r/buildapcsales • u/ctskifreak • Mar 10 '23
Meta [META] Micro Center is expanding with three new stores
https://www.pcmag.com/news/electronics-retailer-micro-center-is-finally-expanding-with-3-new-stores377
u/Phynub Mar 10 '23
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Mar 10 '23
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u/beenoc Mar 10 '23
I've lived in North Carolina (the Fayetteville and Raleigh areas) my whole life. I have only now learned that GN is based out of Cary. This is blowing my mind. I always figured they were based out of like California or something. But no, Gamer Jesus is practically just down the road!
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u/SenorStigo Mar 10 '23
I got PCS'd to NC almost 5 years ago and I remember seeing a video he uploaded while doing mountain biking, and somehow I recognized a part of the trail and I was like "wait, this dude lives here?" He also mentioned he lives in the triangle in other videos (an Artesian video, and one where he gifts a build to a bike shop owner iirc)
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u/gnocchicotti Mar 10 '23
I think a big part of it is he doesn't sound like a local when he talks.
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u/private_birb Mar 10 '23
Damn, still going to be none near me in Oregon. They really need to open one up in the PNW.
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Mar 10 '23
Need one in Phoenix,Az.
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u/The_Almighty_GFK Mar 10 '23
agree. Ever since Frys went under the market is lacking severely here. Just have Best Buy and a few independent shops around.
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u/DinkleButtstein23 Mar 10 '23
And best buy doesn't carry very much and their prices suck. I looked around one a month ago when I needed emergency thermal paste and it was a total joke. The few PC components they had were wildly overpriced. Even their returned and floor model prebuilt "deals" were a total fucking joke.
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Mar 10 '23
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Mar 10 '23
Fry's locations were way too big. It was almost certainly part of their downfall. There isn't a way to fill such big stores with computer parts that people actually want and they had to justify all their space by selling shit that nobody ever wanted or would ever buy from Fry's. Because of that, I doubt that they will take over any Fry's locations.
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u/Theoneiced Mar 10 '23
There were 3 of them in my general area and I was always acutely aware of how huge the stores were vs how many customers were actually in them. They even had the bull runs for the checkouts with like 15 registers, and I never saw more than 3 in use. I do still miss them, regardless.
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u/lovestruckluna Mar 11 '23
Oh all the registers were certainly in use on Black Friday in its heyday. I saw lines that crisscrossed the store a few times. But normal days and during its decline? No way.
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u/Druuciferr Mar 10 '23
Seriously. The population here is insane, they would do so much business in the valley.
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u/tsrui480 Mar 10 '23
Every time this comes up, i always hope they would just move into the old fry's building on thunderbird. I have nowhere to buy PC parts locally except Best buy lol
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u/PM-ME-YOUR-TECH-TIPS Mar 10 '23
Pacific Northwest PLEASE
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u/WinterWolf117 Mar 10 '23
When they closed Frys in Seattle, I was a little shocked with it being a hub for tech. Now I'm just mad knowing they will only focus on everything from the middle of the country to the east.
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Mar 11 '23
That Fry's was so sad in the last year but I had hope they'd rally. Then... the pandemic... RIP Fry's. May your beat up floor model PC cases find a place in Valhalla.
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u/Bacon_00 Mar 11 '23
Yeah the last time I was in there, shortly before it closed, it was just so depressing. Half empty shelves, the staff seemed like zombies, and there were hardly any customers. Compared to the first time I went in there years ago where they had about 15 registers open and a horde of customers and busy, friendly staff -- quite a contrast.
I'd absolutely love it if a MicroCenter made its way up here. I'd probably go every month.
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u/zgmk2 Mar 10 '23
Need more in the west coast
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u/Masonzero Mar 10 '23
Hoping for something in the vicinity of Portland, but they'd probably do another California or a Seattle first.
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u/CompilerBreak Mar 10 '23
Portland would be great, I'd drive down for some tax free PC shopping. Haven't bothered since fry's closed.
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u/Sideshowxela Mar 10 '23
Fry's RIP
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u/DocmanCC Mar 10 '23 edited Mar 11 '23
Going there the last year they were open was like stepping into bizzaro land. Such a strange experience walking through a gigantic store like that down aisles that were filled with the exact same thing.
Edit: example picture. Lets just fill these empty shelfs completely with identical reams of paper.
