I do a lot of shopping there.  First item I ever bought (14 inch monitor, 
bought within a month of when they opened) still works.  The only real problem I 
have is returns.  I had a hard disc go south, with six mon ths on the 
three-year warranty (the manufactuere was dead), and it took two trips before I 
achieved satisfaction.

I agree, Fry's does sell some lower-grade parts.  However, local shops also 
sell many of those same parts (Elitegroup mobos come to mind).  Nobody's making 
you buy rubbish.

On the circular items, their prices are often unbeatable (esp. the 
processor-board sets, usually for the price of the processor alone), but for non-special 
items, it is cheaper especially to go online.

I've bought some of the pre-returned goods, but only with a discount (5.00 
off a $150 monitor, about $25 off a $120 video card), and they seemed okay