I just have to post this to all and sundry: perhaps Fry’s is trying to make a new image for itself. Perhaps this is one lone, respectful employee. Perhaps the stars were aligned or the interaction was so short he didn’t have a chance to insult me. Perhaps the Fry’s in Woodland Hills is different from all other Fry’ses. Here is my story, as I just explained it to Fry’s website’s Contact Us form:

I just got home from the Fry’s in Woodland Hills and I have to say, I am very impressed.

I choose to go to Fry’s because I know that, whatever I need, Fry’s will have it and have it at a good price. When I choose not to go to Fry’s, it is because it is difficult if not impossible to find one item in the warehouse of a store and it is unlikely that I shall get any help from knowledgeable sales staff.

Today, you proved me wrong. I went to Fry’s looking for one item, looked for it briefly in the area it should logically be, and then asked the first salesperson I could find for it. Not only did I have no trouble finding a sales person, the sales person knew what I was talking about!

That is customer service.

Above-and-beyond moment: he didn’t condescend to me too much even though I am a woman. He mildly respected that I might know what I needed. This is far more than I have come to expect from Fry’s employees and I thank you for getting your customer service together to the point that it is not painful to interact with it.

I am sorry that I did not get the gentleman’s name, I was in too much shock. But I shall be telling everyone I know that the Fry’s in Woodland Hills treats their customers as human and trains their employees.

a Happy Customer,
Jane

I was having a shitty day and this turned it around! (As anyone who has ever been to Fry’s knows, a shitty day plus Fry’s is like a day at Ben & Jerry’s plus Baskin Robbins.)

Rereading this, I may have been laying it on a bit thick, but this has actually been my experience at Fry’s: their employees don’t know much of anything (let alone anything about electronics or computers) and they’re all males who have no respect for women (or women’s intelligence). While talking about this with my two friends, one had the following to say:

Cousin: i like frys

xJane: yeah, but hteir customer service sucks my ass

Cousin: they treat me like im actually a computer

xJane: LOL

Cousin: no emotion

xJane: how do you pull that off…?
…do you bring [your large father]?

Cousin: no no im hot
have you seen me?
i just walk in and act all helpless

xJane: haha
yeah you are

Cousin: its the same ploy i play at home depot

xJane: I don’t do “helpless” very well

Cousin: oh i dont play it the whole time
once i have someone helping me if i dont agree with what they are telling me i pull a 180 on them

xJane: lol
nice

And it’s true, my cousin is super hot (and super smart). But she does “helpless” much better than I. My other friend had this to say:

wow
what happened?
which fry’s was this?
maybe it’s just the manhattan beach one that sucks

So there you have it, three (empirically selected) women’s experiences with Fry’s. I stand by my surprise at this vaguely respectful treatment. Here’s to neither needing breasts to get attention nor having breasts be a liability while shopping for electronics! I’m fixing my computer, hear me roar!!!