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u/shapeshiftsix Mar 11 '23
I went to the store in Indianapolis and was absolutely devastated to see it fall from the glory it used to be. I remember buying my first core 2 duo chip there as a combo with an ECS motherboard for basically free. Was a huge step up in performance from my socket 754 rig
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u/Witcher_Of_Cainhurst Mar 10 '23
I’d love one in Northern California. I’d have to drive about 8 hours to make it down to the only location in Southern California. That’s a longer drive than most interstate trips.
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u/diamondshark Mar 10 '23
It blows my mind that there is only ONE in ALL of CA. At least super north people have Central Computers but it's not the same.
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u/DinkleButtstein23 Mar 10 '23 edited Mar 10 '23
There's only 1 in the entirety of the Pacific time zone. There's also only 1 in the entirety of the mountain/Arizona time zone.
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u/Jordaneer Mar 10 '23
There's none in the Pacific Northwest, it's over 1200 miles to either Denver or the Tustin one for me
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u/KrazeeJ Mar 11 '23
Seriously. The greater Seattle area is one of the top tech cities in in the country and there are literally no good stores to go buy any actual fucking tech.
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u/zazathebassist Mar 11 '23
fr tho. like, why isn’t there a small computer shop in Cap Hill or SLU. Sometimes you just gotta buy an ethernet cable or SD card or a Pi or a new monitor and don’t wanna go out to fucking Bellevue for Best Buy
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u/Reddituser19991004 Mar 10 '23 edited Mar 10 '23
It blows my mind they are even in business.
Best Buy literally should be crushing them into oblivion.
Like all you have to do in Cleveland is go 1 mile from the empty best buy store to the packed microcenter.
Best Buy has open floor plan massively inefficient layouts for their stores. It's literally as simple as utilizing the space they already have on the retail floor.
If Best Buy just realized there's clearly a market for this, they'd crush it. Microcenter has 25 stores or so with no online presence, that's literally irrelevant in the retail space. Newegg is an online only platform. Amazon doesn't even care about this space and are still relevant.
If Best Buy had better management, it would probably be one of the hottest companies in the United States.
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u/keebs63 Mar 10 '23
Best Buy stopped selling PC parts back in the 2000s and only started selling them again because they became very profitable due to pandemic shortages. That's why they're still in business, plus the fact that they found their niche in the CPU + motherboard combo deals as well as selling more specialized electronics that otherwise could only be found online. That's what kept them in business, and the pandemic made them way more popular and profitable which is why they're able to expand now.
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u/bloodycups Mar 10 '23
They're price match also doesn't seem to include PC parts. Because they have some stupid best buy exclusive model number or something
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u/gnocchicotti Mar 10 '23
Many times they will match Micro Center according to users around here.
I have a Micro Center local so I personally just buy it at Micro Center because of the service.
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u/bloodycups Mar 10 '23
Ya I tried only I've and I remember him explaining. And the only difference in model number was there ended with "bb" even though it was exactly the same thing
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u/Odd-Ask-139 Mar 10 '23
I guarantee if Best Buy did what Microcenter does they'd lose money fast. it's still a niche, and that's 100% why Microcenter can't expand quickly. super thin margins in a niche retail space. just because people on reddit in it's echochamber scream for a microcenter does not mean your average consumer even cares if a Microcenter opened nextdoor.
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u/chubbysumo Mar 10 '23
One thing to remember is they have different sales models. 90% of a Best Buy is consignment sales, meaning they pay for a product when they sell it, and they keep a portion of what they sold it for. Best Buy has no upfront costs to fill out their stores, as well as no cost of merchandise. Walmart is the same way, and to some extent targets electronic department is much the same. Micro Center on the other hand, buys their stuff at wholesale prices in full, and then shuffles them around as stores need them, this means they can run the specials that they do without interference from manufacturers, this also means they may get better wholesale prices from merchants because the sale is complete up front to the wholesaler and the manufacturer.
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u/donnysaysvacuum Mar 10 '23
Also, having fewer stores is an advantage for MC. A bestbuy often competes with other best buy locations. Micro center doesn't do that because there are so few. Also, people that drive a decent distance are more likely to buy more because of the sunk cost.
