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I've been to a Micro center once in my life, in Sunnyvale, in Mercado. The prices were worse than Staples for computer equipment so I never went back. I don't even know if it's still there anymore.

I have no idea which part of the country you live in, but I would be shocked if in the Bay Area, Micro Center would be considered a "success". I can see how some stores, depending on their business agreements, might be able to stay alive through support, etc.

But for example, last year I ordered a graphics card on Amazon and it arrived on a Friday. I tried installing it on Saturday, and discovered it was broken, so I ordered a new one on Saturday afternoon. It arrived on a Sunday, before 9am. It was the most amazing experience.

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I frequent the Duluth, GA location. MicroCenter has excellent deals if you're building a machine, and they're more or less filling the DIY electronics hole that RadioShack left. The "Maker" department is magical.

Amazon returns are nice, but store warranties are where MicroCenter shines. When my Samsung SSD died after six months, I waited weeks for the manufacturer to ship me a replacement. I've gone with store warranties since then; if something breaks they'll just hand you a replacement off the shelf.

Years back Micro Center was a bit pricy, but they really stepped up their game to be competitive with online. I'll still price compare, but if they're within a few percent (and if there are any ongoing specials they can be cheaper) I'll chose the local pickup option. (Especially for something like a case, which always seem to get damaged in shipping.)

I've been to the Boston, Chicago, and DC-area Microcenters, and had good experiences with all of them (although the Boston one could use a larger parking lot). Never actually been to a Fry's store--it seems that Fry's mostly set up west of the Mississippi and Microcenter east of it.

Are the prices better than Amazon? I've never been to an electronics store that is doing better since 2000 except for the Apple Store, but I live in CA. Even Best Buy in CA is empty and more expensive for the most part.

The prices, especially if you're going to buy a mobo and a CPU at the same time in a combo deal are frequently the lowest you can find.

I also shy away from amazon for some computer components because of all the fake stuff Amazon is now filled with. At MC you're much more likely to get the actual real part you ordered.

I used to love opening things from Fry’s and discovering that it was an unmarked return & not the actual product at all. Sometimes: empty box.

When I was last looking at prices, the prices were not better than what I found online... but they were not worse either.

Their sales/deals are often the lowest price going, particularly their combo deals.

For non-sale stuff, they're usually in a competitive ballpark, although I wouldn't necessarily say cheaper, and I don't have to worry about counterfeits, or the "might be used/refurbed" roulette.

Just lookup the item on your phone when shopping at Microcenter, then show the price to a sales person. They even have a sign saying they will price match Amazon and Walmart.

Although I'm a Prime member, I would actually pay a slight premium to have the assurance that I'm not getting counterfeit merchandise on Amazon.

I don't buy anything complex on Amazon anymore, just books and stuff that I don't care are fake.

I live in CA, too (Santa Clara), and in the last few years -- that's a very important qualifier! -- I've found Best Buy to be... pretty reasonable. It's certainly not empty, stocks are up to date, and their prices tend to be competitive not just with Fry's but with Amazon. A few years ago I bought a Mac-specific mechanical keyboard -- a Matias Tactile Pro 3 -- for a good $40 less than Matias's own online store would have charged, which IIRC was actually $10 less than Amazon's price.

Also, as far as I know, Best Buy will do price-matching against Amazon, just like Fry's does, except with much less fuss about it. And Best Buy is way better about actually pricing their stuff competitively with Amazon to start with rather than hoping you just don't notice.

Same experience with Chicago (Elston) and Rockville, MD Micro Center stores. The employees are helpful and knowledgeable, I've found prices to be good, and being able to bring something home in your own vehicle is also valuable. That's opposed to waiting for it to be tossed onto your porch from across the yard or just simply stolen.

I actually purchased a 34" ultrawide monitor from the Rockville store recently specifically because it was the best price I could find at the time, and I went and got it the same day.

Went to a Fry's way out in the burbs of Chicago long ago, in the mid 2000s or so, it was pretty lively then. Not even sure if that one is still around.

There even used to be a TigerDirect location just south of Micro Center on Elston for a while. In my mind they always competed with NewEgg though and looks like NewEgg won out. I don't think the physical location was around that long. Might have even been a CompUSA around there too if I remember correctly.

Downers Grove Fry's is more or less a ghost town, and has been for more than a year at least by all reports. It's impossible to believe that they can cover their overhead. The "changing to a consignment model" thing is laughable with Fry's gigantic stores, the whole thing is just bizarre.

Yep. I went on a Saturday afternoon in the summer of 2019 to buy a power supply. They had a poor selection in general, and didn't have a full or partially modular PS in stock at all.

Went to Microcenter later that day. Moderately busy store, fully stocked shelves, and a decently knowledgeable staff.

I also just bought an open-box video card there last weekend, which ended up saving me another $35 USD. I like having the option to just return it to the store if there is a problem, I'm a little more worried about doing this via an online retailer.

I think I bought my home monitor from that TigerDirect many years ago. I remember being amazed at how quickly they shipped it, I think I had it at my home in Minneapolis a day later.

Microcenter can beat most fully online retailers on pricing if you're patient.

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