Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Radio Shack

7 views
Skip to first unread message

Steve

unread,
Nov 21, 2006, 9:37:31 AM11/21/06
to
When they talk about Radio Shack changing for the worst, they aren't
kidding. Yesterday I went there to pick up some hookup wire. I've
purchased it there many times before, and for as long as I remember it
sat in the same place in one corner of the store. However, yesterday it
was gone. An employee asked if he could help me and I explained what I
was looking for. He had no clue what I was talking about, and kept
gesturing vaguely in the direction of some power cables. (I guess he
was hoping he'd luck out and point at the right item without even
knowing what it is, but no luck.) Eventually he got his manager. I
talked to the manager and explained what I was doing, and the manager
also had no clue what I was talking about. Not only was the hookup wire
gone, no one even remembered its ever being there. I felt like I was in
the Twilight Zone or something.

Message has been deleted

Doug Smith W9WI

unread,
Nov 21, 2006, 9:59:39 AM11/21/06
to
Steve wrote:
> When they talk about Radio Shack changing for the worst, they aren't
> kidding. Yesterday I went there to pick up some hookup wire. I've
> purchased it there many times before, and for as long as I remember it
> sat in the same place in one corner of the store. However, yesterday it
> was gone. An employee asked if he could help me and I explained what I

These days, I'll look up what I want on radioshack.com first and write
down their part number, then bring that to the store.

Often they still can't find it, but at least with the number they can
look it up in their computer & find out whether there's any point in
looking...

--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

fcat...@msn.com

unread,
Nov 21, 2006, 5:12:15 PM11/21/06
to
Most of these guys are incapable of pissing a hole in snow!

Ken Wilson

unread,
Nov 21, 2006, 5:55:33 PM11/21/06
to
Yes Frank, but that takes lots of talent & practice to achieve an
acceptable pattern in the snow..

73, Ken

cuh...@webtv.net

unread,
Nov 21, 2006, 6:29:59 PM11/21/06
to
In the snow? When I was in the Army at Scott Air Force Base,Illinois in
1963,a WAF (Women in the Air Force) bet me I couldn't wee wee my name in
the snow.Guess what? I won that bet.Fortunately (or
unfortunately,depending on how you look at it) it almost never snows (I
hate snow) here in Jackson so I have lost a lot of practice over the
years.
cuhulin

Jim

unread,
Nov 22, 2006, 8:45:34 PM11/22/06
to
fones-R-us

Pete KE9OA

unread,
Nov 23, 2006, 2:32:26 AM11/23/06
to
I went to my local Radio Shack a couple of weeks ago to pick up a roll of
4-conductor telephone cable. I needed to make a couple of extension cables.
The salesperson told me that they don't carry such an item. When I explained
that I purchased a roll of this stuff six months ago, the manager told me
that they just don't carry such an item, and could she help me with
something else? I told her that I would look around and see if there was
anything else that I needed.
I went to one of the middle aisles and picked a roll of the cable (778-367)
that I needed, and that they didn't have in stock.
I showed the manager where this stock was kept. I guess they hadn't done any
inventory with this relatively new staff yet.

Pete

"Jim" <inagadd...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:17483-456...@storefull-3255.bay.webtv.net...
> fones-R-us
>


mi...@sushi.com

unread,
Nov 23, 2006, 3:21:35 AM11/23/06
to

I went to the Radio Shack in Tonopah, Nevada. Tonopah is one of those
old mining towns in Nevada where once the mine went belly up, the town
nearly folded. This store was a combination Radio Shack and Western
Auto (a car parts store). Now the amazing thing is this Radio Shack was
the best stocked store I ever saw. Even more shocking, the store
manager knew what he was doing. When I mentioned this was the biggest
Radio Shack I ever saw to the store manager, he told me that the nearby
Tonopah Test Range and the Nevada Test Site used this particular store,
so regarding components, they had at least one of everything in the
Radio Shack catalog.

Billy Smith

unread,
Nov 23, 2006, 7:14:31 AM11/23/06
to

That is about par for the course for Radio Shack these days. You want a
cell phone? Nope, already got one. You sure you don't want a cell phone?
They still have some pretty decent scanners and decent shortwave radios
but after that you can forget it. There are probably a good dozen of
them within about 40 miles of me and I can't recall the people being of
much help at any of them. If you are looking for hookup wire, resistors,
etc, Buddy you are on your own. Hate to see it though and frankly it
shows that we are a consumer society, not a producer society which
explains the lack of knowledge and know how that goes into the
conveniences. Not a pretty picture.

