Former RadioShack employee “D” chimes in with a few tips that may come in useful the next time you find that yourself in a RadioShack. We haven’t been in one for so long, we’re not even sure what they look like inside. Do they still ask for your phone number when you buy batteries?
Note: This is not a rant or venting session. I was laid off after the holidays, and I have no hard feelings about it ( Layoffs happen to everyone these days) . This is simply a guide to shopping at RadioShack ( henceforth known as RS) for any consumer who likes or buys electronics,written by someone who’s sold far too much of them.
This of course begs the question: Why would an informed consumer have anything to do with RadioShack? Well, for one, RS does have some pretty good deals on some items from time to time. You won’t find them in the circular or on some huge ad, but they do exist.
For example , we sell on clearance Ultimate Ears Super Fi pro 3 earbuds ( think iPod headphones on steroids) for the price of $49.97. Amazon and many other e-tailers sell them for about $60 before shipping. I use the above as a precise example that RS is not completely useless.
So, if you do find a good deal on something ,or if you’re an RC car nut, here’s how you shop at RadioShack with your wallet and mental health intact.
First: Know what you need and how it works.
This is crucial. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when a hapless soul comes in wanting a ‘thingy that works with my iPod’ .If you walk in the door knowing that you’re getting an FM transmitter, and that you need it to work on 88.5 FM will prevent you from getting bilked into taking home the auto-seek, kitchen sink edition $100 model + Service Plan.( More on that later)
Second: Ask a floor associate where something is right away.
I worked in my first store 1 year continuously, and I still didn’t know where some things were. Oh, it wasn’t because we sales guys were lazy: it’s because just when you got the whole store kinda-sorta mapped and memorized there was some new and unnecessary POP and merchandise rearrange that sent us floor guys back to square one every other week. So if us part and full time employees barely know where stuff is, chances are you won’t even be in the right side of the store of what you need.
Third: Cell phones and other pitches.
Because RS depends on an ancient business model , you will run into these sales pitches at least once no matter what you’re buying. The new plan from corporate before my departure was to ask every customer who purchased something what cell phone plan/company/phone/accessory/family plan/contract they used. And write down why they said no. So what do you do when you’re confronted with a seemingly silly cell phone pitch when you’re buying a $2 capacitor?
Don’t get angry. Don’t get defensive. Understand that as disgusting as it may be for you, savvy customer, to be pitched a cell phone, its doubly repulsive for us sales guys to have to ask over the span of 8 hours every senior citizen and high school kid what cell phone they use. And if you yell and complain to corporate, a DM might congratulate the store for “Persistently offering the Customer Wireless” . Bottom line: It’s nothing personal.
As far as service plans are concerned, this is where knowing what you buy counts. Since you know what you need and why , you’ll also know whether a service plan ( extended warranty) is a good idea or not. I don’t agree with the maxim that ” All Service Plans are Bad”. There are some things that need it, and some things that don’t . The bottom line: You should know about the service plan before the associate offers it. And since you have 30 Days from the date of purchase to decide to buy it, if you’re feeling pressured and you’re on the fence , grab a pamphlet and hoof it. If you still want the service plan after reading the pamphlet, well, at least you cant claim ignorance.
The NO-NO’s
Heres a list of things NOT to do at RS :
1. Buy a cell phone.
Unless you’re buying a mobile computer, there’s no reason why a consumer should pay anything more than $5 for a decent , midrange cell phone with a 2 year contract anywhere . Any retail establishment (online or brick and mortar) that charges cash+ mail in rebate should be cross shopped heavily. I recommend that ,if you’re in the market for a new cell phone, unless you have a relationship with an RS (for example, knowing an associate who is knowledgeable) employee , check the internet first.
2 Bringing a cell phone bill and demanding a fix:
While one detail of our duty at RS is customer service, cell phone problems are the type of issue that makes us look very awful.
