Had it with RadioShack
Tweetldee
experimenter and hobbyist parts. I went into a relatively new store (open
less than a year) today to get a few resistors that I need in a hurry. What
did I find? Not a resistor, capacitor, transistor, IC, switch, fuse, or
anything that would be considered an electronic component was to be found.
They had all kinds of TV coax, TV connectors, cell phones, home phones,
phone accessories, satellite TV equipment, expensive toys, and a few stereo
"systems", but but not an electronic component in sight. They had wire,
solder, soldering irons, and such, but nothing to solder the wires to. They
don't even carry the small project boxes any more.
They're looking more like the electronics section in WalMart every day.
Ooops, I take that back... the Shack's prices are 40-100% above what you'll
pay for the same item at WalMart.
Adios Radio Shack !! RIP
--
Tweetldee
Tweetldee at att dot net (Just subsitute the appropriate characters in the
address)
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
Mike
are becomeing throw-away, then they really dont need it anymore.
My local shak still has everything, because I'm in there almost every day,
so they decided to hang onto there parts.
"Tweetldee" <dgma...@att99.net> wrote in message
news:tKIMa.33221$3o3.2...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Mike
about money. things are becoming throw-away, techs dissapear, and no more
teachers, and then no more educated students, and the chain reaction
follows. like the economy. so, if your lucky, every 1 out of 5,000 people
are educated in electronics anymore, and every 1 out of 500 stores is an
electronic shop, and not even that anymore.
my 2 cents.
"Tweetldee" <dgma...@att99.net> wrote in message
news:tKIMa.33221$3o3.2...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Jerry Greenberg
If you have been reading articles about RS, they are going out of the
parts business in most of their stores. There are 3 RS stores near to
me. They now have very little in the way of parts. They only have the
major accessories, and end user devices, as you mentioned.
They may be more expensive, but they have a great warranty, and return
policy if the customer is not satisfied. With many of the other places,
if you buy something and do not like it, you own it anyways.
--
Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
==============================================
WebPage <http://www.zoom-one.com>
Electronics <http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm>
Instruments <http://www.zoom-one.com/glgtech.htm>
==============================================
Jerry Greenberg
bigmike
"Mike" <nos...@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:vyKMa.9380$xv....@fe3.columbus.rr.com...
> I bet, since electronics technicians are disappearing every day, and
things
> are becomeing throw-away, then they really dont need it anymore.
>
> My local shak still has everything, because I'm in there almost every day,
> so they decided to hang onto there parts.
A lot of it is probably because their is not the interest there use to be in
electronic construction. Can hardly build anything cheaper than you can buy
it for nowadays, or for the hobbyist to match it's complexity. There are
still plenty of unique items that can be built that cannot be bought, but
probably not enough to sustain an inventory of parts for Radio Shack.
Chris
product line changes, such as eliminating discreet components. There used to
be a time when I can walk in there and ask for a 1K resistor or a 2N2222
transistor and not get strange looks. Last time I was there I needed a 9VDC
wall wart power supply. The guy stood there telling me that they didn't sell
anything like that when there was a bunch on the shelf behind him. Makes me
wonder how they sell anything with hardly any knowledge of what they sell.
"Tweetldee" <dgma...@att99.net> wrote in message
news:tKIMa.33221$3o3.2...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
George S
resistor. They sold her a 1M ohm resistor and told her that will work.
I have found that their online store and catalog supply is still adequate
for components, but I actually order from other sources online.
"Tweetldee" <dgma...@att99.net> wrote in message
news:tKIMa.33221$3o3.2...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Laurence Payne
>product line changes, such as eliminating discreet components. There used to
>be a time when I can walk in there and ask for a 1K resistor or a 2N2222
>transistor and not get strange looks. Last time I was there I needed a 9VDC
>wall wart power supply. The guy stood there telling me that they didn't sell
>anything like that when there was a bunch on the shelf behind him. Makes me
>wonder how they sell anything with hardly any knowledge of what they sell.
Perhaps it was a very discreet product :-)
Sam Goldwasser
> I gave up on our local Radio Shack when I sent my wife there for a 910K ohm
> resistor. They sold her a 1M ohm resistor and told her that will work.
At least it was within 10 percent. I've heard worse. :)
--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Home Page: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Site Info: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html
Important: The email address in this message header may no longer work. To
contact me, please use the Feedback Form at repairfaq.org. Thanks.
bigmike
"Sam Goldwasser" <s...@saul.cis.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6wvfuju...@saul.cis.upenn.edu...
> "George S" <geor...@olypen.com> writes:
>
> > I gave up on our local Radio Shack when I sent my wife there for a 910K
ohm
> > resistor. They sold her a 1M ohm resistor and told her that will work.
>
> At least it was within 10 percent. I've heard worse. :)
I've used worse. :)
Tony Sivori
> Well, I guess the death knell has sounded for the Shack as a source for
> experimenter and hobbyist parts. I went into a relatively new store (open
> less than a year) today to get a few resistors that I need in a hurry.
> What did I find? Not a resistor, capacitor, transistor, IC, switch,
> fuse, or anything that would be considered an electronic component was to
> be found.
Coincidentally, I was in two Radio Shacks the same day as you. I needed a
couple of caps (a 1500uf 10v 105c and a 1000uf 10v 105c) to repair a PC
mainboard. The RS parts department, which used to occupy a sizable portion
of the rear or the store is now just a few small drawers at the rear of the
store. They had neither part that I needed .
No matter, there was a tv repair shop just around the corner and although he
didn't have the capacitors in stock he willing to add what I wanted to his
weekly parts order.
--
Tony Sivori
Ray L. Volts
>
> > I gave up on our local Radio Shack when I sent my wife there for a 910K
ohm
> > resistor. They sold her a 1M ohm resistor and told her that will work.
>
> At least it was within 10 percent. I've heard worse. :)
"You've got questions. We've got answers."
