RadioShack Said to Be in Talks to Sell Stores to Sprint

[Trip]

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/sprint-signs-agreement-with-radioshacks-lender-to-expand-branded-stores.htm

 

- Trip

[Deval]

Great! Now to help the economy by hiring full staff at all these locations, plus building them out.

[BlueAngel]

I really think this is a good idea, I welcome a Sprint store 2 miles from home. With the added perks of buying random stuff from RadioShack.

[Paynefanbro]

This is awesome. So the stores will be Sprint branded and sell devices but they'll also sell Radio Shack products too. Will Sprint take a share of Radio Shack revenue or no? I think this is great for opening up Sprint to sell even more accessories in stores and become a bit more high end.

[MrZorbatron]

... model 100 (i think, the almost-laptop-thing with like 6 lines of text)

 

...

 

8 lines x 40 columns.

 

I own two of them, one 8K, one 32K.

 

Very interesting, great little machine.  Runs 20-25 hours on four AA batteries.  Has a built in modem, too.

[MrZorbatron]

http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article9330515.html

 

Here's what I just read about this all.

[JeffDTD]

"Sprint... Together with Radio Shack"? 

 

Imagination.  Product refresh.  Just something.  Please don't be same old Radio Shack with a Sprint kiosk. 

[lennyj17]

Another Day, Another Tech Blog Tear Down Piece of Sprint. This time courteous of Android Central and the Buying Out of RS. 

 

Hey give at least give them credit for going all out in Dressing Up the Pig

 

http://www.androidcentral.com/sprint-has-problems-and-buying-radioshack-stores-isnt-going-fix-them

[GoBigRed79]

Another Day, Another Tech Blog Tear Down Piece of Sprint. This time courteous of Android Central and the Buying Out of RS. 

 

Hey give at least give them credit for going all out in Dressing Up the Pig

 

http://www.androidcentral.com/sprint-has-problems-and-buying-radioshack-stores-isnt-going-fix-them

 

Consider the author.  He takes a good rip at Sprint any chance he gets while never reporting any positive news about them.  It's like Sprint killed his dog or something.  I don't mind authors who report on some of Sprints issues, we all know they still have plenty of them, but when there is no balance in the reporting then it looses all credibility with me.  Lazy reporting at its finest. 

[Rawvega]

Consider the author.  He takes a good rip at Sprint any chance he gets while never reporting any positive news about them.  It's like Sprint killed his dog or something.  I don't mind authors who report on some of Sprints issues, we all know they still have plenty of them, but when there is no balance in the reporting then it looses all credibility with me.  Lazy reporting at its finest. 

 

Andrew Martonik, meh. I recall some time ago him getting into a bit of a tiff with Bryce on Google+ about how horrible Spark was in Seattle. Only problem was Spark wasn't even close to officially launching in Seattle at the time.   

[JossMan]

Now that Sprint has ripped and replaced their CDMA network its now time to rip and replace 1,750 Radioshack stores. 

[Fraydog]

So now we're going to bash authors simply because they don't know what we know? That kind of makes my point about the Sprint branding. I think lots of necessary changes are occurring but it never seems people will ever give it a chance PERIOD because of the past. The only way to really convince them otherwise is a new Sprint being called something else. That something else doesn't even have to be called SoftBank, that's just the most logical candidate name existing right now.

 

I appreciate that there's some people enthusiastic about the network for a change but Sprint took a $2 Bln charge for guess what? The damaged brand.

[GoBigRed79]

So now we're going to bash authors simply because they don't know what we know? That kind of makes my point about the Sprint branding. I think lots of necessary changes are occurring but it never seems people will ever give it a chance PERIOD because of the past. The only way to really convince them otherwise is a new Sprint being called something else. That something else doesn't even have to be called SoftBank, that's just the most logical candidate name existing right now.

 

I appreciate that there's some people enthusiastic about the network for a change but Sprint took a $2 Bln charge for guess what? The damaged brand.

I bash authors who are lazy.  Who pick and choose what they want to report.  I expect authors to do research and balance their reporting.  This particular author has a reputation now of bashing Sprint whenever he gets a chance but chooses to ignore any positive or good news about the company.  To report like Sprint has made no strides in the past year is misleading at best.  I agree that Sprint as a brand is damaged but when the tech press fails to report on any improvements the company has made it just makes things worse and I don't know if changing the brand will make a huge difference in their eyes.

[Paynefanbro]

So now we're going to bash authors simply because they don't know what we know? That kind of makes my point about the Sprint branding. I think lots of necessary changes are occurring but it never seems people will ever give it a chance PERIOD because of the past. The only way to really convince them otherwise is a new Sprint being called something else. That something else doesn't even have to be called SoftBank, that's just the most logical candidate name existing right now.

I appreciate that there's some people enthusiastic about the network for a change but Sprint took a $2 Bln charge for guess what? The damaged brand.

