hey guys!!!!I want to see if I can help solve this problem

[Clay B.]

This didn’t happen in a meeting but I found it wildly humorous.
I was at the Pratt Whitley R&D up in North Dakota. It is a very large place. The area I was installing some test equipment in had just received a new engineer. I think he was mechanical but never really found out, but what he was egger and gullible. So the other engineers decided to have some fun with him. They told him they would need so prop wash from one of the other buildings to clean the turbine blades before they ran the next test. So they gave this poor guy a bucket and sent him on his way. While he was walking to the next building they called over and told the engineers in that building about the prank, apparently they had done this several times to others. Anyway each time he got to a test bay the engineers there would tell him they were out of prop wash and that maybe the next bay would have some.
Basically this guy walked around the entire facility looking for this prop wash. Every time he would leave a bay those guys would call over to our bay to let us know his progress.
About an hour later this poor guys shows up all frustrated and explaining how he could not find anybody with prop wash to spare. He figured out rather quickly he had been set up since everybody was doubled over with laughter. Finally someone explained to him that prop wash was the wind produced by a propeller. I still crack a smile when I think of the look on that guys face when he realized he had been setup.

 

[dmroeder]

haha, the same thing happened where I used to work. Except it worked like this:

Machine broke down and the production supervisor would show up start asking the usual obnoxious questions: How long is it going to take? Why is it taking so long? Are you done yet? Are you done yet? Are you done yet? And so on...

We would tell them it would speed things up if they would go to the warehouse and get us a new PFM relay (Pure F______ Magic) or some brass magnets. Warehouse guy knew the drill, keep the supervisor out of our hair so we can fix the problem. Good times!

 

[iant]

I Konw there are hundreds of these floating arround in industry.
When I was at Toyota - I had a very funny one come across my desk.
- set the sceen first-
Press Plant - store (goods soly for supply to that plant)
1 person works there
Main Store - in another plant - replenishes the press store.
1 man at desk
If hey did not have the Item he would got to his Boss.
If the Boss did'nt Know he would ring me..
I would then chase down either the part or a suitable replacement

OK next post - the actual story

 

[iant]

our Tradesman went to the Press store-
"Quick I have an urgent breakdown"
"I need a PETO FILE so I can file out a very small hole"
Press storeman - "sorry you need to go to other store"
Main Store - "No I can't find it I'll get my boss"

YEP - I got the Phone Call.

When I told the Boss to write down the FILE name
"Peadophile"
they got the point- OOPS

This was their first time - All Got

 

[robpaige]

Back in my retail electronics days my wife and I worked for the same company, but at different stores. When she mentioned that her store had just hired on a new guy, I couldn't resist calling up, and posing as a customer. Below is the list of items I asked for, and the explanation of what each item was supposed to be when he asked.

LED Fluid: Replenishes the glow in LEDS, supposed to be topped off every 2000 on/off cycles.

Electron Blower Motor: The part in battery chargers that blows electrons into the rechargeable batteries

ID ten T forms: Useful for troubleshooting computers, TVs, and most other forms of small electronics

Circuit Glue: Holds 2 components together in applications where you don't want to solder (joke's on me now, Think Geek now offers just such a beast)

And finally the key to the basement stockroom, where all these items could be found.

 

[dskohio]

Back in my retail electronics days my wife and I worked for the same company, but at different stores. When she mentioned that her store had just hired on a new guy, I couldn't resist calling up, and posing as a customer. Below is the list of items I asked for, and the explanation of what each item was supposed to be when he asked.

LED Fluid: Replenishes the glow in LEDS, supposed to be topped off every 2000 on/off cycles.

Electron Blower Motor: The part in battery chargers that blows electrons into the rechargeable batteries

ID ten T forms: Useful for troubleshooting computers, TVs, and most other forms of small electronics

Circuit Glue: Holds 2 components together in applications where you don't want to solder (joke's on me now, Think Geek now offers just such a beast)

And finally the key to the basement stockroom, where all these items could be found.

