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Hello,
I am player X. I have been in management for Fry's for over 8 years, working for both the home office and several stores in several management positions. I am currently working in a very high position at store level. For respect of anonymity, I will not answer any questions about who I am or where I work.
I have been trolling Fry's forum and Steve Thomas' website for about 5 or so years now. I have posted occasionally as a guest and been involved in many discussions (including proving Obi Wan wrong several times on Steve's website.) I figured it was time to sign in and be involved in the discussions. You may look at me as Fry's bullet proof vest. I am willing to answer any questions that you may have, and explain to you what Fry's views are on several subjects.
With that in mind, I am here to tell you, even with all my experience, I still feel that Fry's needs to improve in many ways. I am not here to side with Fry's 100% of the time. I am here to tell you the ins and outs of where decisions come from, and give you some insight to what top end management might think about things.
For instance, the new pay structure was not put in place to save labor dollars, and in fact, virtually every store has shown an increase in labor dollars and commission since the program was put in place. The structure was put in place to increase Gross Profit, and it seems to be working well so far. Fry's is not SAVING money by doing this like most people are saying...however, they are making more money by selling more items with higher GP.
I look forward to some interesting topics and respectful conversation. - Other Topics You Might Like
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CommentAuthorparticleman
- CommentTimeFeb 19th 2010
Can you give us any insight as to why Milam Williams and Sean Archer swapped management posistions (Willaims went to store 15 from 25, Archer 15 to 25)? I have heard many things as to why this happened but since it's Frys, I cant be sure who to believe. I'd like to hear your rendition of this, if you've got any information on the topic. -
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No, I cannot. When it comes to store managers, the only people who know about the true reasons for switches would be the people who make those decisions. In this instance, it is between these two managers, their immediate boss Mike Millar, his boss Ken Lutz, and the Frys. These are the only people who would know the true reason for any changes.
I can give you insight into decisions that have been made previously, that are similar to this. I can tell you this...it was not for disciplinary reasons. Generally, Fry's wants to avoid stores from becoming stagnant. If a store manager has shown great results in the past, but shown that their results are not consistent with what they used to be, Fry's will mix things up a bit and change management a bit. This is not uncommon with store managers. If a SM has been in the same store for ages, it is only natural for them to lose interest. Thus, if we feel like we need to stir up the pot sometimes and get a new set of eyes.
Chances are, the new managers will input new and better philosophies and merchandising ideas into their new stores that the old managers just did not notice or have motivation to do....thus using the knowledge of a team of store managers, instead of just one SM. -
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CommentAuthorfrysemployee
- CommentTimeFeb 19th 2010
Whats this Steve Thomas website you speak of? -
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Good to have you here, X.
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frysemployee: Whats this Steve Thomas website you speak of?
a website that had a forum that was similiar to this.. but a different board and a different web address.Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free! -
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CommentAuthorGuest 41185
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2010
I think it got shut down too. -
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Steve shut his website down after a while. It was more of a forum for customers to complain then for associates. Once he shut it down, a few people came over to this website, which made it flourish a little more.
Suzukiman and Obiwon are the two that I can remember. Obi Won was called something else, but equally as annoying. -
I'm annoying because I basically tell the truth about Fry's?
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CommentAuthorGuest 41185
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2010
ObiWan, tells his own version of the truth. He's extremely biased in his dislike for Fry's. -
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No, you are annoying because you don't add anything intelligent to any conversations. I don't mind that you dislike Fry's and I always welcome a differing opinion. However, you are consistently beating a dead horse. You add nothing to conversations and your points have no constructive value whatsoever.
Every single time someone mentions working at Fry's, your answer is "why would anyone want to work at Fry's." We get it....you don't like Fry's. So quit beating us down with the same repetitive, stock answers that we are so used to hearing from you.
If you dislike Fry's so much, and haven't stepped foot in a store in ages, I am confused as to why you even concern yourself with them anymore. I have had numerous bad meals at TGI Friday, over and over again, but I don't go to a TGIF message board for the rest of my life and spout out negative statements and topics over and over again. I just don't go there anymore....Thats it. No More TGIFridays. bye bye.
You don't know how Fry's business works. You think you do, but almost everytime you mention something, it is incorrect. Sure, you dealt with Fry's in your past job and they were bad to you, but that means nothing. How do you know anything that happens if you haven't stepped foot in a store in years? You haven't even worked their, so how do you know it is bad? Someone told you it was bad? Your opinions are not even your opinions, they are what other people have told you...all hearsay.
