Zalman R2 mid tower case $39

[melvinudal]

https://www.frys.com/product/10037471
Looks decent to me for the price but no reviews yet, too new I guess

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wow, Fry's is still in business, huh.

 

[mikeford]

Just online, the electronics brick and mortar are 95% empty, but the grocery side as far as I know is still big.

 

[melvinudal]

I may be wrong but do not believe the Fry's electronics is related to the food stores. And I have not been into a B&M fry's for a while but have occasionally ordered online from them with no problem.
i would prefer a micro center but since they do not ship and are not in my state, i take the deals where I find them.
I ordered the case today and UPS said it will be here tomorrow.

 

[UsandThem]

Yeah, they are different companies.

Frys the electronics chain is basically little more than a consignment shop at this point. I don't know even know why they're trying to hang on at this point. Maybe just long enough for the ownership to sell off expensive real estate/land to the highest bidders.

 

[jiffer]

Fry's Electronics is definitely not what it used to be, but the four stores in my part of the world are not "95% empty". They don't have many computer parts for sale anymore (not even case fans), and maybe those sad, bare shelves are what give some of you the impression that Fry's is "empty" now. On the other hand, they still have an aisle full of computer cases and truck loads of, like, actual electronics (wiring, circuit boards, and all the related stuff) and all kinds of cables. They also have office supplies and some office furniture. They still have a fair collection of games, movies, TVs, cellphone accessories, and a lot of miscellaneous stuff. They don't seem to have many big things anymore like mattresses and large appliances, but they have small appliances. A lot of their floor space is taken up by cheap stuff like generic batteries and tools like I used to see at "Sidewalk Sales",

EDIT: and that's what seems the saddest to me of all.

I always liked Fry's and I feel sad every time I visit their stores. (They still have daily and weekly ads as always.) It's a shame to see so many people crapping on them when they're down just because they can no longer give you the bargains you're looking for.

 

[UsandThem]

Fry's Electronics is definitely not what it used to be, but the four stores in my part of the world are not "95% empty". They don't have many computer parts for sale anymore (not even case fans), and maybe those sad, bare shelves are what give some of you the impression that Fry's is "empty" now. On the other hand, they still have an aisle full of computer cases and truck loads of, like, actual electronics (wiring, circuit boards, and all the related stuff) and all kinds of cables. They also have office supplies and some office furniture. They still have a fair collection of games, movies, TVs, cellphone accessories, and a lot of miscellaneous stuff. They don't seem to have many big things anymore like mattresses and large appliances, but they have small appliances. A lot of their floor space is taken up by cheap stuff like generic batteries and tools.

I always liked Fry's and I feel sad every time I visit their stores. (They still have daily and weekly ads as always.) It's a shame to see so many people crapping on them when they're down just because they can no longer give you the bargains you're looking for.

Maybe your local store still has somewhat decent inventory / product on the shelves, but I've seen plenty of pictures and stories over the last 2-4 years that shows they are circling the drain at this point at most of their locations. They still have some stuff in store, but there's no way to try and spin it in a positive light. I mean Sears ownership/CEO denied for years they were in trouble as well.....

https://www.sfchronicle.com/busines...ronics-in-trouble-Company-denies-14945559.php
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/6866...losure-evidence-suggests-otherwise/index.html

 

[jiffer]

I wasn't really trying to spin their current situation in a positive light. My post was very sad. My point is that they're not quite dead. They're never going to be like Micro Center, focused mainly on computer parts and commercial electronics (TVs, laptops, etc) or even more mainstream like Best Buy. If they do survive, they'll probably have to downsize to something like Radio Shack, but in the meantime they're using their vast floor space to sell bottled water and hand sanitizer. I thought they were going out of business too. What I don't like is seeing people say, "Screw them if they can't give me bargains anymore" because I don't think they deserve that.

 

[VirtualLarry]

"Screw them if they can't give me bargains anymore" because I don't think they deserve that.

Well, that's Capitalism. If they can't provide the goods and services that customers want, in a competitive marketplace, they "deserve" to die off, as a company.

Which is what happened to CompUSA, too. I was sad to see them go, I had sometimes gotten a few bargains here and there, and they sometimes ran good sales on blank media, but so did Circuit City. They went under too.

 

[UsandThem]

I wasn't really trying to spin their current situation in a positive light. My post was very sad. My point is that they're not quite dead. They're never going to be like Micro Center, focused mainly on computer parts and commercial electronics (TVs, laptops, etc) or even more mainstream like Best Buy. If they do survive, they'll probably have to downsize to something like Radio Shack, but in the meantime they're using their vast floor space to sell bottled water and hand sanitizer. I thought they were going out of business too. What I don't like is seeing people say, "Screw them if they can't give me bargains anymore" because I don't think they deserve that.

To be clear, I'm not cheering for their current state at all. At their prime, they were an amazing store to walk into, and something I always enjoyed doing. I always liked going to physical stores to discover something new/cool. It's just that more and more of them are becoming shells of what they once were.

They still have some deals for some things (at least online), but just not much of what I shop for at this point. Most everything else (like CPUs or motherboards) are pretty much out of stock all the time (well before this whole Covid mess started).

 

[jiffer]

Yeah, you were lucky if you got one their last CPUs or motherboards on clearance for $10-20 before they sold out.

"Oh shucks, did I miss that?" Yes, and I'm rubbing it in.

 

[mikeford]

I live inside a triangle of the Fullerton and Fountain Valley Fry's, and Santa Ana MicroCenter. MicroCenter hasn't changed, maybe a bit more packed, more hardware, few if any games, way less books, but added a makers area of Arduino etc. Fry's has nothing really of value left in the store, its NOT the local place to go to for anything. For pro gear like soldering irons etc we have an Orvacs.

Fry's grocery stores are NOT the same company, but same family owns them, and they are doing great. This suggests to me Fry's could be turned around, but not in the current economy, which isn't to say they aren't still alive online.