Too bad those answers are usually wrong!
Chris
"Ray L. Volts" <rayl...@SPAMRIDhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:be2c5c$6...@library2.airnews.net...
with them and talk about shorted fuses or why they don't carry AC batteries.
Hmmmmmmm.
Peter Gottlieb
"Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com> wrote in message
news:r03Na.77472$Io.72...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> >
> "I don't know" is not a wrong answer. It might be time to have a little
fun
> with them and talk about shorted fuses or why they don't carry AC
batteries.
> Hmmmmmmm.
>
That gets tiring after a while. Been there, done that, they are simply too
incompetent to have much fun with it.
They have good sales on batteries, and one can find decent alarm clocks
there, but that is about it.
Jeff
"Tony Sivori" <TonyS...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:be1odp$aiq9$1...@ID-140514.news.dfncis.de...
In this area the TV repair shops went first.
Jeff
paul s
> Well, I guess the death knell has sounded for the Shack as a source for
> experimenter and hobbyist parts. I went into a relatively new store (open
> less than a year) today to get a few resistors that I need in a hurry.
> What
> did I find? Not a resistor, capacitor, transistor, IC, switch, fuse, or
> anything that would be considered an electronic component was to be found.
> They had all kinds of TV coax, TV connectors, cell phones, home phones,
> phone accessories, satellite TV equipment, expensive toys, and a few
> stereo
> "systems", but but not an electronic component in sight. They had wire,
> solder, soldering irons, and such, but nothing to solder the wires to.
> They don't even carry the small project boxes any more.
> They're looking more like the electronics section in WalMart every day.
> Ooops, I take that back... the Shack's prices are 40-100% above what
> you'll pay for the same item at WalMart.
>
> Adios Radio Shack !! RIP
Im from the UK, and we use to have Tandy/Rat Shack in nearly every high
street and shopping mall. And about 5 years ago the UK operation was taken
over by Carphone Whorehouse (no more components, no more soldering irons,
no more 100-in-1 construction kits, just mobile phones and accesories).
But nine months ago a local satellite TV shop and dealer here in Bristol,
managed to get a Rat Shack franchise and he was selling quite a good range
of Rat Shack electronic components, metal detectors, radios, etc. the shop
ceased trading three months later, no one bought anything.
--
Paul S
gothika
shack to get a few s-video female onnectors which of course they
didn't carry.
Had to ask why did they bother stocking the s-video males if they
didn't sell the female plugs for them.(Certainly not to fix bad cable
ends when I can buy the 6ft s-videos at my local walmart for about the
same price as one male connector.)
I remember when they stocked parts from Allied Electronics of Britain.
You could get just about any component you'd want.
That's been many a moon ago though.
I dare say we'll see the demise of RS some day in the near future.
On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 22:09:29 GMT, "Tweetldee" <dgma...@att99.net>
wrote:
James Sweet
"gothika" <got...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:rg8igv42ictosjdq5...@4ax.com...
> I know what you mean. I went in to my local
> shack to get a few s-video female onnectors which of course they
> didn't carry.
> Had to ask why did they bother stocking the s-video males if they
> didn't sell the female plugs for them.(Certainly not to fix bad cable
> ends when I can buy the 6ft s-videos at my local walmart for about the
> same price as one male connector.)
> I remember when they stocked parts from Allied Electronics of Britain.
> You could get just about any component you'd want.
> That's been many a moon ago though.
> I dare say we'll see the demise of RS some day in the near future.
>
It'll probably keep going, but the days of them supplying anything useful in
the way of components are pretty much over. They're pretty much a cellphone
and toy store now.
Sofie
Can you blame Radio Shack for stocking the items in their stores that sells
in quantity and makes them a better margin?
My shop has always had several isles and walls covered with electronic
components, parts, supplies, ham radio specialty items, etc....... there is
a lot of stuff on the wall and on the floor displays that has not been
disturbed for years that will end up in my coffin with me when I die.
***The money I make is in the selling of "ready made" equipment and
devices... and in the service dept..... I very rarely restock any
components or parts that are sold off the floor or wall displays..... good
riddens.
I guess the glory days of mass electronics experimenters and hobbyists has
come to an end, or at least it has changed a lot in the years that I have
had my store.... plus it has always been difficult to compete with all the
300 page color catalogs listing every possible variation of parts and
components..... however, many times I will have a part in local stock,
priced about the same as a catalog (sometimes more, sometimes less), and
there is no minimum shipping or wait like with a catalog mail order
firm........ I just don't have the large color catalog selection to wow the
customer.
If I were to move to another location or remodel my store, I would drop the
parts and component displays immediately and use the space for something
much more profitable.
***Radio Shack is only doing what will keep them in business with well over
5000 stores / 40,000+ employees world wide..... they must be doing something
right and appealing to their target customers, the ones with money in their
pockets that are willing to spend it at their stores..... sounds like good
business practice to me.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
----------------------------------
>"James Sweet" <james...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3IsOa.3541$Ph3.749@sccrnsc04...
Chris
product line change they'd probably be out of business. Maybe Radio Shack
isn't to blame. Perhaps it's the direction that electronics has gone.
Electronics can be fun to learn but, unfortunately, that's not the way it's
presented now-a-days. I had a blast (literally) in my early days of learning
electronics. When I was 12 years old, I used to have a "100 in 1" and "150
in 1" electronics kit by RS. I fried most of the components in those kits
and replaced them with components from the store it was bought from, RS. I
learned a lot from stuff I would try to design and fail in a catastrophic
way. However, I was very proud of the things I designed that were
successful. I don't believe that creativity of that nature is encouraged
anymore. What a shame. Society has taken the fun out of learning electronics
and most other trades. RS changed because it had to. Most consumers aren't
interested in how things work. They just want to sit in their easy chair and
push a button to get mindless artificial entertainment.
