[sf-lug] Fry's closing permanently

[Todd Hawley]

I would readily agree with Rick's assessment of Fry's nowadays. Two decades
ago, they probably still had at least some good stuff. Not so much since
then. Back around 2012 I was taking a computer class at CCSF and the
teacher organized a trip to the Palo Alto Fry's. I chose not to go,
although given the Wild West theme that store had, now I'm sorry I didn't
go see that. I'd heard rumors Fry's would cheerfully take any defective
merchandise you bought there, give you a refund and then put it back on the
shelf. I used to live near the one in Fremont. I occasionally would go in
there but never saw much of anything that I couldn't find at the same price
or cheaper elsewhere and probably not defective either. I remember how
mobbed that store was on Black Friday. So mobbed that shoppers would
illegally park near the store just so they could get in. Office buildings
across the street would put chains up across their parking lots so no one
could park there. This was not lost on the Fremont police department who
would gladly leave parking citations on all the offending vehicles. I even
went by there on a couple Black Fridays and watched the spectacle unfold. 3
or 4 cop cars driving past every few minutes checking to see if any new
shoppers had pulled into an illegal parking area. Great fun. I have to
wonder if they were a bit sad today to hear about a one-day "revenue
source" each year now disappearing. :p

The Fry's in North San Jose was in a building that once housed the
Televideo computer terminal company back in the 80's and 90s. Having driven
past that building back then several times, it was a bit of a shock at
first to see the huge Fry's sign there. Now it will join the other empty
office buildings along 880 in the south end of Fremont and north end of San
Jose.

It was a fun place to go to and walk around in but like I said never really
found much I couldn't find elsewhere. And clearly the chain had been going
downhill for quite some time.

-th
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