"Dick Adams" wrote in message
...
I try to aviod Radio Shack unless I am desparate.
So I was desparate and went there on Friday. When
I got home the device did not work (why am I surprised?)

So I returned it on Saturday and explained the situation
to a different clerk. He actually listened to me. Not
only that he found the correct device and tested it for
me. Maybe hell has frozen over,

Dick

First I have to confess.
I was once a RS employee.

This was over a dozen years ago and happened sort of by accident.
I had retired from my real job and my wife was still working. I had a little
home project and dropped into my local RS to pick up some bits and pieces.
They had a sign in the window advertising for help. Well, I figured , what
the hell, it would be like working in a toy store. In the application, I
said no nights or weekends, full or part time. I though I would get a
turndown. Who wanted a retiree with those requirements. (Oh, somewhere in my
background was a BSEE)

I got the job, full time, no nights or weekends. I stuck it out for three
years. During that time I reached longevity in that store. I went through
five different mangers. Hiring was done by the district office and they were
desperate for help. And I was on the third district manager when I left.

I saw new employees come in that had no clue about anything electronic. It
was not uncommon for a newbie to go out to lunch and never come back. The
turnover in the company when I was there was said to be greater than 100%
per year.

This was during the time when the "you've got questions, we have answers"
was started. No one ever said they were the right answers. There was enough
out and out lying go on I told one manager I was going to turn him in if I
heard him spout the crap he was doling out.

I attracted a faithful set of customers who trusted me. If some one had a
really in depth question about a product, I had no problem using the
internal telephone system to call someone in the company who was savvy about
a particular product and could provide information that might mean looking
up a parts list or even a voltage reading. We had a nearby repair center
that was also a good source. The big difference was hat I could ask the
right question and relay it to the customer in a way it was correct and
understandable.

I am not surprise that they have reduced the small parts line-up There are
fewer and fewer people who are looking to experiment or trying to fix a TV
or stereo now that everything is surface mount and so many things are built
with ic's that are custom and not obtainable.

I've got lots of stories, but I just wanted to give a perspective from
someone who had been inside.

Please forgive me for past sins.

Charlie (now actively retired)