Radio Shack-yikes!

[KG4OCV]

I stopped by Radio Shack in the mall today. I overheard the salesman telling a couple buying some rdios the difference betwen FRS and GMRS radios. "one is good for two miles and one is good for five miles"
Customer."Anything Else?"
Salesman" The five mile one sounds better."
I went over to the manager, who was also listening to this, and said "Ar eyou going to remind him that GMRS needs a license?"
Manager.."nop, no license is needed."
Me.."Yes, it is. It's not needed for FRS"
Manager.."Not anymore. No license is needed."
Me.." I'm sure it is. It even says it on the box. (albeit tiny print)"
Manager.."Are you sure? I'm pretty sure you don't need a license anymore."

Yikes!

Jeff

[N0PU]

SOSDD !!

Harry N0PU

[k3sam]

Jeff,

I can go one better. #I picked up one of RS's laser levels last night and two hunters were looking for radios while they were out stalking their deer. #The pimple faced kid said the same thing as you just posted but went a little further. #He said you can get even up to 20 or 30 miles with these babies. #He proceeded to hand them 2 meter HT's. #Again, nothing was mentioned about a license. #He started saying something about bouncing signals off of towers, that is when I went over to the manager and told him that if he didn't stop what was going on, I would.

Now, that takes us back to "should we sell radios to anyone" with or without a license. #Maybe a restriction should be placed on Radio Shack only !

73, Sam

[wb6bcn]

The unfortunate part is if the customer oporates a GMRS without a license, and gets caught, there is a stiff fine.
What is more confusing for the operator of a FRS is there are a number of the FRS channels that are the same as GMRS, and GMRS operators have priority on these.

[N9TKF]

I don't go to "Radio Shack" anymore, they are still trying to sell me a cell phone and I am still looking for an SCR.

RS salesperson: "We used to carry those(SCR's) over by the VCR's but they went out in the early 90's"http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif??

[n7wsb]

whats a SCR?

A rule that made radio shack employees only sell radios to licensed operators (both commercial and amateur) would be a good idea. At least at a regular electronics/ham radio shop they would probably tell you that you will need a license to operate that.

[k5rna]

I do not or have ever worked at any radio shack store,but know people who hwve.Don't blame the people who work there.Ever notce every time you go in a RS they have new help.I am told they way under pay,do not have any place to sit down,even on coffe breaks which i am not sure are allowed.No one seems to stay long enough to learn very much.My oponion.

[kg6nus]

yea, it isnt the really the employees fault. the turn over rate there is ridiculous. except for managers, the regular workers dont get paid much. so it isnt like many people seriously knowledgeable in electronics are willing to put up with working there. not to mention it's also the fault of the company for not really bothering to educate their employees about anything except how to sell someone a phone or a computer. and even then they only know the minimum to try and sell it to you unless they take the time to learn for themselves, but since working there doesnt seem to be rewarding in any way, cant blame 'em for not taking the extra effort

[wb6bcn]

I have worked at a Radio Shack. There are 2 types of Radio Shack stores. Company store and Franchise store. The company store I worked at had two chairs. Both were in the manager's office. The only other place to sit was the throne.
You weren't allowed to use the throne room unless there was another employee in the store. The manager's office was located such that you couldn't hear or see anyone entering the store. The need of technological knowledge wasn't even considered for employment. What they stressed was selling especially high end or high margin items.
The franchise stores are not the same. In fact some franchise stores have some real techs working there, and some I know of on the local area are owned by hams or cbers. They are only required to stock a small amount of the Radio Shack items the company stores are required to stock. The balance of the products are up to the store manager/owner.
If you find someone in a company store that knows a VCR from a SCR you are lucky, however, in a franchise store you would be more likely to find such a person.
Something else: If you buy something at a franchise store and try to return it at a company store: GOOD LUCK. If you by something at a company store and want to return it at a franchise store, you will have better than an even chance they will take it.
Unfortunately the average can't tell the difference between a franchise and a company store. Of 21 Radio Shack stores within 50 miles of here only 4 that I know of are franchise stores.
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif
Doug Flory
WB6BCN

[k3sam]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">whats a SCR?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>Silicon Controlled Rectifier.

