The pegboard packaging is a good idea. Right now the Parallax sensors are in the drawer with the resistors and capacitors. Out of sight out of mind, but out in the open helps generate interest.
Maybe Parallax and Radio Shack can get together and produce a 10-20 minute video explaining all the new stuff to their employees. Then maybe Radio Shack employees could do a better job of explaining them to customers. There must be something like this in the works. I have ran across a few RS employees who are in the know.
Radio Shack suffers from having sales associates that are not "up to speed" on this stuff. We here on the Forums know how cool this stuff is.
I have (3) Radio Shacks near me. I'm going to introduce myself to the guys/gals that work there and show them what can be done (and how to do it!) with this stuff.
I'll get them up to speed on the *coolness* of what we all play with everyday.
The majority of you Forumistas are great teachers here on the Forums - now, let's teach the Radio Shacks - one by one!
In short: Teach the Stores how to have fun, so they can much more effectively communicate to their customers what we experience all the time, so they can have fun too.
If many of you do the same in your neighborhoods - the number of newcomers would grow exponentially!
I'm 31 and Radio Shack was the reason I got into electronics as a hobby and almost a career. Most notably Forest Mims books got me started. Hopefully my local RS will stock a lot of those nice looking products.
But, they'll probably keep pushing their cell phones instead. It's sad, we have a local 4H robotics club that would probably make use of a lot of those nice products.
Hopefully we'll see them in our local RS. Thanks for your hard work!
Great news Ken
I will have to pay a visit to my local Radio Shack, actually a couple close to me, and see if they know
about this or could care less.
The ones here in Michigan still have the parts drawers last I was there but big on cell phones and cell
phone accessorys.
I was at MicroCenter yesterday and they have a SparkFun display, it is actually in the Games section.
Words cannot describe the feeling of excitement that i had when i saw this post!!!!... Great job guys. This will be a huge benefit to every party involved. I just might buy my first QuickStart board from Radioshack:)
This is fantastic news! Speaking for those of us that are "urbanly challenged" Thank You Very Much! My local RS carries PINGS, accelerometers, PIRs, light to frequency, and before they clearanced them out they had RFID readers. (cleaned them out of those ). Can't wait to see what they decide to stock! Hopefully pretty soon I'm saying " Honey, got to run to Radio Shack and pick up a quickstart board!"
Ken
What kind of info is on the back of the packages you show. There is not much space for a lot of detail but
how about the idea of a QR code linked back to the doc's on the Parallax site.
More and more phones can decode the QR code and go to the web link.
I can see the younger generation with there iphone or ipad using the QR code to get the doc on the item
and viewing it while shopping. I am not sure Apple ipad , iphone read pdf's
If you have not already thought of it, something to mention when you give your presentation to Radio Shack
It's been a LONG while since I've put a post up here. So many distractions have entered my life in the past few years, I feel almost ashamed. Aside from being 1 week away from child #2, one of those distractions has been a 2nd job at Radio Shack. Yes, I am an employee of The Shack.
I am looking at this post at my day job, and my jaw is hitting my keyboard. This is awesome!!! My store only has a few items in stock. I know we have a PIR, and a 2 axis accel, and your normal Stamp starter kits. In the 2 months I've been there, I've sold none, unfortunately. I push this stuff, believe me.
One of the reasons I got a 2nd job there, besides the obvious of trying to feed my family, was to bring back the DIY state-of-mind to the stores. In the 6 or so years I've been a member of this forum, and a Propeller user, I've not heard many positive comments towards the Shack, due to this lack of knowledge. I hope to be a part of the movement that helps change that stigma.
It amuses me regularly, too. On this forum, I'm pretty much stupid compared to rest of the crowd, when it comes to electronics. But, when I walk in that door at the Shack, I'm a genius. I've asked EVERY colleague I've worked with to-date; "what is Ohm's law?". Not a single one has gotten it right. All the way up to my District Manager!!!! It sickens me a bit.
I try to engage with my customers about being a Maker, about DIY, about putting an antenna on your roof to try to cut out the cable companies. I get mixed responses though. Partly due to being located in the "center of the ghetto", we don't get the best crowd in. But, this is an area where parents and kids can engage with one another and do stuff. It's a way to get these kids out of the ghetto.
So, thanks Ken. I look forward to hanging the Prop on a peg, out in the open. I'll even be my stores first customer (even though it will probably take that whole 4 hour shift to pay for the thing!). I'll keep working on trying to get my co-workers and managers educated too. We recently began to stock Velleman kits, which are EXCELLENT, IMHO. The Parallax products, in blister packs, will make for a great display. I look forward to selling all of it. Great choice of products to stock too!
Shack employee at store 1230. (I hope this post doesn't get me fired!)
Just talked to my manager....franchise radioshacks will have them too! Aparently there is a huge demand for...as the old grey hairs would say "Anything but a dam videogame" This christmas. I realy hope people start geting back into diy hobbys like they used to....esp at radioshack!
Ken, this is fantastic! Great job, very impressive and useful! For the future, if you could get some low cost Parallax circuit books, like Forest M. Mimms had in the past, that would be a great matching element.
Ken
What kind of info is on the back of the packages you show. There is not much space for a lot of detail but
how about the idea of a QR code linked back to the doc's on the Parallax site.
