vB Easy Archive - radioshack is really killing us

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radioshack is really killing us
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Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

between us, the best buy across the street, the corp store in the mall (.5 miles away), the corp store 2 miles away, the radioshack both next to the corp store 2 miles away AND inside the mall, the 4 other agents around us (less than 2 miles apart of each other), is by far killing us.

you know its bad when your store was a high producing one last summer and then went nearly dead when only a rep is running it with 2 managers and said rep is still under 20 acts.

i dont know how much more dead my store can be.

Posted by: progamerz

it' almost to the point why even have a corp store..

Posted by: UALvolar

I know...

I'm in an agent store and am part time, so I'm not getting hit quite as badly. My partner is the one who is really cryin' the blues. I simply CANNOT match that $30 RAZR, esp since I have to charge $30 for it up front.

Where do you work A_N? I'm in Vienna.

Spencer

Posted by: theclarks1

We were once told by an acct rep, they would rather have 10 agents doing 10 acts a month to hit the 100 than just have a total of 5 agents doing 50. I can understand that they want acts but eventually they will put others out of business and they will be back in the same boat. They should have a limitation on what they can do with agents and cor in the same town or community. I know that in one of the mall stores that we have 2 agents and one retail. There again with that mall location it really doesnt support that many locations. OH well its not going to change so it dosent really matter.

Posted by: Isriam

i bet they'll be closing a lot of corp stores with RS selling now. doesn't make sense to keep a cingular store open on every corner. on a side note, i see a ton of new verizon stores.

Posted by: brealmp3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isriam

i bet they'll be closing a lot of corp stores with RS selling now. doesn't make sense to keep a cingular store open on every corner. on a side note, i see a ton of new verizon stores.

customers still need a place where they can go pay their bills. can RS do add'l lines to a family plan?

Posted by: anubis9278

radioshack isn't expected to take away from COR locations but from other national VAR. however if it does look to transfer quick. cause all you will be doing is upgrades

Posted by: OnlyOneSpiffy

Quote:

Originally Posted by brealmp3

customers still need a place where they can go pay their bills. can RS do add'l lines to a family plan?

they also need a place to kick, scream, and cry.

Posted by: xultar

I don't think it is fair what they are doing.

Posted by: The WB

Sounds like Cingular has a grand plan in mind - pay RS, but reduce the amount of corporate stores and force the independent into a situation to accept RS contracted compensation terms instead of their current sales terms for compensation. Cingular just picked up 5,000 name brand recognized retail outlets - what are they going to do about the independents who are near by - ZIP! Lose the independent along the way - no big deal. Cingular has plenty of distribution channel left to them.

Posted by: theclarks1

Its not payments that keep a store open its acts. so if you just do lots of cs and a few acts then you can look for them to close that one.

Posted by: highbredcloud

I said it once...not neccessarly in this forum...and I'll say this again...It cost a lot less paying the dealers/national retailers commission than it is to keep a corporate store opened and running...the prospect in this industry is ending...you corporate folks will be the first ones out since you are the most expensive to maintain...with the commission...hourly...insurance...etc...not to mention other expenses to keep the store running...rent...utilities...etc...we will all be replaced by some kid working at the photo shop station at "ALL-Mart" with zits on his face and a blank look on his face...Unless some serious re-constructure occurs within the industry...cuz this will definately reflect in the economy if all of a sudden the un-employment sky rockets...

Posted by: Isriam

whens the last time you went to the store to buy long distance lol. welcome to everyone's world now. i suggest you become an online retailer for cingular.

Posted by: bssop

Today is the first day Radio Shack has outsold me. They did 3 6102's at their 19.99

I'm offering free after $50 Rebate but it is not working today. Now I'm doing it for 19.99 on plans 59.99 and up.... i will at least make some money.

Now Radio Shack is killing me though.... I make a 1/3 less then what I use to... I had to cancel my health insurance. Heck, I sell their phones for them because there kids don't know ####!

I'm out selling them put price is price and a $30 mail in rebate to make a 497 free wont hold up against free. Then on 9.99 lines, I can't sell at those prices unless I want to make a negative (which I do at the end of the month to hit my bonus).

