Comments for 26 December 1995

Oh my, Breakfast at Fry's seems to have struck a chord with many people.

From: Peter N. Skram
Date: Friday, 19-Jan-96 12:29 PM
Subject: Fry's article - dead on

Nice article and dead on.  Maybe an expose on NCA or the new Total
Technologies is in order.  May as well spread the infamy around a bit,
although Fry's really is in a league by itself.  Just as an aside,
I believe that the Fry's Discount Golf and Tennis stores may be owned
by memebers of the same family.  Haven't been to one for a while, so
I don't know what their business practices are like, but it might be
interesting to compare. Thanks for a few laughs.

Pete Skram

Scary. Well, maybe not. The idea of those wine-swilling and brie-chomping tennis pros and golf nuts getting a little Fry's service-with-a-scowl is satisfaction of untold dimensions.

As it turns out, though, Fry's is not limited to four superstores. Southern California suffers as well:

From: Hugh Hemington
Date: Friday, 29-Dec-95 10:53 PM
Subject: Fry's article

Just a brief comment on your amusing critique of Fry's.  Since there are
at least 2 Fry's locations here in Southern California (Manhattan Beach
and Canoga Park) am I correct in assuming that they are "satelite" stores?
 
Or is your North California bias showing?

I rarely expect anything from clerks but directions to the correct isle,
but I will try the camera routine and see if I get more attention.

I, of course, had to know their themes:

From: Hugh Hemington
Date: Thursday, 04-Jan-96 01:35 PM
Subject: Re: Fry's article

>Just for my amusement ... what are the "themes" for the two stores down
>there?

The Manhattan Beach store is a jungle theme and Canoga Park is Alice in
Wonderland.

... and we're both assuming there isn't one near San Diego.

Right you are. I have to admit, upon reading these words, I felt a primal desire to hop into my car with disposable camera in hand, make the eight hour marathon-hell drive down to Los Angeles, and get additional pictures for the ol' page. Needless to say, common sense held its ground.

But, if someone out there gets a few shots of the exteriors and can deliver them to me via GIF or JPEG, you will get due credit and my undying gratitude.

So, in the score department, I seem to be four for six (stores, that is). Maybe this letter, proof of some kind of latent personal telepathy, will even it up:

From: Martin Anderson
Date: Monday, 15-Jan-96 03:31 AM
Subject: Fry's Electronics

Jim,

Your article on Fry's Electronics is truly an inspiration to everyone.

You remember you jested about some class-action lawyer suing Fry's?

Well, that's me!  

I filed a consumer class-action lawsuit against Fry's Electronics in Orange
County on November somethingth, 1995.

The essence of the lawsuit relates not to their piss-poor customer service,
but rather, their practice of re-selling used and defective merchandise as
if it were new.

Thanks.. 

Martin Anderson

You heard it here first. And just when you thought Fry's was the biggest scam around, check this out:

From: John Alexander
Date: Wednesday, 10-Jan-96 11:06 PM
Subject: Ripped Off Web Graphics

Funny!

Hey, I agree 100% that I'm sick of seeing these things, but I
found the source!

I recently bought a book at a local bookstore that's going out
of business, called "Publish It On The Web!" by Bryan  Pfaffenberger.
It included a CD-ROM with Hot Dog! Web Editor  and a whole bunch of
graphics (including many you show).  I  was really pissed, because part
of the reason I could justify  spending $25 on a book was that it included
HotDog!, which  would normally cost about $30 or so in shareware registration. 
When I got home and opened up the book, however, I discovered  it's
the SHAREWARE release, and I still have to pony up the  $30.

Bunch of bastards - probably stole the graphics too.

Anyway, thought you'd be interested in where some of these
pictures are coming from.

/John Alexander

This place is turning into Consumer Reports West. Why, even Corporate crap hits the cyberfan is again leading to suspicious questions ...

From: Bill Paige
Date: Saturday, 20-Jan-96 05:07 AM

found yer essay on corporate crap hitting the cyberfan  while doing
an Alta Vista search for "Marlboro  cigarettes." And found out that
what I had suspected  was true -- the coffin nailers are not on the Web.
You did forget to mention the resellers trying to get  international
business -- what's up with that? Can  they really make money? Anyway,
do you know WHY the  major tobacco co's are not on the WWW? Do U.S.
rules  against broadcast advertising apply to the Internet.

I may go try & find out if I don't read the answer  soon.

Thanks for your time.

Bill   

Well, I don't know why they're not on the Web, but I seriously doubt broadcasting laws against tobacco companies are being enforced on the Web. I think the idea of marketing to computer geeks, ex-CB nuts, and wanna-be magazine editors was a demographic they realized they couldn't touch. I mean, what kind of graphic could they use? Every Marlboro ad out there has some cowboy on the plains lighting a smoke with a piece of kindling. Outdoors? Kindling? What can I plug my PCMCIA modem into?

Saved the best for last.

From: Aaron Nelson
Date: Thursday, 18-Jan-96 07:06 PM
Subject: Your commentary

Jim,

although I enjoy reading your running commentaries I have to question the
mode of your inquiry.

It seems to me that underlying all of this commentary is an interesting
"neo-Smithian / uber-libertarian" economic pre-supposition which albeit
unique,  deserves commentary itself.

First your commentary seems to deny any relevance to the historical importance
of information technology.    Your uber-libertarian mindframe simply will
not accept  the raw fact that history is derived from economics. For Smith,
capitalism has no  historical relevance, it simply is.

Secondly, although the utter comedic value of your stories reveals the tragedy
of living in this information age, I wonder about the effect your stories have
on  the readers. They are simply told to "deal with it" and not to hope for
anything  greater. Again -- your logic is pristine and your train-of-thought
is continuous --  however, the said "uber-libertarian" presupposition also
underlies your  enjoyable and thoughtful story-telling technique.

Thirdly, (and the last "-ly") you seem to have no reference to the beauty
behind  the tragedy. Your commentary begins, but never ends, it never points
the reader to a  direction. Again -- this falls back to your economic
presuppositions.

aaronn

You'd think that Plato had been reborn with a PC, an attitude, and too much time on his hands.

Actually, I don't deny any of Aaron's criticisms ... I won't deny them because I've read the damn letter six times and still don't know if he's slamming me or patting me on the back.

I guess all I can say is that I'm not presenting the solution, just the problems. Let's face it, all the happy-happy-joy-joy technology reporting out there needs a little smarmy sideswipe now and then.

Right?