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Comment by teuobk | Hacker News Reader

Microcenter is a great counterexample. The one here in Denver is always full of customers, and it's stuffed with all manner of computer parts, hobby electronics, and so on. It's how I too remember Fry's being back in the day.

I don't really understand how Microcenter does it, but they often have equal or better prices than Amazon, and in any case, they'll price-match. Also, there's no worry about whatever I buy turning out to be counterfeit.

The one slightly odd thing about the Microcenter experience is how all of the salespeople have little stickers to take credit for when they help a customer find something. Are they on commission? Is this Microcenter's way of identifying the most useful floor staff? They're never pushy about it, but it does stand out in stark contrast to pretty much every other retail shop I can think of.

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Fry’s have always had the stigma that they hired unknowledgeable floor staff. If you knew what you were after you were fine. On the non technical side, half the time the staff didn’t know where to find items and would take you on wild goose chases.

The stock was better than Microcrocenter or Central Computers (when they were relevant), and their sandwiches weren’t held bad. But the floor staff and that stupid thing where they have people at the exits pretend to check receipts on the purchase side. On the return side it was just awful. Today in age their return policies are just bad. On some items they have restocking fees.

To be fair lots of places have restocking fees on various items due to the nature of “renting”.

I find central computers is often staffed with people that are less than personable.

If you knew what you were looking for and could find it without the dread label that indicated that it was re-sealed, opened box product that is...

I’ve bought resealed items from Fry’s. So long as I can take a peek and make sure it’s all in there, I’m okay with that. I’m kinda upset they charged someone 15% restock and turn around and charge me full price, but materially if there is no difference in contents, I don’t care about the packaging.

Packaging isn't a concern. To put something back on the shelf, they should not only make sure the contents are complete and not physically damaged, but actually working.

Anecdotally speaking, I had a high rate of those items not working and had to return them myself. So while all the parts were typically there and the devices powered on, the product often times didn't work. I finally concluded that they likely didn't differentiate returns that were caused by the customer changing their mind vs. customers claiming the stuff didn't work... or that the only check they made for "not working" product was a simple power on type test; given the quality of staff and costs of doing any thing more probably made it difficult to do better (maybe they didn't have good vendor return terms, good vendor allowances, etc. ... who knows) Again, my experience, but I felt like I was playing for slot machine odds when I bought those products... your mileage may have varied.

I stopped shopping there years ago because the quality of the experience and that I didn't trust the open box product and wasn't sure I could reliably get unopened product... the trip to the store just wasn't worth the aggravation. I think that must have been before the restock fees as I don't recall ever having that issue myself (those the returns process was not exactly fun). I did like the store theming, particularly in the Southern CA stores (which is where I shopped them the most).

  full price

I've never seen a restocked item priced at more than 90% of never-opened price, and their prices drop every week or two until sold

They never charge to return anything within the 15-30 days period.

http://homepage.smc.edu/engfer_mark/frys.htm

If you ever do visit a Fry's again, the trick for that "let me check your receipt and mark it with a pink sharpie" person is to just smile and walk right by. They won't stop you or question you, because they have been trained that it would be unlawful to do so. They can ask to see your receipt and check it, but they can't demand it.

More than once there has been a line of a half dozen people at the pink sharpie exit, and I've just walked on by, much to the amazement of the people waiting in line.

Note: I'm talking about Fry's, not Costco. I'm told Costco is different because it's a membership club and you have to agree to their terms and conditions to shop there. (I'm also told that even Costco can't demand to see your receipt, but they can cancel your membership if you don't show it.)

>even Costco can't demand to see your receipt, but they can cancel your membership if you don't show it

How does Costco figure out which membership to cancel? Surely they don't detain you if you refuse to show your receipt.

I must confess ignorance on this, I am only reporting what I heard and most likely misunderstood!

Pretty quick to watch the tapes and see what register you bought from. You have to scan membership id at checkout, so then seeing whos membership was used is simple.

Fry's isn't staffing that station anymore, so problem solved...

Did that in past. Guy started freaking out. Supervisor had to calm him down.

Current nearby Frys plays dirty. Has a severely physically disabled guy checking receipts.

Yea. Total guilt trip for not letting him mark receipt.

  they hired unknowledgeable floor staff

In some areas, yes, like anywhere else. For a counterexample, the female manager(?) in Components in Sunnyvale has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of everything in the department.

The receipt-check theft-deterrence theater is annoying. I never wait for it.

  Today in age their return policies are just bad.

Oh, I disagree. As long as you keep proof of purchase (which can be as minimal as saving the invoice number), return friction within 15 days is as low as Costco... and they usually make reasonable extensions beyond 15 days ("I missed the rebate period").

I remember when Microcenter in Santa Clara started exhibiting the same visual decline as described here about Fry's.

> all of the salespeople have little stickers to take credit for when they help a customer find something

I was in Fry's recently and they seemed to do the same thing. After asking for some help they asked me to print a "quote," which meant printing out a receipt at a kiosk on the sales floor with their name. They pulled it up when I checked out. I kind of understood what they were doing, but the process seemed a bit awkward--especially when my question was more along the lines of, "Do you have more stock in the back? When you do you think you'll have more?"

I've never heard of microcenter or their sticker system but I'm curious. Does the customer get given stickers that they award to staff or does this happen at checkout or what is it?

Sales people put their barcode on items after they help you to get the commission for selling them.

Fry's does this by printing "quotes" that you take to the register.

It definitely provides a incentive for sales people to be well informed. I’ve never found that to be the case at Frys.

It's been a long time since I was in a Fry's, but at least at the Austin location, whenever I talked with a salesperson and decided to buy something (hard drivers, processors) they'd print up something for me to take to the cashier along with the product. I always assumed this was for commission purposes.

Yes. It's called a "quote".

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