“You-do-it” Electronics Center

Say goodbye to the smug sales guy at Best Buy forever. All the stuff that connects all the other stuff. Smart, helpful problem-​solvers everywhere. And the price is right. If you own a home theater or a stack of audio gear, this is home base.

They don’t have places like this any more, except on the Internet. Prices aren’t the cheapest but well worth it to be able to browse and see what other people are getting. Wish there were more of these.

Wow, I just came here for the first time in years and I forgot how much stuff they have. This place has EVERYTHING! Electronics parts, TVs, DJ equipment, surround sound, surveillance equipment, 3d printers. You name it, they have it here. Their staff is knowledgeable and helpful, and there are a ton of them. Their prices seem reasonable. They can be a little tricky to find since you drive in through this industrial looking street. Overall, I can’t imagine going anywhere else for electronics.

Place has everything you could ever need. With Radio Shack now closing many of it’s stores you will need to know of places like this; cheap & large inventory. What else do you need?

This place is great. They have saved me many times when I have needed a random battery or electronics component. They stock everything. Love this place. Upstairs has electronics an I always speak to then before buying at TV. Excellent tv knowledge. Deal with them over a big retail chain.

Everyone who is complaining about the rude, nasty, not-​so-​knowledgeable staff at YDI should know that the people who work here were kidnapped upon leaving jail after doing their nickel or dime in the pen. They then switch their prison orange jumpsuits for regular people clothing so you can’t tell they’re ex-​cons now being forced to work there for food and a cot in the basement there. These guys aren’t just rude, not helpful and dumb as rocks, they’re down right mean. Heck, this place would be great if they were just A-​holes, but calling them that is an insult to A-​holes.
I think they vie for the Employee of the Month award that is given to the employee who tops the list in the categories of Mean Face… One word answers… answering by pointing… quickest customer abandonment… and the wildcard of how many customers that get so pissed they just walk out. Oh sure in the regular world this would be very bad for a retailer, but You-​Do-​It is truly in backwards world so it’s all good.

I’ve been trying to get to You-​Do-​It Electronics for a few months, about 2 weeks ago I got their Presidents Day sales flyer in the mail so the husband and I made a plan to go today and take advantage of the coupons and bag sale. So excited.
I recently build a 3D printer, and now I’m looking for the parts to build a delta 3D printer, so I thought this sale would be the perfect opportunity to not only check the store out, but to get supplies at a good price — including filament, which can get pricey.
Maybe it’s me, I didn’t find the store well organized and for how huge the place looks on the outside, the inside is pretty cramped. They have a ton of stuff, I can’t say everything you need because I couldn’t find a digital caliper, some items I needed were there but not labeled (like NEMA-​17 stepper motors), and even though they advertised a 3D printer model and materials, they had it hidden behind one of the vendors.
I saw nothing 3d printer related on the first floor, so I assumed it must have been on the second – only the bag sale was first floor only and I had to make my purchases before going upstairs. This is where I got screwed because coming down the stairs (after making our purchase) we realized the filament was hiding behind a vendor. So I asked about it (39.99 — craaaaazy), but it was crowded and I really didn’t want to have to ask for a color to look at, hand it back, ask for another, I want things out where I can get them. The guy tried to tell me the filament is covered under the bag sale (25% off whatever you can fit in a very decent sized bag) but it’s one bag per customer and I had already made my purchase.
I’ll likely go back, just wish things were a little clearer and more organized. They really should get more 3D printing supplies; get the heated beds, get the delta printer arms, j-​heads, filament from other sources, etc. Have a variety and people will come. In all my research I haven’t been able to find much on the 3d printer brand they sell, so I have no idea how good the filament is and so it’s not worth price.

They have what you’re looking for. I like the friendly, fast service. It is great to have a local store, to help with electronics.

This place rocks! If you need anything associated with diy electronics, sound equipment, speaker & computer cables, even tv’s and complete lighting systems for DJ & Bands — you should go here. I’ve gone for decades — great staff and selection

This place is definitely hard to find! My GPS actually couldn’t do it and we finally tried the Verizon navigation via my phone. I’m not really interested in electronics but my friend definitely is, and he loved this store. Tons of items for your computer, entertainment systems and even home security systems. I think if you wanted to spy on someone then this may be the place to go for supplies, haha. Prices looked a bit expensive to me, and while no expert, I know we’ve seen cheaper but the sheer selection of brands was a definite win. If this fascinates you then you’ve probably already found this store, but if not, then you will love it. I’d check them out if I needed a part for my computer. Parking is great, and the building is nice.

Don’t pay those high prices at Radio Shack, instead check out
YDI either online or at their Dedham store. Very helpful staff and
great choices and prices on everything that RS carries and more!

I went here to buy a cable straight out of the 1980s that I needed for a project at work and based on the reputation I thought I would be all set. Boy did I turn out to be completely wrong.
First off the store is not laid out very well and second the staff is not friendly or particularly helpful. So after a couple minutes of looking around I decided to ask someone for what I was looking for. It took quite awhile for me to explain what I was looking for and finally when she figured out what I was looking for she said, «Why would you want something that old. We don’t bother to carry things like that.» Needless to say that was the end of my experience at the store.

This is what I seek when working on any electronic project. I have had good luck with the staff — they leave me alone when I want to be left alone and are helpful and knowledge when I ask to find a product or how to do something. Depending on what you are looking for, they may have many (such as network, USB, printer, VGA, HDMI, audio cables, LEDs, switches, AC/​DC inverters, project tools, etc.) or just a few (such as DMMs, O-​scopes). I give them a call before I head over to double check they carry what I am looking for and it is in stock. It is easy to return things (I have had a few items DOA, not too bad considering the number of things I’ve gotten there).
Each trip here is usually an hour for me because I end up wandering trying to find new thing that I may need. I am going to miss going here when I leave Boston.