Then there is the fact that they are nasty... Point their sign at my kiosk. Send people up to talk to the wife who is at the jewlrey store beside us. Tell her how they can get a razr for $30. Now I never lost a sell to them that way but still it is nasty and unperfessional. I just counter by showing the person my return bin and that over %75 percent of the phones in there are Moto.

Posted by: johngotti

I am in the GMR and so far the Radio Shacks around my stores have had 0 impact... I went and shopped a couple the other day and they dont know their head from their hind quarters... it also helps that they have little to no Cingular signage up its all Sprint and Nextel crap....

Posted by: .7

In over 6YRS in the biz Ive never seen it this slow in a COR store.

I'm sure RS is doing something to the traffic.

Posted by: Toothless Tommy

Quote:

Originally Posted by highbredcloud

I said it once...not neccessarly in this forum...and I'll say this again...It cost a lot less paying the dealers/national retailers commission than it is to keep a corporate store opened and running...the prospect in this industry is ending...you corporate folks will be the first ones out since you are the most expensive to maintain...with the commission...hourly...insurance...etc...not to mention other expenses to keep the store running...rent...utilities...etc...we will all be replaced by some kid working at the photo shop station at "ALL-Mart" with zits on his face and a blank look on his face...Unless some serious re-constructure occurs within the industry...cuz this will definately reflect in the economy if all of a sudden the un-employment sky rockets...

great post and that is the future . Don't think for a second that the higher brass care about the sales reps - no chance .
So my resume is out and about -- can't wait to leave maybe even for less dough ??? but more happiness at work place .
A friend of mine hates it so much he is giving his notice with no job to go to ( money in the bank helps of course ) what does that tell you ??

Posted by: Rcadden

Perhaps this is a good sign? It's been a long time coming and we all know that the industry would benefit if carriers stopped selling handsets and just offered service. Maybe by proliferating agent locations, they will close down the corp. locations all together. Give the agents the freedom to activate unbranded handsets. The handset market is so jacked up. All the manufacturers have their own service centers, why should the carrier also? We all know that unbranded handsets are WAY better than branded. With all the new Nokia Experience Centers, if you've been in one, you know how easy it would be to throw a cash register in there and some cabinets for inventory. I think in the next few years we'll see that start to happen more and more. I for one am having more and more people also opt to just buy a phone outright rather than sign a new contract, even if it's a few hundred cheaper with the contract.

Posted by: Linkman

I don't know if it will help any of you, but RS is using the old double contract scam. Look close at their ads and you will see that their etf is $240. It seems too that they might even have a triple penalty -- the terms also state that "If service is terminated within 120 days, phone must be returned or a $200 charge each applies." Does that mean if you cancel service within 4 months your etf will be $440?

Posted by: Seltzer

Quote:

Originally Posted by highbredcloud

Actually, the goal is to have COR replace as many Indirect agents as possible. Look for National Retail and COR to remain in place. Naturally, if Upgrades AND Activations (upgrades are VERY valuable to Cingular corporate, just not to RSCs) are very slow in a certain COR location, then it has to be closed.

Posted by: highbredcloud

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkman

I don't know if it will help any of you, but RS is using the old double contract scam. Look close at their ads and you will see that their etf is $240. It seems too that they might even have a triple penalty -- the terms also state that "If service is terminated within 120 days, phone must be returned or a $200 charge each applies." Does that mean if you cancel service within 4 months your etf will be $440?

Yes...it does...you get one ETF from Radio Shack and one from Cingy...RS is after all just like a dealer...they are subject to charge backs...so they have to protect themselves...nothing wrong with that at all...just don't cancel the contract...this should not even be a concern unless someone is plotting something shady...like opening several accounts...getting discounts on the phones and than canceling the service within the trial period...