That still doesn't excuse the fact that most of their salespersons are total
idiots to their stock or electronics. I know that the pay sucks so it might
be a case of "You get what you pay for".
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vglmlpf...@corp.supernews.com...
Sofie
Yes..... "you get what you pay for"
The retail sales clerk at Radio Shack or any other retail store does not
make a lot of money..... would the consumer want to pay extra $$ for the
items that they buy at Radio Shack sells just because they have $35 per hour
electronic techs as the sales clerks instead of $8 per hour college
kids..... you don't have to answer that. Radio Shack management is not
dumb....... they are doing what it takes to stay in business.... if there
are those who don't like it they are free to shop elsewhere to purchase
electronics parts ..... because very few businesses can stay alive trying
to keep a current and broad stock of electronic components and small parts
.... all in stock, on display, shipping paid for, rent, electric bill and
phone bill to pay for, employees to pay for...... just to sell a 39 cent
resistor or two.
No sour grapes here..... just the facts from someone who has been there,
done that, and still doing it.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
"Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com> wrote in message
Chris
store sells no parts. Only finished products and maybe a kit or 2, I'm
unsure about that. What gets me is that you should have some knowledge of
what you're selling. Even if you don't like it. If you don't want a basic
understanding of what you're selling then don't work there. RS should screen
these people out since all they can do is hurt business. RS can probably be
considered the "McDonalds" of electronics from an employment point of view.
But even McDonalds will fire employees who perform as badly as some RS
salespeople.
I only go to RS when I have no choice, maybe once a year. I go in there
knowing exactly what I want. The salespeople usually just point me to where
the product I'm looking for is. My last experience with them was dealing
with a "wall wart" power supply which I've already described in this thread.
To stand there and tell me that they don't sell what I need when it's on the
shelf right behind him can't be good for business. A little education, even
an in depth walk around the store, and a simple test could probably weed out
most of these people.
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vglr00d...@corp.supernews.com...
Tweetldee
You're correct in what you say about the change in direction for RS. But,
in all political correctness, they need to change their advertising.
"You've got questions; we've got answers" doesn't convey the image that I
have (and have had for many years) that when I have a question at RS, I get
blank stares, or even worse, wrong answers. Their strategy of hiring sales
counter people with no idea of what they're selling is not a good idea. I
can understand their need to keep expenses to a minimum, but IMHO, that's
doing the business a disservice.
And the problem mentioned in an earlier post about having to wait 10-15-20
minutes for service while the lone counter clerk is on the phone selling a
cell phone is not a good image to have either. But in retrospect, I guess
that's cost reduction coming into play also... if your store doesn't have
that much traffic, why pay for the extra employees.
Michael Black
>
>
> You're correct in what you say about the change in direction for RS. But,
> in all political correctness, they need to change their advertising.
> "You've got questions; we've got answers" doesn't convey the image that I
> have (and have had for many years) that when I have a question at RS, I get
> blank stares, or even worse, wrong answers. Their strategy of hiring sales
> counter people with no idea of what they're selling is not a good idea. I
> can understand their need to keep expenses to a minimum, but IMHO, that's
> doing the business a disservice.
This thread is only the latest in a long stream of Radio Shack bashing
posts we've seen over the years.
Like I said a previous time, you are taking their slogan too literally.
Their "answers" are the products they offer. They take into consideration
who the average customer is, and offer "answers" to the most common
questions. The slogan does not mean they have products for everything, or
that they are a source of answers to general questions.
The nitpicking over the slogan has always struck me as nitpicking, people
who want to pick at Radio Shack, rather than a real point of contention.
If I go into virtually any store, i don't expect the sales people to know
much. I go in armed with what I need to know, and the clerks are only there
to ring up the sales and take the money. For a group of technically literate,
it just seems to be sour grapes to expect people working at Radio Shack
to know much, since it shouldn't even be a consideration in the first
place.
Michael
Chris
it's perfectly acceptable to get large fries instead or to be told they
don't sell it. I don't think McDonalds management would approve. That
employee will be history.
A little thing called "truth in advertising" can probably be applied to
their no longer valid slogan. It's not nitpicking to expect what is
advertised.
"Michael Black" <et...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote in message
news:bef3tj$2rk$1...@freenet9.carleton.ca...
Sofie
I agree.
Would any of the electronic knowledgeable people in this thread go to work
for Radio Shack or any other retail store as a counter clerk???? If you
are out of work then great, but then you should be looking for a job with
the appropriate pay the fits your skill level. Just go to any retail store
that has minimum wage clerks.... this is usually the case but not always.
Go to your local KMart or WalMart..... the minimum wage clerks are just
about useless.... if you can find a department manager you can get better
assistance ..... if you can find them at all.
Now certainly Radio Shack could pay a lot more for better qualified clerks
but most certainly the prices in the store would go up and the sales would
go down..... not a good combination. Again, the market place is price
driven, the customer wants to pay as little as possible, and that is what
they get.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Michael Black" <et...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote in message
news:bef3tj$2rk$1...@freenet9.carleton.ca...
Chris
don't need to be a tech or even knowledgable in electronics. Just know the
product line. If I need a power supply then just tell me where abouts I can
find them. Don't tell me they aren't sold there. Now if I asked for a 120VAC
to 12VDC AC adapter rated at 600mA and 11W well then I can understand. This
really isn't rocket science.
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vgm9hie...@corp.supernews.com...
Sofie
minimum wage workers and clerks........ what is described is a perfect
example of what you get with a minimum wage, motivationally stunted, do as
little as possible, employee. Now, fortunately there are quite a few
exceptions to this but generally one gets what they pay for. ...... It
should be obvious that this is not the desire of Radio Shack or any other
retail operation but to be able to hire someone that will stay with the
company long enough to take the time to learn the product line is sometimes
not always economically feasible...... a serious shopper may want to ask
for the manager..... in most cases they have a better knowledge of the
products and technical applications. A part time, minimum wage employees
will not be around long enough for this to happen...... he will soon be on
to another minimum wage job or hopefully college or a trade school.