Besides, Radio Shack should not have picked up the logo &quot;you've got questions, we've got answers&quot;. #This has only happened once or twice, however our local Radio Shack store has called me at home for an answer to a question that they had no answer to.

They should have used &quot;you've got questions, we've got batteries&quot;, that would be more appropriate, or they should only hire kids from out of electronics tech school. #In this area, we have many school districts where they do teach basic electronic theory.

It is very sad to see someone behind the counter at a Radio Shack store that can not program a scanner, does not know what a resistor is, the difference between a male and female plug, stereo / mono jacks, how to cross reference a part number, know what simple abbreviations like PTT-DPDT-USB-DTMF-NR-NC-SAP, etc... are. #Very sad. #I'm not saying that everyone has to know these things, however if you work in an enviroment where those terms are used, you should know them. #I wouldn't expect a minister to know these terms, however I wouldn't expect a RS salesperson to know what John 3:15 says either.

-Sam

[kg6nus]

wb6bcn, is there any actual way to tell the two kinds of stores apart weithout going in and having to grill the clerk to see if he knows what he's got sitting on a shelf and what it does?

k3sam, with all the radio shack commercials featuring howie long, teri hatcher, ving rhames, etc trying to do nothing but sell cellphones, some cheesy stereo equipment, maybe a computer i dotn get why you'd expect the average radio shack employee to know anything. however i do agree about their slogan, they need to change their name to consumer electronics shack because that's all they really try and sell. they just stock other electronics parts to keep people happy and since schools sometimes require kids to go get some wire and a resistor for whatever reason.

i remember a few years ago i needed a variable capacitor i believe it was. went to the nearest radioshack, they didnt have 'em, clerk didnt know what one was. went back home, called 4 or 5 other radioshacks, none of the clerks knew what one was. a friend of mine mentioned a mom and pop electronics store that i had forgtten about, went there and they had bins full of them. all different ratings, different brands. you name it. last time i went by there however, al they sold was alarm kits and such. sadly i never went there often(really only 2 or 3 times) because the store was just so out of the way i never remembered it.

(and no i dont remember what i even needed the variable capacitor for, and what i was building probably didnt even work, i was like 12 at the time. so that might not have even been the exact item, but that's what comes to mind)

[wb6bcn]

If you go to a Radio Shack store and they are selling Cobra and other non Radio Shack cb radios, Yaesu or other non Radio Shack brands of ham radio, Firestick antenna, Shakespear products, and things of that nature it is not a company store. The company store can only handle what is in the Radio Shack catalog.
The franchise stores are usually found in smaller communities, or in areas where a franchise was purchased prior to a company store going in.
In most cases I have noticed the business card will have the name of the business on the card. In other words if the card has only Radio Shack on it, it is most likely a company store. If the card has something like &quot;Joe's Radio &amp; CB&quot; as well as Radio Shack on it, or sometimes no mention of Radio Shack on the business card, it is a franchise store.
I hope this answers the question. I am not saying all franchise stores are alike, but around here, they all have techies working in and/or owning them.
Good Luck finding one like the ones we have here.

Doug Flory
WB6BCN

[kg6nus]

yea, thats what i figured. never really bothered to look at the ham equipment in there before, but now i recall everything else being radioshack brand. i was kinda hoping you might know a spot on their webpage like a store locator with some indication whether or not it's a franchise or company store as wedo have quite a few radio shacks within reasonable driving distance, oh well. guess i could always pull out ye olde phonebook, call, and ask

[k3sam]

Doug, not so anymore. #Even their &quot;company&quot; magazines from corporate sell RCA, Emerson, Direct TV, Dish network, Go Video, Panasonic, Samsung to name a few. #I believe that they have found selling Radio Shack, or Tandy items only will not bring home the bucks. #Within 10 miles from my QTH, I have 3 Company Stores, one inside a mall, and two in mini-malls. #These are owned/operated by Radio Shack.

-Sam

[n7wsb]

Well its like with any tech support job. They tell you its about 90% customer relations and 10% technical and really 90% of the time its true.