Posted by: sheila627

OK before everybody freaks out it's not just radioshack. The economy sucks and you are still in the first pay period after christmas. Wait for some good ole tax returns things will pick up in the next week or so. How many times have you had customers come in and say ow are you guys new your like no we have been here for 10 years. They are not goona flock to radio shack like crazy the people going there are deal shoppers that you would have already lost to best buy or someone else because they shop for a deal. Most of the customers are like cattle you just have to lead them where they need to go they have no clue radio shack is selling cingular. I will pick u it always does

Posted by: highbredcloud

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seltzer

I don't see how this makes sense on behalf of the company...All the carriers are trying to maximize productivity and minimize cost...that's why you see so many companies re-locating tech departments or costumer service as well as EVERYTHING else to Indo-China or Mexico...why? to save $$$...Again...by paying the dealer commission is hell of a lot cheaper...since the dealer pays for rent...utilities...EVERYTHING else that a COR location has to to their own stores...not too mention employee wages...etc...I just don't see it.

What you are saying does not make sense...unless they make COR locations another "McDonalds" where all you make is minimum wage and expect to put up with BS just because you're behind the counter...COR locations are way too expesive to run...PERIOD...if you think otherwise...prove your point...don't just babble something and believe in it...

What I can see happening...is making the dealers/indirects go exclusive ONLY or your contract gets pulled...hmm sounds familiar...doesn't it...it seems like they already initiated phase one of "lets kill the industry and move to Indo-China"...American capitalism...SUX.

Posted by: highbredcloud

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheila627

OK before everybody freaks out it's not just radioshack. The economy sucks and you are still in the first pay period after christmas. Wait for some good ole tax returns things will pick up in the next week or so. How many times have you had customers come in and say ow are you guys new your like no we have been here for 10 years. They are not goona flock to radio shack like crazy the people going there are deal shoppers that you would have already lost to best buy or someone else because they shop for a deal. Most of the customers are like cattle you just have to lead them where they need to go they have no clue radio shack is selling cingular. I will pick u it always does

I already see commercials for RS and them being the number 1 retailer of wireless...power of the media...COR locations have nothing to offer but upgrades...(this excludes customer service) a big and important factor...but people don't care about CS...they want deals...and than they b*tch and moan later...

Posted by: theclarks1

Quote:

Originally Posted by highbredcloud

What I can see happening...is making the dealers/indirects go exclusive ONLY or your contract gets pulled...hmm sounds familiar...doesn't it...it seems like they already initiated phase one of "lets kill the industry and move to Indo-China"...American capitalism...SUX.

In our market NE, they wont let an agent be non exclusive. From what I understand indirects have to be exclusive or quit cingular.

Posted by: Seltzer

Quote:

Originally Posted by highbredcloud

What you are saying does not make sense...unless they make COR locations another "McDonalds" where all you make is minimum wage and expect to put up with BS just because you're behind the counter...COR locations are way too expesive to run...PERIOD...if you think otherwise...prove your point...don't just babble something and believe in it...

I don't have to prove anything to you. However, if a COR location maintains a steady traffic of upgrades and new activations, it is quite profitable. It is so profitable, that they're adding new Retail Sales Support Representatives for CS purposes (in certain markets in a testing phase) to those high traffic stores to improve reputation.

You're free to believe what you want...

Posted by: PhonePimpBill

Here it seems that the abundance of RS stores here and two or three different agents waters down the market a lot. Is there any effort on the companies to analyze the market and see how many stores a given area will support? There are no fewer than 11 different cell stores (Cingular, T-Mo, VZW, Southern Linc, and Sprint) within 4 miles on one road where I work in a relatively small college town with a lot of outlying small towns. The one COR store is overflowing with customer service...literally out the door and around the block. Will they do anything or is that just the status quo?

Posted by: Rcadden

Well here I come to join the pity party. Yesterday I worked 8 hrs, sold 5 accessories. Lost 7 LINES because of radioshack. Like the person would stand there and talk to me and then be like, "Radioshack has the v557 for free, w/ a free bt headset. Can you match that?" Of course not. If I could, why would I have a price on the phone to begin with? So they left. What sucks is that I work for RadioShack, at SC Kiosks! My paycheck comes from RadioShack. Competing with my own company. That's allright. Most of the big-wigs live around my store, and they come in all the time; Buddy White, Andy Zeinfeld, that bunch. Next time they come ask me what I think, if they can do anything for me, I'm going to say flat-out "Yeah, you can either drop our prices to match RadioShack or raise RadioShack to match ours. I can't compete with my own company." Heh. See what they say to that.

