[NJARC] Closing, A Store Near You

Sun Feb 19 16:19:36 EST 2006

Yes, but when I can drive less than 20 minutes and
have what I need, kicks the daylights out of having to
go online, order, do credit card stuff, then wait up
to a week to get on with things: the alternate being
look up the item in their catalog, call, describe, go
through the credit card stuff, again wait up to a
week, and for both the added expense of packing and
shipping, and what if they make a mistake? reverse and
repeat the procedure. And what if I only need a few
low cost items? Then I have to pad my order with items
I don't need(but eventually may) and pay for them and
their added shipping expense...

I would far rather do business locally, with a company
that's been around a while, and where they have stuff
on the shelf. (But I won't put down the dealers I work
with online, because they fill a need- the one created
when Radio Shack abdicated!)

Lets face it- it isn't all RS fault- a lot of it is
the fact that this country(and soon the world) has
been fooled into thinking that prepackaged, disposable
crap, pressboard furniture and houses, plastic
anything that used to be cast iron, and instant
whatsis is what life is made of! Me- I try to buy
used/old for most everything but clothes and food. I
would rather drive an older car, which I can work on,
play with older radios which I can fix, and have stuff
that lasts, instead of having boxes of bubble wrapped,
break and replace junk. Whatta bunch of fools this
world has become! Quality now means "Lasts past
Tuesday!" when it used to mean "Will OUTLIVE you!" 

Scott
And yes, of course I own a lot of this new crap. I am
a bit of a hypocrite that way, but I do prefer to
utilize the old stuff if I can find it!

--- Peter Markavage <manualman at juno.com> wrote:

> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> As a former product and marketing person in the
> corporate world, I make
> no apologies for my brethren in this field. It is
> sometimes difficult,
> and sometimes even impossible, to equally balance
> return customer loyalty
> to the bottom line.
> 
> Many of the on-line small parts jobbers seem to
> holding their own very
> well in this niche market.
> Pete, wa2cwa
> 
> On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 12:03:21 -0800 (PST) Scott
> Roberts
> <ng19delta at yahoo.com> writes:
> > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > _______________________________________________
> > If I go to RS for the small stuff, I will go there
> for
> > the other stuff I want as well provided they have
> it
> > at a price I am willing to pay, and under
> conditions I
> > can manage. I almost bought a new computer at RS
> last
> > the year before last- but they only would allow me
> > $500 on the RS card. So I went to Circuit City,
> and
> > got the whole thing plus a credit card line of
> $3k.
> > 
> > They HAD a good, steady customer base, which would
> > have kept them going for years, had they not
> gotten
> > greedy, and expanded into the crap world. Look at
> Pep
> > Boys- Used to be able to buy car parts for any car
> > there. Nowadays, if it is older than 5 years, it
> is
> > "Special Order" service items(oil, bulbs, etc) are
> > pushed way to the backs of the stores, and you
> have to
> > go through miles of garbage- illegal mini
> scooters,
> > tin can exhausts(also illegal) junk, junk, junk,
> to
> > get to the few real parts they have. And then they
> > often don't even have them! And they wonder why I
> take
> > my business elsewhere. I used to spend a lot of
> money
> > there. Now they're lucky if I spend $6 for a
> > headlight!
> > 
> >  Loading a store with inventory which doesn't
> sell,
> > then alienating your customers of years durations
> does
> > not equate in good profits. Demeaning their
> purchases
> > of repair items is useless: That is the reason
> both
> > Radio Shack and Pep Boys were started: to offer
> > customers repair parts, for specific items, at a
> > reasonable cost, and very accessibly. Both did
> very
> > well for many years. Then the crap started coming
> in,
> > and had to be sold, and that's when their bottom
> line
> > and profits suffered. Both used to be leaders,
> worthy
> > of loyal customers- buth are now just losers for
> the
> > most part. RS has a real niche market they can
> > exploit- Wal Mart will never venture into the
> radio
> > parts game: they have too much to deal with now,
> with
> > everything in their stores but legal prostitution,
> > driving other merchants out of business, so RS
> would
> > thrive again in a repair based orientation.
> Marketing
> > people are, for the most part(and in my opinion)in
> > need of othere employment, perhaps as paving
> stones.
> > 
> > RS and Pep Boys both need to get back to basics-
> > reduce their store size, sell what they sell best-
> > parts and some related items, and grow again.
> > 
> > Scott
> > (apologies to any marketing types in the group,
> but
> > c'mon!)
> > 
> > --- Peter Markavage <manualman at juno.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > "loyal customers" ??
> > > The ones that buy a connector, a roll of wire,
> > > blister pack of resistors,
> > > etc. once a month don't drive the bottom line
> > > positively. Inventory space
> > > to stock all this stuff, find space on the floor
> to
> > > display it, etc. all
> > > eat into the bottom line. Low cost, high margin
> > > boxes, systems, service
> > > contacts(generally free money), and "off the
> street
> > > traffic" (mall
> > > traffic)  are what drives the bottom line
> > > positively. Any store that
> > > sells electronic parts (resistors, capacitors,
> etc.)
> > > at a mall store is
> > > doomed to disaster in today's times.
> > > 
> > > Pete, wa2cwa
> > > 
> > > On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 11:51:22 -0500 michael s
> > > christiansen
> > > <kb2vrm at juno.com> writes:
> > > > Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> > > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > > The bottom line is everything but if you drive
> > > away your loyal 
> > > > customers
> > > > in the name of "the bottom line" , then what's
> > > left? Radio Shack- 
> > > > You
> > > > have questions.... We have blank stares.
> > > > On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 14:58:37 -0500 Peter
> Markavage
> > > 
> > > > <manualman at juno.com>
> > > > writes:
> > > > > Visit our web site - See
> http://www.njarc.org
> > > > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > > > Retail stores like Radio Shack need to worry
> > > about their bottom 
> > > > line 
> > > > > not
> > > > > the customer's memories of days gone by.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Pete
> > > > > 
> > > > > On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 14:41:18 -0500 Robert
> > > Bennett 
> > > > > <dino66 at optonline.net>
> > > > > writes:
> > > > > > Visit our web site - See
> http://www.njarc.org
> > > > > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > I can remember the days of my childhood
> where
> > > stores like Radio 
> > > > 
> > > > > > Shack, and others were so magical that you
> > > could'nt wait to see 
> > > > 
> > > > > all 
> > > > > > the things in the store, check out the
> yearly
> > > catalogue, and buy 
> > > > 
> > > > > the 
> > > > > > pieces you needed for your next project. I
> > > loved the Radio Shack 
> > > > 
> > > > > > "Battery Club" card - remember them? After
> > > reading the article 
> > > > > > myself, it's really no suprise they are in
> > > finacial limbo. When 
> > > > 
> > > > > was 
> > > > > > the last time you went to Radio Shack and
> > > while you were looking 
> > > > 
> > > > > for 
> > > > > > hopefully something of substance,and a
> college
> > > kid tries to sell 
> > > > 
> > > > > you 
> > > > > > a cell phone? Heck, you can go to BJ's or
> > > Costco and get a cell 
> > > > 
> > > > > > phone now. It's just another clear example
> of
> > > a business trying 
> > > > to 
> > > > > 
> > > > > > keep up with an ongoing "global economy"
> that
> > > is just running 
> > > > out 
> > > > > of 
> > > > > > steam. I"m no financial wizard but if I
> owned
> > > stock in Radio 
> > > > > Shack, 
> > > > > > I'd be on the phone with the stockbroker,
> or
> > > online taking the 
> > > > > money 
> > > > > > and run! They should change their slogan
> to:
> > > You have questions - 
> > > > 
> > > > > We 
> > > > > > have empty storefronts! 
> _______________________________________________
> NJARC mailing list
> NJARC at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/njarc
> 

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill, 'The Contest in America', Feb. 1862

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 