price MT Question

penguin · #1 07-01-2006, 05:52 PM

Hi,

I traveled for like 30 minutes to get to the only Radio Shack that still had some Monster Trucks left. Anyways, they had a spiderman MT ($12)and crusher MT($10). My question is that they also had like green and black MT with a huge spoiler and those were like $17 dollar which is the clearance price. Why is that, is this like a better version of the MT or something or are they just very uncommon to find? The only pic I could find on the web was on google images. Its the 2 identical ones in the middle of all the other pictures: http://images.google.com/images?svnu...k+&btnG=Search

Thanks

silentracer · #2 07-01-2006, 07:59 PM

they are all the same thing, same parts no gen 1 gen 2 stuff. reasons for different prices could be the low inventory or rareness or if it was discountinued and the popularity. if something is not selling well they will usually lower the price so they can get it off the shelves and the one with the spoiler is not commen and i think discontinued so thats y the higer price.

Azimov · #3 07-02-2006, 12:23 AM

Looks like that RS is trying to squeeze a couple more bucks outta what they percieve as the more rare vehicles. Only difference is the bodies and what frequency they are.

penguin · #4 07-02-2006, 12:56 AM

Yeah, you guys are right. Out of about 12 RS around me, only that one had ANY MTs left. Ones I got there I realized why. That particular RS was in the middle of nowhere so nobody even bothered to check that one out. It seems like a very dirty way to sell the same toy for more money just because it has a different body. No wonder why RS is closing so many stores, everything is just too darn expensive!!!

Namuna · #5 07-02-2006, 02:40 AM

Quote:

[i]...No wonder why RS is closing so many stores, everything is just too darn expensive!!! [/b]

I think, in general, The Internet is the bane of RadioShack's existance.

Before the internet, Radioshack was really the only place the average Joe could go to get electronics parts. Now the world is literally available to anyone and everyone, with that comes price competition and Radioshack hasn't done such a hot job of trying to keep up (as witnessed by the mass store closings).

Anyway, just CALL the stores up before you wast your time (and especially your MONEY on gas) on driving around!

I actually got lucky and found a 27MHz Samson MT ($4). I keep debating on whether I should keep picking up MT or if the 1/2 dozen I have now is enough??!!

frizzen · #6 07-02-2006, 03:44 AM

Well it doesn't help that Radio Hack STOPPED SELLING GOOD PARTS It used to be that I could go in there needing something, they'd be out; I could build what I needed in the first place from like 2-6 other things they sold. Lately it had gotten to the point that I had to go to several stores to build whatever it was I needed, which they used to carry...

Speaking of half a dozen being too many, I need to go and buy more!

Seems weird that Monster Patrol is most expensive, Spidey and CarolinaCrusher are newer releases.

Namuna · #7 07-02-2006, 04:20 AM

Good point about the Shack not carrying so much with the electronic parts anymore. It seems they're trying to cater to the average Joe these days (not the DIY'ers that know some electronics).

I think the Monster Patrol might be more expensive because it's probably more populer. The Spidey MT just plain looks BAD (IMO) and the Carolina Crusher just so-so. Whereas the Monster Patrol's got that funky Wing...My guess anyway.

Azimov · #8 07-02-2006, 02:38 PM

When I was a kid, I loved Radio Shack. There was this crotchety old man behind the counter who knew electronics inside and out. They had parts out the wazoo and even were on the cutting edge of robotics at the time with Heathkits. They had some of the best gadgets made by RCA which at the time, was excellent quality.
Then, electronics as a hobby started drying up as digital tech slowly surplanted all the analog goodies. Kids stopped building and morphed into couch potatoes that played video games. RCA was bought by a korean company that kept the name and tossed out the quality for cheap pricing. The parts bins got shoved into a corner as cell phone subscriptions dominated the front counter.
The old guy left and was replaced by a young slick talking sales manager who really wants to sell me a cell phone and doesn't know a capacitor from a diode.
All this combined with some really stupid corporate decisions (cuecat, the little scanner you got for free that allows scanning of catalog products as it logs your interests, buying habits, and personal info into a database) and a little imbessling by the CEO, have RS teetering on the brink of collapse.
Honestly, if not for the Zips, I wouldn't see any reason to go in the place.

penguin · #9 07-02-2006, 02:44 PM

No way, I think Spidey MT is by far the best looking one I have. If anything is ugly its the 17 dollar MT with the oversized spoiler. I am not a big fan over the Big foot and Crusher bodies. One of my new favorite ones is the Austin Martin body on a MT because it just looks plain neat.