Posted by: The WB

Rcadden - At performance appraisal time - disgruntaled employee with attitude against corporate policies - puts own interest ahead of the good of the corporation. That is what you will get as a response.

Posted by: Rcadden

obviously I wouldn't really be that blunt to my boss' boss' bosses. However, I still think it's retarded that we are owned by RadioShack and yet they make no effort to even slightly even the playing field. In fact, in the last few months, they have made our prices worse. All of our Cingular phones used to be a flat $30 more for an upgrade. Well, now the v557 is $45 more and the RAZR is $75 more. People still do it, but it makes it harder.

Posted by: SoCal91302

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toothless Tommy

He left with no job to go to? Why?

Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

ive been working open-close since jan 6th. i dont have a day off till the 20th or so.

my co-worker is by far the laziest sob on this planet.

i seriously am not paid enough for this stress brought upon us.

on top of that, coworker got SS and had less than a 60. i dont need ppl above us to yell at me for something im not responsible for. i tried teaching him.

i need to move up or out.

Posted by: sevensinz777

... radio shacks? ... not scared of them, its like going to kragen to get your genuine auto parts it just doesnt work right - same thing for best buy.

i dont understand why people are mad at outlets that are selling cheaper products, if they come to u asking about the cheaper product at radio-shack, best buy, pretty much tell them why its cheaper - give them your value ... its the cingular advantage dream that should have been brained washed inside your head after that 2 weeks of corp. training! who cares, show them your dollars worth and those places are nothing, works for us here at my store... and we kick a-hole in our store, with all those good deals we still managed about 100 actos this weekend. b4 u comment just think about all that complaining could go into strategizing

Posted by: Toothless Tommy

" He left with no job to go to? Why? "

He can't stand people getting angry at him all day and/or expressing their frustrations re: cell phone world issues ( not just Cingular it is every wireless company - nature of the beast .) and everything that goes with it .
He has lots of money in the bank and doesn't need this confrontation all day for 30- 35,000 p/y . But that is part of the job like it or leave it - so after 4 years of employment 2 of us are left out of 50 + people hired .
he already has had interviews with other companies and the pay is same or better but just pure sales - no confrontation .

Posted by: theclarks1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toothless Tommy

" He left with no job to go to? Why? "

He can't stand people getting angry at him all day and/or expressing their frustrations re: cell phone world issues ( not just Cingular it is every wireless company - nature of the beast .) and everything that goes with it .
He has lots of money in the bank and doesn't need this confrontation all day for 30- 35,000 p/y . But that is part of the job like it or leave it - so after 4 years of employment 2 of us are left out of 50 + people hired .
he already has had interviews with other companies and the pay is same or better but just pure sales - no confrontation .

So hows he gonna get by with not putting customer service out there? Even with sales of anykind you have to deal with a customer. In fact if you look at it one way no matter how we work we have a customer to deal with. But truthfully if you dont want confrontation or disgruntled customers, cellular is not the place for you. But hey its somewhat easier to deal with customers over the phone.
Now I bet we put RS in with the wal mart thread that we hope they go bankrupt!!! lol jk.

Posted by: Toothless Tommy

Correct about the Wireless world comment - part of the job is dealing with disgruntled angry, and uninformed customers . And of course there is CS in every job but he has basically had it with the " job " regardless of the pay and i suspect most people that left the company left becuase of the confrontation part . Who wants that all day ??
" I want a new phone now - this thing is a peice of s--t ? " sorry Bucky beat it !!

Radio Shack will obviously take custs ( subs ) but how many ??? I think it will take awhile for the general public to know about it ? But once they do I still don't think it will hurt like Amazon , Wallmart , Wirefly and Best Buy . We shall see .

Posted by: CingularZ

All this hate on Radio Shack only shows me perhaps some of you guys werent really doing your job.

Alot of you agents should have an edge on RS/Bestbuy/Corp.. you should have a huge customer database, make some calls, get in touch with your exisiting base and expand, and upsell !

As an RAE for Northeast region, I can tell you my agents dont give two sh*ts about RS ! or whoeva, its the nature of business . Nothing is fair, you gotta do everything you can to get that customer and let me tell you something, PRICE isnt everything. I know many customers who know they can get this phone free at the cell phone shop down the corner vs buying from someone whose reputable, knows what their talking about and services the customer right.

