Fry's Electronics is a specialty retailer of software, consumer electronics, computer hardware and household appliances with a chain of superstores headquartered in Silicon Valley. Starting with one store located in Sunnyvale, California, USA, the chain now boasts sales of $2.4B^[1] with over 30 stores located in several Western states, two near Atlanta, Georgia, two in Arizona, multiple locations in Texas, and one each in Illinois and Indiana. Frys Electronics logo This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... A drawing of a self-service store Retailing consists of the sale of goods/merchandise for personal or household consumption either from a fixed location such as a department store or kiosk, or away from a fixed location and related subordinated services (Definition of the WTO (last page). ... Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ... Consumer electronics is a term used to describe the category of electronic equipment intended for everyday use by people, the consumers. ... This article is about the machine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Big-box store. ... A view of downtown San Jose, the self-proclaimed Capital of Silicon Valley. ... Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Clara Government  - Mayor Otto Lee Area  - City 22. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... “Atlanta” redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  Ranked 38th  - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 270 miles (435 km)  - % water 1. ...

History

Fry's Electronics oldest operating store, in Palo Alto, California

The flagship store, in Sunnyvale, California

Fry's Electronics store in Downers Grove, Illinois

In 1972, Charles Fry sold the Fry's Supermarkets chain for USD $40 million and gave a cut of the money to each of his sons, John, Randy, and Dave.^[2] The Fry brothers had little interest in grocery store retailing. Instead, in 1985, they joined together with a fourth partner, Kathryn Kolder, to open the first Fry's Electronics store at a 20,000 square foot (2,000 m²) site in Sunnyvale, California.^[3] Today, Fry's Food and Drug stores (which still share a similar logo) are not affiliated with Fry's Electronics, but are owned and operated by Kroger.^[4] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x775, 218 KB) Summary The Frys Electronics store in Palo Alto, California. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x775, 218 KB) Summary The Frys Electronics store in Palo Alto, California. ... Location of Palo Alto within Santa Clara County, California. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1404x872, 223 KB) Summary The flagship Frys Electronics store in Sunnyvale, California. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1404x872, 223 KB) Summary The flagship Frys Electronics store in Sunnyvale, California. ... Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Clara Government  - Mayor Otto Lee Area  - City 22. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2080x1544, 654 KB) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2080x1544, 654 KB) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Incorporated Village in 1873. ... Frys Food & Drug Stores is a grocery store chain that has huge presence in the state of Arizona. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Clara Government  - Mayor Otto Lee Area  - City 22. ... Frys Food & Drug Stores is a grocery store chain that has huge presence in the state of Arizona. ... Kroger headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. ...

The original Sunnyvale store (located near the intersection of Oakmead Parkway & Lakeside Drive) stocked numerous high-tech supplies such as integrated circuits, test and measurement equipment, and computer components, as well as software and various other types of consumer electronics. The store also sold technical books, T-shirts, and featured displays of soda and snack foods. An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip consisting of at least two interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. ... This article is about the machine. ... Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ... T-Shirt A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a shirt with short or long sleeves, a round neck, put on over the head, without pockets. ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ... A snack food (commonly shortened to snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) but one that is intended rather to assuage a persons hunger between these meals, providing a brief...

As the business expanded, the original Sunnyvale store was closed, and a newer, larger store was opened across Lawrence Expressway on Kern Avenue. The second store to open was in Fremont, off Mission Avenue. This was the store that pioneered the "theme" stores. It had a space theme and had many artifacts from the original Battle Star Galactica TV series. This was the first store that had people from Industrial Lights and Magic help design the store environments. The second Sunnyvale store had a designed to look like the innards of a giant computer, the walls were adorned with simulated circuit components, and the floor resembled a giant printed circuit board. The outside of the building was painted to look like a huge DIP integrated circuit, and the external door handles were designed like the ENTER and ESC keys on a Computer keyboard. Close-up photo of one side of a motherboard PCB, showing conductive traces, vias and solder points for through-hole components on the opposite side. ... ICs in DIP14-Package Several PDIPs and CERDIPS. The large CERDIP in the foreground is an 8080 processor. ... It has been suggested that Keystroke be merged into this article or section. ...

