Empty Shelves At Fry's Electronics Raise Concerns About Tech Store's Future
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – Shoppers at technology retailer Fry's Electronics are raising concerns about the store's future, after many are finding empty shelves.
Customers at the store's flagship Bay Area locations said they have noticed the change over the last several months. In a visit to their location in San Jose, KPIX 5 found fewer items in stock and more empty space on the shelves.
"It's not what you'd normally expect. Big-dollar items are still here," said customer Brian Craig. "But it's the little stuff that you want -- the different connectors, the video cables, things like that -- they just don't have it anymore."
Fry's opened its first store in the Bay Area in 1985 and went on to expand to nine states, with more than 30 locations. But many brick and mortar stores have struggled in recent years as online sales have grown.
"There's a lot of different items that they just don't carry right now," said Laura Thomas, who considers herself a Fry's loyalist.
Thomas said the store's woes may be a part of a larger trend towards online shopping. "People shop online for groceries these days. People just don't go into grocery stores or even…Malls are going under. It's like everybody wants to be online," she said.
KPIX 5 reached out to Fry's for comment on Sunday but calls were not immediately returned. The retailer has told other publications that they have no immediate plans to go out of business.
The concerns come as Fry's announced their location in Palo Alto is slated to close sometime in the next few months.