Lastly, as someone stated here.. my best advice for you is to do your numbers, otherwise expect to be cut.

This is nothing new, Tmobile has started this, VZ already did this.. and the reason why you alll asking why ?? Because of churn and FRAUD, I can tell you at least 50%+ of agents are doing illegal business and frankly arent selling the way the company wants it, not just cingular but for all carriers unfortunately. In a way, this is a good thing for the good agents and dealers..

Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

so how do we upsell when they dont walk into the store?

"if you have any problems with the phone after 30 days, ill pick up the phone and dial XBM for you"?

"i cant price match, heck i cant do anything really for you, but when you get a bill higher i could look at it for you"?

really what made corp stores a viable solution is slowly fading away due to corporate micromanagement.

Posted by: theclarks1

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularZ

All this hate on Radio Shack only shows me perhaps some of you guys werent really doing your job.

Alot of you agents should have an edge on RS/Bestbuy/Corp.. you should have a huge customer database, make some calls, get in touch with your exisiting base and expand, and upsell !

As an RAE for Northeast region, I can tell you my agents dont give two sh*ts about RS ! or whoeva, its the nature of business . Nothing is fair, you gotta do everything you can to get that customer and let me tell you something, PRICE isnt everything. I know many customers who know they can get this phone free at the cell phone shop down the corner vs buying from someone whose reputable, knows what their talking about and services the customer right.

Lastly, as someone stated here.. my best advice for you is to do your numbers, otherwise expect to be cut.

This is nothing new, Tmobile has started this, VZ already did this.. and the reason why you alll asking why ?? Because of churn and FRAUD, I can tell you at least 50%+ of agents are doing illegal business and frankly arent selling the way the company wants it, not just cingular but for all carriers unfortunately. In a way, this is a good thing for the good agents and dealers..

I dont know why you would say that agents are doing illegal business, wouldnt the carrier be able to tell whats going on? Our business is very strict and we even had one carrier in the area talk about changing socials to make a customer work. They caught him up in that. As far as pricing, I can tell you that to most people in this day and age, price is everything to people that arent making 50 k a year like most reps are. Or Im sure that you make lots of kkkk's per year so you dont see it. All that most carriers see are #'s. We all know that cingular buys thousands upon thousands of phones. I know having an engineering degree that in no way shape or form should anyone be paying over 50 bucks a phone. What you are paying for is what you are marketing. The bad thing is if more people wouldnt buy the products and boycott the pricing then things would change. Right now the carriers have you over a barrell, 2yr contracts, the worst pricing on phones(on upgrades and hi end phones), and the rate plans. I would rather have a few thousand people on 19.99 plans not using very many minutes and getting that money, that loose them to carriers that do have those plans. I dont think that the number of agents would equal 50%. I think that you would have to post those #'s for everyone to see. If you know that its going on and corp knows also then why not fix the problem? Corp has no idea what its like anymore to get in the field and sell. I think that executives should have to spend a certian amount of time in the field to earn the large salaries that they are paid.

Posted by: CingularZ

Quote:

I dont know why you would say that agents are doing illegal business, wouldnt the carrier be able to tell whats going on?

Quote:

As far as pricing, I can tell you that to most people in this day and age, price is everything to people that arent making 50 k a year like most reps are. Or Im sure that you make lots of kkkk's per year so you dont see it. All that most carriers see are #'s. We all know that cingular buys thousands upon thousands of phones. I know having an engineering degree that in no way shape or form should anyone be paying over 50 bucks a phone.
What you are paying for is what you are marketing. The bad thing is if more people wouldnt buy the products and boycott the pricing then things would change.

Pricing is a factor , yet relative to an individual. You dont have to be making 50k a rep to splurge. I see tons of young adults buying $400 phones on Nextel easy, because they gotta have it. Everything you're stating is your opinion, and you have that right but keep in mind, you set your own future so no one but you chose to pursue a career in selling wireless.

In regards to equipment pricing, wells its safe to say that I guess it all depends which side of the fence you are. I can easily justify the 50 bucks (network, R&D, deployment, marketing etc) or easily say its too expensive (cheap labor, mass production, technological advances etc.)

