I'm amazed that Radio Shack has lasted this long. I can't figure out how they pay the bills to keep the stores open, at all, for at least 10 years now. Although they keep nearly no stock of anything I care about, they have occasionally been useful. I'll be sad to see them go but their survival doesn't add up.

Last time I went in there was to buy some thermal compound. My other amazing purchases have included things like solder, heatshrink tubing, an RCA socket, a pack of diodes, and one of their cheap desoldering irons with a bunch of cheap tips. Not on the same day - these were separate trips. I'm sure the salesmen see dollar signs the moment I stride through the door, I tell you what.
I've been in their stores less than once per year, averaging probably $5 each time. The stores are always empty of any activity.
They have 2 stores within a mile on the same main road. I have no idea why.
To make things worse, Fry's Electronics is nearby and they have actual aisles of components. Radio Shack has a little blue drawer.

I remember in the 90s they had a lot more components, but I was too young to have much use for them.
The 90s is also the last time I remember seeing actual crowds of people in their stores.

Last time I was in Radio Shack they had a rack of Socket-7 heatsinks for sale. Nothing else, just socket 7.
I wonder if I should buy some more of their little protoboards. I've used them before, and they're cheaper than any other boards I've found for sale.

I think it's possible for local niche retail to survive if they present themselves as charismatic experts on some subject. Make themselves the people you want to go in and talk to about your hobby. But Radio Shack isn't anything like that. They're a generic national chain with employees who are neither charismatic nor do they typically know anything about electronics. I can see how a local hobby shop selling RC toys and kites and such might make it, but not Radio Shack.

Retail stores of most types are dead men walking. I needed some new shirts so last month instead of going to the Sears at the mall I just went to sears online and ordered my correct size and the colors I wanted and got free shipping, who needs to go to the mall anymore? I will take a walk to the local ratshack to see if they have an old tape degauser from 1970 in a drawer before the chain closes.

The thing is for most parts I can just go to ebay and buy them either from a US middle man if I am in a hurry or a Chinese seller directly for next to nothing. Ages ago the stuff made in japan was junk then it got to be very good, same thing will or has happened in China.

I could be wrong but I think part of the reason for this is changes in our culture - people just don't fiddle with electronics anymore. Or computers, for that matter. (I know someone will jump on me for that second part, but honestly most people just don't build or upgrade computers anymore. They have become disposable)

No actually you're absolutely correct. I was just saying to say someone yesterday that it's insane that people treat computers like disposable kodak cameras from a drugstore.

It's sad but it's a reality, it's amazing how many people don't know anything about computers yet use them every day.

King_Corduroy wrote:

No actually you're absolutely correct. I was just saying to say someone yesterday that it's insane that people treat computers like disposable kodak cameras from a drugstore.

It's sad but it's a reality, it's amazing how many people don't know anything about computers yet use them every day.

+1. And manufacturers have started to pander to this - like with the majority of portable devices, they aren't designed to be serviced in the least, just chucked out in the trash and replaced when they start to malfunction or are damaged (a lot of them you can't even replace the batteries if they become damaged or worn). It isn't like even a few years ago where anything short of total physical destruction (like a fire) was generally able to be fixed with replacement parts. 😢

People hack software these days, not hardware.

For a nominal fee, they could always re-brand one as "Hz so Good" in the Galaxy Galleria. (my nick, elsewhere)

They can make the royalty check out to "Electric Monk c/o Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"

sliderider wrote:

Electronic items have become so cheap that it's not worth building your own or repairing them anymore. I remember RS (and Heathk […]
Show full quote

Anonymous Coward wrote:

Proper Radio shack has been dead for at least 20 years.
There are a number of reasons. Outsourcing the electronics industry has taken away the appeal of the hobby as well as access to the physical parts. China subsidises their exports and the shipping costs. Most Western countries do not tax the imports due to free trade agreements, and finally Radioshack is greedy and prices their cables and small accessories 10 times what they cost online.

Electronic items have become so cheap that it's not worth building your own or repairing them anymore. I remember RS (and Heathkit) used to sell kits to make just about everything electronic. When things like calculators and alarm clocks can be bought for just a few dollars, it's not saving you any money by building them yourself and since nobody bothers to repair them anymore, who needs parts?

Gemini000 wrote:

"Radio Shack" as a brand name has been long since dead in Canada due to some legal obscurities. All of our Radio Shack stores have been known as "The Source" for years now. 😜

Actually, Radio Shack has been officially dead in Canada for several years now and not just because of the name change. Tandy sold the Canadian business and was only licensing the name to the company that took it over. It was a dispute over the licensing agreement that forced the company that took it over to change the name after a judge revoked it, but the parent company of Radio Shack had pulled out of Canada long before then.

