I found Fry's when I lived in SoCal and built my own computer. Between Fry's and NewEgg, I built a sweet computer that lasted many years and was easy to upgrade.

I kept shopping at Fry's the first time I lived in Houston and it was great. Clean, great selection, darn near Internet prices, and knowledgeable sales people on commission so they wanted to help.

I moved off to Alaska and Can-eh-duh for 7 years, and I hit up Fry's when I returned to Houston in 2016. What a dingy, dirty dump. Less sales people, and not as well stocked.

I tried again last year because I couldn't find what I wanted online. Fry's was dirtier, aisles of empty shelves, hardly any employees, and employees obviously weren't on commission any more because they didn't even try to help.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
Only club membership places like sams and Costco can stop you and check receipts.

That makes sense. It's included in the agreement you sign, I imagine.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
Only club membership places like sams and Costco can stop you and check receipts.

That makes sense. It's included in the agreement you sign, I imagine.

My local Fry's is not a "membership place" and it checks receipts against the bags.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
Only club membership places like sams and Costco can stop you and check receipts.

That makes sense. It's included in the agreement you sign, I imagine.

My local Fry's is not a "membership place" and it checks receipts against the bags.

flashguy

The point is you do not have to stop for them. You can walk right out of the store.

Yes, which I have done at Fry's -just walked right out- and based upon those two experiences with their now-failing operation, I never went back. I don't want to be treated that way. Everyone else in the world might be perfectly fine with it, but I am not. I'll leave my money with businesses that don't treat me like a suspect.

Last time I was in Fry's was in California and it was much the same as you describe. It's going to meet a sad end for a place that I used to love going to and spending time in.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Yes, which I have done at Fry's -just walked right out- and based upon those two experiences with their now-failing operation, I never went back. I don't want to be treated that way. Everyone else in the world might be perfectly fine with it, but I am not. I'll leave my money with businesses that don't treat me like a suspect.

I'm not fine with it either. Local store added self checkout lanes and a receipt checker at the door. Hire cashiers if you don't trust me to scan items. I'm not about to stop and prove my innocence to your minion at the door.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
What's not to love about shopping at a place that distrusts its customers so much, they stop them at the door and ask to look in their bag and see their receipt?parabellum

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Their story is that they are actually checking to see that everything on the receipt is actually in the bag, that a lot of people leave some stuff at the checkout counter by accident. (Yeah, riiiight.)flashguy

I worked for Fry's for the eleven years prior to my becoming disabled. I can assure you that the receipt checkers are primarily there to make sure that the cashiers are ringing everything up properly. They find about 50/50 over rings/under rings. They are paid commission evenly either way. Fry's keeps track of the cashiers accuracy stats.

Fry's has plain clothes floorwalkers and monitored surveillance cameras on the lookout for shoplifters. Shoplifters are stopped outside of the store.

The receipt check is voluntary. they are supposed to ask something like "may I please see your receipt", you are free to decline the request. The only people compelled to stop for them are Fry's employees.

What's not to love about shopping at a place that distrusts its customers so much, they stop them at the door and ask to look in their bag and see their receipt?
^^^
So true. Remember Crazy Eddies??? They would not do that. I think he went out of business years ago after he got in some trouble. Always got a good deal there even if the owner was a whack job.

quote:

What's not to love about shopping at a place that distrusts its customers so much, they stop them at the door and ask to look in their bag and see their receipt?

It's not as bad as going through the TSA line.

quote:

Remember Crazy Eddies??? They would not do that. I think he went out of business years ago after he got in some trouble.
Always got a good deal there even if the owner was a whack job.

Yeah, I remember them.
[cliff.clavin] My company bought them in 1987 and afterwards when we found out what we got - it put us out of business. It ended up making my shares worthless. They were the ultimate crooks and our greed killed us. [/cliff.clavin]

FWIW, the whole check-your-ticket at the door is such a trivial gripe that has nothing to do with this threads intent.

I stopped going to frys about 20 years ago.

I had bought 10 DVD's from them. When I got home one of the discs was not in the package.

I went back to get it replaced with the receipt for the 10 DVD's and told them it was empty when I opened it up.

The response was...You have no proof it was empty when you left the store. WTF

That was it and I have never stepped foot in that store again.