Quote:

Corp has no idea what its like anymore to get in the field and sell. I think that executives should have to spend a certian amount of time in the field to earn the large salaries that they are paid.

Corp knows alot more than you think. Please dont make assumptions on what I do or what my managers have done. You dont know how many agents I visit, and the complaints I receive really comes down to basic sales. There is no doubt the customer base is alot more educated and knowledgable about the industry, but in the end.. most still need your assistance. You cant win them all, but I can tell you theres alot more than just standing behind a counter and giving prices on phones .

Posted by: theclarks1

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularZ

I wasnt referring to all , however unfortunate many agents are doing illegal business/fraud. Yes the carrier can tell but to a certain extent. Agents sharing codes, or selling international phones are hard to monitor. Believe it or not, agents even steal codes from each other .

Pricing is a factor , yet relative to an individual. You dont have to be making 50k a rep to splurge. I see tons of young adults buying $400 phones on Nextel easy, because they gotta have it. Everything you're stating is your opinion, and you have that right but keep in mind, you set your own future so no one but you chose to pursue a career in selling wireless.

In regards to equipment pricing, wells its safe to say that I guess it all depends which side of the fence you are. I can easily justify the 50 bucks (network, R&D, deployment, marketing etc) or easily say its too expensive (cheap labor, mass production, technological advances etc.)

Corp knows alot more than you think. Please dont make assumptions on what I do or what my managers have done. You dont know how many agents I visit, and the complaints I receive really comes down to basic sales. There is no doubt the customer base is alot more educated and knowledgable about the industry, but in the end.. most still need your assistance. You cant win them all, but I can tell you theres alot more than just standing behind a counter and giving prices on phones .

Im not going to waste anymore time on this issue. This is normal corporate attitude. Even if you are a manager I know alot that goes on in the "upper management" and if you look through some of the posts you will see that more reps know what managers are doing and how they do all the work even the management jobs. Also I know what its like to have a job in wireless. I too can deal with the price but you feel like you are ripping people off. R&D and all the other things that you mentioned are paid for by the millions of customers that cingular claims they have. However the phones are still not worth what you pay. You can try to justify it all you want but at the end of the day its just 20$ piece of electronics in what looks to be a hundred dollar case.

Posted by: anubis9278

why would an agent steal another agents code?

. Haven't seen that yet, lucky me i guess. So the other agent whose code got stolen gets paid, then gets charged for disconnects, then has to reconcile, and then they start an investigation. then what?

Posted by: CingularZ

Here are some of the reason why agents steal other agents code.. (believe it or not)

-Competition, agents can get in to find out what you are selling, customer information etc..

-Fraud , ordering handsets , accessories that get charged to the dealer.

this is the best one of all, and I have seen this happened..

Agents would use the stolen code to just mess around on POS, order stuff, cancel stuff, adjust customer features etc..

Posted by: CingularZ

Quote:

Originally Posted by theclarks1

Listen man, I dont know why you are getting so upset. Im not judging you nor am I saying I or we, know more or less. You made some assumptions, I am just telling you otherwise.

Truth is regardless of what you think about the pricing on the phones, WE ARE IN BUSINESS TO MAKE MONEY.

My friend, a can of coke cost them less than 0.03 cents to produce, but you'll buy it for a dollar. So please before you start b*tching about cellphones, look around your house and you'll realize that price inflation didnt start or stop with wireless equipment.

In business sense, the economy will pay any price as along as they deem its worth it and thats the bottom line.

If you dont want to pay, then dont but frankly your argument to me about what the real prices of phone should be, wells.. lets just say there is no argument. I pay the same price you do.. and thats regardless whether Im making 100k or just happen to be on the corporate ladder.

Posted by: anubis9278

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularZ

Here are some of the reason why agents steal other agents code.. (believe it or not)

-Competition, agents can get in to find out what you are selling, customer information etc..

-Fraud , ordering handsets , accessories that get charged to the dealer.

this is the best one of all, and I have seen this happened..

Agents would use the stolen code to just mess around on POS, order stuff, cancel stuff, adjust customer features etc..

your agents use pos.com I or II?