We're not bashing him because we don't like the negative tone of the article, we're bashing him because he has shown time and time again that he pretty much has a vendetta against Sprint. Last year I tried to educate him numerous times and get him to know what we know and basically his excuse was, "I don't need to know this, Sprint sucks in Seattle." How am I supposed to respect him as a tech journalist if he doesn't want to know about tech?

[Fraydog]

If you have a larger problem, then I would advice contacting the head of Android Central, Phil Nickinson, and send him links from Ting's conference call where they praised Sprint's network improvement, similar statements from Jeff Kagan and Bill Moore, and then perhaps the Nielsen call reliability data.

 

In reality, Sprint PR should be vicious attack dogs here so we don't have to. This should be their job.

[S4GRU]

So now we're going to bash authors simply because they don't know what we know? That kind of makes my point about the Sprint branding. I think lots of necessary changes are occurring but it never seems people will ever give it a chance PERIOD because of the past. The only way to really convince them otherwise is a new Sprint being called something else. That something else doesn't even have to be called SoftBank, that's just the most logical candidate name existing right now.

 

I appreciate that there's some people enthusiastic about the network for a change but Sprint took a $2 Bln charge for guess what? The damaged brand.

If Sprint had changed its brand when Masayoshi Son took over, as many suggested, I believe all the negative articles would still have been written. The network would also be in exactly the same position it is right now.

 

Who writes the negative stories? The Wall Street Journal? No. Your local newspaper? No. Fox News, CNN or MSNBC? No.

 

It's the tech media. Will the tech media be fooled or convinced by a name change? Absolutely not.

 

The tech media is one third those who hate Sprint and wait for any negative news about Sprint and delight in writing smear stories. We will call them Haters. The next third in tech media follow and regurgitate what is popular, what's buzz worthy and believe what the Haters spew. And they are lazy and won't do any leg work themselves on a story. We will call them the Followers. And the last third are trying to discover a story and find out what's actually going on. We will call them Journalists.

 

The Haters in Tech Media will not be convinced with a name change. They will constantly link the new name with Sprint in every way conceivable trying to smear the new company. They may even be more emboldened than before because they want Sprint to be forever branded as bad and maybe even go bankrupt. Many of these Haters used to either be Sprint customers or feel betrayed by Sprint. It's personal to them and in this day of no journalistic standard enforcement by their own community, they get away with it. They even get cheered on in social media by other like minded Legere-like Kool Aid drinking twats.

 

The Followers will go along with the Haters until the network is good enough for long enough that hanging with the Haters makes them look bad.

 

Sprint's only way out is to keep improving and shaming the Haters out of every argument they have. Changing names will not help anything in the form of improvement. In perception or reality.

 

Sprint has 55m customers. It's not like the brand is so banished to the dungeon and is as popular as the name Hitler. As the network improves more, Sprint customers showing their performance is equal or better than their friends is the best way to get out of the mire. Especially if that experience can be tied to an extreme value proposition.

 

I don't think Masayoshi Son will entertain changing the name. It will be a matter of pride for him. He will want to show that he was able to turn around a sinking ship headed to the bottom and turned it around into the best provider in America. Changing the name will be a huge setback to his ego.

 

Sprint's reputation is already better than it was a year ago. It is improving. It will get better incrementally. And it is tied directly to how the network is performing. The Haters will turn up the volume more and more as people consider Sprint more and more. It will just get louder until they have no credibility left!

[Fraydog]

I wish you worked for Sprint PR. I could just think someone on Sprint's end needs to say all that.

[caspar347]

The tech media is one third those who hate Sprint and wait for any negative news about Sprint and delight in writing smear stories. We will call them Haters. The next third in tech media follow and regurgitate what is popular, what's buzz worthy and believe what the Haters spew. And they are lazy and won't do any leg work themselves on a story. We will call them the followers. And the last third are trying to discover a story and find out what's actually going on. We will call them Journalists.

Unfortunately, the "Journalists" are dwindling, and most people pay no attention to them. Plus, social media acts as a giant echo chamber for the former two categories, making their apparent presence exponentially bigger than the journalists and making the breakdown look more like 90+% haters/followers and <10% journalists.

[S4GRU]

Unfortunately, the "Journalists" are dwindling, and most people pay no attention to them. Plus, social media acts as a giant echo chamber for the former two categories, making their apparent presence exponentially bigger than the journalists and making the breakdown look more like 90+% haters/followers and <10% journalists.

 

And the only way to combat them is to make them look stupid.  And the only way to make them look stupid is to make the network better.

[Fraydog]

Unfortunately, the "Journalists" are dwindling, and most people pay no attention to them. Plus, social media acts as a giant echo chamber for the former two categories, making their apparent presence exponentially bigger than the journalists and making the breakdown look more like 90+% haters/followers and <10% journalists.

Sprint has to get the word out from qualified people, though. That's their job.

