Rule #1 should be the rule for shopping in general.

The only reason to go to rat shack is that they have items that noone else has. I cant exactly stop in at walmart to get an antenna for my police scanner.

Still amazes me to this day that RS is still in business, they're locations are always the worst in malls, and I do believe I have seen a tumbleweed come out of the door on more than 1 occasion...

I can't totally agree with everything, but it generally seems like good advice for the most part. There are a few exceptions, notably in cable products, they sella serial to usb converter cable that is vastly superior to anything anyone else sells, is priced competitively, and I have yet to find one comparable anywhere else. But otherwise it is pretty much on target.

Since Thanksgiving, I've been in twice. The first time I saw an Altec Lansing iPod dock that was $100 off - that put it about $50 below what Amazon was charging, give or take (after Christmas it went back up to regular price). Right after Thanksgiving, they had Memory Sticks for Sony cameras for about half of what others were charging (the price has since gone back up. Radio Shack isn't totally useless, but if you shop carefully you can find some decent prices. Do shop around, because the markup on non-sale items can easily be double of what an Office Depot might be.

RS is often the only place that carries weird, specialty batteries. But for your everyday AA variety, avoid, like the guys says.

He forgot the free invasion of privacy!

I disagree on the cable...any random cables, I often buy at RS. Everything at BB/CC is that gold/platinum/christ-blood coated crap that costs 10 times as much as it should because the christ blood coating improves the connectivity speed-yea right. Although, sometimes, I have found good cable deals at home depot, too.

"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 ."

What!? A decent MIDRANGE phone costs about $100 with 2 year contract. A $5 phone is a piece of shit no matter how you slice it.

One thing I do like is (after searching 10 stores) I found a Optical Cable switcher. My receiver only has 1 port and I have 3 things that use optical for my audio. The item was on clearance and while its not the best switch (its not automatic and its pretty big for what it does) I only paid $4 for it. I spent about $20 in gas but...well thats a hidden fee so it doesnt count =)

I dont really like RS. Lots of stuff is overpriced. If you cant find it at target or walmart for cheaper, amazon is always there to fill your needs. Also when the ipod 5g came out the RS guy told me he was taking backorders and the list was 6 weeks long. He said you wont find an ipod anywhere so you better buy here.

Well 2 seconds down the street at Circuit City I found a display case with about 150 of them so I got one and brought it to RS and showed the guy and he wasnt very happy.

Radio Shack--You've got questions, we've got blank stares.

I've never bought anything at Radio Shack that wasn't over-priced. Sometimes, though, you need a weird cable and you need it quick.

If they ask what cell phone plan/company you use, just tell them "Sorry, I don't give out that information". They can handle an information refusal.

I did get a killer deal on like 50 AA batteries at RS one time, but yeah, usually they are high. Still using 'em and they seem to last well.

The last time I went to Radio Shack (for a mini-to-mini cable, which they did not have) the salesguy literally took my phone OUT OF MY HAND as I hung up from a call and started telling me that I needed to upgrade and what he was going to upgrade me to. When I reached for it back, he HELD IT OUT OF REACH. He would not give it back.

I had to repeat "Give me back my phone" five or six times before he did, increasing in volume and firmness, interrupting his ongoing pitch repeatedly. I was SOOOOOO pissed.

Needless to say I haven't been back.

I agree about the value of RS for finding uncommonly-used batteries. I've found some at RS that Batteries Plus didn't have.

But they have the best deals on recordable media! Spindles are WAY overpriced as it is. RS always seems to have 50 pack CD-Rs for $6, and 50 pack DVD-Rs for $13. Can't beat that. Also, the employees at the RS across the street from me in Boston are always blaring hip-hop stations and can't do basic math on purchases and/or returns. I've gotten full refunds for items I purchased cheaper on sale, and pulled off buying $30 worth of DVD-Rs for $6. I actually argued with this guy on about the math, but then quickly shut up.

@parad0x360: "What!? A decent MIDRANGE phone costs about $100 with 2 year contract. A $5 phone is a piece of shit no matter how you slice it."

I just got a Motorola W490 from T-Mobile for free plus a $50 rebate, and I'd call it decent.

"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."

So loiter outside the front door then, eh?

@Eyebrows McGee: If he had done that to me, he would have heard me tell him to give me back my phone or I'd break is f'ing arm, and then I'd leave the store right then, before I had to follow through

I just had to add: Batteries at Radio Shack are a convenience item. Expect to pay for the convenience. I sometimes do if it will save me a trip somewhere else.