Your opinion conveys that everything that Fry's does is wrong, 100% of the time. Nothing they do is right. There is nothing interesting or constructive about this because it is pointless. Why even have a conversation with you if we already know the answer? -
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CommentAuthorGuest 37876
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2010
Do you work hard to be an ass, or does it come naturally? -
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Actually guest, I only told him because he asked.
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CommentAuthorGuest 38153
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2010
As a big customer of Frys let me thank you guys for putting in place the new commision only structure. It is SOOOO MUCH fun wasting my time telligng the salesperson 10-20 times why I don't want the extended service plan or 100 times why I don't want to overpay for Monster products.
Thank You NOT!!!!!! -
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CommentAuthorGuest 41185
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2010
Actually Player X doesn't really seem to be an ass at all. Most of the people who will have a problem wth him will be customers who have gotten bad service, or employee's who get in trouble all the time or have been fired. Customer Service I can understand, but the rest is some sour grapes thrown in with the truth. -
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CommentAuthorroflcopter_goes_soi
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2010
I'm in a position to know much about the internal networking architecture, method of design for many of the programs in the store (like POS), and general network administrative policies. Although I know there is some research being conducted at home office as far as making things better at the store level---I know it is a far cry from solving some of the major issues plaguing the stores.
Is anyone at home office interested at solving these issues, or are they purely interested in maintaining the status quo? =P -
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Player X: Obi Won was called something else, but equally as annoying.
Big Dog.. i'm guessiing.. :PHiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free! -
to player x. why the hell is it sooooo important to sell wireless installs. I can understand selling monster products by why will I get fired if I cant maintain selling wireless. Its the easiest thing in the world to set up and most of the times you can find self help books online or call a friend. WHYYY!!!!. Im a honest salesman that makes pretty good money not ripping anyone off, i dont lie but now im gonna get fired for not selling wireless =( i do more then the minimum in frys cards.. i get accomedations and i sell monsters WHYYYYY heh
OH and bring back GQ and frys machines those things ROCKED - throws up a lil
jkjjkjkjkjk -
Player X,
does your name come from those great columns written in ESPN magazine? I love those things. -
is there any way u can put an idea about giving the sales ppl a couple bucks on sale items? maybe just a buck..that way it doesnt feel like a waste of time or trying to shake of the cust. and giving bad cust. serviceLas Vegas, NV / Store # 27 / Dept. 12
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Guest: Actually Player X doesn't really seem to be an ass at all. Most of the people who will have a problem wth him will be customers who have gotten bad service
If Player X cops an attitude towards a customer like he/she/it does here that's received bad service (i.e. bringing in a laptop for repair, and getting it back in worse shape, or being told a Fry's PSC covers something it doesn't), I think that might qualify as an a**. -
Dear ObiWan,
Go find some traffic and play in it.
Love, the internet. -
Calculon: yes, it comes from the espn column
cashier 27: probably not. If frys makes zero dollars on it, then the salesmen will to. But generally the sales items are low level items. So wouldn't it be considered good customer service by showing them better options?
Obiwon: how have I been an ass? I said you were annoying and only delved in because you asked. Haven't said anything else since. -
Rofl: I am not an expert on our system at the home office level. I can tell you that we are always twisting and tweaking things to make it better. Every week we have anywhere from 5 to 10 system changes that are meant to get the system running smoother.
Ask your d.m.to see the weekly emails with all the system updates. You will get some better insight by perusing those over. Then, if you have any suggestions on improving the system, let your sm or asm know and they can forward that info to I.s. We are always up for ideas that will make our jobs easier.
With that being said, we will not be changing our programs (I.e. Pos) anytime soon.
I hope this answered some of your question. -
Userdos: let me give you some constructive criticism based upon what you have written. Please take this as advice on how to improve at your position. I am not trying to demean you.
What you said exhibits the number one thing a bad salesmen can do. That is, assume that your thoughts are the same thoughts of the person you are selling to. Even though you find wireless easy and pointless to sell, you have no idea if your customer feels the same way. As a salesmen, you cannot assume your customer doesn't want it. Whether or not you think it's a good deal, you must convey to the customer that you believe in what your selling. And that is hard to do when you give out a negative vibe about what you are trying to sell as a positive.
You know why we focus on it. It is extremely profitable. What I think you should do is go to your local bookstore and read up on how to approach selling items that you don't think are sellable in the first place. These books will give you some good tips and advice on how to become a better salesmen.
And remember, you can do WHATEVER you set your mind to do. -
Player X: Userdos: let me give you some constructive criticism based upon what you have written. Please take this as advice on how to improve at your position. I am not trying to demean you.
