I dropped by the Fremont Fry's the past weekend to see if the "inventory issues" I'd seen in September had gotten any better. They were worse.
From 2004 till about a year ago, I'd never seen any inventory problems at any of the Bay Area Fry's. Starting around June (I think), I'd noticed inventory issues at their Fremont and San Jose locations.
By September, it was very noticeable -- I couldn't even find a basic plug converter in preparation for an international trip a few months back, finding Target had better selection. When I asked if the store was closing, they said something about some inventory changes, presumably the move to the consignment model the article spoke about.
A few commenters mention that Fry's seemed to be adding more kids toys sections giving that as a potential reason for Fry's demise. Many retailers started stocking more kids toys as Toys-R-Us fell victim to vulture capital. I suspect Fry's was trying to cash in on the sudden market like many other retailers.
Well, it's certainly a reason for geek parents to give as an excuse to drop in to Fry's. Or was at this point.
From 2004 till about a year ago, I'd never seen any inventory problems at any of the Bay Area Fry's. Starting around June (I think), I'd noticed inventory issues at their Fremont and San Jose locations.
By September, it was very noticeable -- I couldn't even find a basic plug converter in preparation for an international trip a few months back, finding Target had better selection. When I asked if the store was closing, they said something about some inventory changes, presumably the move to the consignment model the article spoke about.
A few commenters mention that Fry's seemed to be adding more kids toys sections giving that as a potential reason for Fry's demise. Many retailers started stocking more kids toys as Toys-R-Us fell victim to vulture capital. I suspect Fry's was trying to cash in on the sudden market like many other retailers.
Well, it's certainly a reason for geek parents to give as an excuse to drop in to Fry's. Or was at this point.