November 5, 2025
GPUs, mugs, and Fry’s ghosts
Photos: New Phoenix Microcenter is a 'tech-heaven' for geeks
Fans camp out, Fry’s nostalgia erupts, and the mug cult rises
TLDR: Micro Center opened a massive Phoenix store and fans lined up overnight to storm aisles of PC parts, gaming gear, and maker toys. Commenters cheer a Fry’s replacement, argue which city’s Micro Center is the true GOAT, and beg for more locations to avoid shopping on Amazon.
Phoenix just got a 35,000-square-foot toy chest for grown-up geeks, and the internet is treating it like a pilgrimage. Locals lined up overnight for early access to the new Micro Center at 4315 E. Thomas Road, and once doors opened, shoppers weren’t browsing — they were hunting for graphics cards, gaming gear, and rainbow 3D printer filament like it was Black Friday in a sci‑fi museum. With 20,000+ items and a grand opening on Friday, Nov. 7, the hype is real. But the comments? Even realer. One camp is cheering that Micro Center has stepped in to fill the hole left by Fry’s Electronics, with some linking to coverage of its demise in Phoenix here. Others are going full collector mode, bragging about snagging free mugs at other openings and joking they’ll be worth big bucks one day. Nostalgia hits hard in Boston-area threads too: the famous rainbow Apple sign at Cambridge Micro Center gets love, but old-school shops like You-Do-It Electronics and RadioShack still haunt hearts. Meanwhile, the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate rages, with Columbus loyalists crowning their original store, while Gulf Coast commenters just want one — anything to avoid “Bezoscorp.” The drama? Is Micro Center the savior of in-person gadget hunting, or just a very shiny bandage on the DIY store extinction event. Either way, wallets are trembling.
Key Points
- •Micro Center’s new Phoenix store held a VIP access day that drew hundreds, with lines starting Tuesday night.
- •The store is 35,000 square feet and located at 4315 E. Thomas Road in Phoenix.
- •Employees expect larger crowds for the grand opening on Friday, Nov. 7.
- •The store stocks more than 20,000 items, including PC components, gaming gear, maker supplies, laptops, and peripherals.
- •Doors opened at 10 a.m. Wednesday; shoppers targeted specific items with staff discussing chipset specifications.