What you said exhibits the number one thing a bad salesmen can do. That is, assume that your thoughts are the same thoughts of the person you are selling to. Even though you find wireless easy and pointless to sell, you have no idea if your customer feels the same way. As a salesmen, you cannot assume your customer doesn't want it. Whether or not you think it's a good deal, you must convey to the customer that you believe in what your selling. And that is hard to do when you give out a negative vibe about what you are trying to sell as a positive.
You know why we focus on it. It is extremely profitable. What I think you should do is go to your local bookstore and read up on how to approach selling items that you don't think are sellable in the first place. These books will give you some good tips and advice on how to become a better salesmen.
And remember, you can do WHATEVER you set your mind to do.
If it's so profitable you should be paying more to the sales people than 10 bucks. And how come it's paid through the computer dept and not out of the service dept. budget? We should be paid at least $25.00 to make it worthwhile. And monster cables should pay more also. Both items are required to keep your job. Other sales jobs motivate salesmen with Spiffs, while Fry's just threatens your hours and your job. How come Fry's never offers Spiffs on anything? How come they only motivate through negative reinforcement? How come there is no bonus for salesman of the week or month? -
sigh.. my money would be better spent on more medical books not how to sell books. I know how to sell profitable items but the fact is frys doesnt care how you sell something aslong as you sell it. If you lie and your numbers are at the top sales forgive sins....
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Guys just follow the plan, make your own bundles, sell profitable stuff, add and stack products. work smarter not harder. Everyone can make really good money at Frys.
Frys definitely needs to work on being more efficient and working smarter. They need better communication and technology. The cost of the upgrade will pay for itself quickly. -
UserDOS: to player x. why the hell is it sooooo important to sell wireless installs. I can understand selling monster products by why will I get fired if I cant maintain selling wireless. Its the easiest thing in the world to set up and most of the times you can find self help books online or call a friend. WHYYY!!!!.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0zt4opqL18 -
HAHAHAHAH nice one fry guy =)
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Workerbee- you asked some good questions, and I will attempt to answer them all, but I have one for you first. There are hundreds of salesmen who are vastly succeeding with the program we are on now, should fry's lower there standards in order to cater to the bottom feeder sales associates or continue to try to get better associates who can coninuosly compete at the top? It doesn't make business sense to just raise commissions because some sales associates can't cut it at being a salesmen.
-fry's does give spiffs, you just might not know it. Buyers are always doing their best to get any deals they can... Sometimes spiffs and or manufacturer promotions.
-I am sorry that you are being subject to negative reinforcement. That does not go hand on hand with the philosophies of fry's. Sometimes, when bad managers are having opportunities, they will threaten associates to do better rather then coach and train them on how to do better. This is a reflection of a bad department manager. But having a bad d.m. Also reflects badly on the store and the company. If you have a dm who uses these techniques, it is in your best interest to utilize the open door policy and speak with your sm or asm for ways to resolve the issue.
-as for bonuses for salesmen of the week or month, that could be a good idea that we could bounce around in meetings. -
Userdos, I didn't say buy the books, just go spend a few hours at your local bookstore and read up. Those few hours will give you lots of material that you could work with. When I was in sales, I did the same thing, and it helped me immensely. I made lots more commission immediately after utilizing some of the techniques I read up on.
One of the books I remember was "sales safari." It is an easy to read pamphlet on how to be effective at retail sales. -
wats ridiculous is that our top computer salesman in vegas gets a majority of his commission handed from our store manager. All open accounts usually from schools and business are automatically given to him. I think thats unfair and completely racist (hes filipino and so is our store manager) but there is nothing we can do. Is there something u can do or recommend?Las Vegas, NV / Store # 27 / Dept. 12
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shouldnt care about what another salesman makes... ive seen our top salesman work with buyers that he brought in that are indian just like him and do the same thing. maybe find someone you know that has control of a company or tell your friends if thier work department ever needs anything contact you...
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Actually your missing my whole point. If you want someone to do something in sales, you pay them enough so they will do it whether you ask or not. Money is the motivator. Instead you force salesmen to do something that they don't want to do - the salesmen could make more money doing something else than selling your monster product so you can get a corporate kick back from monster, which is money the salesman never sees. Your ripping off the sales people IMHO by wasting their time so you can profit. If you split that profit with the salesmen then you wouldn't have to force them to sell monster cables to keep their jobs, they would just do it. The same goes for wireless, it takes up too much time to be cost effective for the salesman.
