[Boatanchors] RATSHACK?

[jeff]

When I was younger, the thought of WAITING for mail order parts was
abhorrent - fortunately we had Radio Smack stores.  There were 2 within
walking distance (way before I drove).

Little by little, neat places to buy things started disappearing.  Then
the Net appeared - you could get ANYTHING (but you had to WAIT).  Now
there are no places to buy anything and we're back to almost total mail
order.   

The more things change.....


After all the time I spent buying things at RS, it was only natural that
my first job was there.  Talk about disillusionment.... I was the
resident genius because I could tell a resistor from a capacitor.  This
is where I learned that I did not belong in retail; having developed an
incredible distaste for the Great Unwashed.

You cannot rationally expect a RS employee to know *anything* about
electronics.  Some of them don't know anything about anything.  To me
this is no different than going into a fast food place and expecting
them to get my order right - it's just not going to happen.

Customer service is dead, ladies and gentlemen.  It has been replaced by
Bean Counting and the Lowest Common Denominator.  If you walk into a
retail establishment, be thankful that the minimum-wage clown behind the
counter has time to talk to you at all, what with personal phone calls
and chatting up his or her coworkers.  You had better know exactly what
you want, because these people don't have a *clue*.

My grandmother used to tell me these unbelievable fairy tales about
shopping.  She'd go into a store, they'd know who she was, and anything
she desired would be put on her bill and DELIVERED.  She merely had to
indicate what she wanted and sign.  I think they'd bring her tea too.


Sigh.