Posted: 5/25/2010 5:33:08 PM EDT
| Just saw an ad for cell phones;the music?The theme from Three's Company.No wonder RS is in the shitter. |
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When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. |
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When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. QFT |
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When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. You made the point better than I did.For a real treat order their commercial catalog.About 300 pages of parts goodness. 
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Quoted: Quoted: When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. You made the point better than I did.For a real treat order their commercial catalog.About 300 pages of parts goodness. That's the real rub, all those parts are unavailable at the store which is what RS should be all about. If I'm going to order, there are countless web-based sources (even Fleabay) that are cheaper and have more shit. The appeal of RS was that if you were tinkering you could go buy an oddball resistor even if you lived in a fairly small market. Now? Just some really common parts and a few odds and ends, never what you need. |
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My roomate just went to radio shack to buy some contact cleaner. Apparently he didn't feel like driving across town and apparently, needed it now. He paid about double what he would have at wally world. And I bet Johny Anyteen working their was dumb founded when your friend asked for it. |
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Just saw an ad for cell phones;the music?The theme from Three's Company.No wonder RS is in the shitter. RadioShack is doing fine. The new management has stabilized the business and they are showing profit and growth. ETA: In this economy. I don't see how other than closing stores to boost the bottom line.They usually sell old technology at hyper retail prices.YMMV.
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Quoted: Quoted: Just saw an ad for cell phones;the music?The theme from Three's Company.No wonder RS is in the shitter. RadioShack is doing fine. The new management has stabilized the business and they are showing profit and growth. ETA: In this economy. They're closing stores left and right and have arrived at the bottom of their slide, I guess that's what stabilization is. Growth indicates there might be more stores on the horizon? Don't think so. When I worked there in the late 80's, we had about a dozen company stores and probably as many associate stores in central Ohio, a thriving metro area. The growth of the retail industry has taken off here, but the stores closed one by one. Now? There's only 1 RS serving a 100,000 population town that used to have 3 doing a brisk business. They abandoned the associate stores, and the remaining store is now in a smaller location stocking a tiny fraction of what they used to. Growth? If my penis grew like that when I got excited it would be in my lower intestine. |
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Quoted: You must be clairvoyant!Quoted: My roomate just went to radio shack to buy some contact cleaner. Apparently he didn't feel like driving across town and apparently, needed it now. He paid about double what he would have at wally world. And I bet Johny Anyteen working their was dumb founded when your friend asked for it.  |
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When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. I wonder whether that's RS's fault or whether people have just moved away from electronic experimentation. I don't see the niche in the market that Radio Shack "should" be filling right now, if not the one they currently are. I understand what you're saying, and I only ever go to RS for components and cable adapters and stuff, but those are $2 parts. You can't run a business by relying on guys like me. |
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When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. Same here. Worked there in the late 90's. You drive people away when you ask them for their home address and phone number when they buy a pack of AA batteries. Then you tried to sell them a cell phone. I refused to do it for those transactions and was routinely yelled at for it. |
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Worked there for 4 months. It further confirmed my opinion that anyone holding a rank above store manager is a raging dickhead. Seriously, I've seen better behavior out of a 4yo lawn ape hyped up on Twizzlers and Pepsi than from the 30something gay brother of David Caruso that was our DM.
My training consisted Powerpoint quizzes that no one ever bothered to check my scores on...and absolutely nothing hands on besides how to open the electronics cage. Seriously, you expect me to sell 3 different types of CB radios and a wall full of parts shelves without giving me any sort of a heads-up on how to do so? Meanwhile they bitched me out for not counting change 3 times before handing it to the customer (I ran a store of my own before arriving here, I think I know how to count change) and wearing the wrong type of socks. The most worthwhile experience I had at that job was listening to the store manager call the police on the guy masturbating in the children's playground at the center of the mall. |
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Quoted: Quoted: When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. I wonder whether that's RS's fault or whether people have just moved away from electronic experimentation. I don't see the niche in the market that Radio Shack "should" be filling right now, if not the one they currently are. I understand what you're saying, and I only ever go to RS for components and cable adapters and stuff, but those are $2 parts. You can't run a business by relying on guys like me. The component guys, in my experience, came in for LOTS of $2 components, and they generally bought other shit too. They were "Shakkies" as we used to call them. Even when RS was doing strong business, it wasn't the big ticket items flying out the doors. That change away from its core Realistic/Tandy goods to general consumer electronics baffled store owners, it really did we heard it from everyone we talked to. Everyone knew it would alienate the very people they were serving, and they were entering a market they couldn't win at. And, viola, they sucked donkey balls at it. I don't know that electronic components by themselves are going to save them, probably too late for that it's becoming even more nichy, but they moved in the wrong direction, I saw that first hand. Hell, I got laid off when the sales tanked (thank god!). |
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When Radio Shack used to be a hobbyist and tech store, it was thriving. When they tried to turn it into a miniature Best Buy, they started the slow spiral. I worked there right during that "change" away from Tandy/Realistic to "You've Got Questions We've Got Overpriced Toys". The loss in revenue was immediate, really. We made our bulk sales in components and supplies, and when that got scaled back the hobbyists (loyal customers) stopped coming. People NEED cable splitters, audio cables, specialty parts, electronic components, and they'll find them. They don't need a shitty home stereo, when Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Appliance Mart sells the same thing for less. THIS! |
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Quoted: Not to say that you are not electronically savvy but this why ratshack sucks today. The old guys that spent 30 years in the Military as a Electronics/Radio Tech worked at the Shack up until say 1998 were the master encyclopedias of substitute parts, pc board layout masters and comedians. 1998 and beyond was when Phoneshack realized that Cell Phone Bounties(some carriers give up to $300 per new lines) were the real money makers and they started to fire these guys and move away from the products that kept them in business for decades. Worked there for 4 months. It further confirmed my opinion that anyone holding a rank above store manager is a raging dickhead. Seriously, I've seen better behavior out of a 4yo lawn ape hyped up on Twizzlers and Pepsi than from the 30something gay brother of David Caruso that was our DM. My training consisted Powerpoint quizzes that no one ever bothered to check my scores on...and absolutely nothing hands on besides how to open the electronics cage. Seriously, you expect me to sell 3 different types of CB radios and a wall full of parts shelves without giving me any sort of a heads-up on how to do so? Meanwhile they bitched me out for not counting change 3 times before handing it to the customer (I ran a store of my own before arriving here, I think I know how to count change) and wearing the wrong type of socks. The most worthwhile experience I had at that job was listening to the store manager call the police on the guy masturbating in the children's playground at the center of the mall. Now the mouth breathers and Best Buy fuckups cant even explain how a cell phone works other than it "does Twitter". I remember when i bought my first Trunk Tracking Scanner from Radio Shack circa 1997/early 1998. I walked in and was extremely skeptical but the guy behind the counter pulled one out of the box. In two minutes, he had the VA Beach Police system up and was explaining how control channels worked. I bought it and came back later with my copy of Police Call where the employees helped me program it. I would have a better chance these days in getting a Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Radioshack. Fuck what Radioshack has become, i hope they go out of business. They are no longer relevant. |