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CommentAuthorGuest 60077
- CommentTimeFeb 23rd 2010
Workerbee,
They have already raised the commissions on monster product from 5% to 11% and its not all about kickbacks from monster the sales guys make more money selling monster product and to keep the lower cost that we got on the product when they switched to the new commission structure i'm sure we have to stay at a certain % to maintain that lower cost and to possibly get more promotions in the future like frys currently has with siig and belkin buy a tv and get a discount off there hdmi cables and surge protectors which went very well, so they are probably trying to convince monster into doing some sort of promotion like this and to get that deal signed we need to prove that we can sell at a very high attach rate -
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i understand if a salesman gets connections, but when there is opportunity for other salesmen to make money from schools or other business that has no connections with any person. it should be thrown in the floor where ANY salesman gets the chance to get a good sale instead of giving it to one sales person. Also the cashiers get ripped off too. ive seen a couple double digit thousand dollar sales given to a supervisor instead of the cashier, thats completely unfair since they make commission as well.Las Vegas, NV / Store # 27 / Dept. 12
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Front check out supervisors absolutely do not get commission... You are incorrect. That is why they go to supervisors, because they don't make commission.
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i know that, i didnt even say that ( i was a cs sup before). i said it was unfair for the cashier since they make commission as well.Las Vegas, NV / Store # 27 / Dept. 12
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I see, the way you worded it made it sound as such.
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CommentAuthorroflcopter_goes_soi
- CommentTimeFeb 24th 2010
Player X:Ask your d.m.to see the weekly emails with all the system updates. You will get some better insight by perusing those over. Then, if you have any suggestions on improving the system, let your sm or asm know and they can forward that info to I.s. We are always up for ideas that will make our jobs easier.
With that being said, we will not be changing our programs (I.e. Pos) anytime soon.
I hope this answered some of your question.
The weekly e-mail that details POS version changelog and everything else? I see it... Same with the ISD software change request list and the RT tickets. I never see anything groundbreaking though.
I know they're also testing *nix as a workstation solution at home office. Which is a pleasant happenstance, but I don't think it will come to fruition anytime soon unfortunately.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the question though. ^^;; -
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CommentAuthorIllusionOfProgress
- CommentTimeFeb 26th 2010
It sounds like you've had your share of positions around the company, so you probably have a good idea...
On average, how much does an SM/ASM make per year? Is there much variation depending on what store you work at?
I only have my own store to survey, so I'm curious about promotion. My store seems pretty slow to move management positions. Where does one move up from Department Manager? DDM? Buyer? I'm not that familiar with the Home Office side of the management chain. -
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CommentAuthorGuest 41185
- CommentTimeFeb 26th 2010
Yeah, I'm curious about this one too. -
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CommentAuthorGuest 41185
- CommentTimeFeb 26th 2010
The Store Manager in my store, did it in about five years. -
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Methinks the only true statement in this thread is the word "troll". "PlayerX" HaHaHa. Get back to stocking the shelves.
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Since there were two questions (pay structure and management ranks) I will answer them in two separate threads.
Due to the sensitivity of peoples pay, I will not delve into the amounts that managers and above make. I will explain how the structure works though.
Department Managers are divided into two types. You have operational managers and you have sales managers.
Sales managers are the ones who run the sales floor departments (1,2,3,4,5,7). They get paid salary, plus commission, plus bonus. Their commission is based on a percentage of spread. Spread is essentially the departments bottom line....total gross profit minus the total labor of the department. On top of that, if the department hits their sales projection and their spread projection in a week, they will get an extra 50% more of their commission. Based on this, you can tell that the DM's who are in stores with higher volume will make more commission. Out of these departments, generally Service, A.T., and Software make around the same amount of money. Then, Components, Computers, and A.V. make a little more because of the added volume.
Operational managers are the ones who do not have any revenue coming in to their departments. (10,11,12,13) The customer service manager is the highest ranking department manager. Their pay is also salary, plus commission, plus bonus. But it is structured a little different because of lack of revenue. Their commission is based on 3 percent of the total sales of the store, minus the total labor of the department. Their bonus is also based on hitting sales and spread. So, in this case, profit doesn't matter, it is sales. So the more sales a store makes, the more money the CSDM makes. The other three operational DM's make hourly rates plus quarterly bonuses based on performance. LP's performance is based on stuff like MOPAR, and detentions. Audits is based on minimizing audit expenses, such as retro pays, etc. And receivings is based on accuracy of the dock.
