Radio Shack prices....OUCH!

[Mr Tony]

Now i knew Rat Shack can be high priced on some stuff but damn today took the cake (and this comes form a former employee from there)

So I bought a new OTA antenna to get a distant VHF channel. My existing one just aint cutting it getting that signal. So I got the antenna from solid signal and forgot the tripod/mast. Figured "eh Rat Shack has them. I'll just go there". After all I got my replacement OTA antenna from there and that was only a couple bucks higher than solid signal (and no shipping charge)

So I check online first for the 5 foot mast and tripod. Now when I worked for RS 15 years ago it was 16 bucks for the tripod and 7 bucks for the mast. When I bought one for the cabin 8 years ago it was 18 for the tripod and still 7 for the mast

15 bucks for the mast
35 for the tripod

screw that. Went to Mills Fleet Farm about 20 miles away and got the tripod for 20 bucks and the mast for 6...the same mast I use to get at Rat Shack. I knew they were expensive on some stuff but DAMN folks want to put up antennas and you jack the prices up way too much. Also saw they sell the rotor for 80 bucks that I use to have at the lake. (paid 65 for it 10 years ago). Fleet Farm has a 12 programmable one with remote for 66 bucks. Looks sturdier

I know we had threads on Radio Shack but they pretty much got rid of all their geek parts and jacked the prices up on the little parts so much its better to go somewhere else to get them

sad if you ask me. I do buy some cables there but they have to be on clearance

 

[turbosat]

I'll second that opinion! Won't even go in one of those stores any more, unless it's for something I know they have on sale or clearance. It's all imported junk, with silly prices, and most of it is available elsewhere for a much more palatable everyday price.

 

[Mr Tony]

I laughed because when I got the antenna they had a 6 month no interest no payment promo on their cc (I have had one for 12 years now)....so I HAD to spend 20 bucks to get that

cripes I couldnt believe some of the prices on the video/audio accessories
6 bucks for a 300 ohm/75 ohm transformer (use to be 2.99)
7 bucks for a 3 foot audio cable (2 rca's to 2 rca's)

I ended up getting a dual wall plate for the basement and some batteries that were on special. Otherwise I try not to buy anything in there unless on clearance

 

[LoTech]

Back in the day Radio Shack was great... cables, resistors, diodes, capacitors, computers, and there used to be one in every town. Nowadays its mobile phones, mp3 players, and robot dinosaurs, and you can only find one in a mall or big shopping center. I guess their prices are so high so they can pay that mall rent.

 

[Anole]

on the other hand:

. . . I noticed hanging on the wall were some color pens to write on CDs and DVDs.
I think the five-pack was $2.29.
Doubt I could have done better at our local swap meets!
Color me shocked (instead of the usual green with blue highlights!) -

However, CD paper sleeves, which I use by the thousands, cost around $6 per hundred.
I pay $2 per hundred at the swap meets, whenever I need to restock.

Blank DVDs go on sale from time to time, and the locals who "sell" movies come in and stock up.
Not sure what the price is, as they sell 25- or 50-packs, not 100's.
I pay $15 per hundred for good discs (often printable) at the swap meets.

And, when it comes to any sort of audio/video/computer cable, MonoPrice is generally worth an on-line order.
I bought LCD wall-hanging brackets for myself and as a gift for a buddy, at MonoPrice, too.
$25-35 will get you what you see in other stores for $75-150, and $50 at Mono will get you what would sell for $150-225 elsewhere!
Look at the modest offerings at Radio Shack, and compare, for a real eye-opener -
If they'd offer 'em for about $30 extra with the purchase of the TV, I'll bet they could sell hundreds! -

Meritline isn't always the cheapest for every item, but they do work up a good deal from time to time.
Case in point, this 3-input HDMI switch with remote.

 

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

I do like that Radio Shack is nicknaming itself "The Shack" once in awhile.

I guess it beat out "Place that still sells VCRs for $70."

 

[mikelib]

Ice,
Did the sales person ask you if you had a cell phone?

I went in to buy a 10 micro-farad capacitor and I asked the young lady where the parts bin is, they keep on moving it, she showed me the parts bin and said that she could not help me as she did not know what a capacitor was. But she wanted to know if I needed a new cell phone.

Two days later I needed an LED the young guy that checked me out wanted to know who was my cell phone carrier and did I know that after two years I could get a free cell phone. NO THANK YOU, they are always trying to sell me new cell phones.
Mike Lib

 

[pro96]

Ice,
Did the sales person ask you if you had a cell phone?

I went in to buy a 10 micro-farad capacitor and I asked the young lady where the parts bin is, they keep on moving it, she showed me the parts bin and said that she could not help me as she did not know what a capacitor was. But she wanted to know if I needed a new cell phone.

Two days later I needed an LED the young guy that checked me out wanted to know who was my cell phone carrier and did I know that after two years I could get a free cell phone. NO THANK YOU, they are always trying to sell me new cell phones.
Mike Lib

If it wasn't for Ratshack selling phones, they be out of biz by now

 

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

Personally, I've found that Radio Shack dealers are much less annoying than the stores outright owned by Radio Shack. They're usually named something different (like "VanMannen's Electronics" back in my home town), but since they're independently owned they get less pressure to follow you around and pester you. They also tend to have a bit more diverse selection and have better customer service.

