Declining market shares, lingering debt from the acquisition, and an outdated store format eventually doomed Fretter to failure. The company began to exit its markets, quickly and quietly, and customers and employees would sometimes find the stores suddenly closed during normal business hours. Silo's seven Pittsburgh-area stores, for example, were precipitously closed when employees received word that they were to pack all remaining inventory and close the store that day. Employees that remained silent during closing were promised a generous severance. Scott White, a former store manager, reportedly went to the press with the information. This resulted in a mob of customers flocking to the Pittsburgh stores to demand goods left on lay-a-way, or a return of their deposits. Silo reopened their doors for 3 days to accommodate these customers.