Following the lead of the Fremont store, new Fry's locations continued the use of elaborate themes and various designed props until well into the late 1990s. For example, the Burbank store which opened in 1995 is themed primarily after 1950s and 1970s science fiction movies and features huge statues of popular characters such as the robot Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still and Darth Vader from the Star Wars movie series. In addition, 100-foot-long giant ants (from the movie Them) hang from the ceiling, and 1957 Chevys and Buicks were gutted for use as dining tables in the cafe. A flying saucer protrudes from the front of the store. After all construction and expenses, including land purchase and theming, the Burbank store cost $15 million to open. ^{[citation needed]} In recent years, since Fry's acquired the Incredible Universe chain of stores, the company has drastically reduced the elaborateness of its theming. This does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Gort is a fictional robot in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, played by 77 tall actor Lock Martin. ... The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 black-and-white science fiction film that tells the story of a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or they will face devastating consequences. ... Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ... Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ... Them is the English language third person plural pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb. ... Chevrolet, or Chevy, is a brand of automobile that is now part of the General Motors group. ... Buick is a brand of automobile built in the United States, Canada, China and in Spain by General Motors Corporation. ... The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations in the United States, first enacted by Congress in 1975, exist to regulate and improve the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks (trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles) sold in the US. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is the sales weighted... UFO redirects here. ... Incredible Universe was the name of a chain of very large consumer-electronics stores in the mid-1990s. ...

Because Fry's stores are enormous, often stocking hundreds of copies of a single product, they are quite popular with electronics and computer hobbyists. As of 2005, Best Buy, the nationwide consumer electronics retailer, is the main competitor to Fry's. However, Fry's stores have more retail floor space and have a wider and much more advanced selection than those of Best Buy. In addition, Best Buy only sells fully built computers with some basic accessories, while Fry's sells all the parts consumers need to build their own. Fry's also tends to have a more upscale atmosphere; many stores have hardwood floors, and employees wear professional attire (white shirts, jackets and ties for men.) Many of the newer stores even have in-store cafes. For the defunct chain of catalog showrooms, see Best Products. ...

As of May 2007, Fry's Electronics operates brick-and-mortar stores in nine U.S. states: California (17 stores); Texas (8); Arizona (2); Georgia (2); Illinois (1); Indiana (1); Nevada (1); Oregon (1); and Washington (1).

Criticism

Many websites have been set up—like http://www.FrysForum.com where employees and customers can discuss their negative and positive experiences at Fry's. Some of the categories for discussion are long lines in the returns department, dishonest sales people, and poor service in the Service Department. The website is not owned or affiliated with Fry's Electronics, and protected under Section 230 Protection (47 USC § 230).

A number of customers have reported frustrating customer service experiences at Fry's stores.^[5] Many of these customers have established personal sites to discuss their experiences. In 2006, Outpost.com was renamed "Frys.com," and in December of that year, Fry's/Outpost was the 30th-lowest ranked store on the ResellerRatings.com website (although all its major brick-and-mortar competitors, including Best Buy, Circuit City, and CompUSA, were ranked even lower).

Like most retailers, Fry's will resell its returned merchandise which is in working, like new condition. This merchandise is repackaged with a special label indicating that it was a returned product, that the full manufactures warranty is still valid and a discounted price.

