farewell, fry's

Cult-favorite electronics store shutters all Houston locations among nationwide closing

Fry's is closing all its Houston and nationwide stores.

Frys.com

A go-to chain for tech tinkerers looking for an obscure party is permanently closing its doors nationwide.

Fry's Electronics, well-known for outlandish themes at some of its stores, from Aztec to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," said Wednesday, February 24 in an online posting that the COVID-19 pandemic had made it impossible to continue. The statement notes:

The Company ceased regular operations and began the wind-down process on February 24, 2021. It is hoped that undertaking the wind-down through this orderly process will reduce costs, avoid additional liabilities, minimize the impact on our customers, vendors, landlords and associates, and maximize the value of the Company’s assets for its creditors and other stakeholders.

The store's online presence appears largely to have been shut down. When trying to search the store locator, users are sent to a "404 error page not found" page. Meanwhile, its Facebook page has been taken down.

The popular software and electronics retailer has 31 stores operating in nine states; most are in Texas and California. (Three of those are in the Houston area.)

Fry's opened its first store in Sunnyvale, California in 1985.

The pandemic has done heavy damage to retailers, but Fry's was already getting hammered by online competition and a battle between heavy-hitters Best Buy and Amazon.com.

Customers with electronics being repaired in-store are being asked to pick them up and can contact the following email addresses for the following issues:

For customers who have equipment currently being repaired, email customerservice@frys.com, to arrange for return of your equipment.
For customers with items needing repair under a Performance Service Contract, call 800-811-1745.
For consignment vendors needing to pick up their consignment inventory at Fry's locations, email omnichannel@frys.com.

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closings shopping

in-person experience

Meta's first Texas store brings virtual reality to the Galleria

Courtesy of Meta

The Meta Lab is now open in the Galleria.

Social media giant Meta has arrived in Houston with a new store that allows shoppers to go hands-on with all of its products. Located near Zara on level two of the Galleria, The Meta Lab is now open daily.

Shoppers will find all of Meta’s virtual reality products at the store, including including Meta Glasses, Ray-Ban Meta, Meta Ray-Ban Display, Oakley Meta HSTN, and Oakley Meta Vanguard. People can also try out demos of the company’s virtual reality gaming headsets, the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S.

Visitors are encouraged to put the devices on in order to experience what it’s like to wear and use them. Those who need prescription lenses for their Meta glasses can order those at the store, too.

It is the ninth Meta Lab to open nationwide and the first in Texas.

Prices start at about $225 for Ray-Ban Meta glasses and go up to $799 for the Meta Ray-Ban Display, which has an in-lens display for updates and other information. Meta Quest runs from $349 to $599.

"Our approach to experiential retail is rooted in culture, creativity, and self-expression, and we're committed to building a space that reflects the Houston community," a spokesperson told the Houston Chronicle. "We look forward to welcoming people into a new experience to get hands-on with our AI glasses and VR products."

Courtesy of Meta

The Meta Lab is now open in the Galleria.

shopping the-galleria meta lab openings