It’s Tough to be a Responsible Consumer

How does it go? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I have a rechargeable flashlight from Radio Shack. I got it on Black Friday (yes, it’s an adventure!) and I’m sure I paid about $10 for it. I know I used it last Halloween, so it must have been the Black Friday before last. The regular price is $20. Remember that part.

So, it doesn’t recharge. It’s dead. A dead flashlight is darn useless. Especially when I need to replace a closet light socket after dark. So, I take the thing apart. Mind you, there is no easy way to remove the rechargeable battery. So, Radio Shack expects you to just toss it.

I go to Radio Shack for a battery. Guess what. it’s $20! The same as the flashlight at full price with the battery! But, the replacement battery has twice the amperage. So, the light would stay on longer. Regardless, the helpful clerk says I can get the exact battery for $11 online. He gives me the item number. I try it later. It doesn’t work.

So, i was going to wait in line and have him look it up again at my next visit. But, then I thought about it. My time is worth something, yes? So, I bought the $20 battery.

Oh I missed a part of the story. Some back story, actually. I had done this with a rechargeable flashlight from Sam’s Club a few years earlier. It came in a fancy case. Very nice. Found a battery on-line. But, it didn’t work. So, I had a dead flashlight and a battery I couldn’t use.

So, I was really taking a chance. But, it worked. The replacement $20 battery worked in my $20 flashlight that I had paid $10 for. Wow.

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