Take my job - I do technical support for a major graphics software company (I don't get paid a whole lot either...) easily over 90% of the people who call me really don't know what they should to be using a computer or the programs we support so its just a matter of knowing enough to solve their problem and take the next call.

I'm lucky - I've been using these machines for ages and I know how to use the products so if someone calls me up with a *real* issue there's a pretty good chance I can solve it.

RS is probably the same way.

[wb6bcn]

kg6nus:
Yes: I went to their web site and found a store locator link: http://www.radioshack.com/ on the left side of the page.
Once there click on the state then click one of the bullets in your area.

The key you look for is a company name rather than just a location. IE: Grapevine Electronics or Jim's Cb Radios or something of the sort. These are franchise stores.

[KC7HDE]

I think a Sign put up at the register or near the radio display would be nice,
The sign would be a minimum 10&quot; x 12&quot; and would give general information on What radio's are in need of licensing and what are not
These signs would be perminent and have as the heading
&quot;IMPORTANT&quot; Please read.


Just my thought.

Norm. T.

[K9STH]

I don't know if they still exist, but years ago Radio Shack had what were called &quot;joint venture&quot; stores. With these an individual (partnership, etc.) owned 50 percent of the store and the company owned the other 50 percent. There were two of these within two miles of my house (one two blocks away). The one that was two blocks away signed a 10 year lease for the location. Within 6 months, the individual went broke and Radio Shack was &quot;stuck&quot; with the lease. They operated a store at that location for an additional nine years before finally paying off the last six months of the lease. That particular store only showed a positive cash flow for two months the entire time it was located at that particular location, one November and December due to Christmas purchases. All the rest of the time it lost money. Not enough to justify paying off the lease, but enough so that there was never more than one person in the store at any time.

They moved this store up to the &quot;main drag&quot; about two miles south. That store makes a slight profit, but nothing like it should do.

The other joint-venture store was located about two miles north of me. When a new &quot;super&quot; mall opened right behind this store Radio Shack put a company owned store inside the mall. This was located only about 200 yards from the joint-venture store. After trying to negotiate with Radio Shack, the joint-venture partner took them to court for violating their agreement with him. He got enough out of the settlement that, after paying off the lawyers, that he retired VERY comfortably. The owner had offered to close down his strip mall operation and take over the mall operation. However, Tandy Corporation decided that they didn't want to share the proceeds with him. Thus, they ended up paying out many years worth of profits from the mall store to settle the claim.

The most recent manager at the store that was moved (before the present manager) was a woman who really tried to learn the products. She even knew my date of birth to put on my cheques. Of course, it was the day after her's, the month and day, not the year. Radio Shack transferred her to another store about four miles away. The person who took over from her is, basically, a real S.O.B. I have heard him criticize the managers of the other stores in the area, he has tried to sell me things that definitely would not do the job, etc. Thus, if at all possible, I go north to the mall store if I really need something from Radio Shack and avoid the slightly closer one.

Glen, K9STH

[n0xu]

When I worked at Radio Scraps in the late eighties, you made either minimum wage or commission on your sales, whichever was higher. If memory serves, the commission rate was 7% of the individual's gross sales.

However, the day after Thanksgiving, RS would cut the commission rate in half. The rationale? According to them, it was &quot;easier to make sales during the holiday shopping season&quot;. No kidding it was easier, but you were also working twice as hard or more dealing with customers, stocking, cleaning, and so forth. I have no idea if this is still their policy. I still feel that policy was unfair and abusive. Admittedly, I worked there voluntarily, but it was damned hard to find a job in Denver in those days for a recent graduate with no real experience.

Also, we were required to attend, without pay, the company &quot;Christmas party&quot;, which was not a party but a holiday sales &quot;rah-rah&quot; meeting. Nowhere was it written that it was required, but you were &quot;strongly urged&quot; to attend.

I hope I never find myself in a position where I have to work there again.