Also FWIW, after we bought Crazy Eddies we retained some of the Crazy Eddie guys and they came here in Houston and they were great guys.
It was the original corruption of the primary owners of CE aka the Antar family that were the crooks in the deal. That and our company's blind ambition to grow and lack of due diligence in the deal.

Just went into the Fry's Sunnyvale location, hadn't been in awhile...whoa, ghost town.

Considering the rise of online businesses like Monoprice and others, surprised Fry's hadn't switched to a stronger online presence. They employ a huge amount of people and can only image the yearly costs and leases of their stores. When the bottom fell-out of the early tech boom, many of the workers ended up working for Fry's on the sales floor, it was(is) a bastion of middle-aged engineers and programers not hired by start-up (younger) tech firms in the late 00's.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

What's not to love about shopping at a place that distrusts its customers so much, they stop them at the door and ask to look in their bag and see their receipt?

Around 25 years ago, a new Circuit City opened in the Birmingham area.

I went in, bought something, and walked out (with my paid-for item) past the security guards who wanted to inspect my purchase and my receipt.

I did not stop for them. They followed me out into the parking lot. One stood in front of my car while the other was at my driver's door window, with his hand on the grip of his holstered gun.

I told him, through the window that I had lowered about an inch, that my car was in gear and my foot was on the clutch, and if I saw that gun even twitch in the holster my foot was coming off the clutch, with his buddy standing in front of my car. Further told him that if he wanted to call the real police and accuse me of shoplifting, I would be happy to wait there IF he removed his hand from his gun, then when the police arrived and verified my receipt, I would sue the store, the security agency, and the two security guards personally, for unlawful detention.

What they had done was basically accuse me of stealing (false accusation), and threaten me with deadly force. Sorry, that shit does not fly. I do not recall ever being angrier than I was that day.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by bossman:
My local walmart checks bags and receipts also, in small town Iowa...

You can walk right out of the store. Once you pay for your items, they’re yours, not Wal-mart’s. I’ve only encountered receipt checkers once in my life and I walked right past them without stopping.

Only club membership places like sams and Costco can stop you and check receipts.

Yep, I smile and nod and keep on moving if it’s Wallymart. There’s been only once that a bag checker said something, but I don’t recall what it was because I just kept walking.

This, I refuse to stop....it drives my wife crazy

Started one black Friday, I had a pie and there was a line....screw that....they want to chase me for a pie?

Then I thought about it, I bought the item ....it's mine, let them call the po po....I have time

Member clubs, like Costco, have an agreement that you have to sign when you join, so they very well might have the right to inspect on the way out. All I have ever had was a cursory glance, and the exit door check-person just swiped a magic marker to make a line on my receipt.

How about other stores, like WalMart? Shoppers do not sign an agreement for the right to shop there. I have never seen any signage informing shoppers that bags or carts will be inspected.

What is the legal status there? Do they actually have the right to inspect, as if every customer is a thief?

I just walk by them, paying no attention. To date, no WalMart exit door person has chased me out to the parking lot. Why do people stop for the door checker?

I realize that theft it is a big problem for merchants especially so in big box stores where they can't watch everyone and more and more they are utilizing self check out. It would be very easy to just leave something in the cart and not scan it which is further facilitated where they don't bag the merch. as with Sams and Costco. But this checking at the door thing is annoying.

Seems like at Sams and Costo there is a bit of profiling being done. My wife and I walked out of Costco the other day with about 10 items in the cart. The checker girl simply looked at us and gave a cursory glance at the ticket and the cart, then just drew a line through the receipt and we were on our way. The two who were ahead of us in the line got a much more detailed inspection. I guess she figure us old farts looked honest and the other couple not so much.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Why do people stop for the door checker?

I do, as a matter of courtesy, as they are employees of the store just doing their job. In the 2 seconds it takes for them to look at my receipt is not worth getting all hostile over. It's merely for show anyway. You don't really expect a 70 year door checker to chase anybody out into the parking lot.

I’ve been happy with the one close to my house. I’ll need some small part or something and I can swoop in they have it and I’m out. They also deal hard sometimes. I have a Denon AVR in my bedroom that I got for about 1/2 price with the sales price + manager’s coupon. Was way cheaper than Amazon or anything else.

I mainly get small computer parts there now--cases and cables and whatnot.

Last time I tried to buy major components like CPU, GPU, and RAM, their selection and inventory was dismal.