Red Wave Radio

Quote:>Radio Shack -
>You have questions -
>We have blank stares.
>Just kidding.  Probably a clerk here and there who knows what to do.  But I've
>yet to meet them.

Gerry

You have questions?

WE even have MORE questions!

Maryanne

Quote:>Those Radio Shack blank stares are quite familiar to me! (edit) They never
miss a chance
>to ask for my address, however, even with the smallest purchase, although I
>rarely receive one of their catalogues in the mail.

>Gerry

As for the capturing of names, I simply refuse.  And no telephone number,
either.  If the clerk insists, I can be quite intractable, usually attracting
the attention of manglement.  The Mangler usually insists, and eventually
pleads that if he doesn't get a certain percentage of names, that he'll lose
his franchise.  (something that one of my sources walking the hallowed halls of
Tandy has confirmed)  Usually retorting something like, "Then I guess it sucks
to be you today," I'll hold out until the decision is either made to sell me
the goods I've selected, or decline the sale.  At which time I can't help but
point out, "if your job depends more on the gathering of private information
for your database than it does on store sales, then perhaps you should look at
your career and reevaluate what your real purpose in this company is. There.
Now you have both a question AND an answer to find.."  

That usually results in the Blankest Stare of all.

I once heard a customer who was interested in a scanner ask the salesidiot
about the frequency ranges of the unit in question.  The salesidiot replied
with something like, "It skips from 54 to 118 MHZ.  I don't know what's in
there that they don't want you to listen to, but they skip everything in
there."  To which I piped up and confided to him that the government doesn't
want people listening in to TV channels 2-6,FM broadcast stations, or
aircraft VOR's.  I think he almost believed it.

Tom

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Seriously folks, they don't teach electronics in the schools any more,
and any EE who takes him/herself seriously wouldn't be caught dead
working in a Radio Shack store.  It's just not done.  Therefore, the
BEST we can hope to find is a retired ham or other hobbyist who wanted
to earn a few extra dollars.  The more typical case is what you and I
are all familiar with, and the only solution is to simply decline
their offer of "help" and answer your own questions.

I could tell you stories, but what's the point?  Just be glad there's
still at least one local place where you can buy this stuff.

Neil

Quote:>Radio Shack trains their personnel in BUSINESS not technology.  The
>only requirements are to know how to stock the shelves, and run the
>register

Piaggio, makers of the Vespa, have similarly been unconcerned for the other end
of the business, the customer.  And that has left North America with but 1 or
two distributors for parts and service; something for which the Corporation is,
by and large, unconcerned.

While Sony has convinced the general market of their indispensibilty, and
Piaggio will always have a loyal following for the Vespa, bottom up
supplementation for corporate shortcomings will keep them in business far after
we are all gone.

Tandy, however, does not enjoy such strengths, and this is reflected in the
worldwide closures of RS stores, as well as the dwindling product lines carried
by RS.  Corporate in Fort Worth does not consider this a problem apparently, or
the nature of the beast would have changed long ago.  (The front line of any
business only reflects the culture of the corner office, after all. )  

And this is further evidence that the things that are the worst about corporate
culture are being brought in by highly educated MBA's, who have never stepped
behind a counter in any of their stores. Business is not built by
businessmen...it is built by customers, and that's a reality that hasnt' been
taught in the MBA programs for decades.  Which is why the real success stories
in business in this country for the last 30 years have been stories of
entrepreneurs.

I  treat Radio Shack as only a source and kind of like my own supply house. Many years ago you could usually find someone who knew the local scanner freqs., but don't ask any technical questions of them. I've found I can't call on the phone and expect to get an honest answer about stock.

Alex

    I went to my local Radio Shack to look at their 398. I had done a lot of research beforehand. Obviously they didn't.
    When I asked how the "page" system worked, the saleswoman told me that each page corresponded to a page in the manual. She then went to find a manual to show me. For the next ten minutes she searched the manual looking for that darn "page" system. Since there are 29 pages she knew it had to make up most of the manual.

    I just stood there and let her look. Its a good thing I didn't ask her what double conversion heterodyne meant.

Quote:

>Tandy, however, does not enjoy such strengths, and this is reflected in the
>worldwide closures of RS stores, as well as the dwindling product lines carried
>by RS.  Corporate in Fort Worth does not consider this a problem apparently, or
>the nature of the beast would have changed long ago.  (The front line of any
>business only reflects the culture of the corner office, after all. )  

>And this is further evidence that the things that are the worst about corporate
>culture are being brought in by highly educated MBA's, who have never stepped
>behind a counter in any of their stores. Business is not built by
>businessmen...it is built by customers, and that's a reality that hasnt' been
>taught in the MBA programs for decades.  Which is why the real success stories
>in business in this country for the last 30 years have been stories of
>entrepreneurs.

How they have managed to do this, I am not sure:  My experience with
Radio Shack is the same as everyone else's -- the employees are
typically morons.  Nevertheless, you cannot question their business
model or expect them to change it -- they are making BIG bucks in
spite of their general incompetence.  

Interestingly, the same company has begun opening Tech America stores
which seem to be large versions of the Radio Shack stores of the 1960's.
I have shopped in their Atlanta area store and found it to be well
stocked and, upon asking a technical question, was referred to an
employee who was a licensed HAM and electronics experimenter.

73's de
Michael K.

Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without.

---

Derek J. Pietro
Principle Software Engineer
Picker International
Wayne, Pa. office

Butch

                            Rod  KB8DNS