04-16-2007, 08:17 PM
[quote roshi]Fry's is usually incredibly smart in everything they do, in terms of sales amounts per square foot per day/month/year. I used to go to the Fry's store in Sunnyvale in 1990. My impression is that they have no interest in being the Target of electronics. They are totally not interested in cheap prices and have no need to price match. They want to sell massive volumes at full retail, with a few good deals here and there.
Brilliant idea, in terms of profitability. Poor customer service, full retail, terrible return policy (I think they train the staff to degrade and abuse the customer, and humiliate them out of trying to make a return), and massive volume. Equals consistent record-setting profits per square foot.
Or am I totally wrong?
Shopping at Fry's retail store is an art. Only buy items that are on sale in the weekly ad (and make sure that it's a real deal, they often advertise full list Apple prices in their ads), never ask for help, refuse help if offered. Bring the ad with you and match the item number to what's listed in the ad, don't trust the prices on the labels or shelf tags. Verify the prices on the register receipt before paying, show the ad if there's a difference. NEVER buy an open box. Know where everything is in the store, don't assume that all products of the same type will be grouped in the same area, in my local Fry's you can find USB cables in about 3 different areas of the store, and only one of those has the really low priced no-name ones, the others are the overpriced name brand ones.
Fry's retail stores do pricematch for 30 days, but only against other local retail stores. I always watch their own ads after I've bought something, and within 30 days if I see they have it on sale for a lower price, I just go in with the receipt and newspaper ad and ask them to price adjust it (always ask them to credit the refund back to your credit card, don't take the store credit, and if they ask if you're planning to buy anything while you're there say No). I've never had any problem getting them to adjust to their own newspaper ads within 30 days.
They also have a 30 day return policy (15 days on some products), and I've used that a few times (like when trying to find wireless routers that passed AppleTalk, try a bunch, return what doesn't meet your needs).
I've been shopping at Fry's since they had just a single small store on Lakeside Drive in Sunnyvale in the mid 1980's.
Brilliant idea, in terms of profitability. Poor customer service, full retail, terrible return policy (I think they train the staff to degrade and abuse the customer, and humiliate them out of trying to make a return), and massive volume. Equals consistent record-setting profits per square foot.
Or am I totally wrong?
Shopping at Fry's retail store is an art. Only buy items that are on sale in the weekly ad (and make sure that it's a real deal, they often advertise full list Apple prices in their ads), never ask for help, refuse help if offered. Bring the ad with you and match the item number to what's listed in the ad, don't trust the prices on the labels or shelf tags. Verify the prices on the register receipt before paying, show the ad if there's a difference. NEVER buy an open box. Know where everything is in the store, don't assume that all products of the same type will be grouped in the same area, in my local Fry's you can find USB cables in about 3 different areas of the store, and only one of those has the really low priced no-name ones, the others are the overpriced name brand ones.
Fry's retail stores do pricematch for 30 days, but only against other local retail stores. I always watch their own ads after I've bought something, and within 30 days if I see they have it on sale for a lower price, I just go in with the receipt and newspaper ad and ask them to price adjust it (always ask them to credit the refund back to your credit card, don't take the store credit, and if they ask if you're planning to buy anything while you're there say No). I've never had any problem getting them to adjust to their own newspaper ads within 30 days.
They also have a 30 day return policy (15 days on some products), and I've used that a few times (like when trying to find wireless routers that passed AppleTalk, try a bunch, return what doesn't meet your needs).
I've been shopping at Fry's since they had just a single small store on Lakeside Drive in Sunnyvale in the mid 1980's.