Almost every day we get emails asking if Fry’s Electronics in the Park & Shop center on Willow Pass Rd. in Concord is closing.
Fry’s has not confirmed or denied the rumors, and employees over the phone say they’re not aware of any upcoming closure, but if you’ve been inside the store lately, you can see why people might wonder if the Concord location is on borrowed time.
Several shelves inside the store are running low on merchandise, and it appears items aren’t being restocked.
We’ll keep you updated.
QUESTION: When was the last time you visited Fry’s Electronics?
I work in that shopping center and have spoken to a couple of employees. The café in there is now open only on certain days -not every day now. They said the GM is keeping what he know close to the vest but if I were them I’d be aggressively looking for another job they seem in denial. It would be a shame because (along with Burlington) it means yet another anchor store leaving which means less business for the rest of the shopping center’s restaurants etc- has a cascade effect.
No great mystery there. The tariffs have raised the prices in the US to the point that China would rather aggressively pursue the rising middle class in the rest of the world to market it’s products. We are not the only game in town.
Last time was on Friday. Losing Fry’s would be a major blow, it’s nice being able to (mostly) find whatever you need, when you need it.
The last time was a couple of weeks ago. The shelves looked like the picture above and they didn’t have what I was looking for, so I took a drive over to Best Buy.
More people are buying stuff online, but I’d rather go to the store so I can physically look at the product. If the product turns out to be defective, it’s much easier to return it to the store then to return it online, especially when some online retailers might make the customer pay for shipping.
I agree about liking the ability to look at the product. I’m not sure about ease of returning products to Fry’s. Years ago, my teenage son bought a paired CPU and motherboard at the Fremont Fry’s. When he got it home, he discovered they had included the wrong CPU, and it wasn’t compatible with the motherboard. So, we took it back, and they said they wouldn’t accept it because it was the the wrong CPU. Well Duh! We spent several hours waiting for a manager that could approve swapping the CPU for the correct one. Shortly before closing time, I told them that if we had to leave without the correct part, I was going to the DA to file a Bait & Switch complaint, and they finally made it right.
Fry’s lost my business for the very reason that they never have floor samples on display. When I was in the market for a mirrorless camera I went to Fry’s hoping to find one. With nothing on display and no one to help I left and went to Best Buy where I found both cameras on display that I’d been hoping to see at Fry’s. Best Buy earned my business that day. I’ve never gone back to Fry’s, whether it’s fear of inventory “shrinkage” or other reasons, not having inventory or displays lost my business.
Here’s a tip: if you’re a brick and mortar retailer in 2019 you need to have something competitive (products, displays, in-stock inventory, knowledgeable associates, etc) to offer people who drove to your store to shop for something.
@ GMOL
“Here’s a tip: if you’re a brick and mortar retailer in 2019 you need to have something competitive (products, displays, in-stock inventory, knowledgeable associates, etc) to offer people who drove to your store to shop for something.”
Couldn’t have said it better. Wake up retail. Stop blaming the Internet for your problems. If you’s treat the customer better, you might just succeed. JC Penney is another one. They’re going under and blame it on the Internet. Ah….NO! You’re going under because you have two cashiers booths in the entire store, which are staffed with one employee and a line Throughout the store. When you ask for help, no one responds. I’ve actually watched associates working in the same department ignore announcements for customer service. Manager’s don’t even respond when you want to complain.
No……not the Internet……It’s customer service that’s to blame!
Unnamed employees say that Fry’s is having major hurdles getting incoming products from China because of Tarrif’s, Embargoes, seizures, etc.
I have noticed empty shelves for years.
IMHO, nothing to see here. Move along.
Tariffs for years?
Not that I would know but how would a store level (any store level) employee know if the tariffs are affecting the store???
Best Buy gets their products from same suppliers, pays same tarrifs, but has superior displays and customer service. Suuure, tarrifs are the problem. You stick with that.
Has nothing to do with the tariff’s. Fry’s has been beyond delinquent on paying vendors for product to sell. Some of it comes from the multi million dollar embezzlement by Umar Siddiqui. Some of it comes from internal incompetence by management and buyers.
I’ve been gone from there for over 10 years, still keep in contact with a few people who stayed around longer but already jumped ship, and it’s been a slow progressive slide over the past 15 years. To be honest, they got lucky they weren’t sued into oblivion for wage theft when some stores on black friday a few years ago clocked every employee out at 11:59pm and clocked them back in at 12:01am, thus triggering a new day of payroll and letting them get out of overtime pay for some employees.
Began noticing product on shelves only a couple packages deep a couple years ago. They used to have multi page sales inserts in local newspapers then it went to a single page ad, then even that went away. Those ads featured some lost lead items to generate customer traffic into stores.
Our purchases became less as advertising diminished. Last few visits noticed fewer customer service persons to handle returns and video displays on wall where print advertisements used to be posted. Loss prevention person who checked purchased items against receipt was not at the door.
