I think we all need at least one
really nice positive thing about the entertainment business every single
day of the year, including weekends. Sometimes it may be something
simple, like a video that showcases something fun and sometimes it may
be a movie poster that embraces the aesthetic we all want Hollywood to
aspire to. Sometimes it may be a long-winded diatribe. Sometimes it’ll
be from the staff and extended family of CHUD.com. Maybe even you
readers can get in on it. So, take this to the bank. Every day, you will
get a little bit of positivity from one column a day here. Take it with
you. Maybe it’ll help you through a bad day or give folks some fun
things to hunt down in their busy celluloid digesting day.

9.10.10
By David Oliver:  Author Page

What I’m Thankful For

Fry’s Electronics, Burbank

I’ve been in as many electronics stores as the next guy.  I was a regular at Best Buy for years and even if I didn’t buy some DVD that I probably couldn’t afford / didn’t need, or a computer or DVD player that was obsolete before I walked out the door, I still liked to go in an just browse shit and maybe scout what gadget I’d be keeping my eye on in the near future.  Moved to “California’s beautiful San Fernando Valley” from the city a few years ago, and the nearest Best Buy is some five miles away.  But there’s a Fry’s not quite that far in Burbank, and it’s become my new hangout joint. 

If you haven’t been to a Fry’s before, it’s sort of like Best Buy meets Radio Shack by way of Costco.. The store in Burbank is all those…as envisioned by Ed Wood:

 

Its structure and interior have a very cool retro, sci-fi homage motif going for it, with various props, including this nice nice replica:

and a snack area that looks like it raided the Cafe 50s set with tables that resemble vintage cars.  There’s also this little number as you first walk in:

Those are just eye candy of course, but they give the store a fun, unique sort of ’50s theme park feel that’s hard to come by these days in a world of corporate sameness and lack of individuality when it comes to shopping centers and strip malls.  Hell, when you see they’ve got a crashed flying saucer in their store marquee, you know you’re in for something different. 

And as for the shopping, the place is jam packed with everything from computers, to TV, appliances, electronics, hard drives, games, DVDs, and every type of cable, cord and adapter you can think of.  The prices are just about the best you’ll find in town and there’s almost nothing you need that they don’t have.  You can easily spend an hour or more in there just looking at stuff you don’t need or didn’t know you had to have. 

I even like the consumer’s Bataan Death March you have to take past all of the last minute impulse buying trinkets such as electronic doo-dads, snacks, toys and other knickknacks in order to check out.  It’s 50 feet of last minute “hey, why not buy this shit for no reason” goodness.  It’s akin to the Klingon Day of Honor shit where you’ve got to walk past the assholes with the pain sticks.  Only in this case they test your will power.  The female associates there are also frequently easy on the eyes.  If you’re planning a trip to LA, you ought to drive the extra 20 minutes to northern Burbank to check it out.