Red Wave Radio

One of our local Radio Shack stores has had several good people who
seemed to know what they were doing.  But in typical Radio Shack
fashion managed to let them go and hire persons who seem to know
nothing about electronics.  I guess at 4.75 per hour and 1 percent
commission you can't knowledgeable persons.

Usually when I HAVE to buy at the Shack, I bypass the salesman by
saying "I know what I'm looking for!" and strictly use them for a
cashier!  

WAKE UP TANDY!  Pay your persons a couple of dollars more an hour and
employees will stay!

Quote:

>Looking for typical Radio Shack stories to add to this thread.

>One of our local Radio Shack stores has had several good people who
>seemed to know what they were doing.  But in typical Radio Shack
>fashion managed to let them go and hire persons who seem to know
>nothing about electronics.  I guess at 4.75 per hour and 1 percent
>commission you can't knowledgeable persons.

>Usually when I HAVE to buy at the Shack, I bypass the salesman by
>saying "I know what I'm looking for!" and strictly use them for a
>cashier!  

>WAKE UP TANDY!  Pay your persons a couple of dollars more an hour and
>employees will stay!

My favorite experience was the time I was checking out a shortwave
reveiver (new model) and happened on a radio Netherlands program
on how to buy a shortwave radio. The announcer said, "here are three
questions that your salesperson should be able to answer. If they
don't know the answers, take your business elsewhere." At that point,
the RS salescreature said, "Turn it off."  (*snicker*)

BTW - No, I don't remember what the three questions were...

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Jim KE6JPO

Quote:>interestingly enough a friend who used to manage a company
>owned store once told me that he had be advised NOT to hire hams and
>others with knowledge of electronics and computers.
>Might tell the truth I guess <G>
>73
>Bill
>N5LMX/DA1WG

73s

Rodney, KB0SPZ

One of the greatest I saw was a R.S. salesman trying to explain the purpose of
a squelch control on a CB.  He told the lady that the squelch controlled how
far she could talk.  Sounded to me more like variable output power, oh well.  
Then he continues on to tell her that she can use her SWR meter to tune her
antenna by calibrating the meter and switching it from CAL to SWR and it was
tuned up and ready to go.

If you want to have fun with R.S. salesmen,  have them find your items for you
by describing what they are.  You can bet that most of what you need they
don't have any such thing.  Then you can grab it off the shelf yourself.

Later -- Rick

Quote:>> Suddenly, the clerk turns pale.  Giving away the trademark of the
>> characteristic Blank Stare, clears the throat and says...

>> "Have you see our latest catalog?"

>Nope...  The door didn't hit me in the ***as I walked out.  

Then I got this one from another person.  It seemed to him that the
bigger the city, the Blanker the stare!

Quote:

>Then I got this one from another person.  It seemed to him that the
>bigger the city, the Blanker the stare!

They have a Radio Shack, it is a roped off corner of the True Value
Hardware store, reasonably stocked, but the Hardware salesman didn't
even pretend to know anything about the products, at least he was
honest.  

Sparky KI5Gy

Quote:>>Then I got this one from another person.  It seemed to him that the
>>bigger the city, the Blanker the stare!

>Last time I visited the small town in Kansas my parents lived at I
>needed a PL-259 connector.  They informed me they now had a Radio
Shack
>so I didn't have to drive 30 minutes for a part.

>They have a Radio Shack, it is a roped off corner of the True Value
>Hardware store, reasonably stocked, but the Hardware salesman didn't
>even pretend to know anything about the products, at least he was
>honest.  

>Sparky KI5Gy

I remember when the shack first opened up in my home town as a child.
They had some very neat products and kits that really helped me to
learn electronics.

But of the 4 or 5 local radio shacks here in the Eugene, Oregon area,
most of them are staffed by twits.  There is a very good manager at one
local one, but he is the exception rather than the rule.  I used to
live in another state for several years and found only two salespeople
there who seemed to know what they were talking about.  They worked for
the shack for a couple of years and then left.  I've never seen good
knowledgeable salespeople since.  

Though to be fair, along in this thread there was a report of Radio
Shack hiring hams and letting them put their call sign on the name
tags.  If this is true, then they should begin to promote that they are
looking for electronic hobbiests for sales.  This might start to clean
up their current poor reputation.

: Following this thread, it seems that more people have had rotton
: experiences with Radio Shack than have had good experiences.
[snip]

I have essentially stopped going to RS.  There was a local store where a
friend from the local radio club worked, but he was first transferred, then
canned, for poor numbers.  

The next time I went into his former store, I was looking for a pre-wired
plug to go from a DC power supply to an HT.  The kid working there was only
half listening to what I said, so I walked out.  Went home and found an
extra charger and plug, and diked off the transformer end.

Fortunately, we do have an independent electronics store in town.

73 de Jim - KF6CR

One reason that I was hired was that I am a ham operator.  I knew the manager
of my local store for a few years, and told him alot about ham radio.  He
offered me a job, and I accepted.  Since then, that manager got transferred to
another store.  However, I'm trying to get the new manager to earn his ham
ticket.

Later,

Mark N8VJF
RS Employee, Store 01-4427, Columbus, OH

The district manager cut me some slack because of my experience.
I was able to expell obnoxious/rude/abusive customers from the
store at will. Of course, I also took the opportunity to pick up
on as many attractive female customers as possible.

Well, that's all.

Brian Webb, KD6NRP

Quote:>It is true that Radio Shack will let their ham radio employees put a
callsign
>on the namebadge.  I know of at least two RS employees in the Columbus
area
>who have their call on the RS name badge.  I asked my DM about this,
and he
>said that one of the employees at a certain store will engrave your
callsign
>into the name badge at an extra cost.  Have not done that to my badge
yet, but
>probably should.  THere are a lot of hams that come into my store.  I
have a
>ham license plate, but I don't think they know it belongs to an
employee.  
>With the callsign on the namebadge they might actually realize I'm a
fellow
>ham.  The other non-ham customers would probably ask, "What's that
N-8-V-J-F
>for?"  Then  I could explain to them what ham radio is...

>One reason that I was hired was that I am a ham operator.  I knew the
manager
>of my local store for a few years, and told him alot about ham radio.
He
>offered me a job, and I accepted.  Since then, that manager got
transferred to
>another store.  However, I'm trying to get the new manager to earn his
ham
>ticket.

You are an exception to the sales people of Radio Shack.  Wish we had
more active hobbyists working there.