The Radio Shack bashers will soon get their wish...... Radio Shack probably
will dissolve themselves of the hobbyist parts business altogether in a few
years, then they can mail-order all of their electronics needs....(.meet the
minimum order amount and pay the shipping, wait for the package to be
mailed) or they could exercise their purchasing freedom and start doing
that now and stop shopping at Radio Shack and stop bitching.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com> wrote in message
news:c3GOa.90193$Io.78...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Chris
employees around the store to give them a better idea of where everything is
(kind of) will eat into the profits enough to bury the store. It could even
be done after hours. Then test them a day or 2 later as to where things are.
Again, it's not rocket science. Power supplies here, AM/FM radios there, TVs
over there. That's not that difficult nor time consuming.
As for RS itself, I don't want to see it's demise. It's an integral part of
my electronics learning. In my opinion, I believe it could still a very good
chain with a bit of fine tuning. It can be an electronics info center with
books and projects as well as finished products. Perhaps a small corner for
the electronics hobbiest and learners. This would eat into profits but not
enough to bury the store. I guess my problem isn't the store or chain but
the employees they hire. With unemployment at where it is today, the market
can be competitive. A prospective employee will learn these very basics if
it supplied them with a job. Even if it is minimum wage. You may even see
some employees taking a serious interest in electronics. Perhaps even
purchasing some products from the corner I mentioned just to learn this
trade to have a future career. I may be dreaming but......
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vgmdvcl...@corp.supernews.com...
Sofie
Obviously this is NOT what I said. There are some folks (new clerks) that
you could spend days showing them around the store and they still wouldn't
have a clue.
**Also, they are told where the power supplies are, what if someone asks for
a wall-wart, AC Adaptor, converter, etc....... the clerk may reply that we
don't have those things, just have power supplies.
**We do not know what would bury the store and what extra money that Radio
Shack HQ would allow to be spent on a non-profit hobbyist and learners
corner of the store???? Probably not an important item for the Radio Shack
profit watchers. Many Radio Shack stores operate on a shoestring budget and
their managers are always being pushed for sales and profits ..... and
definitely not hobbyist and learners corner expenses. ..... and the profits
come from sales of things that sell for a lot more than a 99 cent diode, a
39 cent resistor, a $1.39 plug, etc. Sales dollars per square foot.......
that is the equation that counts in retail stores, especially when rent,
taxes, wages and utilities are ever increasing.
**yes, dreaming a bit.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com> wrote in message
news:qDHOa.90403$Io.78...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Chris
could easily replace this clerk.
What I asked for was a universal power supply, period. I use "wall wart" in
this forum only as a desciption.
I'm not talking about selling components. That would be ridiculous. A
component package, maybe, but not individual components. A few good project
kits, some decent up to date books, etc. Nothing of great size or quantity
but of interest. A kind of niche in the market making them unique. You might
be surprised at the amount of interest. Then again, maybe not. They used to
do it before but stopped because of competition and lack of interest. A lot
of that competition is gone now and it would be an open market and there are
quite a few people out there who are interested. I don't think it can soley
keep the doors open but I think the interest would be there to justify the
little stock and space required. Not even the size of a single toilet
restroom which produces nothing but sh!t. Who knows. If the stores already
operate on a shoestring budget then it might just be time to call it quits.
However, if things were that bad then they'd already be gone. Who in their
right mind would keep their money invested in a failing chain? My experience
with chains is that the HQ always cries poor house as they're making fairly
decent deposits. Not as much as they used to but definitely enough. Another
problem is that customers don't want to hear from an idiot. At least someone
with interest will sound somewhat intellectual. Product won't sell itself.
Commodore, if you remember, proved this. Without knowledgable sales people
then that's what would be expected. You've read the RS bashings in here and
other threads, I'm sure. It mostly comes down to the employees.
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vgmjgug...@corp.supernews.com...
Sofie
If you have been following my posts on this thread, you would know that the
business I now operate does sell electronics parts and components, ready
made equipment, and also has a service department for consumer electronics,
ham equipment, CB, and marine electronics.
I stated in my previous posts that the market has certainly changed over the
years and that if I were to remodel my store or move locations I would
immediately remove the several island displays and wall displays of dormant
electronics parts and components..... there just is not enough sales volume
and profit dollars in that line to support all the inventory dollars, work,
effort and space. I rarely restock any of the parts once they are sold and
will end up with parts and components that will be packed into my coffin
when I die.
I am a die-hard electronics hobbyist for many decades and remember the glory
days of electronics parts sales..... those days are now gone...... it is
very difficult to compete with the 300 page color catalogs that show a very
wide selection of parts and components that would not be as feasible for a
local physical store to purchase for inventory and take up room in the
store. My prices are usually about the same as the catalog prices and the
customer does not have to have a minimum order, pay for shipping, and wait
for delivery...... but I can not offer the very broad choices found in the
catalogs and frankly the number of customer who come into the store with a
list of parts they want to buy dwindles every year...... the do-it-yourself
hobbyists may bitch and moan about not being able to find parts but they are
not buying them in enough quantity to make it worthwhile for my business and
apparently many other businesses...... and no, I can't afford a learning
center that will take up profitable space and take up my profitable time.
****If you are so convinced of your beliefs about how to run and stock an
electronics parts store then PLEASE, empty your savings account, get a small
business loan, rent a retail business space, jump through all the local
licensing, tax and permit hoops and hire the qualified clerks that you have
mentioned and start your own electronic parts business....... please report
back with all the good news about your profits and business success.