[n4smb]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (k3sam @ Nov. 23 2002,22:58)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Besides, Radio Shack should not have picked up the logo &quot;you've got questions, we've got answers&quot; ...
They should have used &quot;you've got questions, we've got batteries&quot;[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Heh-heh! #That was a good one, Sam.


steve/kf4qvv

[n0xu]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kf4qvv @ Nov. 24 2002,14:29)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (k3sam @ Nov. 23 2002,22:58)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Besides, Radio Shack should not have picked up the logo &quot;you've got questions, we've got answers&quot; ...
They should have used &quot;you've got questions, we've got batteries&quot;[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Heh-heh! #That was a good one, Sam.


steve/kf4qvv[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Somebody else on here (forgive me for not remembering who) also quipped &quot;You've got questions, we've got blank stares&quot;....

Heh...

[WB2WIK]

&quot;You've got questions? Hell, that's more than we've got!&quot;

-New RS campaign.

[KD7LDH]

&quot;You've got questions, we've got a Sprint PCS phone to sell you&quot;



-KD7LDH

[KD5UJZ]

You want blue leds? We have blue capacitors!

Sad but true.

[n0xu]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KD5UJZ @ Nov. 24 2002,16:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">You want blue leds? We have blue capacitors![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Hey, the blue ones are best cause they pop the loudest when ya stick 'em in the wall socket....

&lt;This amp is better 'cause it goes up to &quot;eleven&quot;.&gt;

[K5CEY]

We sure like to pick on Radio Shack. And with reason. The last time I visited was about 6 or 7 years ago. I was repairing a TV set for my little sister. I needed a horizontal output transistor. They had a general replacement device at a good price, so I selected it and took it to the counter. The guy that wrote up the ticket asked me, &quot;What if this doesn't fix it?&quot; I assumed he was going to offer further trouble shooting advice. I said that I would re group and possibly come back for more parts. Turns out that he was trying to tell me that their TV sets were on sale. After I paid the bill, he asked, &quot;Would you like a free cell phone?&quot; I just left. Luckily the transistor fixed the set and I've never been back to RS.
# # # # # # # # # #John #K5CEY

[k3sam]

I'm just wondering that if a few hams got together and wrote Radio Shack to have one of their stores completely run by electronic technicians (or hams, if you will). #With all of our griping, would this change anything ? #Do the things that bug the heck out of us bother the average Joe ? #Maybe in CEY's example, if it would have been someone else, they might have taken the free phone.

How, as amateurs, could we change this particular Radio Shack that we would have control over (besides our weath of knowledge). #If we had complete control over ordering, what would we stock that Radio Shack doesn't stock now ? #More resistors and caps, diodes, the basics. #Does the general public know what to do with these anymore ? #You know if we stock HD rotors, they will just sit on the shelves. #Even if the customer doesn't have cable or a dish, the outdoor yagi is so light that the $30 rotor would do just fine. So we would end up with dust all over excess inventory, and holding up our cash flow.

Test equipment, naw. #I guess, looking hard at Radio Shack, about the only flaw that they really have is a basic &quot;entry level&quot; test that each employee should have to pass. #Like, how to program a scanner. #The difference between Standard Broadcast and HDTV. #A very simple electronics course at the minimum.

We as amateurs can not expect to get a high tech answer from anyone employed at RS. #If the question is so tough for one, ask another ham. #That's what we do now. We should also have the knowledge to know where to look for the information.#And listening to some of the questions being ask of the RS employees, do you really think that the average customer would be able to understand our answer ? #

I'm definately not defending RS, however some things to think about. Heck, even all the employees at Denny's restaurant have to be certified at the positions they work at now.

-Sam

[kg6nus]

I don't think anyone is expecting radio shack emplyoees to suddenly become engineers. I also doubt anyone is really expecting radio shack to start carrying more ham equipment.

However it would be nice if you walked into an rs store and asked where the capacitors were, the clerk could point instead of walking down the aisle, and spending time looking at every label like you could have done in the first place.

And as far as their products go, sometimes the house brand stuff is decent, other times it's crap. And it isnt just the ham equipment either. Aside from their higher ticket items, components and cable and so forth are completely inconsistent as far as quality goes.

[KG4PWO]

I have applied to Radio Shack many times over they years. I thought it would be a fun place to work part time. I have been turned down everytime.

