At RadioShack, 'you've got mail' means 'you're fired'

AP via StarTribune ^ | August 30, 2006 | AP

[Hawkeye's Girl]

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - When the ax fell for about 400 workers at RadioShack Corp. this week, the bad news was delivered by e-mail.

[Political Junkie Too]

At least they didn't tell them by ending their paycheck with 98 cents, the way they do for other discontinued items.

-PJ

[razorback-bert]

Best Buy has service?

[BigSkyFreeper]

I remember both. LOL

Used the TRS-80 Models I, II, and IV in high school.

[HitmanLV]

A classic never goes out of style! Well, maybe that one did! ;-)

[The Antiyuppie]

The quality of the help is abysmal, the markup on some components is several thousand percent (I'm not kidding). It's the equivalent of paying $20.00 for a can of Coke at a 7-11. Some of their electronics was good - 25 years ago. Recently, they became a phone supplier to the underclass. I will say, that their toy buyers find some neat stuff for Christmas at good prices, stuff that no one else has. That must be one bright spot in their otherwise dismal recent past.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

To be a mgr at a radio shack you have to be one of the biggest tools on the planet. Or so I'm told.

[Old Student]

"Any PC folks out there remember the Tandy CoCo? The TRS-80 I think. The wizards at RS gave us that one!"

The CoCo was much later. The TRS-80, Model 1, Level 1, with 4K BASIC in ROM, and 4K RAM, was $600 when I got mine, one of the first 500 made, IIRC. I recall that because the first 500 were built with fast-blow fuses in the potted power supply. They couldn't order a replacement, and wanted to sell me another computer, instead. So I cracked it open, and chipped out the potting compound, and built it into a Bud box, with a 120VAC duplex outlet and a fuse holder, and had it back in operation the very next day. This was, IIRC, late in 1976, but could have been early in '77, I suppose... That was long ago, and far, far away, in another universe...

[HitmanLV]

Wow, the memories. Thanks! :-)

[quantim]

Echo that, this company has defied business evolution much longer than it should have.

[stainlessbanner]

Julian Day, the new RS CEO is not a communicator. He's been closed lipped since taking over.

[July 4th]

Radio Shack: a store full of crappy electronics, but always there when you need a cable or adaptor and don't mind bending over.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Big 5 sporting goods ask for my zip code also. I tell them, "90210"

[Erasmus]

"All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer." – Actual quote from IBM maintenance manual

When i was working in field service for Big Blue we were supposed to call them "impact forming tools."

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

The TRS-80 I think

Well that brings back fond memories. My mom went to the base PX and found a TRS80 on sale for $99.00 dollars with a $100.00 mail in manufacturer rebate attached. I'm not sure who it was, but someone paid us a dollar to take that baby home.

I played a lot of video games on that thing. Used the tape cassette to load up the programs. Haha, too funny.

[HitmanLV]

Yea, kids today can't appreciate that oldschool stuff! I can dig it! I loved the Commodore 64 back in the day! That's 64 "K" or raw power for those of us who remember! HAHA! :-)

[Erasmus]

Any PC folks out there remember the Tandy CoCo? The TRS-80 I think. The wizards at RS gave us that one!

With a little help from the Great Batwing Company in Silicon Hills.

[HitmanLV]

;-)

[ArmstedFragg]

TRS-80 I think

You got it! Owned one. Somewhere around here I think I still have some of the software I wrote.... on audio cassette.

[ArmstedFragg]

How 'bout that $495 16k memory upgrade? What a deal!

[HitmanLV]

A classic! :-)