A switch or knob? Phooey! The last time I was in a RS a couple months
ago...
I wanted a rubber foot for a power supply (not the stick on ones... a set
of feet with 4 screws) they said I should ask at a Lowe's or Home Depot.
RS used to have construction boxes and the works. Now all you see are
TV's Satellite and cell phone and tunes contracts.
Last year they fell short of having cleaner for switch contacts...
I guess that went with the tubes and the old mechanical TV tuners.
Sorry dating myself a bit LOL RIP RS
They also recently failed on a simple 4 prong spade lugs power connector.
If they go down the toilet,,, it isn't because Hams have let them down.
We all still go to RS and wish I think.
This last months QST had a project that built a portable mast into
a bucket of cement... all parts from Home Depot... Suppose RS has
give up masts too in favor of Sat' contracts.

K4TWO

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
...

"John Ferrell" wrote in message
...
I will miss them if they go away altogether.
I remember when I was 13 living in Columbus Ohio. If I could get a
ride downtown it would only be on Saturday morning. Some of the
Radio-Electronics Stores were not interested in selling a kid
anything.

IBM was five years behind Radio Shack with the PC. Some of the RS
folks are technical, some are not. I have always found them willing to
work with me. I hope for a restructure that keeps the parts available.

Parts??? Your RS has parts?? The RS stores around here are doing good to
carry a switch or knob.

-n6ojn

rocky wrote:

Hams have a reputation for being frugal, (cheap) and no store such as
R/S will profit from hams alone. They have to bring home the bacon
every day or else. Mall rent keeps going up. R/S sells a couple of
resistors and a phono jack to pay the rent...guess again.


Why do they have to be located in a mall? Sure, there is a lot of
foot traffic, but the rent is high, its usually a a long walk from
wherever you can find to park, which takes more time to get to the
store, find what you need, and get out of the place. It doesn't make
sense to me. The older stores that were somewhere near a mall or large
shopping center always seemed to have more people than the stores in the
malls.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote...
Why do they have to be located in a mall?

Because that is the "ideal" model of modern mass-market
retailing. If that model doesn't fit your business, then change
your business to fit the model.

Fortunately, my company is built on giving my customers top quality service
and a top quality product and does not fit the modern retail concepts. I
guess thats so I don't end up the same way as RS. FWIW, I have been in
business for 10 years. Even though the economy has supposedly been in the
dumper for the last couple of years, you couldn't tell that from my books. A
lot of people are getting a little fed up with the big box stores and their
lack of service. "Mass-market" retailing isn't all that its cracked up to
be. You might could save a few bucks, but when it comes time to service,
repair, or install..... well.... lets just say that soon they are going to
have to outsource those tasks to India... the service calls and milage
charges are gonna be a killer when that happens.

"Richard Crowley" wrote in message
...
"Michael A. Terrell" wrote...
Why do they have to be located in a mall?

Because that is the "ideal" model of modern mass-market
retailing. If that model doesn't fit your business, then change
your business to fit the model.

"Noon-Air" wrote ...
Fortunately, my company is built on giving my customers top quality
service and a top quality product and does not fit the modern retail
concepts. I guess thats so I don't end up the same way as RS. FWIW, I
have been in business for 10 years. Even though the economy has
supposedly been in the dumper for the last couple of years, you
couldn't tell that from my books.

The key word being "supposedly". Alas, the mainstream
media has failed us in accurately and impartially reporting
news about practically anything, the economy included.
Most of us are equally puzzled when trying to correlate
first-hand experience with what the MSM is trying to
tell us.

On 02/23/06 08:50 am Richard Crowley wrote:

Why do they have to be located in a mall?

Because that is the "ideal" model of modern mass-market
retailing. If that model doesn't fit your business, then change
your business to fit the model.

I've read that traditional malls are on their way out. Our local one is
half-empty, while stand-alone stores are springing up all over the place.

"Perce"
(aka Alan NV8A)

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 02/23/06 08:50 am Richard Crowley wrote:

Why do they have to be located in a mall?


Because that is the "ideal" model of modern mass-market
retailing. If that model doesn't fit your business, then change
your business to fit the model.


I've read that traditional malls are on their way out. Our local one is
half-empty, while stand-alone stores are springing up all over the place.

"Perce"
(aka Alan NV8A)

My own view: we all work so hard, we don't have time for "casual
shopping". It's more like 'surgical strike" shopping. Park, go in and
buy something, get out and go home (or to the next destination: fast
food?). Thus, malls are on the downturn and single stores clustered in
strip malls now seem to dominate.
No time to just shop...destination objective reached, egress and head home.
Our economy is based upon significant consumption...I think we're
entering a new era where time management is at odds with consumption
(and spendable income is decreasing)...Americans are working harder and
longer, yet their income is stagnant or decreasing.
CEO's excepted.

watch out retailers and consumers!

You forgot to mention attorneys in your exception group.

"jawod" wrote in message ...
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
[snip]
(and spendable income is decreasing)...Americans are working harder and
longer, yet their income is stagnant or decreasing.
CEO's excepted.

watch out retailers and consumers!