More and more phones can decode the QR code and go to the web link.
I can see the younger generation with there iphone or ipad using the QR code to get the doc on the item
and viewing it while shopping. I am not sure Apple ipad , iphone read pdf's
If you have not already thought of it, something to mention when you give your presentation to Radio Shack
Tom
Tom, that's a very useful suggestion and I want to thank you for making it. Please drop me a message by e-mail if you can.
QR codes will be part of the final packaging. Thankfully the files were not leaving for the printer until later today.
Now only if the employees at Radio Shack knew anything in the world except about cell phones...I hate getting blank stares from the workers at Radio Shack when I ask them a question.
I got my start in electronics a number of years ago, by buying books by Mr. Forrest Mimms III, along with the needed parts form the local Radio Shack. I was very upset When I found out they were discontinuing this line. Lately, I have noticed a that they are bringing it back to the forefront. Thank you Chip, and all others at your company for partnering up with RS, and hopefully bringing interested yound minds back into electronics.
How many of us looked at that photo and didn't notice "gyrocope" ?
Wow, I didn't even notice.
I am very pleased with this about Radio Shack and I have one question: What will the pricing be relative to Parallax's pricing? The same? Five dollars more?
Comments
Already wayyy ahead of you.. Spent a couple hours with my local RS guy this week while buying a droid. They will be looking for new products.
OBC
I'm 31 and Radio Shack was the reason I got into electronics as a hobby and almost a career. Most notably Forest Mims books got me started. Hopefully my local RS will stock a lot of those nice looking products.
But, they'll probably keep pushing their cell phones instead. It's sad, we have a local 4H robotics club that would probably make use of a lot of those nice products.
Hopefully we'll see them in our local RS. Thanks for your hard work!
SHACK: Best days ahead...?
I will have to pay a visit to my local Radio Shack, actually a couple close to me, and see if they know
about this or could care less.
The ones here in Michigan still have the parts drawers last I was there but big on cell phones and cell
phone accessorys.
I was at MicroCenter yesterday and they have a SparkFun display, it is actually in the Games section.
This is really good to see
Tom
traVis
What kind of info is on the back of the packages you show. There is not much space for a lot of detail but
how about the idea of a QR code linked back to the doc's on the Parallax site.
More and more phones can decode the QR code and go to the web link.
I can see the younger generation with there iphone or ipad using the QR code to get the doc on the item
and viewing it while shopping. I am not sure Apple ipad , iphone read pdf's
If you have not already thought of it, something to mention when you give your presentation to Radio Shack
Tom
Fred
It's been a LONG while since I've put a post up here. So many distractions have entered my life in the past few years, I feel almost ashamed. Aside from being 1 week away from child #2, one of those distractions has been a 2nd job at Radio Shack. Yes, I am an employee of The Shack.
I am looking at this post at my day job, and my jaw is hitting my keyboard. This is awesome!!! My store only has a few items in stock. I know we have a PIR, and a 2 axis accel, and your normal Stamp starter kits. In the 2 months I've been there, I've sold none, unfortunately. I push this stuff, believe me.
One of the reasons I got a 2nd job there, besides the obvious of trying to feed my family, was to bring back the DIY state-of-mind to the stores. In the 6 or so years I've been a member of this forum, and a Propeller user, I've not heard many positive comments towards the Shack, due to this lack of knowledge. I hope to be a part of the movement that helps change that stigma.
It amuses me regularly, too. On this forum, I'm pretty much stupid compared to rest of the crowd, when it comes to electronics. But, when I walk in that door at the Shack, I'm a genius. I've asked EVERY colleague I've worked with to-date; "what is Ohm's law?". Not a single one has gotten it right. All the way up to my District Manager!!!! It sickens me a bit.
I try to engage with my customers about being a Maker, about DIY, about putting an antenna on your roof to try to cut out the cable companies. I get mixed responses though. Partly due to being located in the "center of the ghetto", we don't get the best crowd in. But, this is an area where parents and kids can engage with one another and do stuff. It's a way to get these kids out of the ghetto.
So, thanks Ken. I look forward to hanging the Prop on a peg, out in the open. I'll even be my stores first customer (even though it will probably take that whole 4 hour shift to pay for the thing!). I'll keep working on trying to get my co-workers and managers educated too. We recently began to stock Velleman kits, which are EXCELLENT, IMHO. The Parallax products, in blister packs, will make for a great display. I look forward to selling all of it. Great choice of products to stock too!
Shack employee at store 1230. (I hope this post doesn't get me fired!)
-Luke (aka parsko to you folks)
Now for that matching vending machine...
PS like the QR code idea for the generation coming through...
Tom, that's a very useful suggestion and I want to thank you for making it. Please drop me a message by e-mail if you can.
QR codes will be part of the final packaging. Thankfully the files were not leaving for the printer until later today.
Ken Gracey
Congratulations to you and Parallax.
I still can't find solder braid at Radio Shack and I think I will buy somewhere else because I compare prices and Radio Shack is high priced.
Hmmm... Normally RS carries it as an "always instock" item! http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062744
Bill
And they didn't use the word quite at all.
Wow, I didn't even notice.
I am very pleased with this about Radio Shack and I have one question: What will the pricing be relative to Parallax's pricing? The same? Five dollars more?