This is because, of the companies we sell ( Sprint and AT&T) we control not one iota of anything besides selling and activating the phone. Which means if you break no-no #1 and buy/upgrade a cell phone and your bill is wrong( or worse) , you could be in for some aggravation. Believe me, at RS we will do whatever we can to fix your issue. Catch is, if ( strictly hypothetical) Sprint tells us they can’t help with a billing issue, then everybody’s hands are tied. And you’ll end up at the cell carriers corporate store anyways.
So if you got to an RS store and they say that there’s nothing that store can do, well, its not because RS likes to piss you off. Its cause they can’t do it.
3. Buying batteries.
If you have to choose between going without and buying batteries at RS, go Zen and do without. Otherwise youll blow your top when you go to Target and find name brand batteries that cost half of what you paid.Final thoughts.
I hope this helps you consumers who are completely befuddled by RS. Believe it or not there are some good reasons to shop there. Just stay away from the parts drawer, the cell phone display, the satellite radio counter, the iPod accessories area, and the cable/ battery row , and you might even have a good time.
Yours
Former RS employee.
(Photo:dalvenjah)
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@Unamerican: Well, you don’t have to pay for cell phones over here either with a new contract, but the free ones are usually pieces of junk.
Radioshack employee’s, for the most part, are idiots. You’ve got questions they’ve got blank stares.
Example of a recent conversation I had with a Radioshack employee:
Me: “Hi, I’m looking to buy some multi-color LED’s.”
Employee: “Some what?”
Me: “LED’s.”
Employee: “I don’t think we carry those.”
Me: “You don’t carry LED’s? You know what I’m talking about, right?”
Employee: “I think we may have carried those before but not anymore.”
Me: “Oh… I’d heard you guys carry them.”
Employee: “Tell me what it’s called again?”
Me: “LED… light emitting diode…”
Employee: “You mean like a little light bulb?”
Me: “Yeah… like a little light bulb.”
He walks me over to a drawer marked “LED’s.”
Employee: “Are these the things?”
Me: “Yes… thanks.”
Then he stands there while I look through the parts as if he could possibly help me find something else. He stood there the whole time. I grabbed a few capacitors, a bag of assorted resistors, some battery boxes, and walked with him to the counter. He was clearly dumbfounded by what I was buying. So what does he say?
“Are you interested in a cell phone or GPS device? They’re on sale today only…”
So in other words, don’t buy AA batteries at Radio Shack?
Seriously they are no different than any other retailers. I’m not really sure what this guy is “confessing”.
Radio Shack is like anywhere else.
Shop the sales. and if you know where to get it pcheaper GET IT.
Don’t waste everyone’s time crowing about how you can get it cheaper!
What you’re supposed to be paying that extra for is advice and help from a friendly, experienced salesperson.
The problem is Radio Shack doesn’t want to pay for them, so you get cell phone BS from monkeys while the company blithely goes about aying off execs with golden parachutes who lied on their resumes.
It’s one thing to help you find your product in the drawers if you know what your looking for i.e. a specific resister, L.E.D. or transister but don’t ask us how different parts will interact with each other i.e. ‘I’d like to reduse the voltage with this voltage regulator what else do I need?’ We don’t have electric engeneering degrees nor are we or have we ever been given that kind of training.
You know, I once “dated” a guy who bought the entire “back room” of Radio Shack full of broken crap. Sounds like your tent sale. He also lived with his mom and was 27, trying to date a 16 year old. Needless to say, that didn’t work out.
I tried cashing in that service plan for a new set of headphones after the strap broke on the ones I have. The website listed my sale price of $0. My receipt? Said $39.99.
Called them up. They don’t know why it says $0, they’re seeing $0 on their system too. Great, I offer to fax over my receipt so I can get another set of headphones (already irked that I can’t exchange in-store and I can’t just do this online). The guy puts me on hold for a few minutes and comes back to tell me that my service plan doesn’t cover “physical damage.”
Of course it doesn’t. I could have called up saying it burst into flames. They wouldn’t cover it.