 

[kingofku]

At least they don't ask for your address and phone number anymore!

 

[Anole]

Well, actually, they now ask for your email address.
The come-on? They'll be sending out $10 discount coupons to everyone.

 

[jbmiller]

most of the sales people are clueless on where things are. one said they didn't
have a part i wanted. i went to the bin and there it was. its sad rat shack was great for getting stuff fer electronic projects like power supplies building stereo amps by scratch etc. now its just another junk yard
john

 

[Bill_KY]

Now i knew Rat Shack can be high priced on some stuff but damn today took the cake

Radio shack does not carry RG8 coax wire anymore. I needed it for a ham radio project...the manager told me that "they never sold it"...interesting. They used to sell 25 and 50 foot lengths. RG8 is 50 ohm heavy duty low loss coax for ham radio.

Home Depot and Lowes also sell TV Antennas and masts and RG6 coax, although no tripods. Top Fence poles (10 foot lengths) IMO make decent TV masts. I built a 40 meter vertical antenna out these fence poles.

If you need DVD or CD blank discs... ...Office Depot and Staples seem to run sales every week the going rate seems to be $13 +/- on sale weekly. If you have a Micro Center computer store nearby, they usually have the best prices on blank media and CD/DVD sleeves/cases.


Radio Shack's clearance items sometimes can be a great deal, and they appear to stock enough items for the annual "Black Friday" deals...

 

[Tron]

Every time I go into a Radio Shack, it is to peruse their shelves for clearance deals (which can be very good from time to time, depending on the store). They keep changing vendors for items such as cables computer supplies, etc., and when they do, the old vendor items go on clearance.

As for technical knowledge, their sales associates are no more knowledgeable than those at Best Buy or any other big box electronics retailer.

 

[satjay]

Yea, the shack was to the place to when you needed that electronic part, there prices are way to high. Hopefully the hang around for a bit thought becouse if you cant wait for that part online to be devliered sometimes the "shack" comes in handy

 

[Blindowl1234]

Rat Shack screwed themselves when they dropped the catalog, and stopped mailing monthly sales flyers. The sales folks are on commission I'm sure, they are clueless about what electronic stuff is. I'm trying to remember what the last thing was I bought there was ....been so long I can't remember lol...Blind

 

[updatelee]

radioshack in Canada went bankrupt and was sold to 'The Source" they are just as bad on prices yet sell less stuff

3X4 MULTISWITCH WITH POWER SUPPLY S-2140-CE | Satellite Multiswitchs | TheSource.ca

$80 for a 3x4 multiswitch

I bought 4 spaun 3x8's for that price on ebay

 

[tvropro]

Radio Shack is a last resort for me to get anything now. Their prices are insane and mostly don't have anything I look for anymore. I deal with places like MCM, Mouser or Parts Express online now. The days of low priced electronic parts locally is over. I do miss it. I used to spend a ton of cash at Radio Shack back in the day.

 

[B.J.]

Now i knew Rat Shack can be high priced on some stuff but damn today took the cake .....
...
.....
So I check online first for the 5 foot mast and tripod. Now when I worked for RS 15 years ago it was 16 bucks for the tripod and 7 bucks for the mast. When I bought one for the cabin 8 years ago it was 18 for the tripod and still 7 for the mast

15 bucks for the mast
35 for the tripod

...
...I do buy some cables there but they have to be on clearance

You're lucky that they still have the mast. Most of the stores around here don't have the mast. 2 Stores claimed that RS no longer sold it, but I found one that had it, and the owner said that they had changed the part number. I still buy things like coax connectors when I need them fast, but more and more I'm able to find that type thing cheaper at Lowes and other hardware stores. I still tend to go there for batteries. They also used to have one of the best JP1 remote controls, however they discontinued that model unfortunately. They also discontinued the little DC-blocks that I use between sat receivers. Every time I go in there, there is one more thing that they used to carry that they don't have anymore.

Back in the day Radio Shack was great... cables, resistors, diodes, capacitors, computers, .......

And don't forget that RS used to sell C-band sat dishes.

But WAY back when, it seemed that the only places you could get electronics was a mail order place called Allied or something like that, out of Chicago. Then RS and Laffayette Radio came along with stores that you could get stuff locally. For quite a while, the quality of RS components was absolutely TERRIBLE. When binary components first came out, I used to go there and get packages of assorted flip flop ICs . You'd get a package of a dozen or so ICs, and maybe one of them would work. They DID label them as being "untested", but I was convinced that they purposely sold dead ICs, but I had a friend who worked in the electronics division of the DOC, and he told me that at that time (before computerized QA/QC came along), that less than 10% of "untested" imported ICs actually worked. But over the years, RS improved the quality of their components, and they became a place where you could actually trust what you got there. Unfortunately that has changed again, and now it's not a question of quality, but a question of whether they even sell the stuff anymore.

 

[Mr Tony]

Did the sales person ask you if you had a cell phone?

nope. The manager remembers me so we just chit chat. One time I went in and the district manager was in there. The employees were doing their "gimmick" to impress the DM. The DM started talking to me and we talked about Radio Shack and when I worked for them.

They dont bug me with that anymore. They let me be and dont try to upsell