I knew how much they paid and the hours involved. I have worked as a mainframe tech for over 10 years and then PCs for another 10. I have worked in sales and management.

THEY WILL NOT HIRE ME!!!

Go figure.

[K9STH]

There are actually a few amateurs employed at the corporate headquarters in Fort Worth. A couple of years ago I met the fellow who was involved with, back in the early 1970s, Radio Shacks efforts to import Trio (now Kenwood) equipment. This was shortly after Radio Shack bought out Allied (which, after some federal government actions had to sell off due to anti-trust suits). Allied had been selling the Trio equipment for a few years before it was acquired by Radio Shack. He was involved with the change of the SX-190 / AX-190 from the Allied brand to the Realistic brand (I used to have two AX-190s, one with Allied and one with Radio Shack, still have the Radio Shack version since it is a bit &quot;rarer&quot;). One of the projects was to bring over the matching transmitter which would allow transceiving as well as independent operation like the Heath SB-301 / SB-401, the Drake 4-Line, the Collins S-Line, etc. However, the corporate management made one of its many changes over the years about this time and the idea was dropped. By the way, the SX-190 (SWL version) and the AX-190 (amateur version) which are identical except for the front panel and installed heterodyne crystals, are pretty good receivers even if they are solid-state! If you don't get this last statement, take a look at my station photos on http://home.attbi.com/~k9sth or look up my callsign here on QRZ.com.

Anyway, that person confirmed my belief that Radio Shack has lost touch with their &quot;roots&quot; back in the Boston area when they were basically an amateur radio outlet, and is still searching for some way to keep all of their stores afloat with competition from the consumer outlets like Best Buy, etc. They really don't care what they sell so long as the bottom line shows a good profit. Thus, cheap labor (they don't pay the managers that much, but it is definitely a lot more than the sales people), whatever product goes in and out the door the fastest, etc.

Glen, K9STH

[k3sam]

I bet you make the correct change and are very polite. #I got it. #Over qualified !

-Sam

[K9STH]

From the front page of today's business section of the Dallas Morning News (actually one of the two headlines!):

&quot;Radio Shack skips the introductions. Retailer is no longer asking for a name and address at checkout!&quot;

Finally, after years of almost demanding this information, Radio Shack is no longer going to ask you for your information. According to the article, the people most happy about this are the clerks at Radio Shack! Also, the article points out that this practice started before Radio Shack was obtained by Tandy corporation in October of 1963. Thus, an almost 40 year old tradition &quot;bites the dust&quot; (not too soon in the opinion of many of those who post on QRZ.com according to various threads over the past several months).

So, Radio Shack has taken away one of the topics that always garners a &quot;few&quot; comments on this forum!

Glen, K9STH
One of the QRZ.com moderators

[KD5UJZ]

The thing keeping radioshack afloat right now is the &quot;zip-zap&quot; remote control car. my little brother bought one and I was quite amazed with it. its not fast but for $20 it does have potential for robot use. If the salesmen gets pushey and keeps asking &quot;can I help you?&quot; respond with &quot;i dont know, can you?&quot; I was once jokingly told the cleark did not speak spanish when I asked for a female pl-259 to male bnc adapter. I dont mind the products they sale as long as the cleark knows where they are. I once applied when I was about to turn 18. I went to the oriantation and in that they list tests that the clearks have to pass to sell various items such as msn internet, direct tv, and cell phones. they need these tests for power supplys, electronics, and electronic devices.

[KB9YKY]

Maybe they should have a spelling test also. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KD5UJZ]

eye spel phine!

[kg6nus]

wow, so rs officially finally quit demanding name, address, and phone number huh? wouldnt have been as bad if they had actually kept the records and only needed my phone number.

and yea, those cars are what they're counting on for holiday sales since they finally managed to find a fad seeing as they missed out on pokemon, and mothers storming through back rooms and tearing apart boxes for power rangers in years gone past(no, that isnt an exaggeration, it's an understatement if anything. never seen that many enraged soccer moms in my life)

[KG4PWO]

This should be filed under, &quot;GET A CLUE!&quot;

I was in a Radio Shack this morning (Stone Mountain, GA on HWY 78...but you didn't hear it from me) and was picking up a little wire and what nots for my latest homebrew project. On BOTH cash registers were signs refrerring to the new policy of NOT asking for name, phone etc. And if you WNTED to give that to them you'd have to tell them that. (Why would you WANT to give out that info?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif?

