[CA357]

We have a Radio Shack land line phone with a digital answering machine and one satellite phone. We bought it in the beginning of 2005. Well, I set it/them up a few days ago when I finally found them while unpacking. One of them has a dead battery and so it won't charge.

I figure no problem, I'll go to Radio Shack and pick a couple up so I have a spare. I went there yesterday while we were in town and they don't carry the batteries any more. I don't mean they didn't have any in the store, I mean they just don't carry them. The clerk tried to sell me a new phone, but I passed.

So, Radio Shack promotes planned obsolescence. So much for environmental consciousness, recycling and all that other greenie ecological stuff. They just want to sell new products.

Nothing is wrong with the phones, they work fine, one just needs a battery and here's the kicker: I just bought the batteries on Amazon for $11.99 for two with free shipping!

I will no longer patronize Radio Shack.

[Blueguns]

Never been a big radio shack fan. I've never had a really bad experience, just disorganized stores and high prices have driven me away.

[Vikingdad]

Radio Shack sucks IMO. Occasionally i will go in there when I need something I figure they might have, but they almost never have it. The ironic part is that I go in there for radio stuff!!! WTF Radio Shack?

Glad you found the batteries. I use Batteries Plus, there is a store nearby and they also have good prices on their website.

[95sniper]

I'm suprised they are still in business, there are plenty of stores with more selection and a better price

[primer1]

Yeah, the prices suck. Most of it is Chinese crap anyway. Why mark it down to 600% profit when you can sell it for 900%?

[danf_fl]

Radio Shack is not the only one that does that.
Automobiles are a good example.

Nowadays, government military contracts are calling for COTS equipment (Commercial Off The Shelf). When you are talking COTS and computers, you have about a 6 month life. Then it's off to ebay.com to get parts (which is banned for viewing by the military).

Catch-22 is still in the military.

[WebleyFosbery38]

Radio Shack or Rat Shack as I used to call it was once a great place to get electronic Parts and even some descent fully made devices. They sold their souls and are now a junk store of very little usage to those of us that once loved them. You can buy 30 different junk toys but cant get a 9 volt regulator, they sell computers but not resistors and the products they do sell arent any better than anything you could buy at a electronics dollar store.

I used to be a huge fan of local business above anything but now find that concept to be obsolete.

[rurak]

I buy small pilot lights there when i am building custom electrical equipment, thats about it.

[WebleyFosbery38]

Originally Posted by rurak

I buy small pilot lights there when i am building custom electrical equipment, thats about it.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com

If you can wait 2 business days, you can get most of what you might need here, they are an offshoot of Newark Electronics but you dont need to be a dealer and they dont publish a 5000 page catalog that you are forced to help pay for. Ive been buying from MCM for about 25 years and they get it right most of the time for the right price. I bet those rechargeable batteries are in there as well. Probably about the same price as Amazon but I hate searching and for General Electronics, these guys cant be beat.

[primer1]

I used to buy speaker components from mcm. They always had the best prices.