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A eulogy for RadioShack, the panicked and half-dead retail empire
SB Nation ^ | November 26, 2014 | Jon Bois

Posted on 11/29/2014 3:51:16 PM PST by SamAdams76

RadioShack won't be the only store to open on Thanksgiving Day, but it might be the only one of its particular makeup to do so. This isn't Walmart or a call center, in which volunteers who want overtime pay can be chosen first. Most RadioShack stores have just a handful of employees, most or all of whom will work Thanksgiving whether they want to or not. Retail employees have very, very little in the way of perks, of things that are understood to be sacred. Having Thanksgiving Day to themselves was one of them.

RadioShack is a company of massive real estate, and is peddling a business model that is completely unviable in 2014. It's very likely to go extinct soon, and I doubt there's anything its operators can do about it. In scenarios like this one, there aren't happy stories or easy answers, and if this were any other company, I'd concede that, perhaps, opening on Thanksgiving is a regrettable but necessary stab at saving the company, employees and all.

RadioShack is a rotten place to work, generally not a very good place to shop, and an untenable business to run. Everyone involved loses.

These are stories from my three and a half years as a RadioShack employee.

(Excerpt) Read more at sbnation.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: economy; radioshack
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The link takes you to the full article, I didn't post it all here because many of the stories appear to be fabricated or exaggerated (disgruntled former employee syndrome) but having had one of my sons work there, I can vouch for the fact that Radio Shack is a pretty crappy place for a young person to work.

The one my son worked at was also at a dying strip mall and the store got maybe a half dozen customers on a given shift with 2-3 employees fighting for what little commission there was in what they came in to buy - which was usually a cell phone charging cable or a watch battery.

It was true that they had periodic regional conference calls in which the regional manager hollered and screamed and embarrassed employees who had a low sales month (which was pretty much all of them).

The main focus of a Radio Shack store these days is selling those 2-year cell phone contracts. It is true that the employee got a $40 commission for one of those but had to have it deducted from his pay (chargeback) if the customer returned it for any reason - and that happened a good amount of time.

It's amazing how that retail chain is still in business.

However, I remember the glory days of the 1970s and early 1980s when they were the one mall store that was cool for a guy to hang out in.

For those who remember the salad days, here are some vintage Radio Shack catalogs to reminisce with. Looking at the 1979 one brought back many fond memories.

1 posted on 11/29/2014 3:51:16 PM PST by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76

I remember Radio Shacks of the 1970s... The employees were mostly electronics knowledgeable guys. The last few times I’ve been into one I walked out in disgust. The last clerk I had “help” me did not even know what a RCA jack was...


2 posted on 11/29/2014 3:57:57 PM PST by El Laton Caliente (NRA Life Member & www.Gunsnet.net Moderator)
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To: SamAdams76

dumping the flavradios and the Battery of the Month card was a bad idea.


3 posted on 11/29/2014 3:58:04 PM PST by Dr. Sivana ("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
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To: SamAdams76

Where will I go when I need a half dozen 2N3904s in a hurry?


4 posted on 11/29/2014 3:59:02 PM PST by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: SamAdams76

The days of the TRS 80.


5 posted on 11/29/2014 3:59:16 PM PST by MUDDOG
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To: SamAdams76

I have tried to figure out Radio Shack since the late 60s, and never figured out what they were supposed to be, or why.


6 posted on 11/29/2014 4:00:35 PM PST by ansel12
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To: Steely Tom

DigiKey


7 posted on 11/29/2014 4:04:04 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: SamAdams76

Worked at Radio Shack in the late 90’s.
They had a system to split commission.
Well, the store supervisor stole everyone’s commission, every day.
Telling the district manager did nothing.
Oh, and forget being honest with customers, management hated that!
They told us to lie to the customer to get the sale.
I said I wouldn’t do that as an informed customer is a happy repeat customer, a deceived customer will be irate upon discovery of the ruse.
Got stuck doing inventory for two weeks as punishment for not lying to customers, was informed that such was the case.


8 posted on 11/29/2014 4:04:07 PM PST by Darksheare (People who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: SamAdams76

they don’t let their store managers manage, for one...

but they seem totally incapable of bringing back the old heathkit days when you could buy individual components.

only thing they’re good for nowadays is hard to find batteries, and how often do you need one of those?

sad that they used to be good. used to carry good stuff, now all they seem to want to do is hawk cell phones, and there are a lot of places to get those


9 posted on 11/29/2014 4:04:29 PM PST by camle (keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: SamAdams76

I guess RS and Heathkit will have alot to talk about on the ash heap of history.


10 posted on 11/29/2014 4:04:52 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: El Laton Caliente

Totally agree!

I just walk past them and find stuff myself. They are hopelessly stupid.

But, it may give a shot int he arm to the independent computer/electronics store if they really fold. There was a time when you could walk into a shop and if they didn’t have it, they would make one for you right on the bench.


11 posted on 11/29/2014 4:06:37 PM PST by anton
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To: SamAdams76

Those guys could become a more specialized techie’s version of a hobby store with a little vision and a little love. They don’t see what they’ve become because they don’t understand what they were. That’s what they were, a more specialized techie’s version of a hobby store, and that segment has not evaporated.


12 posted on 11/29/2014 4:07:56 PM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: camle

i would develop put-together products and have classes where they can be assembled under trained supervision. you make money on the kits, the tools, and the classes.
i would let their managers manage, and get rid of some who cannot or will not.
i would have my district supervision shape up or ship out - big problem there.
i would get secret shoppers in there as well, and act upon the reports.


13 posted on 11/29/2014 4:08:45 PM PST by camle (keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: MUDDOG

Ah yes the “trash” 80.


14 posted on 11/29/2014 4:08:50 PM PST by dhs12345
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To: Tijeras_Slim

Yup.


15 posted on 11/29/2014 4:09:17 PM PST by dhs12345
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To: camle

oh almost forgot partner with local trade schools and colleges for electronic support and training.
and support their products. i have a trunk scanner that nobody seems to be able to program


16 posted on 11/29/2014 4:10:10 PM PST by camle (keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: SamAdams76

Well, self-contained radio sets have been extinct for some time.


17 posted on 11/29/2014 4:11:04 PM PST by Zionist Conspirator (Throne and Altar! [In Jerusalem!!!])
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To: camle

When they stock the batteries. They were out of a very common coin battery.


18 posted on 11/29/2014 4:11:52 PM PST by dhs12345
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To: Tijeras_Slim
DigiKey

Yeah. I was being ironic.

19 posted on 11/29/2014 4:11:56 PM PST by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: camle

Get into the more productive aspect of quad-rotor drones with under-mounted GoPro cameras, hold free classes for customers and charge a fee for non-customers.


20 posted on 11/29/2014 4:15:00 PM PST by RegulatorCountry
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