The 80s called. They want their store back

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Radio Shack Super Bowl commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FRCLAE3lHw

We can only hope. Radio Shack is carrying a lot more components then they have in recent years. It would be nice if they would revert back to the 70s and early 80s.

I would love to see Olson's come back too. Not sure if they were nation wide but they would carry a lot of factory seconds. Great place to get parts.
 

Georacer

Joined Nov 25, 2009
5,182
From what I get from the ad, RadioShack thinks that their present store feels like the '80s and they intend to give it a more modern look.
 

tshuck

Joined Oct 18, 2012
3,534
So...this means even more phones and louder TVs blaring at you while you maneuver past the "knowledgeable" associates toward the components bin?

Every time they ask if I need help, I say no because the one time I did, the guy told me they didn't carry the item as he rifled through the drawers. When he was done talking, I pulled it out and went to get rung up.
 

t06afre

Joined May 11, 2009
5,934
I think with this. They want to appear with a new fresh look. Kind of tell people they are a not "geek store" anymore. I guess that is not good news for AAC members and the profiling done by Tshuck is spot on
...this means even more phones and louder TVs blaring at you while you maneuver past the "knowledgeable" associates toward the components bin?
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,707
Yeah. Last time I went in the sales associate asked if he could help. I said I was looking for a stereo to mono adapter. He said he didn't know if they carried that.
I just took if off the rack and paid for it at the cash.
 

bountyhunter

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,512
Radio Shack Super Bowl commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FRCLAE3lHw

We can only hope. Radio Shack is carrying a lot more components then they have in recent years. It would be nice if they would revert back to the 70s and early 80s.

I would love to see Olson's come back too. Not sure if they were nation wide but they would carry a lot of factory seconds. Great place to get parts.
Except the prices are always about 5X whatever reasonable is. And for the longest time they sold nothing but factory seconds and reject parts from the major manufacturers who would not sell the stuff with their brand name on it.
 

bountyhunter

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,512
Yeah. Last time I went in the sales associate asked if he could help. I said I was looking for a stereo to mono adapter. He said he didn't know if they carried that.
I just took if off the rack and paid for it at the cash.
The thing that always bugged the crap out of me was I could never pay for the little part I needed and just get out of there. After standing in line behind the three people all waiting while the guy gave a BS spiel trying to sell some junk, I would try to pay and they would always have to fill out their "form" which required name, address, phone number, etc so they could send you junk. Aside from their ridiculous prices, their problem is terrible service.
 

tracecom

Joined Apr 16, 2010
3,944
They added some microcontrollers and some Velleman kits a year or so ago, but now they have discontinued at least some of the Velleman stuff. And they did a store reset not too long ago. I suspect they will have less electronic hobby stuff going forward, not more. They are de-emphasizing the Radio in Radio Shack and trying to be known as "The Shack," but that's just some overpriced consultant's idea.

I remember when they sued "Auto Shack" to make them change their name. I bet Autozone execs are laughing up their sleeves. What would be ironic would be for The Shack to change their store name to "The Phone Zone," and Autozone to sue them.
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
From what I get from the ad, RadioShack thinks that their present store feels like the '80s and they intend to give it a more modern look.
I think you got it.

Wow it took someone from a country where English is not a first language to make me realize the meaining. How embarrassing:(. Not like I should have a grasp of the language since I grew up in the States. That is if you consider what we speak here in Pittsburgh is English that is. :)
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Except the prices are always about 5X whatever reasonable is. And for the longest time they sold nothing but factory seconds and reject parts from the major manufacturers who would not sell the stuff with their brand name on it.

And they weren't real big on electrostatic protected were they? I remember all of those chips in plastic containers.

Still in a pinch at least they had parts. I may have related this story before. Once at work I had a big batch of board that no one could fix. A long story short, I decided to sit down and fix them all.

I tracked the issue down to a specific chip as others have done. It was a chip that had to do with increasing the pulse width of the input pulse. Got my scope setup and realized the output was delayed by a couple of tenths of a microsecond. But it was there throwing whole timing off.

I setup a test circuit and quickly realized all our chips in stock had the same issue. A bad batch. Ran out to Radio Shack and picked up a couple. Plugged them in and all the boards came up like a charm.

Asked the parts manager to order more chips giving him the batch number. Told him DO NOT order this batch to be safe don't order that brand. Weeks go by and my parts manager asks me, what are those parts you need? I repeated my warning.

Weeks go by and I get my chips. Guess what? Yep same batch number same problem.

I went back out to Radio Shack and bought all the chips in stock put tehm on my expense report. All board in stock were back up and running.

Those were the days at Radio Shack. I want the 80s back!
 

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
Yeah. Last time I went in the sales associate asked if he could help. I said I was looking for a stereo to mono adapter. He said he didn't know if they carried that.
I just took if off the rack and paid for it at the cash.
I had a similar experience in Best Buy--I asked if they carried Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery packs (I assumed this was simple enough for him to understand). He led me to the Duracell alkaline section up by the front checkouts. I just continued walking out the door.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Next step is to leap their image forward by two decades, they will rename themselves "MP3 Shack". Then they will only feel like they are 15 years behind... Not bad for a technology store!

By the way, does anybody know which aisle I can find a replacement needle for my bluRay player? Or an adapter that lets me connect my ipad to my AirPrint compatible wireless printer.

Their new slogan will be, "Hey old people, why drive all the way to the iTunes Store when we are right in your neighborhood".
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
Twenty years ago I went into a Radio Shack. Back then, their tagline was "You got questions, we got answers." Well, sure enough the sales associate gave me that tagline when I entered the store. I said, yeah, I have a question. The associate was eagerly waiting for my inquiry, ready to assist. I asked ... What's the square root of 2?

The look on the associate's face was priceless.
 

alfacliff

Joined Dec 13, 2013
2,458
the same problem exists at other kinds of strores too. just go into an autoparts store and ask for a part for a 74 alfa romeo, the kid will try to look that jup in his "computer" for a long time. and they dont hire anyone anymore that is familiar with what they sell, if its not in their "computer" they havn't a clue what it might be.
 

R!f@@

Joined Apr 2, 2009
9,918
twenty years ago i went into a radio shack. Back then, their tagline was "you got questions, we got answers." well, sure enough the sales associate gave me that tagline when i entered the store. I said, yeah, i have a question. The associate was eagerly waiting for my inquiry, ready to assist. I asked ... What's the square root of 2?

The look on the associate's face was priceless.
Noo ! You did not do tht !!:D

But 1.414 is something we use everyday.
 

R!f@@

Joined Apr 2, 2009
9,918
Ok. I am lost.

It's √2...! that's what he said.

So Chip, what are you saying. I don' get it. :confused:

Crap ! Chips got smarter this time. I know I should have quoted. Next you won't get away with that.
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
the same problem exists at other kinds of strores too. just go into an autoparts store and ask for a part for a 74 alfa romeo, the kid will try to look that jup in his "computer" for a long time. and they dont hire anyone anymore that is familiar with what they sell, if its not in their "computer" they havn't a clue what it might be.
Stopped at Advance Auto parts to pick up a new battery. I am fully capable of replacing the battery but they do it for free so I figured why get my hands dirty?

Good thing I supervised the young lady installing it. The one battery terminal was very loose and she was going to let it go out like that reasoning that the terminal would not go any tighter. I had to end up fixing it for her. :mad:
 
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