Also, extended service plans and credit card applications are Point-of-Sale promotions that are shoved down employees throats just as much as customers. I refused to sell that crap at a former job of mine. I was stuck back in the stockroom for a while until I got bored and quit. If the manager happens to be standing at the counter, this is a good time to say something like "Now did he put you up to selling me that junk?" Always blame the manager and clique with the sales person, or if you're talking to the manager, clique with her and blame corporate.

I've actually gotten discounts (not at Radio Shack) for talking with a manager about what ridiculous corporate policies she had to follow.

Radio Shack is still the only store that carries things like auto-dialers and max-min thermometers. These are great for server rooms, and other tech/lab applications.

I think I got lost after the, "Know what you need and how it works." part...

I was under the impression that sales people are supposed to know what their selling.

However, from experience at RS, I know this is true:

I needed "one of those thingies that you can plug into the phone that will record the conversation," and was given two options. I took the more expensive option that the sales person seemed convinced would work for me.

It didn't. I needed to return it, but kept putting it off.

Which leads to my favorite RS issue: Return policy.

I finally took the device and the receipt back to the store, only to be told that I couldn't return it because my receipt was expired. I asked if he would take it without the receipt and he said sure. But he couldn't take it from me now, because he knew my reciept was expired.

I turned around, drove to the other Radio Shack down the block, told the guy I didn't have the receipt and he gave me my money back. In cash.

Thanks, RS!

The RS I have near me is even more clueless than the Best BB, if you can believe that. I had one of their employees tell me that he has been working with antennas for 15+ years, and there is no such thing as a balun...

Also if you do end up buying anything from them, pay cash. I got nailed with some sort of insurance subscription added onto the credit card I used at RS. And RS was the only "new" place that I'd used the card at in months...everywhere else was the same 6 places I always go. It was one of those sub $9 a month ones that they hope you'll ignore so they can keep slamming you. When I called the CC Company they didn't even blink "Yup, we know about them, we'll credit you and send a form to sign"

sigh... i miss the old Radio Shack of the 80s. Me and the neihbor kid eagerly waited for the catalog. One of our dads would drive us there and we'd stock up on do it yourself radio kits, little motors we'd run on big batteries, and all sorts of McGyver fun stuff.

Damn I wish I had a time machine and when I though cordless phones and Tandy Computers were the ultimate in technology...

/walks over to the Tandy in the display window and types...
...

10 Print "poop"
20 GOTO 10

I was also a former Brooklyn RS employee. I remember getting yelled at and fired for "single handedly lowering the stores name and address average" because I refused to press people when they balked at "Last four digits of your phone #?". Happiest day of my life, if only for the huge scene it caused in the store.

I got a call from the manager about 2 hours later asking me to come back in for a meeting. Apparently the customer that I was checking out called the District Manager (DM) to recount what had happened. The DM called the manager and said "You cannot fire him, you have to make him quit." (paraphrasing how the manager explained it to me).

I was apologized to ("I did not mean to yell and fire you. You're not fired. I'm sorry this happened.") and told that my hours were going to be reduced to Part-time evening shifts, and will not change back until my N&A average was back to 75% or better. If I didn't like our new arrangement, it would be considered "Quitting" as he was not allowed (by the DM) to fire me.

Rather than attempt a "Must get fired" style of kamakazi mission and go for a 0% N&A average for the hell of it, I just said "Well, I quit."

I'm guessing he says to avoid the parts drawer because it's marked up pretty high, but that's the price you pay for convenience. When I need a common zener diode or capacitor or IC that I forgot to order from Mouser or Digi-key, am I going to wait for the mail again? Or just run down the street and pay the extra 50 cents? C'mon.

RS is trying to force themselves into a market that they cant compete in. when I worked for them they named ccity and bestbuy as their top competitors. employees are rarely trained well, and they are taught to ambush a customer as soon as they walk through the door. They love to push sales of any kind of accesory, especially batteries. When I was there (05-06) cell phones were an employee's bread and butter... you had no hope of making your ridiculously high sales goals without them.
dont even get me started on when they decided that they needed "sprint specialists" in stores to take all of the sprint sales from other employees.
they're going down the tubes with ccity.