The young lady rang up my stuff and asked for my name, phone number and address! I ripped the sign off the machine, put it in her face and read it to her! This has been a sore point for many years to me. They can't even follow the COMPANY's rules. So it's not just the company...it's the feeble minded employees!

&quot;I see stupid people...they're everywhere. They walk around like everyone else. They dont even know that they're stupid!&quot;

[KB9YKY]

People would want to furnish them that information if they wished to be on their mailing list for flyers, sales, promotions, etc. As for your tearing the sign from the cash register in such an immature manner and acting in such a hostile demeanor towards the sales girl= if I were the manager of the store, I would probably have pressed charges against you= or at the very least, would have banned you from the premises.

[KG4PWO]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KB9YKY @ Nov. 27 2002,12:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">People would want to furnish them that information if they wished to be on their mailing list for flyers, sales, promotions, etc. As for your tearing the sign from the cash register in such an immature manner and acting in such a hostile demeanor towards the sales girl= if I were the manager of the store, I would probably have pressed charges against you= or at the very least, would have banned you from the premises.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
KB9YKY
I understand that this is your opinion. As far as being hostle. I think not. As far as the manager is concerned, I spoke to him on the way out and he apologized for his employee not FOLLOWING THE COMPANY RULES.

I take my right to privacy very seriously and &quot;do not suffer fools well&quot;

[n0xu]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KG4PWO @ Nov. 26 2002,11:11)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">This should be filed under, &quot;GET A CLUE!&quot;

&lt;snip&gt; On BOTH cash registers were signs refrerring to the new policy of NOT asking for name, phone etc. &lt;snip&gt;

The young lady rang up my stuff and asked for my name, phone number and address! I ripped the sign off the machine, put it in her face and read it to her! This has been a sore point for many years to me. They can't even follow the COMPANY's rules. So it's not just the company...it's the feeble minded employees!

&quot;I see stupid people...they're everywhere. They walk around like everyone else. They dont even know that they're stupid!&quot;[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Take your own advice and GET A CLUE. Chances are the girl works there for lack of a better job. She probably doesn't want to work there because of customers who behave like jerks. All you had to do is use your manners and say &quot;No thanks; I thought you had a new policy.&quot;

What's the matter with you?

[N9WOS]

I never minded them asking my name.
At least i never had to worry about loosing my receipt.
They would just bring up my name and see the
products i bought and see the one listed.
They would veery rarely ask for a receipt
after seeing it on the computer.
And i buy enough there that the person usually don't ask me
for my name because they remember who i am.

And i like the little fliers i get that list sale items.
A little bit ago i walked out of the local store with a bag
full of MJ2955 transistors for $0.50 a pop.
Or about a quarter of the normal price.
At that price i bought every one they had.

And for that person that worries about there privacy
that post a post or two up should look at the name
he used on the bbs.
I can tell more from that than they
would ever ask at radio shack.
If I'm going to use my call sign for the bbs's
i visit and the interactions with other
people on the web and radio.
I'm not going to worry about who
i tell my address to around home.
Because i already broadcast something way more detailed.

[KG4PWO]

OK..perhaps this is where this part of the thread should die.

I did a little more than read her the sign. We actually had a conversation. She said she knew of the policy but she always asks her customers for that info regardless of what the policy was. I explain as gently as I could (I'm not always a monster) that this was sore point with many people and that was why the company came out with this policy. It's not a question of her not being able to get a better job. Perhaps she likes retail. #There is nothing wrong with that. But to knowingly go against a policy you company has set because YOU just dont want to? Do you really thing I'm being that far off?

I will admitt that I can be a knuclke head sometimes but I really do find this a sore point with them and was glad they finally took steps to correct what I feel is a poor way to treat customers.

As far as I know, she did not feel that she was under any kind of threat. Perhaps she thinks I'm a jerk, and that's her right. But I don't think I was that far out of bounds.

