Online Shopping

Fry’s Electronics Goes Out of Business

By Keisha P. Crabtree 1 week ago
(Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Another one bites the dust: Online shopping and a global pandemic have forced big-box store Fry’s Electronics to close all locations, effective immediately.

Known for its elaborate decorations (including huge statues of pop culture characters and retro car bodies as dining tables), the family-owned operation began as a 20,000 square-foot electronics store in Sunnyvale, Calif. At its peak, the chain operated 34 stores in nine states.

“After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals … Fry’s Electronics, Inc. has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a message on the company website.

Fry's Electronics interior

(Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Fry’s ceased regular operations today, beginning what it called “an orderly wind-down

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Pandemic propels older shoppers online

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 weeks ago

NEW YORK (AP) — In November, Paula Mont did something new: The 86-year-old, who hasn’t left her New Jersey senior living community in nearly a year, went shopping — online.

Mont used an iPad, equipped with a stylus to help her shaky hands, to buy a toy grand piano for her great-granddaughter. She picked it out from more than a dozen versions of the instrument on Amazon.

“It is like a wow feeling. I found it!” Mont said.

The internet has become a crucial link to the outside world during the pandemic, one that millions of people still don’t have access to. Among older adults, the lack of internet has even impeded their ability to get vaccinated.


But the pandemic has also motivated many who have been isolated at home or unable to leave their senior communities to learn something they may have resisted until now: how to buy groceries

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Changing my phone to black and white for a week

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 weeks ago

As of late, I have been glued to my phone. From social media to online shopping, I have created an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with my hand-held friend. During a quarantine-safe hangout, I noticed that my friend’s phone was completely in black and white. Upon questioning her, she told me it helps reduce her screen time. That was exactly what I needed. I’ve done digital detoxes before but had never heard of this method. So I, too, set my phone to the gray scale mode and tried it for a week.

Going into it, my screen time was an embarrassingly high six hours per day (mostly due to TikTok). I wanted to cut that down to by at least half. Immediately, the usual vibrant assortment of apps and red notifications were replaced by dull shades of gray. Texting and calling still felt somewhat normal, but when I scrolled through apps that

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Hero Is a Virtual Shopping Platform That ‘Humanizes’ Online Shopping

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 weeks ago

InvestorPlace

7 Blockchain Stocks to Buy to Go Beyond Crypto

Although cryptocurrencies have revolutionized the investment markets, they’re also incredibly risky. I would know. Recently, I explained that I had to exit out of the Bitcoin (CCC:BTC-USD) sector because it was too much. However, for those who are considering virtual currencies, you may be better served with blockchain stocks. First off, I simply don’t know where cryptocurrencies as a speculative vehicle will end up. That’s one of the reasons why I exited before the $50,000 target that I had previously called. Don’t get me wrong — I still believe in the continued rise of Bitcoin, and, therefore, I maintain a modest position. But I also had to get something out of this ride. Otherwise, it’d be for naught. Second, blockchain stocks represent investments in the underlying technology of Bitcoin and other virtual tokens. While I’m not 100% certain what the

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