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I purchased my 20" MAC from Fry's and the price was great - no tax and free shipping - at close to $2000 I saved a bundle.

Fry's is nothing special in my opinion.

Here (Portland area), Frys is just another big department store. True, you can buy discrete resistors, big box items like major appliances, some home theater equipment, computers, office supplies, technical books and software all under one roof but really it's not such a big deal nor worth the gas money.

Their prices are mid to high range - you don't go to Fry's for bargains unless you're willing to buy whatever they happen to have on sale - never a good idea at any store unless you really want what's "on sale" to begin with.

Fry's customer service has been horrendous in the past, I don't know if that's improved or not, it's been a while since I bought anything there.

On most things you can get better prices online.

When I bought my 50" Sony last month I saved a ton of money over Fry's prices at a local store that only sells home theater equipment rather than everything under the sun.

As to technical books, I'd much rather shop at Powells (http://www.powellsbooks.com/) - their main store covers a whole city block, and that's not counting their techincal section in another building.

So why "geeks love Frys" is beyond me. Geeks are supposed to be smart.

The painted version is so much less appealing to me than the rustic original. Painting wood should be a rare exception - if it needs to be refinished, then it should probably be sanded and stained.