What’s the Best Walkie Talkie Earpiece for Retail Stores?

If you’ve ever tried to hear a radio message across a packed sales floor, you know why a retail walkie talkie earpiece matters, especially on Black Friday.

For most stores, the best setup is a simple one-wire headset for associates and managers, and a two-wire surveillance headset for loss prevention and security.

Both keep radio traffic in your ear, so customers don’t hear it.

A walkie talkie earpiece plugs into your radio and puts the sound in your ear instead of playing it out loud. A headset adds a small mic, so you can talk without lifting the radio off your belt.

Which retail walkie talkie earpiece fits each role?

Several issues faced without a radio earpiece:

Radios get harder to use when the store fills up:

• Customers can hear your radio traffic. That includes price checks, staffing requests and descriptions of someone your team is watching.
• Crowds are loud. Last year a record 202.9 million people shopped from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation.
• Your hands are full. Ringing up sales, carrying stock and helping customers leaves little time to grab a radio.

How an earpiece fixes everything:

An earpiece keeps radio traffic private, easy to hear and hands-free. Below are our recommendations and several options.

What should sales associates and managers use?

Our pick: One-Wire S-Series Headset

The problem: you need to hear the radio while you’re face to face with customers.

How it helps: the S-Series puts an earbud and a small mic on one simple cord. Only you hear your radio, and your hands stay free for the register, stock and customers. The earpiece and frame are reversible, so you can wear it over either ear.

Good to know: some versions have a talk button on the cord, while others use the button on your radio. Check the product page for your radio model.

The S – Series Headset, featuring a rounded black frame.

What should loss prevention and security use?

Our pick: Two-Wire Acoustic Tube Headset

The problem: you need to watch, listen and report without drawing attention.

How it helps: this is our most popular surveillance headset. Sound travels up an acoustic tube to your ear, and the mic can be held in your hand, clipped inside your sleeve cuff or worn on your lapel. The extended-range speaker is made to be heard in noisy areas.

Good to know: it doesn’t have voice activation (VOX). You press the talk button each time you transmit, so nothing goes out by accident.

The T – Series Headset, featuring a clear earpiece.

Which radio does your store use?

Most stores run on simple business radios. Our One-Wire S-Series comes in versions made for many of the most common ones, including:

• Motorola R2, with the R2 version also fitting older Motorola CLS1110, CLS1410, CLS1450, CP200, CP100, CP185 and RDM2070 radios
• Motorola CLP radios, which use their own plug, so choose the CLP version
• Motorola SL and XPR radios

The Two-Wire headset also comes in a version for the Motorola R2, CLS, CP200 and RDM radios.

Getting your team ready for Black Friday

In the week before, test every radio and earpiece on the channel you’ll use that day, and order a few spares for seasonal staff and long shifts.

Retail walkie talkie earpiece FAQ

Can customers tell I’m wearing an earpiece? The Two-Wire uses a thin acoustic tube, and clear tubes are available in our accessory kit, so it’s easy to keep a low profile.

Do I have to press a button to talk? Yes. The Two-Wire has no voice activation, and the S-Series uses either a button on the cord or the one on your radio, depending on the model.

Will it work with my radio?

Our products work with hundreds of radios, and most come in versions made for specific radio models.

Not sure what fits your radio? Give us a call at 801-371-8900 or send us a message. We’ll quickly help you find what works with your specific radio.