So I try to explain that when I first bought these, within 30 days the same strap broke, I took it to the store to use my service plan and the nice man THERE said not to bother, and handed me a new set. So if they were willing to replace it THEN, why is it suddenly not covered NOW?
It’s covered for another 10 months. I’m feeling it’ll just “stop working” soon. Granted it was only a $10 service plan, but come on. Way to be more useless.
And I’m getting a Bose set next. Why is Radio Shack still in business!?
I like Radio Shack, over the summer I ended up buying three Xmods RCs and several parts at Radio Shack when they were heavily discounted. My favorite part was their buy one $25 starter kit and get three free parts, so two of those parts I got were the $17 engines.
@yg17: That’s so sad. Over here, I can’t afford not to upgrade my phone…a new one, free, every 12 months, and I get a £50 credit for turning in an old phone. Any old phone. That’s why iPhone sales aren’t so strong in the UK and the rest of Europe.
Only one key to buying @ Sh-t-Shack someting you need NOW:
Go online, check the specs, get the item #, (usually something like 43-1081) and go find it. I do a lot of projects on weekends, and 5 mins online saves me lotsa time and aggravation.
If it’s really critical or higher priced, call the local RS and ask first for the item by item#. They “check the computer”. Then ask the RS worker to go get it and verify it’s in-the-store. Get the rep’s name. Tell ‘em you’ll be there in a few minutes to get it. Do all of the above nicely and politely. The folks at my local RS have been great about this. Call should go thusly:
“Hey, it’s Dadoc, you got a 43-1081 in-store?”
“Yeah, Dadoc, we got it”
“This Paulie?”
“Yeah, I’ll get it up front”
“Thanks, see ya in a few”
DO NOT get in line behind the Senior with the cellphone issue or the lady with the “Doggie-in-her-bag” wanting something that’s “roundy on one end and kinda squarey on the other”.
@MikeHerbst: Exactly. Think of it as a convenience store for electronics enthusiasts. And SWEDUB, you’re welcome. You’ll save a lot of money planning ahead and buying in (relative) bulk.
I worked at teh Shack this past summer. We no longer get straight commission, we get a 2.75% commission on ‘certain’ items IF we maintain a $75 per hour rate (easy enough). The only real way to make money anymore is to sell cell phones.
I do disagree on the cell phones to an extent though. RS cell phones are going to be cheaper than buying from the dealer. I have even had service reps from AT&T tell me that. We still have free phones while the AT&T store doesn’t.
Also, service plans are good if there are factory rechargable batteries in the device (wireless devices, walkie talkies, ect) because you can get them replaced for free. $10 to get a $20-40 battery? Heck yes plz. But yeah, they are still pushing for service plans, credit cards and making the employees attempt to sell cell phones and batteries (40 packs of AA and AAA on sale for $15
). Just be polite to the part/full timers because it’s really the only way they can make any kinda money.
You’re not going to beat RS for their interest free Charge Card, their great sale pricing, their knowledge when you can’t understand how two wires should go together and so on. I would advise customers to show a little gratitude and respect for that guy that is busting his butt standing on his feet 9 hours a day 6 days a week to feed his family so you can get the right battery for your phone, or the right advice on home theater connections. Sure, you’ll meet lousy sales reps in any business, but RS has been around for a very long time and they have not only moved with the times but they have stayed true to their foundation.
One of the few reasons I go to RS is for the damn parts drawer. I know I’m getting raped but I would still buy the $ 2.00 resistor pack rather then having to order them and wait a few days. So I saved a few dollars – big deal. You don’t go there to save money. It’s a convenience and you pay for it.
It is great to shop at Radioshack by the simple comparison given on the Ultimate Ears Super Fi pro 3 earbuds ( think iPod headphones on steroids) for the price of $49.97 and Amazon selles it at $60 before shipping. I paid mine at $70. Great deal saving around $20. Must give a try.
mutuelle