I hated to hear of their closure. I blame the Fry's second generation management.
In the late 90's they started hiring sales people over tech people. Prior to that, the staff knew their products, and talked customer's needs, not mfg's puff.
Having moved to Cupertino shortly after their first store opening, it was my favorite source for parts and advice. Most will never know how much they contributed to personal computing in silicon valley, and hence, the world. Many IT professional got their start working at Fry's in the 80's and early 90's in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara county, CA.