real bummer.  /s
    At least with Walmart the salaries / wages and associated taxes stay in the local community even if the profits flow to Arkansas. A bigger hassle than traffic and parking is the day other stories in your area close down as the people who generate money and spend it because they have to (cashiers, small business owners, restaurants etc) are gone and that giant sucking sound is Amazon pulling your money into Bezo’s bank account with little or nothing will be coming back to your community.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 19 of 22
    Being able to drive over to one of the local Frys in SoCal and pick up a cable or connector adapter or other tech items like KVM switches and network gear the same day has been a life saver on so many projects over the years.

    Of the Frys that I have visited, my favorite theme is the Sci-Fi/special-effects Frys in North Hollywood. That UFO "crashed" into the store facade is pretty cool.

    PS: I have to say that Best Buy has gotten better in the past few years. Of course they don't have the technology selection of a Frys, but they do have a good store layout and integration with their online operation is pretty good. They seem pretty well organized and they'll price match Amazon, B&H and some other online retailers. Still, I can't imagine Best Buy picking up the brick & mortar market that Frys leaves behind. I wonder if anyone will?
    dysamoriakingofsomewherehot
  • Reply 20 of 22
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    I think the rampant availability of online porn did them in.   I have not been to one since spring of 97 when I was in Palo Alto / Redwood City for a WebObjects / Enterprise Objects training class at the Redwood City NeXT office (this was post NeXT purchase but before any real integration).  

    I had never been to Fry’s Electronics but it had a legendary reputation and I was excited to go visit. (I believe this was before they went more nationwide and most locations were Cali only).  I took my rental car and drove to Pali Alto at rush hour to visit. It was amazing.  One stop geek shop.  Everything from computer parts and components, to electronics parts and tools, to media, video, stereo equipment, to groceries, snacks, tech magazines, and a big rack of skin magazines.  Literally a nerd’s one stop shop.  

    Now with no need to go there for your porn, you end up just getting everything else online and delivered.  

    (Only written half in jest).    
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