HAM Radio- Okay ELMER where is the easy button on these radios?

[Martinjmpr]

For the uninitiated, HRO == Every local gun store.

People, on this board, are going to hate the analogy but it is utterly true.

Well, I would even say HRO = every gun store, every "hobby" store, every small bicycle or motorcycle shop, computer store, etc.

I think I've posted this here before but here's my take on it: Some people are really "INTO" their hobbies. They are so "into" their hobbies that they look down their nose at anybody who does the same hobby but isn't as "committed" as they are (Think of "Comic Book Guy" on The Simpsons for an example from popular culture.)



And often times, the people who are super "into" their hobby decide that the best thing they could do is open a business where they serve that hobby. Gun guys open gun shops, bicycle guys open bicycle shops, and ham radio guys open HRO franchises or independent electronics shops (again, Comic Book Guy.)

The danger of the "hobbyist owned business" is that while these guys are usually very knowledgeable about their chosen hobby, they often have pretty poor social skills and only so-so business skills and many of them don't seem to understand that if you treat customers like shit, they'll likely go and shop somewhere else. And they often will openly show contempt for any customer or potential customer who comes in and asks what they regard as a "stupid question." Sometimes if you walk into their shops you'll even hear them talking with a co-worker or someone else about "this dumbass customer who came in yesterday...." or some such. They will often be openly condescending or sarcastic to customers and generally act like they're doing you a favor by even talking to you.

It's no wonder that these businesses often fail. It's no wonder most people who aren't "enthusiasts" would rather shop in a big box store (where the mantra of "serve the customer" is beaten into the heads of the employees.) Many times the only reason the businesses DO stay around is because they are the only game in town, so their sucky customer service skills aren't enough to keep people from shopping there (HRO being the great example of this - AFAIK it's the only ham radio store in the Denver metro area.)

And BTW my choice of the word "Guys" above was deliberate - I've never seen the equivalent of this in any female-oriented business (like a craft or sewing shop or similar.) My wife is into a lot of "girly" crafts and every time we go into one of their shops the women who run them are never anything other than open, friendly and more than willing to help out someone who is just starting off or only needs one or two items.