By they way... my objection to the &quot;What is your name and address&quot; policy started a few years ago when I POLITELY suggested that I didn't want to give up that info (for a minor cash sale) and was told that if i didn't give them the info they would not sell to me.

But the company as a whole has decided that this is not the way to go and that's good enough for me.

But as I said. There are better things to talk about than whether I was rude or not. If you believe that, so be it. But let's not waste board space on my shortcomings.

[n0xu]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KG4PWO @ Nov. 26 2002,12:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
You left out a few of the details. Maybe you weren't, but your own story related that you were being a jerk.

Responding to the story you posted, yes, I do think you were that far off. There is no reason to be exceptionally rude to some poor schmuck, dumb or not, in that situation. Whether you were or not in actuality, I have no idea, but the story you posted related that you were, to which I responded.

I find giving an address a sore point, too. I hated asking for an adress for a 19-cent pack of resistors when I worked for them more than a decade ago.

On a related topic, I stopped working there one week before they installed the point-of-sale computers. Before that, we were writing all sales tickets by hand. Imagine working for what they billed themselves as then as &quot;The Technology Store&quot;, when the grocery store was scanning UPC codes and we were still in the Stone Age.

[K0RGR]

Back in the 60's and 70's, I lived in a place with lots of electronics stores. Tawdry/Radio Schmuck was loudly campaigning for an expansion of CB radio - they were generally considered to be solidly anti-amateur. Their VHF scanners and other radios were engineered to exclude the Amateur Bands - an effort to avoid exposing their loyal CB customers to two meter FM?

My brother, also a ham, got a job at RS right after High School. He was honestly the most technically astute person there, and went from RS to a nice technical job after he was fired for not collecting enough names and addresses from customers. I wonder if he knows they've dropped that now!

So, I avoided The Shack as much as possible.

But, I moved to Podunk, Iowa, followed by Bugtussle, MN . Here, Radio Shack is the technology center, and
your only other choice for parts is mail order, which I use a lot. The local stores are actually pretty decent - there is at least one ham who works there. But, they are clearly most interested in selling, so I suspect the old commission system is still in place.

They've reorganized all the parts at our shacks now - into two nicely organized bins - takes up less space, and they've stopped carrying some of the more amateur-useful parts, so I suspect it will not be long before I stop visiting The Shack again, and go strictly mail-order. I can generally find name-brand electronics that far surpass their equipment at a lower price. Their ham gear has generally been pretty good stuff, though - I hope they continue to sell it to licensed hams.

[kg6nus]

yea, well even with pos machines for transactions, which ARE capable of simply having the clerk type in the phone number and bringing up the rest of the info, every time, same store, i always got stuck giving out my info. if i just had to rattle off my phone number real quick i wouldnt have minded, address is kind of a pain for anyone in general, but if you look at my info, giving out my name is usually nothing but a hassle.

i rememebr an incident in my sophmore year of hs when i went off on a substitute teacher who called my name out wrong on the attendance(i mean come on, it's 2 syllables), so i calmly corrected her. she tehn tells me that according to the way i pronounced my name, as opposed to her &quot;shannon&quot;, my name was spelled incorrectly. at that point i just went livid in her face how she implied that my mother spelled my name wrong, or that i was so stupid i didnt notice the school district had my name in the records wrong after 11 years. my classmates found the situation to be hilarious and one of the other teachers made a comment later that day about it being kind of funny(just about every teacher at the school knew who i was for one reason or another, no not always because i was in trouble either). but having to give my name, have the clerk ask me how to spell it 3 times, then tell the clerk my first name is not &quot;Berry&quot; as if i gave my last name first for some odd reason, then have the clerk stand there stunned for a moment, finally make the correction, then type in my address and ask me how to spell my street name(no, i dont have any accent, but for some reason no one can understand how to spell &quot;barbara&quot; i guess after my first name throwing them off they didnt want to take any chances?) and then give them my phone number and zip code for a $1.75 tube of solder is a pain. if they had actually kept the record and only needed my phone number i wouldnt have cared, as there are a couple other stors i frequently buy items at that ask me for my phone number and then they already have my records

[KD5UJZ]