@RGISMYFAVORITECANADIANMORMON: Depends on the store. My old RS were I worked started at 40, then went down to 25 for no hassle no receipt returns.

Radio Shack has the connector units for cell phone (maybe other phone) to headset and digital recorder units that the other mainstream places (wal/kmart, target) don't touch. But buy a USB downloadable digital recorder elsewhere...

Happily recording customer service interactions...

I like RS. Of course, I also have a ZipZap collection.....

I learned BASIC standing in a Radio Shack store on a TRS-80... Too bad they don't have any decent computers anymore...

@wfpearson: back then, we earned 10% of any ESP (Extended Service Plan) sale as a spiff, and had an average to maintain there too, although it was not as strictly enforced.

Credit card Apps were $5 just for getting them to fill one out, and an extra percent or two added to your sales commission.

@RGISMYFAVORITECANADIANMORMON: "I was under the impression that sales people are supposed to know what their selling."

No training is provided, although if you DID know something it could only help you. A manager at one store I was working at would split commission on any computer sale I assisted another sales rep in getting.

@Stubblyhead

hahahahaha good one.

@article

"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."

So basically, don't even go into the store?

"Know what you need and how it works."

Radio Shack directly markets to people who have device A and device B and need to make the two work together. You can't expect people who aren't electronic savvy know exactly what they need to get their devices to work together. I seem to remember "You've got questions, we've got answers."

@Magicube: Thanks for the tip regarding other electronic stores that carry capacitors, diodes, and whatnot. I've bookmarked both of your recommendations. I'm recently getting into soldering and other fine electronics repairs and was wondering were else I can go besides RS.

I used to work for "The Shack" back in the early 90's. I started there right out of high school. The store I worked for actually had people that knew what they were talking about and the reason was is that they paid well. You got a 7% on everything you sold. Now 7% wasnt alot on a $3 battery but a $2000 computer would get you $140, not bad for a 1/2 hours work, and the little stuff added up too, if the manager did the schedule right you could make a tidy sum with the day to day stuff. Now I think the shack pays minimum wage plus 1% which is nothing so thats why the people who work their are idiots.

@mercurypdx:
It sounds like you goofed here. You were fired, publicly.
They can't just "unfire" you. That's called rehiring.

Unless your manager over stepped his authority, it sounds like they were going to owe you money.

If it was the manager overstepping his authority he sounds like the kind of guy you want to see in trouble.

@Eyebrows McGee: Should have walked to the nearest phone and called the police for theft.

Being a former rat shak rep, I can readily agree 100% with the confessions. Even in a franchise store, we had mins to reach each week or we were toast. One major advantage I had over the other reps, was the noodle for electronics. Custie comes walking in with a component, the other reps hand it off to me because I knew what it was about. And I oftentimes got a nice tip or commish outta the sale and a "thank you very much".
[radioshacksucks.biz]

@mercurypdx: Forgot about the 10% spiff on TSP's and $15 for cell phones. I also think you got an additional 10% spiff for selling "disco'd" items.

@seraphicstar: One store I worked at (Caesar's Bay) was a few stores away from a Circuit City. Psycho manager #1 would have one of us attempt to poach customers from in not directly in front of their store (We used to joke it was like "Psst... wanna buy a watch? [open trenchcoat]). When we eventually got in "trouble" for it, he had us follow people to the cars, ask what they bought, and try to encourage them to return the item and buy it better/cheaper at our store.

He was later transferred to another store after the complaints continued to roll in. Good Times™.

They've got all the little computer tools (e.g., small Torx) that the other places don't carry. Got a great deal on a GPS there, but only because I found out about it online first.

It's been a while since they've asked for my phone number, though.

@DemolitionMan: He was a helluva lot bigger than me. Like 6'5", 250 pounds bigger. (I'm 5'2".)

I did consider threatening to call the cops if he didn't give me back my phone, but how was I going to call them? HE HAD MY PHONE.

Remember when Radio Shack actually carried stuff to build radios?? Now what parts they do have are found in the back corner of the store. I also remember the 'free' battery card. Ah those were the days.

@techguy1138: I was a young 20 years old at my first "real" job, and didn't know any better. He totally overstepped, and for a brief second I considered becoming the "worst employee ever", but I was just glad to be gone. It was not a career position by any means unless you were a total snake to make sales.

@crashman2600: The BEST was when commissions were lowered in November/December/January to 5% because naturally you will be selling more around the Holidays with the increased store traffic.