Was shocked a couple months ago while purchasing memory sticks how much of a stock reduction there had been.
I went there about three weeks ago and was surprised at how empty many of the shelves were. It looked like all of the stock could fit into half the current space. I guess Amazon is sucking a lot of the air out of brick and mortar retail.
Tariff issues with China is doing a lot of damage and causing stores to go under and empty shelves.
In fact we have no inflation. I think you are confusing tariffs with Amazon.
The store in Fremont on Auto Mall is the same way. Bare shelves all over the store. The guy checking receipts at the door said they weren’t closing, just changing things around.
They dont want to announce it because they know the employees will bail. They will probably show up to work one day with the doors locked.
There is no issue getting products from China. Just go on ANY website and you can order anything you want, made there, or shipped directly from there. The issue is people are not shopping like they used to. They even tried the “match web price” and still, people are buying off Amazon.
Let this be a warning to all, that if you want brick and mortar stores, and the jobs that they offer, you have to actually buy stuff there. Going in, seeing or trying on a product, then going home and ordering it online is the cause stores are closing.
Hear hear
Exactly Commonsensenor the thing is- FRYs was already matching Amazons prices because they knew everyone was doing that! They didn’t go far enough- they didn’t train their staff to be customer-centric you always had to hunt someone down and they were not trained to be proper salespeople. Returning stuff was a nightmare during the holidays one time I waited an hour. As a retail manager to me this was ridiculous my customers never wait.
I don’t believe there’s a problem ordering from China, however, there’s a problem with items ordered from China (and certain other countries) costing more or taking longer to acquire. I work for a company that is directly affected. We’re hearing the same from our competitors AND complaints from our customers. This is going to an uneven year for us, with us breaking even or losing money. Next year, we’re forecasting it’ll be more difficult. The economy is a slow moving ship. It takes a while for everyone to be affected.
Many stores in the area have empty shelves, including K-Mart
At least 5 years ago. I quit going when their dvd selection went almost to nothing.
Same here about the DVD’s. Also they didn’t have the ink tanks for our printed,…but Best Buy does.
Its not just this store, even their flagship stores are having stock issues. Been doing a lot of reading online, most are saying the chain is trying to stick around until Black Friday then liquidate, although I don’t see how they would even have anything to sell. Many have also said they haven’t paid their vendors for a while, so that is why they have no product. Some of the chain will survive maybe (toward southbay maybe), but these outer stores will close for sure.
Multiple unnamed employees have confirmed to me they will be closing this location.
Anyone know if this is also happening at the Fremont and other South Bay stores? Even the Weekly Deals section on their site has shrunk.
All Frys stores are closing soon, its a nationwide issue with their business, not just concord, or bay area. I havent bought anything there for awhile, as they never have stock of what i want.
I don’t think this issue is limited to the Concord location. It sounds like it is affecting a lot more locations.
The heavily supported speculation is that all Fry’s locations will close next year. The empty shelves aren’t the result of tariffs, but are the result of being behind on payments to their suppliers. Employees are posting on tech message boards that Fry’s is coming to an end. There are complaints and rumors about business decisions made by the Fry brothers.
Despite the poor customer service, I did shop at Fry’s rather than order from Amazon.
Fry’s is not behind on payments to their vendors – if you subscribe to Credit Risk Monitor like I do, you are able to see trade payment data for thousands of companies. Empty shelves suggest to me that Fry’s is conducting a bit of “Fortressing” and does not want to spend money on inventory that will be liquidated in the near term.
2 months ago my modem died on a Sunday morning. I was glad to have Fry’s nearby and got it replaced quickly.
why did I think you said mother at first lol I was so confused
Thank you. I was wondering about this for too long now. Used to go to this store all the time for computer parts and now they dont have anything. If I needed to buy something, I could get it local, instead of waiting to get it online. Was wondering when there would be an article about this.
The last time I was in there was about a year ago. I was looking for several items, NONE of which they had, and the shelves were poorly stocked even then. No loss in my book, but I sure miss Radio Shack!
It was good at one time, but their time has come.
I have heard Fremont is having issues, which is scary as its one of their flagship stores. I guess Vegas is doing much better since it was close to one of their warehouses (so it just got all the warehouse stuff when they closed it). All the other stores from what I am hearing are hurting big time. Sacramento doesn’t even have white paper for receipts.
It is kinda silly they keep doing these live video shows from Sunnyvale where they act like everything is normal and that they have all these great deals, but i guess they are pushing the online product pretty hard.
The curse of Amazon..If it’s closing, than create affordable housing
We don’t need more housing. We need fewer people.
Truth, Chicken Little, we do need fewer people. We aren’t going to get it though. I feel completely blessed to know how it was when we all could stretch out and breathe good air round here.
