Working with Bozz: The Radio Shack Years - Part 4

in #esteem6 years ago (edited)

This is a continuation of my series about the three years I worked at Radio Shack.

I can't say it was the happiest time of my life, but it paid the bills and put me through college, so I can't really complain.

If you are a happy go lucky person and you want to loose a little faith in humanity and become somewhat jaded, I think you should give retail a try. It might be just what you need! :)


When I started working for Radio Shack, it was getting close to the holiday season. There isn't much worse than working in retail around the Christmas season. It's not that the work itself is hard, but the days are long and busy.

Right before the Christmas season, all of the sales people had to go to a statewide meeting in Lansing, MI. This was kind of a rah rah fire you up type meeting where they talk about all of the cool stuff coming out for Christmas.

One of the biggest announcements was about a partnership Radio Shack had made with Compaq. We were going to be able to start selling Compaq desktops and laptops in our stores. As part of the first weekend for the big holidy promotion they were giving customers $100 off the price of a new computer. In turn the salesperson that sold them the computer got a $100 SPIFF.

We came back all excited and were ready to sell some computers. The only problem was computers were so expensive back then! When a desktop came in at $1500 that extra $100 off didn't really put much of a dent in the price. It maybe covered the price of the sales tax... Despite that fact, eager beaver that I was managed to sell two computers in that promotion weekend.

This might be how I looked after I got the check from that weekend. If I were a woman... :)

It was nice having that extra $200 in my pocket. They didn't do any more promotions like that, but with the Christmas season approaching, there was no shortage of sales to pad our checks.

The holiday season was a constant flow of people in and out of the store. There were some days when we had to make multiple trips to the bank to deposit money. We were only allowed to keep a certain amount of cash in the till so someone had to make the occasional run to the deposit box.

Christmas was also the time that Radio Shack came out with some awesome toys. There was an endless supply of radio controlled cars and boats coming into our store. Additionally, we were getting any manner of toys that buzzed, beeped, and whirred.

Those toys remind me of a couple of stories... A short time into my tenure at Radio Shack, I was given the privilege of being a "key holder". It basically meant that I got more responsibilities for the same amount of pay. I had to close up the store at night, clean up, set the alarm, and prepare the nightly deposit.

Usually, we were scheduled to have someone working with us as a closer. Sometimes though, there was the occasion that I was there alone. I remember one evening I had already locked the front door and I was getting ready to go into the back to work on the deposit when suddenly one of the radio controlled cars started moving across the floor.

Needless to say I was more than a little freaked out. It turned out that someone had left it on and with all of the various radio frequencies floating around a Radio Shack store, it just happened to hit the right one and make it move. This became a common occurrence around the holiday time along with toys randomly blinking, flashing, and making all kinds of noise.

Even though it was common, I never quite got used to it.

It is too bad that the whole drone craze didn't come about a decade or two earlier, Radio Shack would have been just the place to market and sell them and make a killing in the process.

Another story I remember about Radio Shack toys had to do with an old man that used to come in and play with the kids computers that had spelling and matching games and things like that.

He always said he was just looking and I would just sit back and watch him play with the toys every time he would come in. Finally, one day I got talking to him and found out he had suffered a stroke. Through broken speech he explained to me that he was looking for something to help him learn to function normally again.

It was a really humbling experience that I will carry with me for a long time.

I am not sure how common this is, but Radio Shack used to call the time between Christmas and New years the 13th month. As busy as the store was running up to Christmas it was almost busier after with people doing returns, exchanges, buying batteries they forgot they needed etc.

Then after the holiday rush came something even more exciting...

Inventory!

More on that in another episode!

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You really made me laugh picturing you freaking out when that radio controlled car started its ride around the store. 😄
Can imagine how it must have been felt.

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Yes, it was pretty creepy late at night. It was fun in the following years watching the new seasonal employees freak out as well!

hahaha - Poor newbies! 😆

Btw - sorry for not telling you that before, but the picture in my head was too vivid.
So, let me tell you now...

You really did a great job with this article. Besides, I like the most these kind of life stories. There is not that kind of fiction (no matter how good the writer might be), as the stories a real life would write!

And if someone can bring it so vivid as you did it's a perfect win-win combo.

However, you intrigued me with this post good enough to hit the follow button (while, otherwise being in the middle of my following cleaning 😉).

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Thank you! I appreciate it. Hopefully I can live up to your expectations :) I followed you back as well. If I was good enough to intrigue you, you must be intriguing as well :)

lol

If I was good enough to intrigue you, you must be intriguing as well :)

😂😆🤣😄

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Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!

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Thank you!

Just don't ever go back into retail... its not fun and I can tell you really didn't enjoy it much.

Not really at all. Just wait for some of the other stories I have coming up!

retail is something I think everyone should do sometime during their careers....customer service being part of it. I remember working retail curing college, I could never believe how mean some people could be. Teaches one patience I think :) Looking forward to inventory....lol

Although I really didn't enjoy it, I don't disagree with you. It is funny because although I am not in retail, my career still involves a good amount of customer service. Memories from that time in my life still guide my actions on the job today.

Yeah. Give it a name and what it amounts to is dirty work. It's that way in the service industry, too.

I knew I wouldn't make it in retail, I never ever tried. Never even tempted. Anybody that did gets a tip of the hat from me.

Thanks Bozz. I'm enjoying the series.

Thanks I appreciate it. I know some people that are great at it and good for them. I have much respect for what they do.

Haha! My husband works in retail and has for years. Retail is the worst!

Yes it is!

You have a minor misspelling in the following sentence:

This became a common occurence around the holiday time along with toys randomly blinking, flashing, and making all kinds of noise.
It should be occurrence instead of occurence.

Shut your mouth bot! I had tons of spelling mistakes :)

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