SB> MS>     My opinion of how good a bargain RS demonstrators are at 
SB> reduced 
SB> price
SB> MS> tags comes from personal experience.  When I was shopping for a 
SB> new 
SB> MS> shortwave portable, I went to RS first and looked at their 
SB> digital 
SB> models 
SB> MS> and found the salesman couldn't get the shelf demonstrator to 
SB> work in 
SB> his 
SB> MS> store!  (I later learned that Sangean-made model had a problem 
SB> with 
SB> MS> "freezing up".)  I bought a Panasonic at 47th St.
SB> 
SB>         And it's served you well, I imagine.  OTOH, our radios are 
SB> all
SB>         covered by factory warranties, and have 60 months' coverage
SB>         available for as low as $19.95.  
    The Panasonic has done just perfect.
    More important to this debate is that neither I nor most customers want 
to be bothered by the hassles of warranty service, even if it is free.  Most 
of us just don't want to spend our (little) free time rushing radio equipment 
back to the retailer or UPSing it to some repair center.  Most of us also 
don't want to be without a radio while ours is being serviced, even for free.
    The $20 extended warranty is damn expensive when the radio itself sells 
for $160, the warranty would add more than 10% to the radio's cost.
SB>         I can earn a living practically *ANYWHERE*.  I choose Radio
SB>         Shack because I am impressed with the company's abilities,
SB>         commitment to the communities it serves, and its commitment 
SB> to
SB>         be more than a sales organization (through training,
SB>         educational benefits, etc.)  I've had offers to make more
SB>         elsewhere.  I stand behind Radio Shack.  (What I don't do is
SB>         speak for Radio Shack.  8-)
    I don't doubt that RS is a great employer for those who stay with RS.
--- Simplex BBS (v1.07.00Beta [DOS])
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