House brands

In addition to selling many major brands of PCs, Fry's also sells two models of in-house PC designs. Their flagship Fry's PCs compete with similarly featured Microsoft Windows PC offerings from Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Compaq. In addition, they offer a lower-end model branded as Great Quality (or "GQ") PCs. GQ PCs tend to be Fry's most inexpensive PC offerings, often priced in the sub-$200 range during daily and weekly sales. GQ PCs are often bundled with the Linspire Linux based OS as well as Windows, one of the few Linux offerings available in a retail PC configuration. Some of their Linux PCs feature AMD Geode processors, a processor normally sold in computers for developing countries. They also market accessories like cables and CD-R discs under the GQ brand name and simple computer peripherals products under the Emprex brand name. Also notable are the ECS brand motherboards that are frequently bundled with processors to make them virtually free. A personal computer (PC) is a computer whose price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... Windows redirects here. ... The Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), commonly known as HP, is a very large, global company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States. ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $66. ... Compaq Computer Corporation is an American personal computer company founded in 1982, and now a brand name of Hewlett-Packard. ... Look up day in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For more details on each day of the week, see days of the week. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about operating systems that use the Linux kernel. ... // An operating system (OS) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer. ... Drawing of a self-service store. ... National Semiconductor Geode GX1, 233 MHz Geode is a series of x86-compatible microprocessors produced by AMD which it targets at the embedded computing market. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Elitegroup Computer Systems (or ECS) is a Taiwan-based electronics firm. ...

Online sales operation

Fry's Electronics was late in establishing an online sales presence. They began offering low-cost Internet access in 2000 through their original Web address (outpost.com), but only introduced an e-commerce site in October 2006 with the grand re-opening of frys.com.^{[6] [7] [8]}

Acquisition of domain name

The URL "www.frys.com" was owned in 1997 by David Peter, who manufactured and sold french-fry vending machines under the business name Frenchy Frys. Fry's Electronics brought suit against him that year, alleging trademark infringement^[9], and ultimately prevailed in a default judgement.^{[10] [11]}

Since then, Fry's Electronics has aggressively defended its trademark and domain names. In 2001, it successfully prosecuted a man who was posting its own print ads on the Web using the domain frysad.com^[12] and it recently sued a New York registrant of the frys.us domain.^[13]

References

1. ^ Hoover's entry for Fry's Electronics
2. ^ Pat Lopes Harris, "Fry's mystique: timing, focus, frugality—and lots of advertising," San Jose Business Journal 17, no. 39 (14 January 2000): 52.
3. ^ California Secretary of State - Corporation Search Results. C1270788. California Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
4. ^ Kroger's website showing its ownership of the Fry's "brand"
5. ^ Julie Schmit, "Techies flock to Fry's despite its flaws," USA Today, 11 February 1998, 1B.
6. ^ Fry's may launch ISP as part of new Net strategy
7. ^ Fergie's tech blog 10/21/06
8. ^ Fry's Electronics (Finally) Launches Online Store
9. ^ The fight over "frys.com"
10. ^ Securing and Protecting a Domain Name for your Web Site
11. ^ Invasion of the Domain Snatchers
12. ^ Fry's accuses site owner of cybersquatting
13. ^ Report of Arbitration Between Fry's Electronics and Prophet Partners

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ...

Further reading

• "The Future of Retail," Wired 6.07, July 1999, page 146. Photo essay showing customers and their purchases; reference to customer service.
• "The Hacker & The Ants," Rudy Rucker contains a passage describing vintage pre-expansion era Fry's and is the first mention of it in published fiction.

Wired is a full-color monthly magazine and on-line periodical published in San Francisco, California since March 1993. ... Rudy Rucker, Fall 2004, photo by Georgia Rucker. ...

External links

• Fry's Electronics official website
• Fry's Electronics History
• FrysForum.com - A site for customers and current and past employees to discuss things relating to Fry's
• Fry's Photo Project, containing photos of most Fry's stores.
• Wired Magazine article; Issue 2.01, 1994
• A page discussing customers' experiences with Fry's customer service
• A page discussing customers' experiences with Fry's customer service (another)
• Salon.com article, "customer Disservice"
• "Breakfast at Fry's"
• Internet reprint of Fry´s newspaper advertisements
• San Jose Mercury Daily Fry's Ads
• Downer's Grove, IL Fry's Ads, posted by forum regulars