Radio Shack sales tactics got on my nerve in the 70's, 80's. It was clear that everyone in the store got some kind of a commission — the way they would hound you. (Pushy salespeople are never a positive for the customer.)

My interest in electronics led me to apply there in around 1980 or so. It turns out I should have instead been interested in selling if I was applying there. My interview question (yep, there was an interview for a 16 year old applying at a local Radio Shack store) had nothing to do with knowledge about electronics as I had hoped. Instead I was handed the nearest thing to the manager, a stapler, and told, "Sell me this stapler."

And I'm thinking the customer either wants to buy the stapler or does not — there is little I am going to be able to do to get them to buy a thing they don't even want. Further, I don't even want to be doing that: maybe they need the money for something more important.

I don't remember exactly what I said (I think I was a little confused actually – caught off guard). But you can imagine that, given my perspective on the idea of hard-selling anyone, I was pretty lackluster in my enthusiasm.

Needless to say I was not offered the job. (Probably just as well, ha ha.)