Horrible Customer Service.
I went to You Do It — looking for a replacement toggle switch, and brought the old one with me for comparison. I gave the old switch to one of the staff members who was seated on a stool behind the desk and asked if he had one in stock. He looked at it for one second and said «Nope, never seen that before» then handed it back to me with a smug grin on his face and turned away from me. Really guy? — You couldn’t offer to look up the part number (which was printed on the old switch) or give me any suggestions on where to look? I then asked him where the toggle switches were located in the store. He gave me a look like «You mean I have to get off my stool to help you?» — He walked me over to the correct aisle then went and sat back on his stool, staring at me the whole time with that smug grin. How rude is that?
Looks like «You Do It» means just that. YOU do it. — Don’t expect the staff to do anything to help you.
I went to Lowes. They had the switch in stock. Ill know better next time…

You-​Do-​It is the place I go when I need a electronic part or a piece of
equipment that the chain stores will not carry.
I have used them for many years and the trick in getting the right part in the past was finding the part number from the manufacturers catalog then calling them to see if they have the part in stock. If not they would order it for you and you just pick it up. Most of their business in the past was from call-​in part orders.
If you stop in on a busy Saturday getting one of the associates to spend time searching for a particular diode or capacitor will take time. Now that you can find the exact part number on the net it’s really easy. Get the part number, call them and they will handle the rest. They will even ship in to
you if you can not get out to Needham.

I went to You Do It this morning with a friend. He was in search of parts to make a robot, and I was just looking for neat items to base a project around.
After browsing the first floor with no luck, I asked one of the people who worked there where I could find some sensors. «Sensors?» he asked. «You know, accelerometers, pressure sensors, light, temperature?» He looked at me as though I was stupid, then pointed me towards the LED section. I looked through the LED section three times trying to find sensors but gave up and left You Do It empty-​handed.
My friend got a few things, but decided to get the basics somewhere else (their resistors, for example, are pretty overpriced). All in all, totally not worth the drive out to Needham.

If you need anything that has to do with electronics and you can’t find it at You Do It there is something wrong with you and you should probably get your head checked.
The staff is knowledgeable about everything in the store and if the person you talk to isn’t they will find someone who can help you. When I go to YDI I must drive by at least 10 Radio Shack’s, and I don’t mind. IN the money you are saving by going to YDI it’s worth using the extra gas. (don’t listen to Al Gore just use the extra gas) and get exactly what you need not what the stupid kid at «The Shack» tells you is good.

Rename this place «You do it and we are glad to help» electronics.
I lost the power adapter to my external hard drive during a move and was able to find one off the internet for $ 20 (the specifications meant they were not readily available). But the adapter’s pin would not fit into the hard drive’s socket and so I was googling like hell to find out how to make it fit, since the HD had too much music that I cannot afford to loose. As a matter of fact, this place was suggested by a Unilocaler.
So I drove in the darkness to the store and found a store employee and told him what I was looking for. Guy was like «Follow me» goes to the aisle picks up a board, plugs in the adapter and does some this and that and hands me the parts I need. Total $ 3. Total for adapter less than $ 25, considerable savings since the replacement adapter was costing around $ 50.
No pressure to sell you stuff you don’t need and great service. If you need PA systems they sell them too. I wondered though if they sell those auto-​tune microphone that T Pain seems to have popularized nowadays.

Jesus. I was going to write a nice review of this place, but then I read Joey T’s, and I realized I had forgotten how.
Suffice it to say, they have literally EVERYTHING you could ever want. I was building a high-​voltage stun gun to administer fatal shocks to irritating coworkers, and I realized I didn’t have the two MKP capacitors I would need. I went into You-​Do-​It, and told them what I was building and what I needed.
The gentleman behind the counter advised me that what I was building was highly illegal, not to mention immoral and unjust. He dissuaded me from my project and recommended a good therapist.
I feel much better about my trip to this place. They lose one star for being buried in a weird industrial park that is confusing and creepy.

Aisles glittering with exotic electronica and tiny, complex components, You-​Do-​It is one of the few remaining nerd/​macho outposts in modern society where you can find people who actually know the difference between a 25 picofarad capacitor and a BNC connector. The dullards at Radio Shack can’t hold a candle to the staff at You-​Do-​It, some of whom look like they’ve been around since Marconi sent the first wireless signal.
When I agreed to assist the companionable Trixy in rewiring her Cambridge flat’s bedroom for cable television, You-​Do-​It was the one place I knew would have all the necessary materials at reasonable prices. As we pulled into the parking lot of their Needham store, Trixy matter-​of-​factly announced that she would handle any purchases herself. I gave her a rundown of what was needed (one four foot jumper, one three way splitter, 25 feet of TV cable) then stood back to enjoy the action.
Resplendent in wool beret, black leather motorcycle jacket and lime-​green orthopedic sandals, Trixy sauntered down the aisle affecting an exaggerated swagger until she spotted one of the You-​Do-​It clerks. «Hey, buddy» she chirped, ad libbing the shopping list she had promptly forgotten, «gimmie…uh…a four gun and a six pack». The clerk returned a blank stare, taking in the full measure of her garish costume. «Heh heh,» she piped, a toothpick gripped between her teeth, «Don’t wanna miss the game. Go Sox.» She elbowed the guy a shot in the ribs for good measure.
After a few minutes of cultural mayhem, I finally stepped in to translate, and within seconds had the items in hand and were on our way without further incident.
PS: Don’t forget to get your free white vinyl You-​Do-​It POCKET PROTECTOR at the counter!