Please be realistic Chicken Little…
Could they be running short on products due to tariffs?
They may not be stocking shelves because of Amazon. The one that is burning.
Actually I see the whole industry contracting. It expanded too fast on things people didn’t need nor asked for. As a software developer it’s a hassle to keep up with companies deprecating APIs every few months for no good reason other than the kids want to make “shiny new things”. We could probably put most of technology on pause and live pretty well for the rest of the century.
Same situation for computer products at Staples and Office Depot. When you check inventory online it shows one in-store because all they have is the display unit.
Amazon is winning. Can’t wait for an Amazon Drone to drop a laser printer on my head as proof of delivery.
Dawg wrote “If the product turns out to be defective, it’s much easier to return it to the store then to return it online, especially when some online retailers might make the customer pay for shipping.”
My info might be outdated but Fry’s only accepts returns that are still in their original unopened package.A few years ago I bought something for the computer, it did not work, and I tried to return it to Fry’s as defective. They said I had to deal with the manufacturer and pointed to the fine print on the back of the Fry’s receipt. With that product, the only contact for the manufacturer was a phone number in China. The manufacturer did not have a web site.
@Captain Bebops – Computers hit the speed of light around the year 2000. Since then, the only improvements have been to add CPU cores, which all run a little slower than the fastest single core CPUs of the year 2000, and that RAM/disk capacity have increased. Microsoft Windows has not had any significant architectural improvements since Windows 2000. Office 2003 still seems like the best version ever created.
Considering Fry’s – Have people noticed that their cash registers all are running Windows XP? They are not upgrading their own stuff!
I think a problem for Fry’s is that people no longer upgrade or repair things enough to keep a parts store in business. Instead people throw stuff out and buy a new one on Amazon. Radio Shack failed. The Good Guys failed. Comp-USA failed. Circuit City failed (though still sells on line). Fry’s is trying to be a Best Buy but with larger stores.
I’ll miss Fry’s but only because I love walking right past all the dummies that stop at the exit to show their receipt to the guy holding a highlighter pen.
Once I buy it at the counter, they have no right to stop you and ask to see the receipt again, it’s legally yours the moment you buy it.
Too many people have been conditioned by Costco and Sam’s Club to stop and show their receipt, which is a condition of their membership agreement. Fry’s and any other retail establishment without that condition cannot stop you.
So, I’ll miss walking right by the line and going about my day. Try it before they close, they legally won’t/can’t stop you.
Of all the things in life that I find irritating, that one doesn’t even register on my irritation detector.
I do also remember that fry’s customer service to be quite poor.
I think their time is up.
American Retail is dying. That’s a good thing. Only poor people say it isn’t.
Soon all stores will be Amazon. 😀
“Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.”
— Demolition Man (1994)
Fry’s Electronics stores soon to close, seeing same fate as Toys’R’Us?
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/67191/frys-electronics-stores-soon-close-seeing-same-fate-toysrus/index.html
Think it was about six months to a year ago looking for an HDTV antennae. Couldn’t find them so went looking for someone to ask. Finally found only guy in that end of the building, very busy in the tv department, to ask who told me where they were. Had questions. Couldn’t find anyone to answer my questions, so I left. I prefer Best Buy. I haven’t bought anything online in almost a year and I plan to get it at retail if at all possible. I will never buy anything from Amazon, again, given the revelations about Bezos’ moral character.
That will show amazon who’s boss.
“The customer is always right.” Maybe Bexos can sleep with his pathetic and stupid decisions, but I couldn’t if I continued to patronize his establishment.
The first job I ever had my boss was cheating on his wife. Before I knew it, he had me lying to her, also. Alwsys regreted I didn’t call her up and tell her the truth. There were children involved and she was a lovely woman. I simply don’t care to offer my support in any fashion to someone who behaves like that.
I was there a couple weeks back. They are closing. I don’t know if they are aware of it yet but the writing is on the wall.
I was there 3 weeks ago to get my Rocky Road candy bar.:) They seem to always have them.
That’s awesome. I remember OSH also having hard to find candy. Once in a while you just crave something that’s not easy to find.
Couldn’t even find a soldering iron there a week ago.
I shopped at Fry’s twice in the last 6 months, and each time they did not have the item I was after. Lousy product selection; really lousy customer service. Can’t compete with boxless stores, I, guess – a shame because I like to hold what I’m buying before I pay.
Kinda missed Heathkit when they went away…but then found Radio Shack, missed Radio Shack when they fell by the wayside and turned into a cellphone store….but then found Fry’s…and I enjoyed them….until I had to return an item and they made it a horrendous chore
Always had bad taste after shopping at Fry’s. Always very unfriendly. Return policy is one of the worst. Will be very happy to know that they are closed forever!
