Fry's Math

I had to stop by Fry's this afternoon to pick up some stuff we needed for work next week. This involved video cable with BNC connectors and some little BNC inline splicers to connect several cables together.



I found a pack of 10 inline splices. The only one. However it had been opened and someone had taken 3 of them. I needed them anyway so I asked the guy in the electronics aisle if they'd knock them down a bit since there were only 7 of 10 left. He said they could give me 5% off but I'd have to go back up front to the customer service counter. I asked him why not 30% off since 3 out of 10 is 30% and he said he didn't know but that's what they could do.

So... I went back up front to the customer service counter and started over again. My request for 30% off were met with blank stares and my inquiries as to why they could only do %5 off remained unanswered. Then after we got "manager approval" to do the %5 reduction I was told "the amount is too low and the department will have to do the markdown."

I'm at "The" Customer Service Counter for the whole freaking store and they can't do this markdown? The electronics department has a superpower that "The" Customer Service Counter does not? Wow.

So I had the guy from "The" Customer Service Counter walk me back to the electronics department so I wouldn't be sent back a second time. I figured as long as I was now there I'd go through my whole "3 is 30% of 10" thing again with the manager there and see if he could get it but alas I admitted defeat and took my 5%.

I got $13.19 marked down a whole $0.66.

In Fry's Math: (3/10)*100% = 5%
This could probably be further simplified to (X/Y)*100% = 5% for any values of X and Y.

Fry's might as well have their store run by robots... or maybe even Daleks. They'd spend a little more on 3-in-One but they save tons in labor cost.

That being said, I like Fry's and will go there again. Their lack of Customer Service is not enough to scare me away. It makes me think twice before going there first though.