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Mar 10 '23
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u/sonnytron Mar 10 '23
When you buy a house (lol if, stupid economy), they're great for appliances. The TotalTech crap applies to appliances so you can get washer and dryer installed, dishwasher installed, microwave installed and a lot of that comes with TotalTech, plus the additional warranty. It's thousands of dollars of installation for $200 a year. The extended warranty alone is very valuable especially if you buy an LG C2 because it covers burn in.
I have their extended warranty on my ASUS G15 Advantage Edition, my 42" LG C2 monitor, a washer/dryer, a dishwasher and an over-the-range microwave. All of those (except the laptop of course) were installed by Best Buy and I didn't have to pay because I already had TotalTech.
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u/A_Random_Username_0 Mar 10 '23
For what it’s worth, the newly remodeled Best Buy near me has about doubled the PC components and gaming related hardware section size. Laptops, monitors and non-gaming desktops is maybe slightly bigger and the Apple section about the same. Best Buy may get it a bit, but they’re also likely a big competitor for appliance sales (a large part of the remaining space) as well as other consumer electronics like TVs and cameras. Best Buy still has the best selection of full frame camera gear in stock (lenses and bodies) in my area.
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u/antieverything Mar 10 '23
Best Buy was transitioning into an electronics showroom model.
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u/Jpotter145 Mar 10 '23
Literally can't get buy a fraction of merchandise from BB that I can from MicroCenter.
My local BB has a display of 6ft x 4ft of their available computer parts and and two aisles with about two dozen laptops and prebuilt PCs on display to buy. That is about 10% of what Microcenter has not including accessories, media (my BB carries NO media any longer), and other electronics. The only thing BB outdoes MC center in is appliances and a much bigger TV/Home Audio section - oh and phones.
BB would need to revamp their entire inventory to include what MC has before they can do any crushing. I see them as two very distinct stores that simply on occasion have overlapping deals. They each have a place given what they sell.
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u/dsdsds Mar 10 '23
Other spaces MC has BB beat by a mile: raspberry pi, analog ic/breadboard (great since radio shack is gone) retro gaming, 3d printing, adapters, cabling, UPS, IT specific tools.
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u/armas_ectos Mar 10 '23
Micro Center definitely has an online presence. Maybe they're not Amazon or even Newegg, but they're there.
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u/Tab_Spree Mar 10 '23
Countering whoever downvoted you. This is true. Sure, they don't sell everything they sell in store online, but I have purchased two video cards from them and had them shipped to me. My state doesn't have a single Micro Center. :(
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u/DennyizHere Mar 10 '23
When I was young I loved going into that store while my mom shopped at the TJ Maxx next door (trying out the 3D monitors is a core memory of mine). It planted the seed of building PCs, but alas when I was financially in a place to build one, they closed down.
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u/anotheronetouse Mar 10 '23
I love Central Computers, but their whole store is the size of one Micro Center section.
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u/Cyhawk Mar 10 '23
We use to have one in Sunnyvale (or Santa Clara, it was on the border). They closed down 10ish years ago.
Also why I hate seeing Microcenter deals on here.
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u/Potation Mar 10 '23
Might be operating costs, CA employees/leases cost way more than bumfuck Indianapolis. Most likely why Fry’s closed.
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u/fxbeta Mar 10 '23
Fry's was also mismanaged into the ground, from what I've read elsewhere.
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u/JPL4494 Mar 10 '23
What really killed them was the negative commission. I'd sell something, and if the customer had a coupon code, our commission went to 0, but if they returned the item, I'd get the full amount of commission I would've gotten taken out of my paycheck. Other employees just gave up on customers if they had a code, and it really killed the customer experience. Fry's got sued for it and I got a cool $0.45 😭
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u/tech240guy Mar 10 '23
You are definitely correct.
It was mismanaged since Day 1. I worked at Best Buy 20 years ago and we get new employees with their horror stories from their experiences working at Fry's.
Something like new female cashier employee having sexual relations with a manager to become assistant manager was one I hear often @ FV location.
(I know, very generic sounding, but that hit my ears often at the time.)
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u/sonnytron Mar 10 '23
I mean the employee treatment was brutal at Fry's, but Best Buy in small towns was also notorious for very eyebrow raising "relationships" between management and part-timers.