Store managers and ASMs have a base salary plus quarterly commissions that are given to them during the quarterly financial meetings. Their commissions are based on sales, profit, AND their ability to control the expenses of the whole store. All SM and ASM's get paid differently because their expenses are different. I'll give you some examples. The San Jose store is right across the street from the RTV processing center. Duluth Georgia is 2500 miles away. Which store is going to have a higher shipping cost to RTV? Both managers are judged equally on this factor, but one has a much more difficult variable to overcome. So all stores have these expenses to worry about. Does the store have to pay for a piano player and piano maintenance? Stores in Texas have to pay more money for A.C. Stores in Downers Grove and Fishers have to pay more for heating. They also spend money whenever it snows. The parking lots have to be plowed and salted continuously. Whats the square footage of the store? Some stores have bad theft problems in their parking lots and have to pay for extra security. Somestores are connected to other buildings and other companies where they have to share expenses with their common tenants. This adds up to the expenses. While the Store managers are all given virtually the same amount of money to use for expenses, some stores have no choice but to spend more. With this being said though and to answer your question, yes there is variation depending on what store you work at. It is generally the store managers who have the highest profitable stores that make the most money. -
Positions are always opening, but it also depends a lot on what location you are at. If you are in the Bay area, you have six stores that you can get promoted to. In Dallas, there are four. In Chicago, just one. So, there is a greater chance for quicker movement in the areas that have more stores. Also, Fry's has had a recent halt in opening new stores. When Fry's opens new stores, that is a huge opportunity for lots of people to get promoted. You can move up as quick as possible in most cases. I know some managers who were only with the company for a few months before they got promoted to DM. Some store managers have moved up, as said above, in as little as 5 years. Again, it all depends on openings, but moreover how hard and effective you work. You just have to be better at your job then everybody around you.
As far as where you can move up from DM. There are several choices. As said previously, there are two types of DM's. In order to become an Assistant Store Manager, you will have had to be a Sales Department Manager and a Customre Service DM first. So, if you are an operational manager, such as an LPDM, Recv. DM or Audit DM, then you will have to go to the sales floor in order to move up in the company. As a Sales DM, your goal is to become the Customer Service DM. The ASM's get hired from the customer service managers.
As far as home office goes, all home office employees are picked from the store level. In order to be a buyer, you would have to have at least been a supervisor for the category that you would then be buying at. You do not need to have been a manager. In order to be a district department manager, you would have to have had to work in that department as a manager first. They pick the best department managers to be the district managers. Once you have been a district manager for one department, then you can be a District manager for another. Meaning, if you came up as a Software Department manager, then you couldn't immediately become a Computer District manager unless you had already been the Software District manager. Now, where do you go from District Manager? You could either go to buyer or go back to the store. Remember though, you cannot be an ASM without having been a Customer Service DM first. Most all District Managers have never been a Customer Service Manager, so if they want to go back to the store, they either go back as a Customer Service manager, or if there is not a spot, they go back as a regular department manager and work their way back up to Customer Service Manager. So, with that being said, lots of people ask, who is higher, Store Manager or District Department Manager. The Store manager is higher by far.
As a buyer in the home office, you have several options, none of which are that phenomenal. You could go back to the store. But, since being a buyer didn't give you any true management experience, you will probably go back as a supervisor or even just a sales associate. Or you could stay being a buyer in order to become a purchasing manager. It takes years of being a buyer to even get considered for this position. You have to really be the best at what you do for several years. Not all departments have purchasing managers, only the higher volume ones do. So this position is not usually available, and when it becomes available, there is usually a buyer who has been lined up for this position for a long time. After purchasing manager, you would then become the director of a department. Don't bet on that happening to you anytime soon!! -
Think I am a troll now?
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CommentAuthorIllusionOfProgress
- CommentTimeFeb 27th 2010
Hardly. You've been highly enlightening. From what I can tell, Fry's always promotes from within, correct? Having said that, and with your 8+ years with the company, do you think this career is lucrative? By this I mean the Dollars:Work ratio.
Think from the perspective of a early-years college student. I know some DMs that started right out of high school (no college education), and I know another that graduated from a UC. Both are essentially in the same management position. Bottom line: does a formal education matter in Fry's management? If one wanted to make a career in the company, does a college education make much difference?
I've been wondering about the answer to this question for a while now, but I didn't want to ask someone who is jaded by their previous Fry's employment experience (i.e., most of the people on this board). I'm respected as a hard working associate by my manager, and I've been fortunate enough to work in a department that has an understanding and reasonable managerial staff. The point is that I don't mind this job, but some real insight into the possibilities (or lack thereof) of promotion has been hard to come by, so I'm hesitant to try to move up. -
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growth at frys is very easy. The way my uncle put it, if you work with a bunch of idiots and you know your not, then you have a better chance of moving up quicker. hahahah and frys has a lot of idiots