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Why I Will Never Set Foot in Radio Shack Again

W

WNTIRadio

So yesterday I'm wiring up some Barix Exstreamer 1000's and instead of "Euroblock" connectors or barrier strips, there are those stupid DB9 connectors for the audio in/out. Looks like I'm one DB9 short for the breakout cables. No big deal, I'll head to RatShack and pick up another one and get the job done.

Guess what? I walk in and the sales nerd asks me what I'm looking for and I say a DB9 connector. He points out pre-made cables. I ask for the ones where I can solder my own connection. He says, "Oh, we don't stock those."

Not even a simple connector anymore. I wasn't expecting the RS of 20 years ago, but thought for sure that would be with the other plugs. Nope.

Sure I can order them from Mouser or Newark, but what to do when you need one in a pinch???

The moral of the story is if you're an engineer or a contract guy, stock way more of these things than you need. The other moral is Radio Shack is now not mostly useless, but completely useless.
 
I think it is a sign of the times. Because of the computers, retailers, distributors and manufacturers now have trustworthy sales data on what sells, and what just sits there and collects dust. There was a time when a store owner or maybe a well entrenched store manager could order and stock slow moving items because he/she felt good about keeping certain customers happy.

But today the landlord has a computer system, too. Rent often includes a percentage of sales volume clause. The retailer who decides to be a nice guy and stock slow moving items finds that "sales per square foot" are down, and may not be offered a lease renewal when the current lease is up. "Hit the road, Jack. Your store is a non-producer!"

I recently when shopping for a cell phone that is simple and has larger keys. It was for a person showing a few signs of age. The sales clerks (for the most part) understood what I wanted, but they said the problem is: That is NOT what our customers are asking for. (Except for me?)

So you think you are a bit of a woodworker and you decide that you need a neat little shelf on the wall that your Barix Exstreamer can sit on. Just run down to.... oh, yeah. Nobody stocks "hobby wood" or "crafters wood" any more.

You can join my club. We members run around town muttering under our breath about short sighted retailers. But if you are going to stomp the dust off your feet every time a retailer disappoints you, you will soon run out of places to shop.
 
I always thought it was interesting that these days they sell both kinds of xlr gender benders but no longer sell the xlr connectors. But if you want a satellite receiver or a cell phone they've got you covered.
 
I owned movie theatres for 20 years in small towns. The projection engineer was usually 3+ hours away if he happened to be at home. Normally, when we had problems, he would be on the road at one of this other accounts.

In all of those markets I could always count on going down to RS and get what I needed to jury rig something until the engineer could get there. One weekend we had a power spike that blew out four amplifiers in a rack. I was able to go down to the local Radio Shack to get four $200+ amplifiers (the store had to some someone over to the next town to get two of them). That was when they really were about service and stocked all of the "stuff" that many different industries could use.
 
When I have to run to RS nowadays I take little extra time to hang around and listen to the embarrassingly inaccurate technical information the staff gives to the customers. It’s a hoot.
 
I was told that there are two levels of inventory-stocking in Radio Shack stores, and that what I should look for was a RS that has all four "stacks" of those gray metal parts drawers. It holds true here in Baton Rouge: some stores have two and some have four.

All have batteries if you have questions.
 
What I do is order a bunch of common connectors, plugs, switches etc. and stock my OWN store....a little expensive , but keeps blood pressure and anxiety levels down. The best 2-300 dollars you can spend...trust me! BTW, what about the DASDEC interfaces we discussed? Lunch is served when you arrive....JBI
 
Hey, if J. Boyd is offering lunch, I am there! I'll rattle some cages to see where our CAP software is stuck.

To the original poster: I just checked out the RS down the street from my office; male and female DB-9's in both crimp and solder-cup style are stocked in their bins if you want to make a quick trip to Baton Rouge. You can get some good cafe au lait next door, too.
 
K6JHU said:
"I recently when shopping for a cell phone that is simple and has larger keys."

Check the ARRP bulletin (seriously). I believe it is "Jitterbug" that is being advertised for the elderly. Basic phone with large keys.
Click to expand...

Yes, I saw the hype on Jitterbug... had to look and think for a while... and I bought one. After I saw that it indeed works, and that what it lacks in features is not a problem to me, I bought one for myself also.

So far they have been a delight to work with.

But I still like being able to go to the store and see it before I buy it. I was able to find one in stock by driving an extra 50 miles (round trip) but to get an alternate color for the second phone, I had to order on-line.
 
I do stock a whole bunch of connectors, but there's always that "extra thing" that sneaks up on you and you find yourself short by one. That's what happened... already placed an order with Mouser for the rest. It's just that "in a pinch" thing that happens to all of us. At one time, any RS stocked a simple item like a DB9. But I guess cell phones and satellite radio sell better.
 
I find the "authorized dealer" radioshacks are more likely to carry electronic odds and ends as well as old new stock Radioshack items.
 
The owner of a little AM station in Terrell, TX is also an RS "authorized dealer." Yes he advertises on his station.
 
I've mentioned this story before but will mention again of the time a RS manager told me I knew nothing about audio video installation because I didn't use Monster Cable. His job prior to working at Radio Shack was doing grunt work at a hospital meanwhile I had been in the audio video field for, at that time, 20 years. I never set foot in his store ever again.
 
I've mentioned this story before but will mention again of the time a RS manager told me I knew nothing about audio video installation because I didn't use Monster Cable. His job prior to working at Radio Shack was doing grunt work at a hospital meanwhile I had been in the audio video field for, at that time, 20 years. I never set foot in his store ever again.
Click to expand...

Ahhh yes, the old audiophile cable scam. The only thing that matters for speaker wire is the gauge of the wire... heavier for higher current applications. Copper is copper, it's either solid or stranded wire in the case of speaker cables. There was a double blind test and nobody could tell the difference between zip cord and $100 a foot speaker cable.
 
A sadly misinformed Radio Shack employee once told me that all radio and TV stations use nothing but gold-plated audio and video connectors because the gold causes the signal to move faster!
I didn't say anything to the fool. I have been a radio and then television engineer for better than 45 years. The only gold-plated part of any connecter that I routinely use is the center pin on the BNC connector.
 
I generally don't use Radio Shack anymore for many of the reasons mentioned above. I try to keep as much stuff in the shop as I can and hope for the best when I get into a serious project. If I do run across that oddball item, and need it in a hurry, most online stores can have it to you the next day, although you will pay for that service. Still beats the alternative of having to deal with the "experts" at the Cell Phone Shack.

As an aside, another reason I won't use any Radio Shack components anymore is because about 3 months or so ago, I was recapping a very early Sharp transistor radio and needed the caps to do the job. Being all pretty low voltage stuff and seeing as how it was all on the shelf (or in the gray drawers) at my local RS, I picked up what I needed there. Out of the 20 or so caps I replaced almost half of the replacements were no good. Half! Talk about poor odds, not to mention the work to get them all again and correct the problem.
 
Given that parts like caps are probably very slow sellers and spend lots of time sitting in the drawer at RS, I would guess that your problem was caused by limited shelf life of those caps. Would be interesting to see what the date codes were.
 
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