Is there anybody here with some inside info who's willing to share what's going on?
Most of us posting here love this place and hate to see what is happening to it. It would be great to hear from somebody if we are really looking at the end of a once-great store (and nerd nirvana) or if there is still some hope left for it?
A couple of months ago they turned all the full time employees into part time, and made all the part time employees zero-hour contracts. They also started pulling out most of the shelving and counters. Management was still being fed the line about new stock coming in, and was telling everyone else that.
I don't think they're gonna be there much longer. At least for the Wilsonville store, the Wilsonville city government has published plans for what they intend to do in the location Fry's is in, and they expect the building to not be there in a few years. The lot they're on was purchased by some other company that's been buying the land around it to convert it into a open air mixed use commercial/residential thing.
https://www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community_development/page/11871/wilsonville_plan_050919_web.pdf
My husband works Fry's and was told that Fry's is not going out of business as far as management knew. However, the empty shelves beg to differ so staff are wary and looking at their employment options elsewhere . I agree with the poster above who said to stop asking the employee's if Fry's is closing, it creates stress for the employees since they are being asked this question by multiple customers (at least a dozen) daily and a couple of customers have tried to debate this issue with staff (i.e. "then why are your shelves empty"?). The merchandisers, sales staff and cashiers wouldn't know that information and from what hubby says, neither does store management so stop asking. If you really want to know, ask the corporate office.
Good points, @10XG5lhO-2rmj. As an outsider to the business I assume you work for–assuming you are a current or former Fry's Electronics employee–I have a hard time believing the 4D chess strategizing. Maybe I'm more pessimistic than you, but every day and week that passes is closer to any kind of Black Friday of significance.
If Fry's Electronics maintains any kind of smaller footprint that involves any more than a 30-60 minute drive in metro area traffic (the upper end being very generous), folks won't bother since Best Buy is much more competitive these days with a larger geographic reach. Micro Center is another popular B&M retailer with a cult-like following similar to what people used to feel about Fry's Electronics in the 2000s. That's not to mention the gas and time savings, no wear and tear on vehicles, etc., that online shopping offers with lower prices for things you don't need immediately. Point is, ain't no one driving that far to get to a Fry's Electronics on the regular unless they happen to be relatively near one.
I would be very surprised to see Black Friday to not be an official liquidation with the remnants of inventory that hasn't moved along with store fixtures and the like. If they don't get new inventory within a couple of weeks or so, I think Fry's Electronics is "donezo." If not by the end of September, what then? The end of October?
One last thing, if Fry's Electronics were to survive, then they would be an exception (like Best Buy) rather than the rule. Remember, other retailers out there struggling like GameStop (soon to be GameOver) and Barnes & Noble. There's only so many stores people need that sell Funko Pop! toys, LEGOs and other random knickknacks like Fry's As Seen On TV and perfume junk aisles. So the deck is certainly stacked against Fry's Electronics especially given the current state of things and the simple oversupply of retail square footage per capita in the USA.
For what it's worth, and perhaps the people coming here to read up on this because they don't want to see Fry's go aren't the type to do this anyways but walking up to a employee and going "Hey are you going out of business?" is a poor way to get an inside scoop. People who complain about getting canned results should probably try a different tactic.
As others have said there is only speculation among the ranks of the employees, any plans are being kept at the highest levels of the company which is hardly surprising as it's always been run as a tight family venture. Optimistically I don't see a total closure on the near horizon though it is likely that significant downsizing is in the works that will see multiple store closures over the next few years especially in areas where they have already have a heavy presence.
As an example they are in the process of updating the quotation system for salespeople, something that they've been talking about doing for years but are only now actually starting to implement. While this could be an instance of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing it seems like this is the last thing that they would be working on in the middle of an unannounced liquidation.
The shutting down of the warehouses seems bad but can be explained by a shift in strategy, over the past year they have begun shipping from individual stores rather than a dedicated warehouse that began with a short lived partnership with Google Express. This also follows a long running rumor about their plans to cope with the online shopping monster(though one would think that if they were serious that they would spend resources on improving the terrible website first). The other distribution center, used primarily to process returns to vendors could be considered redundant when each store could simply ship them direct which is what they are now starting to do.
The inventory problem is of course by far the most critical. They obviously have cash flow issues and speculation abounds that vendors are "cutting them off" until they can pay their debts and/or are no longer extending them credit. There certainly seems to be something to this in how what shipments there are only come in some time after the previous stock has been sold and how they are limited to a few specific brands. If I am being optimistic I suspect that things aren't entirely as dire there as they appear and that they are collecting cash so that they can stock up for Black Friday, not wanting a repeat of last year. This would explain the rumors that keep getting passed down from management that "stock is coming".
The mass downsizing and restructuring of labor may have to do with the cash flow issues but they frankly have needed to change the system up for awhile, it would just be nice if there some indication of an actual method to the apparent madness in the sweeping hour cuts and demotions that have caused the stores to go from being overstaffed and top heavy to struggling with skeleton crews. I wish that they would do away with commissioned sales associate all together as it's an archaic model for retail but that doesn't seem to be the plan with the updates to the quotation system. Hopefully the dust settles and they start hiring temporary positions for the holiday season to fill in the gaps left with the current structure.
As for store closures the prevailing rumor is that they are going to reduce the number of stores focusing primarily on locations where they own the land and/or have the building payed off, there's a logic to that though any downsizing doesn't bode well for the long term prospects of a company. This would explain why some stores seem to be considerably better off...or less worse off perhaps is a better way to say it than others and are still receiving some stock. As mentioned above there are a few areas where Fry's is crowding the market and that heavy presence simply can no longer be justified in this online shopping era.
I could be completely wrong on all of these points of course but I don't think that Fry's is going to go away anytime soon...though people may have to drive further. Assuming that they do have some practical plan in mind the trouble is going to be recovering from this slump as customers have become accustomed to the store being out of stock of everything and many will not bother to come back. It will take a big advertising campaign to revitalize the brand after this. The other problem is the employees nearly all are completely disillusioned with matters and both the good and the bad are walking out the doors, those who stay aren't likely to forget this treatment anytime soon. If there is some master plan to stay in business this is not how you treat people, either your customers or your employees. If on the other hand there is some master plan to slowly shut everything down then this is also rather shady. Whichever one it is though I don't actually expect anything better from them.
Management isn't being told either, but the stores sorry state, even for stores that would make profit but aren't now because they're not being given product to do so, is easy to see even for management.
There are two people just beneath Randy and John Fry, and thats who knows what the ultimate plan is. They listen to John and Randy, and roll out there next plan of ultimate shutdown whilst giving candied reasonings for why we are doing this or that, the end results simply being at their base a dissolving of the people, assets, and buildings. Kind of like me cutting off your arm and saying, “See, its for your own good, Im just teaching you how to use your other arm better. Next month Ill cut off your leg so you can learn to use your other leg better.”
The top management and owners don't want managers asking about the lack of product, though its the screaming issue.
Look up whose just below Randy and John. Its two people. They know the end game results. Personally I know they're words are just a string along. In fact, when they're involved in something its information on the fact something else big is going to happen in a negative way, deflection at its best. Some of the things that have happened in the company are downright criminal, or a result of pure negligence due to being such a greedy company concerning its own employees. Dont really have to prove this-anyone can google some of the reasons Frys has been sued and see its got shady practices.
I work in Burbank, I can echo what @1bgd said below. The management does not share info with workers.
I do and we know as much as you do. Management does not tell us anything! Its been months and all they say is oh things are coming in and they never do!