Brenda Ann

unread,
Nov 23, 2006, 7:23:41 AM11/23/06
to
> Pete KE9OA wrote:
>> I went to my local Radio Shack a couple of weeks ago to pick up a roll of
>> 4-conductor telephone cable. I needed to make a couple of extension
>> cables. The salesperson told me that they don't carry such an item. When
>> I explained that I purchased a roll of this stuff six months ago, the
>> manager told me that they just don't carry such an item, and could she
>> help me with something else? I told her that I would look around and see
>> if there was anything else that I needed.
>> I went to one of the middle aisles and picked a roll of the cable
>> (778-367) that I needed, and that they didn't have in stock.
>> I showed the manager where this stock was kept. I guess they hadn't done
>> any inventory with this relatively new staff yet.
>>
>> Pete

Radio Shack

You've got questions, we've got clueless imbeciles.

cuh...@webtv.net

unread,
Nov 23, 2006, 10:30:01 AM11/23/06
to
It is good to know at least Tonopah has a proper Radio Shack store.

Radio Shack,,, You got questions? Huh,we don't know what's in this
store.
cuhulin

Invader3K

unread,
Nov 23, 2006, 10:44:10 AM11/23/06
to

I don't know if they even have much decent shortwave stuff anymore. The
last time I went to one, most of the Grundig/Eton stuff was gone. They
have a few of the really low-end pocket models, and the "Red Cross"
emergency radio, but other than that it was mostly small Radio Shack
brand models. I did notice they have a Radio Shack knock-off of the
S350, but that was about it.

Jim Douglas

unread,
Nov 26, 2006, 2:12:11 PM11/26/06
to
Surprized you didn't get a new phone, or batteries or ?>???????????????
I HATE the upselling bullshit from them. I know what I need and don't
need them to remind me......

cuh...@webtv.net

unread,
Nov 27, 2006, 1:52:27 AM11/27/06
to
You better get some Radio Shack batteries and a Radio Shack cell phone
for that wire.(sayyyy,about a week ago,I saw an article about how easy
it is to program cell phones so they can snoop/listen in to other cell
phones) Nokia has a new super duper do everything cell phone on the
market.Popular Science December 2006 magazine.The Phone That Could
Replace ... Well,Everything.
It only cost $600.00 to $700.00 www.nokia.com Nokia model N5
Wayyyy too rich for my blood.I would buy a Pocket Surfer from
www.datawind.com if I was using a stupid cell phone,that is.
cuhulin

Jim Douglas

unread,
Nov 27, 2006, 7:37:52 AM11/27/06
to
There was an article recently about what folks in India needed most in
a cell phone, long battery life and a brighter screen as is the poorer
sections they are used more for a flashlight that a phone

Too_Many_Tools

unread,
Nov 29, 2006, 1:19:21 PM11/29/06
to
What you are seeing is Radio Shack going into survival mode.

In the last few months because of their internal problems, they are
doing a massive revamping which will focus on new televisions and cell
phones...everything else is secondary.

The sad part is that they still are the ONLY place in town to buy ANY
components.

If you want the status quo to change, I suggest you find a kid and
teach them to BUILD stuff instead of allowing them to watch television
and play video games....Radio Shack like so many other companies just
offer what the masses want.

TMT

ars_w...@netzero.com

unread,
Dec 2, 2006, 6:25:31 PM12/2/06
to
Internet Killed The RadioShack Store....
Internet Killed The RadioShack Store....
(Sung to the tune of "Video Killed The Radio Star....")

Merry Christmas and 73 from Bill - WA8MEA
http://HamRadioFun.com

******************************************************

Phoon Hencman

unread,
Dec 2, 2006, 7:26:52 PM12/2/06
to
On 2006-12-02 18:25:31 -0500, "ars_w...@netzero.com"
<ars_w...@netzero.com> said:

> Internet Killed The RadioShack Store....
> Internet Killed The RadioShack Store....
> (Sung to the tune of "Video Killed The Radio Star....")
>
> Merry Christmas and 73 from Bill - WA8MEA
> http://HamRadioFun.com
>


LOL! They were good back in the day but they have sucked for years now.
I wouldn't mind seeing them take the pipe. They sell junk now. I'm
amazed they're still around...


N9NEO

unread,
Dec 2, 2006, 10:38:39 PM12/2/06
to

I walked in the local store here a while back and one of the store
lackeys asked if he could help me. I told him that I needed a couple
of integrated circuits. He said we don't have those. I chuckled to
myself and walked over to the IC rack and grabbed a pair of D
flip-flops. I smiled at him as I walked by and waved the package of
chips at him.