I think the only thing that RS is holding onto and the only thing that keeps the business going is that if you have a problem with an electronic devise, people bring them in and the RS empleyees "fix" them. I mean its not like many people want to spend 4 dollars on the web and pay 6 dollars on S&H just for one little part. If that’s the case its easier to go to a store like RS.

Namuna · #10 07-02-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by penguin
I think the only thing that RS is holding onto and the only thing that keeps the business going is that if you have a problem with an electronic devise, people bring them in and the RS empleyees "fix" them. I mean its not like many people want to spend 4 dollars on the web and pay 6 dollars on S&H just for one little part. If that’s the case its easier to go to a store like RS.

Huh? That was a joke right? I have NEVER EVER in my ENTIRE life of ever stepping into a RadioShack seen a person that had ANY CLUE (except for the occasionaly person that might be able to point you to what you want, but still doesn't actually KNOW what it is or does) about electronics...Let alone "fix" them when you bring them in.

Maybe that was a sarcastic remark and I didn't comprehend it as such?

Edit: I just realized something...Every so often we actually get people on the boards that WORK for Radioshack...And they DO have a clue. So I'm going to backpedal my comment above to include these rare exceptions. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of running into one of these folks.

penguin · #11 07-02-2006, 09:40 PM

A little bit of sarcasm, yes. Because people come in expecting help but get nada in return.

Here is a funny example: This old man walks into RS with an old radio that he bought and comes up to the RS employee asking for help because the radio does not work. After some intensive staring at the radio, the employee simply states that he can give the old man a different one. The reason being he says is " Maybe one of the components is blown or something" LOL. I like electronics so I decided to take a look at it myself. All I did was look at the battery contacts and straighten out the little metal tab that was bent, therefore not making a connection with one of the batteries. The bottom line is that there are some knowledgeable RS employees, but about 95% of them are useless.

Buy Hey, I cant think of any place else In Columbus OH where I can get soldering supplies and such other than the web and the good old Radio Shack.

Michael.mt2k · #12 07-06-2006, 06:10 PM

You are all right about RS nowadays.
I like working there, but it's not what it was. The RS I grew up with that had stereos and CB and TRS-80s.
-but I'm dating myself...

frizzen · #13 07-07-2006, 02:13 PM

Actually RS has (had?) a fairly decent repair program. Atleast on the Amature Radio stuff they sold. All you had to do was bring in the broken thing, and it's entire original packaging, fill out a bunch of paperwork, have it sent back to an undisclosed locations where *the* competent guy that works for them, wait an absurdly long time for it to be fixed, eventually it would get sent back to your store, they'd call, and you'd pick it up.

Oh well, Radio Hack is being turned into a Cellphone Hut. They stopped carrying any Amature Radio equipment, they've dropped most of the CB equipment (eh, no big loss), and most of the scanner are gone now too. Hell, they've even discontinued everything in the parts bins, what they've got is leftover stock. But, they've got plenty of room for TV's, CD, DVD, Satalite, Cellphones...

#14 07-07-2006, 02:58 PM

RS has waned far too much. I find myself only asking where to find a component or if they have something I don't see in stock. On top of that, they have no idea what i'm buying or what i'm buying it for. A guy tried to talk to me for 20 minutes about xmods and knew absolutely nothing about them.

There are a few good employees out there, but it seems more like a place for high schoolers/college drop outs to work rather than hobbyists.

I still spend a good amount of money there, but some of the stuff is so bloated... I mean, a $12 rechargeable 9V!?!?! come on. I just search for the yellow and red stickers.

Azimov · #15 07-08-2006, 12:12 AM

Quote:

There are a few good employees out there, but it seems more like a place for high schoolers/college drop outs to work rather than hobbyists.

I hear ya. Fewer good ones all the time with the way RS treats it's employees. Turnover is unreal in all our local stores. Different faces everytime I go in. Though, I don't go that often. This latest clearance sale got me in the store for the first time in ages.
I do occasionally buy solder, wire and the odd resister there cause sometimes I just need one and online shipping costs aren't worth it for small orders. But, often the selection is so poor, I end up buying a bulk pack just for that one resistor anyways.
One of my fond memories of the summer we spent in Baltimore was that it had a huge electronics store on the east side. Rows and rows of components. Geek heaven I tell ya.