RadioShack Drops iPhone 5s Price to $99

I will wait for the iPhone 6.

This is interesting? A 16gig 5s for $99 or a 8gig 5c for $99 -- tough choice, right? But if you are upgrading from an older iPhone, you can essentially make either transaction free (with a two year contract with the devil of your choice of course).

Not sure I see the logic of this, unless they are already dropping the 5c price.

As I said, interesting...

Cuban Missles said:

...you can essentially make either transaction free (with a two year contract with the devil of your choice of course). ...

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What? This is the on-contract price.

So either the iP6 is soon, or RadioShack finally admits they desperately need customers.

This is the price it should always be. And the 5c ought to be free.

KieranDotW said:

So either the iP6 is soon, or RadioShack finally admits they desperately need customers.

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They are just about out of business. I'm guessing the latter.

KieranDotW said:

So either the iP6 is soon, or RadioShack finally admits they desperately need customers.

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Actually, RadioShack, WalMart, BestBuy, etc are taking a hit on the down payment price because their real revenue comes from the bounty for getting people to sign up for a contract.

It has nothing to do with inventory, it is all about driving traffic to their stores.

What if people are still in contract with their 4s? Are they qualified??

The iPhone latest model doesn't ever get $100 discounts unless a launch of the new model is only 3 months away or summer


SUMMER LAUNCH

Aluminum213 said:

The iPhone latest model doesn't ever get $100 discounts unless a launch of the new model is only 3 months away or summer


SUMMER LAUNCH

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As great as that'd be, I really doubt Radio Shack is the one store with an inside scoop.

Aluminum213 said:

The iPhone latest model doesn't ever get $100 discounts unless a launch of the new model is only 3 months away or summer


SUMMER LAUNCH

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During holidays they were already $100 discounted.

All I remember is that RadioShack didn't have the key component of a crystal radio when I tried to buy one from their store, and the employee didn't even know what I was talking about. Misleading name.

bookwormsy said:

What? This is the on-contract price.

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I think he means after the minimum $100 Radio Shack trade-in offer on older iPhones…..

Don't you mean PhoneShack

So sad

Way too cheap to sell

Radio said:

So sad

Way too cheap to sell

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Hi Tim.

The 6 people that still shop there will be ecstatic.

Radio said:

So sad

Way too cheap to sell

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Wtf?. You actually prefer to pay more then..could you explain the reasons behind that...

Just realised... U want 50 million handsets sold a quarter so u can brag about all the profits... But want to pretend that only high powered execs can afford them cos they are so expensive.. heaven forbid that the asbo chav brigade adopt them.... Whoops.. too late!

Aluminum213 said:

The iPhone latest model doesn't ever get $100 discounts unless a launch of the new model is only 3 months away or summer


SUMMER LAUNCH

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RadioShack's stock was down 16.5% yesterday because they are struggling to get approval from lenders on a plan to close 1100 stores. My guess is that this move is more one of desperation on their part. Amazon and the remaining big box stores have rendered their business model obsolete.

memcpy said:

All I remember is that RadioShack didn't have the key component of a crystal radio when I tried to buy one from their store, and the employee didn't even know what I was talking about. Misleading name.

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25-30 years ago, not only would the clerk know what you're talking about, they could take you right to the part you needed, and offer you choices based on their own personal experience. RadioShack is no longer the specialty/hobbyist store it once was. Now, they are nothing more than your run-of-the-mill electronics store; no different from any other.

How does any of this affect their ability to sell you a phone for $100 less than the competition? It doesn't.

Aluminum213 said:

The iPhone latest model doesn't ever get $100 discounts unless a launch of the new model is only 3 months away or summer


SUMMER LAUNCH

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Doubt it. Radioshack has put the latest iPhone down to $99 around holidays and sometimes during their 2-3 day sales quite a few times over the past couple years.

EDIT: Although I supposed they could look at general release date timelines, compare that with their inventory, and be trying to get rid of some of it now very quickly before people stop buying in anticipation of the next model. Something tells me they aren't doing that though.

l00pback said:

25-30 years ago, not only would the clerk know what you're talking about, they could take you right to the part you needed, and offer you choices based on their own personal experience. RadioShack is no longer the specialty/hobbyist store it once was. Now, they are nothing more than your run-of-the-mill electronics store; no different from any other.

How does any of this affect their ability to sell you a phone for $100 less than the competition? It doesn't.

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Former Radioshack employee here. You hit the nail on the head. They stock components and lightly train employees on them but basically when someone comes in for a component the employees just say "if we have it, it'll be in the parts drawers". If you think about it though, you can't expect your minimum wage paid employees to know the ins and outs of electronic circuits.

Just my two cents.

mgmusicman94 said:

Former Radioshack employee here. You hit the nail on the head. They stock components and lightly train employees on them but basically when someone comes in for a component the employees just say "if we have it, it'll be in the parts drawers". If you think about it though, you can't expect your minimum wage paid employees to know the ins and outs of electronic circuits.

Just my two cents.

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Ummm…I respectfully disagree. 40 years ago people who worked in Radio Shack were knowledgeable regardless of what they were being paid (minimum wage was $1.75 in the early 70's). I recall walking in to their stores to buy parts for building a multiple frequency tone generator (to build a touch tone phone to make free long distance calls) and for parts to build a pin ball machine. The clerk knew immediately what I was asking for and better yet he knew that the parts were in stock. I am talking resistors, rectifiers, etc…. I also had good luck with another store called Olsen Electronics back then. Most people who worked in those stores were electronic geeks who were self educated like myself. In other words, they worked there instead of working as bag boys at the grocery store. None of them had college degrees - I remember talking to them at length about some of my projects - and they even suggested short cuts. Now 40 years later you have some button pushing cowboy who wants to sell you a cell phone. Why buy a cell phone when places like MetroPCS will give you one for free - albeit it may not be the latest and greatest but it will get the job done. This is progress?

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///M Powah said:

I will wait for the iPhone 6.

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Yeah exactly….if they wanted to sell phones they should offered the iPhone 5s for $99 at launch...

Basically, they are paying you $100 to walk into a RadioShack.

PASS.