On another occasion I walked in and got whatever I needed and got in
line. The line was five deep and only one register was open. The
store was crowded and one of the high school worker drones - ya know,
wearing the rad shack smock and the name tag - was sitting on the floor
and playing with a radio control car. I'm a little cranky to begin
with and the store is hot so I yell up to the dude at the register,
"Hey buddy, how bout we get this guy over here playing with the toys to
open up another register?" Got a few chuckles/smiles from the others
waiting in line and the kid put the toy away and helped out. See, I
don't mind telling people exactly what I think or if need be how they
should behave. So I leave the store and over to Wal-mart for some more
shoppin. A little while later I'm walking past the Rad Shack and the
manager girl is outside on the sidewalk playing with the car. I laugh
to myself.

Just try not to lose it and be rude to those people over there. Try to
be polite to em. Most of them are just high school kids or marginally
capable of eeking out a living and stuck in a dead-end job.

73
NEO

Me

unread,
Dec 3, 2006, 2:56:21 PM12/3/06
to
On 21 Nov 2006 06:37:31 -0800, "Steve" <sdan...@speakeasy.net>
wrote:


I hate Radio Shacks that have some low-IQ nigger as store "manager".
You ask them a question and 5 minutes later a (wrong) "answer"
percolates up from the murky depths of his pea brain while the
dumb-ass monkey gives you that self-satisfied look like he just told
you the equation for time travel. LOL!

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

sho...@trailing-edge.com

unread,
Dec 4, 2006, 8:30:35 AM12/4/06
to
Phoon Hencman wrote:
> On 2006-12-02 18:25:31 -0500, "ars_w...@netzero.com"
> <ars_w...@netzero.com> said:
>
> > Internet Killed The RadioShack Store....
> > Internet Killed The RadioShack Store....
> > (Sung to the tune of "Video Killed The Radio Star....")
> >
> > Merry Christmas and 73 from Bill - WA8MEA
> > http://HamRadioFun.com
> >
>
>
> LOL! They were good back in the day but they have sucked for years now.

I think you are being overly senitmental in your memories. Radio Shack
always sucked (at least in my lifetime).

Radio Shack was essentially bankrupt when the Tandy takeover happened
(1963?) and has gone downhill as a parts source from that low point
ever since.

Now, corporate-wise, they did seem to have some savvy in the
60's/70's/80's for having far-east low-quality stuff manufactured and
sold with their brand names.

In a certain sense, the new corporate-approved attitude of "we don't
know anything about electronics" is a good replacement for their old
attitude of "we pretend to know more than you about electronics". But
it doesn't really matter, because really deep-stocked parts houses are
a few mouse clicks away today.

Tim.

Steve Stone

unread,
Dec 4, 2006, 8:56:41 AM12/4/06
to
In the 70's as a kid it was a good place to buy tape head cleaner. A place
to meet your CB radio buddies.


kookyinjun #6

unread,
Dec 4, 2006, 5:17:40 PM12/4/06
to

Think of Radio Shack as the electronics section of Walmart for
white people who do not want to be seen inside of a Walmart
with the great masses of unwashed dark-skinned humanity.

Complete with obscenly over-priced chinese made RS branded product
that is utter complete junk just 2 steps above Dollar Store
merchandise.

Once you grasp this fact above, you will understand fully.

The Radio Shack we once all knew died a very long time ago.

Personally I would wish for them to file Chapter 11 and
dissappear from the pimpled face of American Retail Trade
alltogether. I would not miss them one bit as 95% of what
you can get at RS at any given time you can get elsewhere
for 40% less the price, and you don't have to put up with
totally ingorant salespersons who "graduated" from RS College
(similar to McDonalds Hamburger University) after a 3 hour
sales propaganda session that would make a "condo time-share
land sales vactation getaway package" salesman puke his guts out....

-------
Caveat Emperor by Cassandra: (enjoy!)

Attention, ants!
Your leaders' rants,
your shit-filled pants,
your mindless priests,
your force-fed beasts,
your gluttonous feasts,
your well-paved streets,
reductive feats
of heartless greed,
insatiable need,
have sowed one seed:
the bed you built,
the throne of guilt
far from the lilt
of mockingbirds'
sweet songs... No words
can hide your turds'
stench nor explain
your puny pain
as your mother's rain
of cleansing piss
pours down on this
your false ant bliss
and false ant gods.
Against all odds
your hoarded pods
of plunder now burst
and your worst first thirst
goes unsated. Lo!
No love below,
o mighty ants? So
no love above.
Ring around the rosey,
pocket full of posey,
all fall down.

brilliant!
----------------------------------------------

0 new messages