Believe me, I am not trying to be condescending, please give it a shot if
you are so convinced it will work. When it is your investment money and
your time that is involved I think you will end up with a different opinion
and I would like to hear it.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
-----------------------------------
"Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com> wrote in message
news:k0JOa.90550$Io.78...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Chris
about ten years ago then the consumer electronics market fell out. I was
lucky enough to sell before the grim end which was about a year and a half
later. I'm now in professional and broadcast electronics repair. Weirdly
enough, most of my old customers have followed me. Another weird thing is
that a lot of the people I deal with know enough about electronics to be
dangerous and would LOVE to learn more so to do low level technical repairs.
Nothing much but just enough to know what their doing. I haven't followed
the entire thread. I popped in from a response.
What I remember from my shop was that most consumers look down on repair.
They bitch and moan about almost everything especially the bills. I remember
people coming in expecting me to look at their stuff immediately and
expected it repaired faster than that. Most were very unreasonable and
unappreciative. That was about ten years ago. I guess that attitude hasn't
changed much and may have gotten worse. I have about 30 loyal customers from
then that refuse to take their stuff elsewhere. I try to help them the best
I can but this is a different feild and they understand. If I can't help
them then I know a few good techs that can and have.
I'm glad to hear that you still offer more than repair. Around here that's
all there is. There's a surplus store and a parts store in the other county
but that's it. Nothing for the hobbiest. Maybe that's why I hear so much
about that from customers.
I'm not a businessman anymore. I couldn't stand it. I had my shop about 5
years before selling. After that I went into computers, an even worse
mistake. Then I wound up here doing monitors and printers which was good
until the place burned down. The choices were to, close up altogether,
rebuild doing the same thing, or go in a different direction which is what
we did. Probably about the wisest business decision I was part of (no I do
not own the shop).
I've got to hand it to people like you who are tech/owners. I tried it and
would never do it again. Maybe you can understand where I'm coming from. My
ideas I presented here sound good to me but probably aren't. I suck in the
business world but give me a D9 camera/deck, plasma, or large venue HDTV
projector to get technical with and I'll show you where I'm strongest.
But I still feel the same about clueless clerks and slightly educating them.
VERY slightly.
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vgn1vep...@corp.supernews.com...
James Sweet
"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vglmlpf...@corp.supernews.com...
James Sweet
"Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com> wrote in message
> Yeah but it doesn't take much to familarize yourself to what you sell. You
> don't need to be a tech or even knowledgable in electronics. Just know the
> product line. If I need a power supply then just tell me where abouts I
can
> find them. Don't tell me they aren't sold there. Now if I asked for a
120VAC
> to 12VDC AC adapter rated at 600mA and 11W well then I can understand.
This
> really isn't rocket science.
>
I was helping a guy repair a light controller board that consisted pretty
much of a couple optos and triacs, one of the triacs was fried and I
mentioned he could get one at radio shack, well the guy there sent him off
with an NPN transistor because it *looked* like the bad triac, it's amazing
he didn't get fireworks when he installed it.
Sofie
I regularly get supposedly "knowledgeable do-it-yourself repair people" in
my store looking over the wall of transistors and diodes and randomly pick
one that "looks" the same..... I used to spend a lot of time trying to
help them and educate them about JEDEC numbers, voltage ratings, etc......
and in the end they would insist on buying the incorrect part..... sometimes
totally incorrect like you described with the triac and transistor.....
finally I just gave up...... there are the parts on the wall , it is your
money and your decision..... after all if they don't have enough
electronics knowledge to know that even though a 1 amp fuse looks like a 6
amp fuse but they want to buy it and install it and they "know" it will
work because they look the same and they argue with the advice you
give...... who am I to tell them not to buy it..... I am not giving
advice, just selling parts.... unfortunately this is what many customers
want, to be left alone with no arguments because they know best...... so be
it, thank you for your business.
Just imagine working in a drug store and as a clerk telling folks which
over-the counter medications to buy....... not me, what if they had a bad
reaction to the medicine.... here are the products on the shelf , read
the labels, make your own choice and pay your money.
So, while you are correct, it is sad that some of the clerks can give bad
advice like that but there are some customers who don't want or don't like
the advice they get...... I have been known to reply to some of these
"customers" that "if you have to ask the (stupid) question then you really
should not be working on the equipment".....
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
----------------------
"James Sweet" <james...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5fuPa.29690$sY2....@rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...
Sofie
The "obvious" is that Radio Shack is still in business and adding stores all
the time......
.....while certainly some of their business and product stocking decisions
do not please some of us, after all it is their decisions, and they have to
make money to stay in business and they seem to be doing that by changing
with the times.
By the way, talking about minimum wage clerks, I went to McDonalds yesterday
and even with the cash register that makes all the money calculations, the
counter clerk could not count out the change correctly, the manager noted
her distress and came to the rescue..... my question is.... was the clerk's
previous job at Radio Shack or will her next job will be at Radio Shack??
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
----------------------------------
"James Sweet" <james...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:WcuPa.29675$sY2....@rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...
Dave
>
> You're correct in what you say about the change in direction for RS. But,
> in all political correctness, they need to change their advertising.
> "You've got questions; we've got answers" doesn't convey the image that I
> have (and have had for many years) that when I have a question at RS, I get
Yeah, I laughed when I first heard that ad. I am not a RS basher but
rather a supporter, for in a great many places they are the only local
source of simple electronic parts, however their advertising people
need to get a clue. They most certainly do not populate their stores
with technology experts. Now maybe if they had started a call center
to answer these questions they would have a leg to stand on.
Sofie
answers
-------------------------------------
"Dave" <gal...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5591d176.0307...@posting.google.com...
Michael Black
> their advertising didn't say that they had the correct answers..... just
> answers
And I really get the feeling people pick apart that slogan when they
wouldn't pick apart other company's slogans. And it is just an advertising
slogan, not a promise or some terms of agreement.
Which fast food chain had "Have it your way at...."? I haven't eaten
meat since 1979 and I sincerely doubt most fast food chains have much
of interest to me. But I don't nitpick on the slogan, accepting it
as an advertising slogan.