Did Concord ever get any of the sales tax money from Fry’s? I remember the city made Fry’s a sweetheart sales tax deal to get Them in
Bought an HDTV there about four months ago. We were startled by the very good customer service in store. The salesperson had a lot of info to share about the TV and the check-out woman was very helpful with pointing out that we needed to keep the box for 30 days so we could return the tv if needed. We ordered delivery and install after the salesperson gave us his cell to call if there were problems. And there were none! The techs arrived on time…did a super job…set up wi-fi and all the apps we use. Then the salesperson called later just to check on how things were going….impressed!
I think it’s been a couple of years. I bought a computer from them about 3-4 years ago, it didn’t last long. Also when I had a problem with my computer I took it there, and they fixed it, but the Geek Squad gives better service for less money. I bought a portable radio from them about 5 years ago, a sangean, when I needed to replace it they did not have it in the store, so I did order it from Fry’s on line sight. I don’t blame them for the failure of my computer, but I found that Best Buys, explained better the computer that would be a good buy for my budget, including what is the best core, so I bought a Dell with and intel core, and have not had any problems with it. Fry’s sold me a Lenova, and the wanted $50.00 more than Best Buy to transfer files, pictures (all the pictures and video’s of my granddaughter was on there) etc. This past years I bought a $200.00 service contract from Best Buys they transferred all my files, pictures ect. from 2 computers, and fixed the problem I had. The problem was not with the computer, but ATT, they locked me out of my email, when I couldn’t remember information from 10 years ago when I signed up, they Geek Squad helped me with that, plus some other minor things. So all in all I feel I get better service and prices at Best Buy.
I had a reception problem with At&T years ago. Land line had so static the phone was useless. Several service calls did not solve the problem. The last one, a young woman , fixed it. Total bliss for a few days. A few fays later I noticed an AT&T Lineman nearby. My reception went back to crappy. I shut them down and never looked back.
These stores have become Amazon showroom.
What I remember most about Fry’s, Concord are the 30 check stands and 2 checkers.
Shopping there was a nightmare. Zero customer service, and if you can find an employee, they don’t know where the item is that you’re looking for. I don’t like being treated like a criminal, but I realize that is the fault of the people who go there for the purpose of stealing, rather than buying.
Yes, Frys is closing. Has nothing to do with tariffs. It’s “The Amazon Effect.”
I remember the day Fry’s in Fremont had huge lines at the cashier. Maybe they should lower their prices again.
I was just there yesterday went straight to the PC components section, in some isles there was at the most 15 items and others as low 5 items or less.
We were there in May. We needed help finding something and there was NO ONE around. The place is like an empty cavern. There were also few cashiers for a Saturday…and hardly anyone working the floor.
Does this mean big sales at Fry’s??? Liquidation??
Various reports have it Concord, Fremont, and Palo Alto are slated to close. Retail Archeology on YouTube recently did some videos on the PHX area stores. Frys was late to the online market, they should’ve dominated it with their wide mix of products but instead they operated a second company for online sales until switching it to the Frys name. Sadly Frys is deep in Bay Area history, the founders included the sons of Frys Grocery stores and they were the first tech store to embrace the nerds/geeks. They may pull back and choose to refocus their core stores and see if that works.
It would be a shame if it were to disappear, but that seems to be the landscape as of late.
I do go there once in a while when I need something immediately for work, but it’s few and far between. Not having it available, would mean I’d have to turn to Best Buy.
Over the years, I have purchased items there for myself personally, but lately I’m buying those same items online.
I would echo that their knowledge has been less than satisfactory. More often than not, I’ve helped others who have come into the store. It seems like a majority of the time, if I asked an employee a question, they could not answer me. I don’t really fault Fry’s. This happens at most other stores nowadays. The last time I received technical help was probably from Circuit City (the early years) and the Good Guys (remember them?).
Also their selection has been dwindling for a while now. I was there last Christmas looking for a new router and a conference room camera, both of which I had to buy elsewhere, as they did not have what I was seeking. I ended up acquiring both online. I was also in the market for a laptop, but I don’t remember there being much choice. For that I ended up at Best Buy and to my surprise they had a lot of choices.
Times are changing. Retail, I’m sorry to say, is slowly dying. I think we’re going to see several major stores disappear in the next few years.
They lost my business years ago when I bought something and then found it elsewhere for cheaper. I tried to take advantage of their price match policy. They passed me around from manager to manager for an hour. Then, everyone I was talking to disappeared. It seems they just passed me around until their shift was done. They obviously don’t stand behind that advertised policy.
Aside from that, I always got the feeling I was dealing with used car salesmen, or mall kiosk employees. I just stick with Best Buy. No commission and knowledgeable staff.
When All the brick and mortar Stores are gone watch what happens to the prices online , Hay the building would make a good homeless shelter when the homeless population Quadruples A Few Times Over . It’s gonna be fun when the homeless population is 35/40% . No Jobs No Homes .