02/24/2021
RIP - FRY'S ELECTRONICS - 1985 to 2021
I remember the first time I went into a Fry's Electronics store. I was living in southern California, back in the mid 80's. I was SO IMPRESSED by what this retailer had done. I was honestly like a kid in a candy store! Over my lifetime I probably have spent over $50K from them for myself, my business and for my clients. But over the last few years, I noticed things going downhill. No longer WAS FRY'S carrying the coolest gadgets. No longer were the shelves being stocked. They were all empty! The last purchase I made from them was at their Las Vegas location about 2 years ago. Even then I noticed shelves were thin. Items were strategically 'spread out' to make it look like they had more inventory than they really did. Last summer I needed a cable and went to the Wilsonville OR location. I walked out with not a single item purchased. There was just nothing in stock! Empty, empty shelves. And what they did have was OLD Stock with outdated SKU's.
One thing that hindered Fry's was their technology; Their IT/Systems that they used as their backbone for inventory. It was old and outdated. I have been told that it was a hack, on a hack in order to get this old DOS PROGRAM to run on very old, outdated servers! REALLY?
Comp USA, Egghead, Circuit City, Computer City, WIZ, The Incredible Universe, even Sharper Image, and now Fry's Electronics. All these retailers have all closed their retail locations. Unable to change with the times.
WHO WILL BE NEXT? The lesson here is companies need to always be upgrading, re-evaluating technology and strategies to move your business to the next level. Else, you will wind up down the same road as Fry's and others.
Are you worried your business may suffer the same fate? Contact Odin Technologies and we can help make sure that does not happen.
https://www.frys.com/?fbclid=IwAR1nSMwI49Y5R9FWeg_ZllksNzdjiTiuHcGzz2Bq6M3w5ECScu0ufcMWLfA
After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals across nine states and 31 stores, Fry’s Electronics, Inc. (“Fry’s” or “Company”), has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a res...
