"Ed Cregger" wrote in message
...
COLIN LAMB wrote:
There were Glory days at Radio Shack - back in the 1930's. Radio Shack
used to be big - in fact their name said it all. Even during the 1950's,
I remember a great buy on surplus Harvey Wells TBS-50 power supplies.

They became really popular in the 1960's - not because of what they sold
but because of their marketing. Every item had a price tag on it. I
remember as a poor kid being afraid to go into the local ham radio store
and walk up to the counter with an unpriced chassis or part. I was too
embarassed to ask the price and was afraid I might not have enough money.
And, I suspect the fellow at the counter often guessed at the price and
tried to make it just out of what I had in my pocket. People still have
not figured out that if you do not have a price on it, it means you do
not want to sell it - and I do not ask. I see that at ham swap meets and
generally walk right by.

So, the local radio stores went out of business because of poor
merchandising. Hopefully Radio Shack will get back to their basics.

73, Colin K7FM





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I'm just the opposite. Regardless of where I am, store or no store, if I
see something that I want, I'll try to buy from the individual.

"Let the customer say no", is something that I learned in sales. Don't say
no for them, you might be wrong. Same thing with buying, it doesn't hurt
to ask. What is the worst thing they can say? No? So what? I first learned
this when dating. Nothing ventured - nothing gained. Life is too short to
be shy.


Ed Cregger, NM2K

I know what Colin is saying - that can be frustrating in its own right - you
get that in "stores" today - like Wal-Mart, etc. You have to either ask or
take the item to a reader to give you the price.

I also know what you're saying too - Ed. I've tried several selling methods
with various seasons, products, etc. It seems to me - if a customer is
interested enough - they will enquire OR just pick out the item and pay for
it. Supply meets demand - issue. A "lack" of sign doesn't necessarily mean
"no sale". It "could" be open for offers - like at a flea market or some
similar sale.

I do a lot of "Make-offers" and it is amazing how often I'm still asked -
"how much". I tell them - just as the sign says - make offers. I realize
that by saying that - if I am offered say a mere 10 cents for the item - it
is the loss/chance I take. Usually though - all offers made - surprisingly
are in the ball park of the expected sale price. I do a lot of those sales
just to move stuff out - be it on my web site or at a Hamfest or Flea
Market. Unless I need to recoup a certain amount of money - I love offering
deals. I have fun just dealing with people. Have met many interesting people
and swapped some good stories. That is what "I" get from it all. It isn't
"always" about the profit. Besides, if you try to treat people right -
they'll be back.

Then too - people are hard to deal with at times. Like going into a Radio
Shack store - I prefer "no" help. I know what I want, need, looking for. I
don't need help from someone who most likely doesn't know what a resistor
does - compared to capacitor. I don't need them hanging around me. On the
other hand - there are those who like that - because they're so unsure.
But it "does" burn me - when I'm looking at an item and there is no other
way to get a price other than to cart the damned thing clear across the
store for a price - or you need assistance and can't ever seem to find it. I
was looking at a Truck Tool box - it was stacked. I couldn't get anyone to
tell me the price and it wasn't worth taking it down - putting it in a buggy
to go to a check out - and then maybe decide it wasn't what I wanted.
Finally after going to the service desk half way across the store - I had
someone paged - I went back. The item "was" priced as I was looking for -
and I had them load one in the buggy. Those sorts of things can be
irritating and time consuming.

The best story I have to relate to Radio Shack...... When I was married - I
gave a list of items for my wife to pick up on her shopping run. There was
solder, Tuner Spray, and some other things. I even had the stock number
there so she couldn't make any errors - being they had
two types of spray and so on. She went in - was picking out the items per my
list. The salesman took the list from her hand and asked - are you sure this
is what you need?
Per her story then which I had no reason to dispute - She simply told him,
"I" wrote the list and that is exactly what I requested. She said he got
huffy with her. With this particular store - it is easy to understand that.
Of all the sales people who've come and gone - "dozens" - I've only seen a
handful I would ever deal with. And they've disgusted me so much - that me
and a friend of mine who used to spend "hours" in there a month and many
dollars - are lucky if we go there once a year - now. Unless I am in DIRE
need for an item they have - to do a repair - I don't care if I ever go back
in one.

Quite frankly - I do "not" see Radio Shack - on a rebound. The majority of
their items can be bought in other stores - Wal-Mart - Best Buy - Circuit
City - Kmart - Verizon Store/Kiosk -wherever. I hardly ever see anyone at
the closest store to me - as opposed to recent years.

Lou