Last week the manager of a radio shack informed me that all of there systems were going to be linked so that you only had to give your phone number, now this. Oh well. I dont mind. This is of coarse the same manager that tried to tell me it was aginst fcc rules to use their $20 scanner antenna ( tuned for 2m) instead of their $60 discone antenna( which states it can be used as a ham band antenna). I just said &quot;ok, well I have a scanner, I promise I will only connect it to my scanner&quot;. One of the new christmas help could not keep from laghing. If your in Corpus Christi, the only radio shack I would recomend at the intersection of 37 and 77. there is a woman named Carol I belive. She seems to run a tight ship.

[n0phw]

Ok, I'm not making excuses for RS, but the thing I remember when I deal with their seemingly uneducated clerks is that management gets what it pays for; Good help is hard enough to find at 14$/Hr, and it's nearly impossible at the minimum wage salary RS clerks are paid.
Radio Shack is not a manufacturer. It is a distributor of other companies' products. Being such, it wouldn't be able to competitively sell products if it had a full staff of certified electronic technicians at every location to answer the few intelligent questions they are asked.
All I can say is that I've been fortunate enough to find RS in small towns all over the country, that they're open on weekends (while &quot;true&quot; electronic stores are only open M-F 8http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif0-5http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif0), and that they still carry basic components (7805 regulators, electrolytic caps, LED's, and such) that are not available anywhere else in small farming communities.
As for the name/address/phone no. routine I simply give them my business information. It seems intrusive but only takes a few seconds.

[kk4ken]

I am glad that Radio Shack decided to stop asking for name, address and phone number. #I had gotten to the point where I just told them that I don't give it out to anyone who wouldn't give me theirs in return. #It worked everytime. # http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif #The store manager at the Radio Shack local to me is a nice guy who knows his stuff but is still focused on making the sales (who wouldn't be?) and doesn't hold conversations for too long. #I've actually gone to him to ask questions in regards to non-Radio Shack equipment, such as my old Emerson TV which used to keep the tubes powered up long after I turned the power off, which is pretty impressive the first couple of times I showed it to someone, but it got old very quickly.

As for the rest of the employees, I have asked them, individually, various questions about stuff on the shelves. #Radio Shack brand stuff, no less! #The only items they could give me *detailed* information about, were the cell phones (Sprint PCS offers the most competetive nationwide long distance in the entire US! #Did you know that? #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif ) #But couldn't tell me the exact range of the little &quot;You've Got Mail&quot; indicators they had for sale at the time. #I wanted to get one of those to place at the end of my drive way so I would know when someone pulled up into it, but it's a long driveway and I had a feeling that the indicator wouldn't have a long enough range. #Well, it doesn't. #It really doesn't have a long enough range for going into a street-side mailbox! #The only way it really works is the put the receiver at the front of the house closest to the mailbox! #How's that for convenient? #LoL.

Anyway, Radio Shack has some good people and some bad people. #Thanks to the turn around rate (and general laziness) we usually don't see the good people lasting there. #The ones who stay are the glad-handers who know how to work the sales system and don't mind taking advantage of elderly people. #(Read www.radioshacksucks.com sometime for some horror stories if you want to know.) #

KK4KEN

[ae4fa]

Look, folks, we are killing ourselves here. Its the Wal-Mart syndrome.

All of us consumers want cheap. So the companies give us cheap. Then we bitch because we want cheap plus good information.

Good information is either expnsive or free. It is never cheap.

Wish there was a well stocked amateur radio store near you? One with knowledgable sales folks?

Sure, you do. But, if you had one, you'd check the price on a piece of equipment you want, talk with the knowledgable sales staff to confirm your choice, then order the same unit from a mail-order or internet &quot;discount&quot; source because it saves you some bucks.

So, really, who's fault is it?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif???

Quit bitching! You got what you paid for!

73, Bob

[N1MIT]

&quot;You've got questions, we've got answers&quot;

Perfectly appropriate for Radio Shack, since they promise you will get an answer...they don't promise you will get yhe RIGHT answer.

Most Hams will only sell their used gear to licensed Hams; retail outlets should be required to do so.