Reminds me of a trip to Radio Shack a few months back. I went in to the component drawers and found all the 470 ohm resistors they had to amounted to 3. As the kid came over to ask if I needed any help, I asked if they had any more 470 ohm resistors. His response "If you know you need a resistor, you already know more than I do." I'll take that as a no.

 

[robpaige]

While I will neither confirm nor deny any affiliation with "The Shack" What you've described is a damned shame. I was one of the few guys in my district who was actually conversant with the components we carried. There were times where I made more in a month on parts sales than the rest of the staff did on cell phones simply because the refrain was "Oh, you need parts, lemme get Rob for ya, he's into that stuff".

While I have good luck ordering stuff online, it sucks that we're losing one of the last few places you could physically go to in order to find that odd component that you need now.

 

[Tom Jenkins]

When I first started doing start-ups back in the '80's and early '90's I always made sure I knew where the local Radio Shack was. It seemed I'd always need a resistor, or cable, or DB-25 connector or something. I even had one owner say (as a joke) "If I knew we could get your system at Radio Shack I wouldn't have paid you so much."

Nowadays it seems like all you can get from them is phones and radio controlled toys. I haven't been inside one for years.

 

[robpaige]

They still carry components, and if you know what you're doing, you're okay. I practically lived at one during my first major design project a couple of semesters ago. That said, don't bother asking most of their employees anything beyond "Where can I find...", and even then, don't be surprised if they botch that. From my experience, you'll typically have maybe one guy in any given store who actually cares if the parts drawers are squared away.

 

[Tharon]

I end up going to Radio Shack every other week or so picking up a DSub connector, resistors, heat sink compound, alligator clips, etc. But all that is stored in a single 4 foot by 4 foot counter with drawers. Everything else is Cellphones and iPads.

I graduated from college in 2006, and in 2004 or so while away at school, the local Radio Shack (local to the University, not my home town) actually closed it's doors for good. It was kind of a big joke around campus. We were a large engineering school, and the local Radio Shack, right off campus, had shut down.

The Burger King shut down its doors too... but I don't think the two were related.

 

[OkiePC]

I ordered a bunch of that stuff from Amazon. I got some 50' vga cables for the house, a keyspan us-19 adapter, some 50' serial cables, gender benders, mini-null modems dirt cheap. I think the www has clobbered Radio Shack, and Christmas/gimmicks and the most basic electronics have saved them.

 

[Ken Roach]

Radio Shack used to have an aggressive name-and-address collection routine they would do at the cash register before they'd let you check out.

They also had a monthly flyer with a personal letter from the CEO of Tandy Corp., complete with his signature and a photo of his smiling face.

My father thought this was tremendous fun because he looked a lot like the CEO, and has the same name as the CEO.

He got a lot of stammering double-takes every time they had a new teenager behind the counter.

 

[OkiePC]

Radio Shack used to have an aggressive name-and-address collection routine they would do at the cash register before they'd let you check out.

They also had a monthly flyer with a personal letter from the CEO of Tandy Corp., complete with his signature and a photo of his smiling face.

My father thought this was tremendous fun because he looked a lot like the CEO, and has the same name as the CEO.

He got a lot of stammering double-takes every time they had a new teenager behind the counter.

Funny story.

Yeah, that was one circular I always looked forward to, but the web is suffocating print ads too.

 

[robpaige]

There have been rumors of Sears and Best Buy sniffing around about buying Radioshack for some time. If either outfit did, I can't imagine that they'd bring back components. I wonder if the home improvement places would be interested in getting into the game?

Don't get me wrong, the web is great, prices are low, companies will generally work with you, we know all the benefits. The one thing I can't do, however, is drive to the internet and pick up a 220 microFarrad capacitor when I've just blown my last one and my project is due in 2 hours.