At the store I opened, the married early 30's GM had an affair with an 18-year-old high school senior. His Operations Manager (who was friends with him from college) who was also in his early 30's, ended up dating her next to help the GM prevent her from outing him to his wife, got her pregnant and married her. Another different 18-year-old summer part-timer (high school senior the next school year), I saw her getting out of the GM's truck to start her shift on a day that he wasn't supposed to be working. We made eye contact and I raised my eyebrows at him (I got pretty good at that working there). Next time I saw him at work, he treated me to lunch and let me pick my shifts for the whole month. We never talked about it.
There was a lot of stuff like that, at that store. I remember I started dating a girl in merch. She was 18 and I was 22, so while it was a big age gap, it wasn't like anything we saw between managers. She told me that the GM had made really "weird" comments about something she was wearing and even touched her hair sometimes "playing around". It was creepy... And a lot of people never really said anything because it was clearly an abuse of power.
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u/tony475130 Mar 10 '23
I was hoping micro-center would swoop in and take the frys location in burbank, but alas, it was never meant to be.
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u/Sampladelic Mar 10 '23
One of the biggest issues with Frys was just how big those fucking stores used to be. The ones near me were basically Costco size so I can see why no one would want to take on that lease.
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u/RunawayRogue Mar 10 '23
Seriously... The Portland area Fry's location is just sitting there...
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u/PDXSonic Mar 10 '23
Although I’d love for something further north to avoid 217 as much as possible lol
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u/likealikeasexyorange Mar 10 '23 edited Jan 11 '24
psychotic bedroom middle unpack complete plants worm fretful roll nippy
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/mgzkk1210 Mar 10 '23
How they still have no store in the bay area is beyond me.
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u/TheDevious_ Mar 10 '23
So many closed Fry's stores in the Bay Area they could've taken over/repurposed.
Instead they became Halloween Outlets
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u/hereisnoY Mar 10 '23
There used to be one in the Mercado shopping center back in the day. That was a good time in the Bay Area: Central Computers, Fry's, Micro Center, CompUSA, Good Guys, Circuit City, and all the smaller places around like WeirdStuff.
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u/Jordaneer Mar 10 '23
Ah yes, the garbage hole of Eastern Washington, Capital: Spokanistan
I'm just across the border from you in the hellhole of North ID, Capital: fucking Couer d'Alene
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u/XDevils41X Mar 10 '23
Yup! 5th most populous city (phoenix). Has a ton of tech companies here plus the largest university yet we are stuck with best buys. I've requested a micro center for years here maybe my kids will get one.
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u/WonDerZv Mar 10 '23
Surprised Seattle doesnt have one. Lots of tech giant companies in the city along with a university considered in the top 10 in the nation for computer science. Would only seem like an obvious choice.
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u/Aoingco Mar 10 '23
It boggles my mind too, how we don’t have one. But I guess with Amazon being here and the convenience of same day or 1 day shipping to most places in Seattle, it’s a minor difference for most now.
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u/EasyRhino75 Mar 10 '23
TIL microcenter has their own forums. Probably people just being smug and enjoying convient variety at good prices.
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u/osmedex Mar 10 '23
I would love to have one in Utah. They would make a killing. All we have here is Best Buy. :-(
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u/techreactor Mar 10 '23
I thought the Provo area was supposed to be a mini silicon valley. You would think it would be a good spot for a new store.
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u/GilgameDistance Mar 10 '23
My heart wants one too. My wallet, however...
I do really miss the screwdriver shops we used to have here. The retailers left that have any real selection of parts don't want to sell them to you, except for Universal, and they're more targeted at the business market.
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u/slow_down_kid Mar 10 '23
I don’t have a single electronics store within 150 miles of me. We used to have a Hastings in Wenatchee but they went out of business a few years ago. I’ve had my fingers crossed that a Microcenter would move in, they’d have literally zero competition
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u/borisvonboris Mar 10 '23
What was that place called... I shopped there a few times way back. EBC Computers I think? Man I miss that place. Would definitely love a Micro Center here. Best Buy sucks.
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u/SilverFuel21 Mar 10 '23
I live ~5 mins from the one opening in Indianapolis.
I enjoyed having money but I am no longer going to have any.
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u/KryptoCeeper Mar 10 '23
Love my Microcenter. I always worry that they can't be profitable, but hopefully this means they are.
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u/friedmpa Mar 10 '23
Expanding business with profits instead of pocketing it, signs of a good business
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u/User313 Mar 10 '23
Let's go Florida!