For the longest time I had wondered what killed the Radio Shack brand up here, and now I know. 😁 I remember when I used to read DIY electronics guides, they would always say things like "you can pick X up at Radio Shack for $5", and it would piss me off because I'd think "those Americans take Radio Shack for granted, and we don't even have them up here!" 🤣

I see Radio Shack being an online only retailer inside of a few years. The brick and mortar stores are just too expensive to maintain for what little sales they do. It's cheaper to staff a single warehouse that serves an entire geographic region than to have hundreds of stores in that region.

sliderider wrote:

I see Radio Shack being an online only retailer inside of a few years. The brick and mortar stores are just too expensive to maintain for what little sales they do. It's cheaper to staff a single warehouse that serves an entire geographic region than to have hundreds of stores in that region.

It really makes me sad to think about that. I mean there is definitely something to be said about being able to walk into a store with part in hand and be able to rifle through the components and junk. It's sad enough most games have all gone digital only and the rest have been relegated to cheap dvd cases. 🙁

The most recent developments in the Radio Shack Deathwatch:

Radio Shack files for bankruptcy: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/radios … ankruptcy/?_r=0

Radio Shack delisted from stock exchange: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/hope … listed-28716911

Sprint in talks to buy Radio Shack stores: http://www.maximumpc.com/selling_out_sprint_w … radioshack_2015

Ever wonder what happened to their once-mighty computer business? A while ago I came across this very thoughtful insider account of the colossal, idiotic failure of the Tandy VIS, which resulted when someone looked at the Phillips CD-i and thought they could do better.
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en%EF%BF% … ndy/LGfbXF3k4Kk

I E-mailed the author to see if he was still writing that book he was planning, but never heard back from him.

Jorpho wrote:

Ever wonder what happened to their once-mighty computer business? A while ago I came across this very thoughtful insider account of the colossal, idiotic failure of the Tandy VIS, which resulted when someone looked at the Phillips CD-i and thought they could do better.
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en%EF%BF% … ndy/LGfbXF3k4Kk

I E-mailed the author to see if he was still writing that book he was planning, but never heard back from him.

Epic read.

I haven't been to Radio Shack in years. Because I very, very rarely find myself in the market for a pay as you go phone, or a freakin' Quad-Rotor.

I don't remember the Tandy VIS at all..... Wow.

would be interesting to see that MESSed up.

The deal with Sprint appears to be done:

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-sc … hack/2015-02-05

Too bad RadioShack, enjoy being a sub-brand of Sprint for as long as they want.

My dad is also disappointed and is going to trash his old catalogs; no use keeping them around anymore.

So does this mean fire-sale prices on all their electronic components, arduinos and such? Or no?

Jorpho wrote:

Ever wonder what happened to their once-mighty computer business? A while ago I came across this very thoughtful insider account of the colossal, idiotic failure of the Tandy VIS, which resulted when someone looked at the Phillips CD-i and thought they could do better.
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en%EF%BF% … ndy/LGfbXF3k4Kk

I E-mailed the author to see if he was still writing that book he was planning, but never heard back from him.

You have to look at the market in 1992. There were too many companies producing video game or multimedia consoles. Choice is good, but only up to a point. When too many choices are available the market fractures too much for anybody to make any money and consumers end up confused about which system to buy. Nobody wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a console only to have it become an orphan a month or two later. The memory of the crash of 83 still lingered in the minds of the older generation of gamers and they didn't want to get burned again so they stuck to the established players like Nintendo and Sega. Buying a console from one of the newcomers was considered too risky, even if some of them were excellent in their own right.

JayCeeBee64 wrote:

The deal with Sprint appears to be done: […]
Show full quote

The deal with Sprint appears to be done:

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-sc … hack/2015-02-05

Too bad RadioShack, enjoy being a sub-brand of Sprint for as long as they want.

My dad is also disappointed and is going to trash his old catalogs; no use keeping them around anymore.

Before he does, he should check and see if this site is missing any :

http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/

This deal may be good for Sprint, because they get pre-existing store fronts that have been geared to display phones for years. How will Sprint and Radio Shack coexist? Under the deal, Sprint and Radio Shack will essentially share store space. Obviously, Sprint is not going to tolerate RS selling its competitors devices and contracts under the same roof. Radio Shack will have to say goodbye to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Moreover, Sprint does not need RS to sell its own phones. What is left for RS to sell? Overpriced cables and batteries? 3D Printers are a bit too pricey to fly off the shelves, Arduino boards appeal to a very limited market, and remote control toys tend to sell only during the Christmas season.

Moreover, what about the Sprint authorized vendors? Could they get the shaft now that Sprint has many more company-owned stores? Most Sprint dealers in my area have Radio Shacks nearby. Sprint itself had relatively few company owned stores in my area, mostly mall kiosks. In a sense, Sprint will be competing with itself unless those resellers have geographic non-compete clauses in their franchise agreements.