do none of you have a frys. think best buy with a boat load of parts. micro switches, diodes, transistors, etc.

http://www.frys.com/

I laughed, I can only imagine when you got to the total:

A: Ok that will be $113.26, do you want the extended warranty with that phone and buy up of unlimited carry over minutes?

or

A: So it looks like I don't see any Alligator brand phone belt clips, but we do carry a full line of clips for most IOS and Android phones, should I add one of those to your order?

Every time I read the title I hear the movie trailer voice and it cracks me up.

There was a store a mile from my house and I miss it.

Fairly limited...only in CA,TX,AZ,GA,IL,IN,NV,OR,WA

Radiocrap

We have Fry's (I use the one in Concord) that seems to stock a decent collection of electronic goodies - soldering items, transistors, molex connectors, etc.

In addition to ACK Electronics you can give Forbes Distributing a call. They carry electronics supplies (or at least used to).
They're downtown, 1416 4th Ave S. Give them a call first to make sure they have what you're looking for. 205-251-4104.

Just browsed through The Source (the Canadian remains of Radio Shack) in a mall near my office. It's kind of like having access to a time machine, the store is full of things that no one would spend money on any more. The shelves had about 10% sharper-image type gadgets that no one would probably buy except as christmas stocking stuffers, and 90% things that should be in a clearance bin at Staples since the market doesn't exist any more (portable DVD players, point and shoot cameras, stereo speakers and speaker wire, spindles of cds and dvds, jewel cases, etc, etc).

*** They did have some alligator clips though.

Local = Electronics shop. I use Frys for "common" stuff.
Fuses; check automotive distributors like AutoZone.

If you don't have a local electronics supplier; your only option is mail order.
I usually bounce between Mouser and Digikey... mostly the latter.

You can build a time machine from RS crap.

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We have a Frys, but the quality of salesmen is pretty low. You can always find them in groups talking to themselves. Also, when you ask them where something is at, they will point you across the store. Once you get there and ask someone where that product is at, they will send you back where you started. This has happened to me 100% of the time.

They also have 70 individual checkout registers. 3 of which are open.

The key... is to avoid those Fry's sales-droids at all costs.
For electronic components; you are more intelligent that they ever could be.
They don't know the difference between an Ohm and a Mho.

I've started using their in-store pickup option... it's easier because you don't have to guess where it is... they go find it and let you know when it's ready; then you head that direction.

Same with any associate at any big box store.

Would you trust the **master electrician** that works for $11 at HomeDepot? If he were any kind of electrician, why would he not be earning $34 union scale?

Problem with Frys is much more than just the technical stuff with electronic components. The store is laid out so poorly, and the employees are stuck to their own section that they don't know where anything else is.

Their sales people aren't just dull with electronic components, it's across the board. They stupidly split their computer sections up. Motherboards are on one side of the store, sound cards and graphic cards are a half mile away on the other side of the store. And for all the other small little accessories and such, they've split their selection up. Headphones are in 3 different locations throughout the store. Phone batteries are in two. I've now been there enough that I can pretty much figure out where the stuff I want is at. But when I went with a friend, when he was looking for a very specific product, I told him about the problem I had with their sales people sending me across the store and back.

We go to the area where be both thought his thing would be. Sure enough, the salesman said to go over to the section over on the other side of the building. I BEGGED my friend to ask another employee in that new section to ask for the item, even after we found it ourselves, just to confirm what I just said.

What I did when I got into the hobby was to stock up on common electronic parts and a bunch of different fuses from mouser.com. Seems like the old pinrepair site had a list of stuff to have on hand.

Just like trusting someone working at a Guitar Center for an instrument/equipment purchase. Although you'll find the occasional needle in the haystack, most don't know their ass from their elbow. Like you said, once you have that sorta knowledge, you're usually not working at a place like that for that kind money. Not knocking anyone working at one though. I used to work at both Ratshack & Guitar Center a long time ago.

You might. I came in fourth place in C division this past league. Looking forward to the next league.

Maybe give this place a try

Sullivancomm.com