Real Life Game: Fry's Electronics in Phoenix.

A friend has pointed out that the idea of a Cabela’s and a Fry’s Electronics being in the same city is sort of weird. An IT/Computer nerd will not want to hang out in a place that likes talking about hunting animals that don’t shoot back. Likewise, a nature loving hunter will not really need a mile of optic fiber.

My response was that NASA is full of rednecks. The entire establishment is the epitome of the term, “Hey, watch this.” In fact, the entire history of rocketry is filled with guys that used incredibly expensive equipment to send things into orbit on a giant gas filled flame monster.

“This might be a small step for Neil, but its a hell of jump for me,” a line from Buzz Aldrin on the Moon.

For a proper look, we will view the Fry’s Electronics in and Cabela’s in Phoenix separately, and then in comparison. This is to properly help us look at it, and also lets me have three articles instead of one.

Fry’s Electronics is a Geek gathering place. If you want to know how the geeks in a city think, see their IT hangouts. For example, Spokane Washington has a really cool Best Buy that has never updated their Wii U demo. It still runs Rayman on a giant screen. So it looks great, is a giant warehouse of tech stuff, but really doesn’t improve as much as needed.

Makes you wonder about Tenochtitlan doesn't it?

Phoenix does not have a lot of interesting architecture, unless you count apartment complexes. The Fry’s in Western Phoenix is actually pretty amazing to look at. The outer design is “Aztecish”. It’s not really Aztec, but gives off the ideas from the stereotypes of the culture.

The design is only skin deep, but it adds a lot of flavor to the view of the building. One of the first things any design should have is easily identifiable locations, and this Fry’s does it very well.

Please take my old TV, and get me a thinner screen oh great Geek gods.

This picture is of the back wall of the building, and surprised me at its comical meaning. These people are offering up their old computer parts, for new computer stuff. Not only is this true of anyone walking through the store, it also holds true for how we view electronics in and of themselves. Below this offering place is new TV’s and a small theater.

It's a theater, so the picture isn't showing too well.

The design of the theater is such that it seems reasonable to afford. The entire package is about $2,500, plus theater seats, and room. I can’t afford it, but if I made enough money this would be a great idea. All of the parts needed -sans theater seats- can be found in Fry’s and are fairly affordable for someone who would think to do this. The show was the Amazing Spiderman menu, and it did its job well enough. Oh, and you have to see what the entrance looks like. 

Way down this aisle of  'palm trees' and next to the offering place.

Need a better view of those teeth?

Even the jaguar god has an overbite.

The entire theme of Fry’s is affordable items and all the equipment needed for them. There are more expensive items, but you don’t feel cheated if you buy the affordable item first. So, yes, there are 4K TV’s showing off amazing visuals, and reasonably priced TV’s that would do well in an apartment. My level of spending is University Used market. My monitor cost $50, and just about everything is used. But even then I found stuff I could afford at Fry’s.

The right side of the giant geek emporium was programs.

The snake was selling nothing that day.

To the far right is videogames.

Mario pointing the way to heaven.

In the center is entertainment items, and a great looking cafe.

My camera has difficulties with great looking things I guess.

In fact, the best way to view things is the idea that the more technical things will be on the edges, while the easier things are more near the front. If you want computer parts, you go past programs, and videogames. If you want cameras you have to go past DVD’s.

Latin Movies are less geeky than Anime.

The entire area follows the grid like pattern found just like Phoenix Street designs. With this and other helps, it was pretty easy to find items, and enjoy myself in the store. The areas were sectioned off well, and had enough displays and charts to tell me what was what. The idea that the deeper I went, the more technical things got held true for the most part. Also, the feeling that everything was affordable, and could be found in the store kept me coming. Unlike the Best Buy in Spokane, everything was updated so the Wii U had the latest games ready to play. If you were a certain type of geek, you could find your area, and leave without being bothered too much by anything else.

The one really interesting subject about the Fry’s was the very small book section. The Seattle Fry’s had a few rows of books, comics, and magazines to read. There was a shelf for books in the Phoenix store.

The Phoenix Fry’s was nicely designed, and easy to navigate. The Aztecish fair was a cool addon. It really felt like an easy themed dungeon with various items for my character to update with. How does this compare to Cabela’s? We shall soon find out.

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