41 recommendations |
Not your old Radio ShackI think at this point it doesn't really matter if Radio Shack goes away for good. All they want to be is a resale outlet for cellular phones and radio controlled toys rather than a unique parts store. |
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microphone Premium Member join:2009-04-29 Parkville, MD
12 recommendations |
Radio Shack strayed from their mission but would it have mattered?One turn off I had of Radio Shack over the past couple of decades is the feeling that customers who just bought parts were an inconvenience to getting people to buy big ticket items. They also watered down their unique identity by carrying brands that everyone else had instead of keeping to their own exclusive names. I have an electronic thermometer at the office that has the Micronta name on it. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the Realistic line of audio equipment as well as the more premium Optimus brand which was later ruined by calling all audio equipment Optimus. I still have a few of the Science Fair XX in 1 kits.
Another bad sign which started a long time ago was the staff not being properly trained. I once stumped an employee by asking for a 6-volt lantern battery; and they were well-known for selling obscure batteries!
Even if Radio Shack had stuck to their niche, its hard to say whether they would have still been successful. Baynesville Electronics, who opened in 1955 in Towson MD, decided to close their doors last fall. They had everything but the kitchen sink and if the sink were made of electronic parts, they would have had that too. However, Baynesville chose not to sell online which is one advantage Radio Shack has; should Radio Shack have leveraged this avenue differently? I have to wonder if the downfall of electronics stores could also be the symptom of an increased lack of interest in what makes things tick in the electronics world.
I liked the photo of the Radio Shack Computer Center. I had one of those stores nearby way back then that had a greater selection of cartridges for the TRS80/Tandy color computer than their regular stores. |
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adowns join:2002-11-23 Derby, KS
12 recommendations |
adowns
Member
2017-Mar-14 6:19 pm
Well duhDuh! They got into bed with Sprint. That's what happens. |
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jslikThat just happened Premium Member join:2006-03-17
10 recommendations |
jslik
Premium Member
2017-Mar-14 8:44 pm
Now what?How am I supposed to get the extended warranty on that spool of speaker cable I needed?? |
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6 recommendations |
Love hate relationship with Radio ShackIt's sad to see RS go....for many decades until the mid 80s if you needed discrete electronic parts, were into SWLing, CB, or Amateur Radio RS was the place to go.
They had well trained staff, and many of them were genuinely interested in what you were trying to do and how to best help you. It all went down hill when the crappy execs decided it should be a gadget, toy, and cell phone store.
There definitely IS a market for these products even today, and if they would have returned to their roots and decreased the number of stores and focused on customer service again I believe they could have been successful. I also agree that they should have focused on on line sales as well....
One other lesser known fact is that quite a few stores are NOT company owned but independently owned franchises that....are much like the best RS stores were in the past. I wonder what will happen to them. I wish that they would buy the name and reorganize the company.
I wish that SOMEONE with big pockets could buy the name and remnants of the chain and try and reboot back to what made them a household name. Definitely has to be a radio geek of epic proportions!
Same fate happened to the other very famous chain store Lafayette Radio Electronics back in the mid 80s. |
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5 recommendations |
Crap!Now where am I supposed to buy my batteries? |
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4 recommendations |
TRS-80My dad has bought all TSR-80 models from Radio Shaq but, I sat my 50 lbs high powered magnet in the box with all the data cassettetapes and floppy disks. So now those working TRS-80 computer models are useless. |
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Astyanax Premium Member join:2002-11-14 Melbourne, FL ·AT&T FTTP
3 recommendations |
Astyanax
Premium Member
2017-Mar-15 7:30 am
RS Was a Wounded AnimalI think Sprint knew RS was a wounded animal. They never intended to share any revenue with them and knew they'd go belly up so Sprint just waited RS out and watched them bleed to death. Afterwards they'd then scoop up the retail space for 10 cents on the dollar and voila they have the stores all to themselves. |
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3 recommendations |
How the Mighty has FallenWhen i was a kid (i'm 34 now), If you wanted anything electronic you went to Radio Shack. Nothing could beat there quality, variety, stock or knowledge. Now you walk into a Radio Shack and 1st words out of their mouth after "Can I help you find something?" is either "We don't carry that" or "I don't think so, let me ask my manager" but not being in your store in months I found what I wanted and went and got it cheaper next door at Walmart. The Consumer knows more than they do about their products anymore. They are cheaper at Walmart, Kmart, Ebay, Amazon, Tigerdirect or Newegg. I could go on and on. Most of their stuff is made overseas as with most of electronics but you pay 5x the price for older not modern product. Time to put the nail in the coffin. Just have to know when to say no. |
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karpodiemHail to The Victors Premium Member join:2008-05-20 Troy, MI
2 recommendations |
Not the worst move in the worldRetail space per sq. ft in most markets is as cheap as its ever been, and Sprint can probably pick the space up for cheaper after Radio Shack went into bankruptcy.
The creditors will want the largest bid for the spaces though, so someone might sneak up and grab it. |
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EliteDataEliteData Premium Member join:2003-07-06 Philippines
2 recommendations |
-somehow, the local store by me was nearly cleaned out before the bankruptcy was even announced. i got to the party a day late and managed to only get the scraps and spoils of war that was left. |
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