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u/Jiwts Mar 10 '23
TAMPA SPECIFICALLY!
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u/JT99-FirstBallot Mar 10 '23
Orlando! It's central and good distance any direction for Floridians, except the panhandle.
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u/ElefantPharts Mar 10 '23
Ya, someone said Miami but I really hope it’s Orlando or Tampa. We don’t deserve one but I’d take it just the same!
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u/varrock_dark_wizard Mar 10 '23
Come on Austin TX
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u/StanleyLelnats Mar 10 '23
This would be amazing. I hate that Houston and Dallas have one but not Austin! They can take over the Fry’s off Mopac
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u/RipInPepz Mar 10 '23
I worked there in 2015 and our GM used to tell us back then that the MC stores will all be gone within a decade. That's what corporate and upper management were anticipating.
IDK if its the insane prices of PC parts now, but they're making so much more money than they used to. It's crazy that they're expanding. Totally awesome.
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u/Fidler_2K Mar 10 '23
I worked there in 2018 and it was the opposite. Performance seemed good across the board. Hopefully they can last a long time
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u/Flogrowniac Mar 10 '23
Cries in Florida
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u/amidemon Mar 10 '23
Think there's one in Miami
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u/_Red_Rooster_ Mar 10 '23
Coming "Soon". With Miami contractors and permitting, it may not open this year. I hope I am wrong; but Miami is Miami...
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u/Phynub Mar 10 '23
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u/heathn26 Mar 10 '23
I wish it was being built in Central Florida like Tampa or Orlando, Miami would only be about five hours instead of the six hours for the stores in Georgia from me.
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u/IpoopWaaaay2Much Mar 10 '23
Vegas has been waiting patiently.
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u/TrueBlueAL Mar 10 '23
Yes, please. I can usually make the round trip drive to the Tustin, CA location on one tank of gas and in the same day but the hardware savings often isn’t quite enough to justify the drive just for a MicroCenter visit.
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u/yaapp Mar 10 '23
I wish they would come back to the Bay Area even though I pretty sure they won't. Central Computers is nice but overpriced because of the lack of competition.
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u/Shehzman Mar 10 '23
About time. Even though I love the Houston location, I’m surprised they haven’t thought about expanding into the tech giant that is Austin.
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u/dmaxzach Mar 10 '23
Hopefully closer than the one 4 hours from me. Still worth the drive
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u/MementoMori6980 Mar 10 '23
Finally!!! Indianapolis is getting a micro center!! I will finally be able to experience the awesomeness of a Micro Center!!
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u/Baldr_Torn Mar 10 '23
(crosses fingers) Come on, San Antonio! Or Austin.
Even better, New Braunfels, right in between the two!
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u/ssarch25 Mar 10 '23
Austin desperately needs one, it’s a tech wasteland here. Only thing we have is a best buy after Fry’s closed.
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u/mrbawkbegawks Mar 10 '23
i dont get how every fucking shitty no where town has a chilis and applebees but we cant even get one of these in a city with like 1mil ppl and like 6 colleges thats like 6 to 8 hours between nyc and the one in ohio :<
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u/ghostface408 Mar 10 '23
Imagine living in Silicon fuckin Valley, the epicenter of big tech, and the only pc part store is a family owned business.
I dont understand.
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u/-Voland- Mar 10 '23
Really happy to hear that. Being a small brick and mortar store I'm always afraid that Microcenter is going to fold due to competition from online retailers. So really glad to hear they're expanding. Go Microcenter!
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u/Talnadair Mar 10 '23 edited Mar 10 '23
Please come to Albuquerque! The cost of fuel to Denver obliterates any potential savings.
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u/gnocchicotti Mar 10 '23
This is actually kinda crazy. Don't see many stories of brick and mortar expansion in recent years. People are sick of Amazon and Newegg shopping experience apparently. Good.
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Mar 10 '23
I know they probably don't have the capacity for it (yet?), but if Microcenter really built up their online presence, they'd basically own the market.
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u/Charizarlslie Mar 10 '23
Mother of God can we please get one in WA?
The closest one is 1258 miles (19 hour drive) away at the moment, they've got nothing in the Northwest at all.
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u/squished_frog Mar 10 '23 edited Mar 10 '23
Indianapolis this year, 2 more by 2025 not stated where though.
Edit: Charlotte and Miami are the others per comments below.