You sure about this? Locally many of the steel mills and other companies that went bankrupt had their pensions taken over by PBGC. At a way lower pension amount to the pension holders. Some where in the 25% to 35% of what they had coming.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pension_Benefit_Guaranty_Corporation

I said, "typically," dammit.

 

I said, "typically," dammit.

Wow.

 

"typically" most large corporations use the PBGC.

 

"typically" most large corporations use the PBGC.

...or does the government take care of everything?

I read this as "taxpayer bailout".

From Wikipedia:

The PBGC is not funded by general tax revenues. Its funds come from four sources:

• Insurance premiums paid by sponsors of defined benefit pension plans;
• Assets held by the pension plans it takes over;
• Recoveries of unfunded pension liabilities from plan sponsors' bankruptcy estates;[4] and
• Investment income.

PBGC is an insurance program paid for by the plans themselves, not by the taxpayers. Therefore, not a "bailout".

But, yes, I see your point.

 

And PBGC is a 'government' agency.

 

And PBGC is a 'government' agency.

Just FYI, most US workers do not work for "large corporations", but small business.

Small business typically do not partake in pension plans, but private 401Ks and other tax-deferred retirement plans.

But, this thread is regarding Tandy Corp., which is a large corporation. I do not know what kind of pension/retirement plan they have.

 

Pretty good recounting of the Radio Shack story.

 

Pretty good recounting of the Radio Shack story.

Loved the back to the 80s commercial

 

Thanks for the memories.

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-store-closings-to-jolt-some-developers-1423095564

The thousands of stores not part of the possible Sprint deal will likely close, the people said. The closures, and the uncertainty surrounding RadioShack’s future, could hit small real-estate firms especially hard.

Landlords are preparing for locations to sit vacant for months as they search for new tenants. In addition, RadioShack is already behind on its rent on some stores, and property owners’ chances of recovering much of that unpaid rent in bankruptcy are slim.

 

Update as of tonight: Radio Shack has officially filed for bankruptcy and will start closing stores.

Tomorrow, I will visit the RS store in my San Francisco neighborhood and see of they are having a "Fire Sale".

 

Electronic Project Kit at reduced price would make a great present for a youngster.

 

RS will definitely leave a void in the world of electronics... I wonder what (other than the planned Amazon stores) will take its place?
We have a franchise down here named Steren, it's 100% mexican (I believe they've opened a few stores in the US already) that sells electronic components, audio stuff and lots of gadgets.

 

I was surprised to learn they carry genuine Arduino boards at our local stores.

That was their last ditch effort for salvation..
Too little.. too late

Yeah last year (or two years ago?) they started selling the stuff they should have been selling all along. Their M.O. has always been small shopping center fronts; They can't even compete with Best Buy, much less Amazon. And all the cell phones they sell, you can get from the source. In the shopping center where my Radio Shack is, there's an AT&T store a couple shops to the right and a Sprint store a couple shops to the left. Why would anybody walk into Radio Shack for their cellular needs, and be met by a pale faced mouth breather, where there are knowledgeable specialized service provider reps 50ft away? I remember buying my first Arduino online a few years ago for like $25. Then a year later, radioshack starts selling them for $45.

 

Fry's Electronics has more parts than RS ever did...

 

Yeah last year (or two years ago?) they started selling the stuff they should have been selling all along. Their M.O. has always been small shopping center fronts; They can't even compete with Best Buy, much less Amazon. And all the cell phones they sell, you can get from the source. In the shopping center where my Radio Shack is, there's an AT&T store a couple shops to the right and a Sprint store a couple shops to the left. Why would anybody walk into Radio Shack for their cellular needs, and be met by a pale faced mouth breather, where there are knowledgeable specialized service provider reps 50ft away? I remember buying my first Arduino online a few years ago for like $25. Then a year later, radioshack starts selling them for $45.

I've found that currently, RS Arduino and accessories were competitive with anything I could get online. For example, an ultrasonic sensor I'd been eyeing was $29.95, the same as the online price.

 

Rs used to be Tandys here in the uk and unfortunately they closed down here years ago.....think Maplins is going the same way as they never seem to have what I need when I go in and now I dont bother as I can get everything I need parts wise cheaper online.....RS components are still going tho.....use them a lot online parts wise.....

 

I've found that currently, RS Arduino and accessories were competitive with anything I could get online. For example, an ultrasonic sensor I'd been eyeing was $29.95, the same as the online price.

The $29.95 ultrasonic PING))) sensors from Parallax are a whole other story (I think). My son just bought a knock-off from China on eBay for $1 each with free shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultrasonic-...030?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2edcf50df6
The only visible difference is that it has separate pins for trigger and sense. The ping uses the same pin for these functions. We've had the PING sensor for a while and used it in several projects so it is durable and has about 3 meter range. We haven't tried the "HC-SR04" yet. I'll report back on range when we test it.

 

I've found that currently, RS Arduino and accessories were competitive with anything I could get online. For example, an ultrasonic sensor I'd been eyeing was $29.95, the same as the online price.

That is surprising to me, but maybe it shouldn't be. I quote McGyver again:
"That was their last ditch effort for salvation..
Too little.. too late"

 

Fry's Electronics has more parts than RS ever did...

That's great if you're lucky to live in a place that has a Fry's, which I'm not. I couldn't even find one in all of central Florida when I lived there last year.