Yesterday, I made my annual pilgrimage to Fry’s.
For those who have not had the opportunity, Fry’s (in California, Texas, Oregon and Arizona) is a cross between Best Buy and an old school techie store. Which means that, yes, you can buy cappucino makers and the latest CDs, but you can also buy hard drives and integrated circuits and wires and fuses and stuff that gets more geeky than even I dare touch.
It is a very, very dangerous place to go. There is not an aisle there that is not full of Very Tempting Things.
Which is why, when I needed to go there for some last-minute Christmas shopping, I was astonished when Margie suggested I go alone.
My wife is wise beyond her tender years.
Because, of course, if she were with me, then I’d be tempted to try and buy every glittery, glossy, geeky widget I saw, with a hearty, “Hey, love, why don’t we get one of these?” Because if she agreed, then it would be her fault, and if she denied it, it would be her fault, and I might be grumbly or I might be ecstatic, but it would be all her doing.
But if I were there alone … why, then, I’d have to let my conscience be my guide. I’d have to think, “What would Margie say?” And my internal Margie is a lot more strict than my external one. And if I bought something and brought it home and she disapproved — then it would be my fault, not hers.
Eek.
So I got out of there pretty safely, having bought just what I needed to. More or less.
Man’s gotta know his limitations.
That’s funny – I am the opposite.
Therefore, I dragged Mark into JoAnns Etc (his personal Hell, Inc.), because I knew he would be a limiter on my behavior.
Still cost us 35.00 that we don’t have. Sigh.
We have Fry’s in San Diego. I don’t know what most of the stuff is for in there……but I like it!
I always put it this way: Fry’s is “Toys-R-Us” for technogeeks.
Yup. Though I’m sorry to see them going the route of selling appliances, too — it only reduces the amount of floor space for stuff I really need reasons not to buy.
Oh yeah!
There is a Fry’s relatively close to me–the one in Anaheim, point of fact (the one with the Space Shuttle). I love the “thematic” sort of approach they go with, although I’ve only heard about, not seen any of the others.
Very very tempting store. It reminds me of good old J&R back in NYC.
That’s the one we go to (and still need to make at least one more trip to).