A local music store (and I suspect it's used elsewhere) use to say
"If we don't have it, you don't need it". Surely there were items
that you couldn't buy there that some did need, yet nobody attacked
the slogan.
This nitpicking is there in that earlier bit about the triac. People
are expecting the store to have a higher standard of knowledge then the
nitpickers themselves.
And that's what I find fascinating about these threads about Radio Shack.
There seems to be some reason that puts a target on the chain, and then
all the nitpicking comes out. But it doesn't seem to be the initial points
that drive the nitpicking, it's as if there is some reason to pick on the
chain, and then people find reasons to find fault with the chain.
Their parts are overpriced. I've known that since I was 14 years old and
first walked into a Radio Shack. Yes, they have limited stock. But
while both are things to gripe about, I really can't see where they
instill the hostility towards the chain that we see in these threads.
I simply didn't buy parts at Radio Shack, unless I was really stuck (or,
when they were clearing out things at which point I stocked up on some
nice parts at a low price). If Radio Shack decides not to sell parts (which
seems to be the case here in Canada for a number of years), it doesn't
make me angry at the chain, it simply makes me a little sad about what
caused that decision.
Michael
Gary Woods
>This nitpicking is there in that earlier bit about the triac. People
>are expecting the store to have a higher standard of knowledge then the
>nitpickers themselves.
Well, yes... at least to understand that they don't know what the funny
black things with wires sticking out are. It isn't nitpicking to observe
that Rat Shack droids have even less clues than most. And Ghod knows, I
don't expect anything of them at all. But if I specifically asked for
Shinola, and the clerk sold me an unpolishable soft brown lump telling me
it was the "same thing," I humbly suggest they shouldn't have been hired in
the first place.
You gotta at least know the territory.
--
Gary Woods O- K2AHC Public keys at www.albany.net/~gwoods, or get 0x1D64A93D via keyserver
gwo...@albany.net gwo...@wrgb.com
fingerprint = E2 6F 50 93 7B C7 F3 CA 1F 8B 3C C0 B0 28 68 0B
Dave
> "Sofie" (so...@olypen.com) writes:
> >
> > their advertising didn't say that they had the correct answers..... just
> > answers
>
> And I really get the feeling people pick apart that slogan when they
> wouldn't pick apart other company's slogans. And it is just an advertising
> slogan, not a promise or some terms of agreement.
>
But why advertise a weakness? They should be aware of their own
inability to answer technology questions intelligently (unless it is
about a cellphone contract). They advertise the one thing they don't
have, which is a bit silly, but they hope it will bring in customers
and make sales, and maybe it does.
James Sweet
appealing to me but if you want it like that they'll sell it to you like
that. There's plenty of other non-meat containing products there, though
either way after working at a fast food place for a while in highschool I
don't particularly wanna eat at one.
"Michael Black" <et...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote in message
news:bemrfm$6lv$1...@freenet9.carleton.ca...
Dave
> et...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black) wrote:
>
> >This nitpicking is there in that earlier bit about the triac. People
> >are expecting the store to have a higher standard of knowledge then the
> >nitpickers themselves.
>
> Well, yes... at least to understand that they don't know what the funny
> black things with wires sticking out are. It isn't nitpicking to observe
> that Rat Shack droids have even less clues than most. And Ghod knows, I
Occasionally, but very rarely, I have found one who does know what is
what, but even then you just look at them funny because you can guess
they have probably already turned in their two-week notice and you
won't ever see them again.
Ray L. Volts
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"Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
news:vgtik6m...@corp.supernews.com...
> James Sweet:
> I regularly get supposedly "knowledgeable do-it-yourself repair people" in
> my store looking over the wall of transistors and diodes and randomly pick
> one that "looks" the same..... I used to spend a lot of time trying to
> help them and educate them about JEDEC numbers, voltage ratings, etc......
> and in the end they would insist on buying the incorrect part.....
sometimes
> totally incorrect like you described with the triac and transistor.....
> finally I just gave up......
I hope you have some sort of disclaimer on your receipts. Otherwise, if
somebody burns their house down, they might decide it's a good idea to sue
ya because they weren't "adequately advised or warned". It happens..
> Just imagine working in a drug store and as a clerk telling folks which
> over-the counter medications to buy....... not me, what if they had a
bad
> reaction to the medicine.... here are the products on the shelf , read
> the labels, make your own choice and pay your money.
The difference here is that medications do have labels. I haven't met many
electrical components, even on-card ones, that include warning or even
proper-usage labeling. Some of the Rat Shack parts did/do, but mostly they
just list the device's specs on the back.
It's just askin for trouble if you don't put disclaimers on your receipts
and, depending on your state's laws, disclaimers displayed prominently on
large signs hanging on your shop walls.
paul s
As in the infamous 'McDonalds hot coffee' suit. Or those salted peanut
packets 'Warning this product may contain nuts'.
How about KFC? 'Warning this product *may* contain chicken'. ;-)
--
Paul S
Ray L. Volts
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"paul s" <nos...@nospam.forme> wrote in message
news:r4TPa.9414$nD6.71...@news-text.cableinet.net...
> Ray L. Volts wrote:
> > >
> >
> > I hope you have some sort of disclaimer on your receipts. Otherwise, if
> > somebody burns their house down, they might decide it's a good idea to
sue
> > ya because they weren't "adequately advised or warned". It happens..
>
> As in the infamous 'McDonalds hot coffee' suit. Or those salted peanut
> packets 'Warning this product may contain nuts'.
>
> How about KFC? 'Warning this product *may* contain chicken'. ;-)
Sadly, our litigious society has gotten just that bad! Even sadder, though,
is that juries actually issue awards to these twits. You really have to
cover your ass in every imaginable fashion nowadays.
gothika
see they're going down at a steady rate.
People are spending their money at the major discount department store
chains and electronic specialty shop.(stereo/home entertainment
shops.) for the plug and play componenets and those of use who are
hobbyist have HAD to go to those shiny color catalogs out of necessity
not choice.