 

It's easy to bash because of the past track record admittedly not being so great. I'm not going to sit here and blame people in general for that. What is needed is a response from Sprint's end. They have to step out and point to the qualified professionals who are saying the network is improving.

 

Another fun fact that Martonik missed that he could have used to sound far more logical? Right now, Sprint sits 4th in JDPower customer care and 4th in retail experience. Part of the problem is that Sprint hasn't got the level of control over the retail experience and customer care. He misses the mark in that he sounds like he's advocating for the status quo. The status quo IS the problem as I see it. Sprint has to have a much greater level of control over their retail channels. They also have to do better on customer care. Owning more of the channel does both.

[WiWavelength]

If Sprint had changed its brand when Masayoshi Son took over, as many suggested, I believe all the negative articles would still have been written. The network would also be in exactly the same position it is right now.

 

Who writes the negative stories? The Wall Street Journal? No. Your local newspaper? No. Fox News, CNN or MSNBC? No.

 

It's the tech media. Will the tech media be fooled or convinced by a name change? Absolutely not.

 

The tech media is one third those who hate Sprint and wait for any negative news about Sprint and delight in writing smear stories. We will call them Haters. The next third in tech media follow and regurgitate what is popular, what's buzz worthy and believe what the Haters spew. And they are lazy and won't do any leg work themselves on a story. We will call them the followers. And the last third are trying to discover a story and find out what's actually going on. We will call them Journalists.

 

The Haters in Tech Media will not be convinced with a name change. They will constantly link the new name with Sprint in every way conceivable trying to smear the new company. They may even be more emboldened than before because they want Sprint to be forever branded as bad and maybe even go bankrupt. Many of these Haters used to either be Sprint customers or feel betrayed by Sprint. It's personal to them and in this day of no journalistic standard enforcement by their own community, they get away with it. They even get cheered on in social media by other like minded Legere-like Kool Aid drinking twats.

 

The Followers will go along with the Haters until the network is good enough for long enough that hanging with the Haters makes them look bad.

 

Sprint's only way out is to keep improving and shaming the Haters out of every argument they have. Changing names will not help anything in the form of improvement. In perception or reality.

 

Sprint has 55m customers. It's not like the brand is so banished to the dungeon and is as popular as the name Hitler. As the network improves more, Sprint customers showing their performance is equal or better than their friends is the best way to get out of the mire. Especially if that experience can be tied to an extreme value proposition.

 

I don't think Masayoshi Son will entertain changing the name. It will be a matter of pride for him. He will want to show that he was able to turn around a sinking ship headed to the bottom and turned it around into the best provider in America. Changing the name will be a huge setback to his ego.

 

Sprint's reputation is already better than it was a year ago. It is improving. It will get better incrementally. And it is tied directly to how the network is performing. The Haters will turn up the volume more and more as people consider Sprint more and more. It will just get louder until they have no credibility left!

 

I am going to violate my own rule of not quoting lengthy posts in full.  But Robert's entire post deserves to be repeated.  It also should be disseminated well beyond this RadioShack thread.

 

AJ

[grapkoski]

Looking at the potential store closure list, I am surprised to see the Radioshack in Tenleytown, Washington, DC closing. Sprint has zero retail presence in upper northwest and Georgetown, two large shopping areas. The other DC closings kind of make sense because of their close proximity to a Sprint corporate store. Hope the bankruptcy court will move swiftly.

 

Potential store closing list: http://radioshackcorporation.com/pdfs/RS-Store-Closure-List_020415.pdf

[S4GRU]

I am going to violate my own rule of not quoting lengthy posts in full.  But Robert's entire post deserves to be repeated.  It also should be disseminated well beyond this RadioShack thread.

 

AJ

 

I am just excited I earned a "Like" from WiWavelength.  Even I do not receive them often.  Thus they are prized when received.

[S4GRU]

Looking at the potential store closure list, I am surprised to see the Radioshack in Tenleytown, Washington, DC closing. Sprint has zero retail presence in upper northwest and Georgetown, two large shopping areas. The other DC closings kind of make sense because of their close proximity to a Sprint corporate store. Hope the bankruptcy court will move swiftly.

 

Potential store closing list: http://radioshackcorporation.com/pdfs/RS-Store-Closure-List_020415.pdf

 

Thanks for posting this.  I see they are planning to close the stores in my area.  I guess they aren't planning any expansion into Western South Dakota soon enough to use these stores here.  

[ahecht]

Looking at the potential store closure list, I am surprised to see the Radioshack in Tenleytown, Washington, DC closing. Sprint has zero retail presence in upper northwest and Georgetown, two large shopping areas. The other DC closings kind of make sense because of their close proximity to a Sprint corporate store. Hope the bankruptcy court will move swiftly.

 

Potential store closing list: http://radioshackcorporation.com/pdfs/RS-Store-Closure-List_020415.pdf

I'm shocked that my local radio shack isn't closing. It's in a shopping mall that already has a third-party sprint store and there's a corporate store in the strip mall across the street.