I guess it comes down to either you want to run a electronics parts
store or you want to put out a shingle that says your one thereby
tricking the hobbyist in walking in where you can assualt them with a
sales pitch and try and convince them to buy what you do have.
I for one am sick and tired of walking into a "electronics parts
store" to find that they don't have any parts at all, just a ton of
third rate cheap components that aren't worth the cardboard box
they're packed in.
gothika
Everything you say goes to just how crappy RS has gotten.
gothika
I agree, having idiots on the sales floor is extremely annoying.
However if the sign out on hte the front of the store says Radio
Shack, a name that for many years was synonomous with electronics
part, then you damn well ought to have PARTS!
I can remember when they actually had just about any part or component
you could want for home electronics repair or hobby work.
BTW if you bury your head in corporate formula for max profits you
lose sight of the one component that guarantees sucess, customer
satisfaction.
(My father ran a radio/tv repair shop for many years and and customer
satisfaction guaranteed repeat customers. My father kept his shop open
up till his failing health forced retirement with good profits all the
while.)
On Wed, 09 Jul 2003 00:06:40 GMT, "Chris" <chr...@NSitproducts.com>
wrote:
RedWing196
>store or you want to put out a shingle that says your one thereby
>tricking the hobbyist in walking in where you can assualt them with a
>sales pitch and try and convince them to buy what you do have.
I was working at Radio Shack at the time they brought in Len Roberts to run the
company. Over the next several years, most of the veteran managers and
corporate execs were basically forced out because they wouldn't adapt to the
new focus of the company. The company now seems to have a strategy of hiring
20 year old managers to 'run' their stores. These managers only qualifications
seems to be that have proven that they can sell; not that they know about what
they are selling or even the first thing about customer service. Here is a web
site that has been around a while: radioshacksucks.com
Take a look at the site and you'll see how much the employee's hate their own
company.
Jim
Andre
Yeah, that sucks .
I confidently predict that by 2023 the United States will collapse
into anarchy , due to >xx % of the population being lawyers of one
type or another .
-A
TCS
begin On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 07:33:32 GMT, gothika <got...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> I agree, having idiots on the sales floor is extremely annoying.
> However if the sign out on hte the front of the store says Radio
> Shack, a name that for many years was synonomous with electronics
> part, then you damn well ought to have PARTS!
> I can remember when they actually had just about any part or component
> you could want for home electronics repair or hobby work.
When was that? Even in the mid 70's, radio shack was pretty much
worthless for repairs or hobby work. I don't think RS has ever had
a selection of more than 20 integrated circuits.
Michael Black
People still seem to be thinking in terms of Radio Shack before Tandy
bought it. It was a small regional chain in the Boston area.
But that was over thirty years ago, maybe more like forty years.
Michael
Bill Webb
way to hire people who lack knowledge or even interest in anything
remotely electronic. A few years back I had just finished Year 1 of
college for a BSEE and needed some cash. There were no less than 3 Radio
Shacks within a short drive of my house with huge can't-miss-it NOW
HIRING signs in the windows. I of course noted in my resume my
familiarity with electronics and all the related hoohah..."I could even
help customers with design equations"...none of them even bothered to
call back. A year down the road, it comes as little surprise that I come
in looking for (Hello Sir, may I help you find something? Yes, I
need...) a photodiode... <blank stare> ... light detector ... <blank
stare> ... light sensor ... <blank stare> .... small parts. "On the back
wall, far left." Close enough...
Chris wrote:
> Yeah but it doesn't take much to familarize yourself to what you sell. You
> don't need to be a tech or even knowledgable in electronics. Just know the
> product line. If I need a power supply then just tell me where abouts I can
> find them. Don't tell me they aren't sold there. Now if I asked for a 120VAC
> to 12VDC AC adapter rated at 600mA and 11W well then I can understand. This
> really isn't rocket science.
>
> "Sofie" <so...@olypen.com> wrote in message
> news:vgm9hie...@corp.supernews.com...
>
>>Michael Black:
>>I agree.
>>Would any of the electronic knowledgeable people in this thread go to work
>>for Radio Shack or any other retail store as a counter clerk???? If you
>>are out of work then great, but then you should be looking for a job with
>>the appropriate pay the fits your skill level. Just go to any retail
>
> store
>
>>that has minimum wage clerks.... this is usually the case but not always.
>>Go to your local KMart or WalMart..... the minimum wage clerks are just
>>about useless.... if you can find a department manager you can get better
>>assistance ..... if you can find them at all.
>>Now certainly Radio Shack could pay a lot more for better qualified clerks
>>but most certainly the prices in the store would go up and the sales would
>>go down..... not a good combination. Again, the market place is price
>>driven, the customer wants to pay as little as possible, and that is what
>>they get.
Chris
can't be serious. Noone can be that naive and be a CEO. I'm not a fan of
"Hate" sites but the stories and experiences in there seem to agree with
almost everything I've heard, witnessed, or have seen. Thankfully, Ive never
been a RS employee. Only a reluctant customer.
"RedWing196" <redwi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030715084558...@mb-m27.aol.com...
gothika
might know what they're doing.
The key being "ignorant and controllable".
gothika
60's and early 70's. They carried parts from Allied electronics.
If you're old enough to remember Allied, then you know that they were
out of Britain and had quite a catalog, I actually purchased parts to
fix pioneer stereo's from allied, many came right out of a Radio Shack
store.
On 15 Jul 2003 21:32:29 GMT, TCS
gothika
On 16 Jul 2003 01:12:32 GMT, et...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black)
wrote:
TCS
Back then there was also lafayette electronics. They went under by the
early 80's.
Michael Black
back issues to place exactly when.
As I said, Radio Shack was a small regional chain selling parts (and some
equipment) in the Boston area.
At some point in the sixties, they were bought by Tandy. By 1968, they
were owned by Tandy, and were running 15 page "catalogs" in Elementary
Electronics. The mailing address was Fort Worth, TX.
Well, the November 1967 issue of Popular Electronics has an RS ad,
and the mailing address is Fort Worth, though no specific mention of
Tandy. However, it sure looks like they've had time to move up
from the regional chain.
I can't find ads for Radio Shack in the magazines I do have from earlier
in the sixties, so I don't know exactly when the takeover occurred.
Someone once suggested 1963, but I have no way of verifying that.
And to negate a common myth, Allied never owned Radio Shack. For
a brief while in the early seventies, the two were merged and were
called "Allied Radio Shack". But it did not last long, I gather
because the US government forced Tandy to sell off Allied. But ads
from 1971 did have the "Allied Radio Shack" label.
Michael
Clifton T. Sharp Jr.
> 60's and early 70's. They carried parts from Allied electronics.
> If you're old enough to remember Allied, then you know that they were
> out of Britain and had quite a catalog,
I'm old enough to remember Allied, and they were out of 100 N. Western Ave.,
Chicago, Illinois USA.
--
The function of an asshole is to emit quantities of crap. Spammers do
a very good job of that. However, I do object to my inbox being a
spammer's toilet bowl. -- Walter Dnes
TCS
> gothika (got...@earthlink.net) writes:
>> Tandy bought them out in the early 70's.
>>
> No, it was earlier, though I don't have a complete enough set of magazine
> back issues to place exactly when.
>
> As I said, Radio Shack was a small regional chain selling parts (and some
> equipment) in the Boston area.
>
> At some point in the sixties, they were bought by Tandy. By 1968, they
> were owned by Tandy, and were running 15 page "catalogs" in Elementary
> Electronics. The mailing address was Fort Worth, TX.
> Well, the November 1967 issue of Popular Electronics has an RS ad,
> and the mailing address is Fort Worth, though no specific mention of
> Tandy. However, it sure looks like they've had time to move up
> from the regional chain.
>
> I can't find ads for Radio Shack in the magazines I do have from earlier
> in the sixties, so I don't know exactly when the takeover occurred.
> Someone once suggested 1963, but I have no way of verifying that.
google is your friend. 15 seconds of searching yielded:
http://www.digidome.nl/tandyand.htm
Michael Black
>>
>> I can't find ads for Radio Shack in the magazines I do have from earlier
>> in the sixties, so I don't know exactly when the takeover occurred.
>> Someone once suggested 1963, but I have no way of verifying that.
>
> google is your friend. 15 seconds of searching yielded:
> http://www.digidome.nl/tandyand.htm
Well, maybe.
Over the years, I've seen plenty of incorrect information written
about Radio Shack (people saying Allied owned them for a while, people
not knowing of it's origins, even the point I responded to) that just
because someone has written it down on a webpage does not mean anything.
1963 would seem to be about right, based on how it must have had time
to develop under Tandy to get to the point of those 1968 ads.
But, being able to quote an ad directly seems to be a more absolute
source of information than some webpage that seems to be about computers
rather than a full history of the chain. I'm not dismissing the webpage's
date, only saying that given different bits of information, how do
you determine/decide which is accurate? I can state outright that
by 1968 Tandy owned Radio Shack, and point to a specific ad. Someone
saying "Tandy bought Radio Shack in 1963" has as much validity as someone
saying "Tandy bought Radio Shack in the early seventies", or for
that matter "Allied was based in England". For those who don't know,
any bit of information is just as valid as another.
So, sometimes, Google is not my friend.
Michael
Ralph Wade Phillips
"gothika" <got...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:1lechvknij0g01n3v...@4ax.com...
>
> 60's and early 70's. They carried parts from Allied electronics.
> If you're old enough to remember Allied, then you know that they were
> out of Britain and had quite a catalog, I actually purchased parts to
> fix pioneer stereo's from allied, many came right out of a Radio Shack
> store.
<blink> Chicago, Illinois is out of BRITAIN? Damn, must of totally
spaced my geography classes - I always thought that was part of the USA.
BTW - Allied was formed in the USA in the 30's. Don't doubt they
had a UK branch ...
Radio Shack OWNED Allied for a while, too.
RwP
Ralph Wade Phillips
"gothika" <got...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:hqechvcmeclclsln1...@4ax.com...
> Tandy bought them out in the early 70's.
You seem to have misspelled 1964 there.
RwP
A E
> What really bugs me is that it almost seems like they go out of their
> way to hire people who lack knowledge or even interest in anything
> remotely electronic. A few years back I had just finished Year 1 of
> college for a BSEE and needed some cash. There were no less than 3 Radio
> Shacks within a short drive of my house with huge can't-miss-it NOW
> HIRING signs in the windows. I of course noted in my resume my
> familiarity with electronics and all the related hoohah..."I could even
> help customers with design equations"...none of them even bothered to
> call back. A year down the road, it comes as little surprise that I come
Ah, so I'm not alone. Thanks! :)
TCS
well.... when you get old, the second thing to go is your memory
MWM
Businesses are just as much to blame
for our litigious society as the citizens
that bring these lawsuits. Most of these
cases are settled out of court by the
business for financial reasons. Mainly
they are not at fault but proving that
would cost more than the settlement.
Companies that fight these types of
lawsuits no matter the cost are less
likely to be sued.
Dan Fraser
for a living at a decent size company, designing electronics for the
professional entertainment industry. However, because I don't want to
turn around and do more of it when I get home,
Hence I have a garage full of surplus electronics and components. Is
there a trade school or maybe even a high school electronics instructor
in the greater Los Angeles area who would like a truck load of parts and
all manner of whole and partially whole electronics for the students to
practice with.
--
Dan Fraser
From Costa Mesa in sunny California
949-631-7535 Cell 714-420-7535
Check out my electronic schematics site at:
http://www.schematicsforfree.com
If you are into cars check out www.roadsters.com