I don't know how many of you live in southeastern Virginia but PriestCain Electronics, the last electronics store in Hampton Roads, is closing on Aug. 27. It's going to be a sad day.

 

All of the Colorado stores are gone. I miss them.
I miss Radio Shack. I spent years complaining about how terrible there were. I miss them.

 

Yeah, I used to walk to Radio Shack.

 

I miss the OLD Radio-Shack. Back when you could buy a kit and take it home and build it. The later RS only offered stuff you could buy, plug and play. It was hard to find chips and stuff. Need a plug? RS MIGHT have it on hand.

Another thing that I dislike is when you want something you have to order it from the internet.

 

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Another thing that I dislike is when you want something you have to order it from the internet.

I don't know how it is now, but when I was in the U.S. I could get parts in only a day or two from places like Mouser and Digikey.

 

I suppose I can get them "Over-night" but at a premium price. Otherwise, I often opt for standard delivery because I'm cheap that way. It can take a few days to a week, it's not bad; but I miss the days of "Walking in, picking 'IT' up, paying and leaving with parts in hand".

Same with grocery shopping - wife has to explore. Send a man in to get milk and he goes straight for the refrigerated section and grab the first gallon of milk he sees. The wife - she has to peruse every isle, even though her mission was milk. She may spend anywhere from $30 to $120 on her "milk run".

 

I don't know how many of you live in southeastern Virginia but PriestCain Electronics, the last electronics store in Hampton Roads, is closing on Aug. 27. It's going to be a sad day.

I don't think we have any walk in electronic stores in Richmond. Personally I would probably still shop online even if there where some stores. Its much easier searching for X component(s). Being able to order and then pick up would be awesome tho.

 

I suppose I can get them "Over-night" but at a premium price. Otherwise, I often opt for standard delivery because I'm cheap that way. It can take a few days to a week, it's not bad; but I miss the days of "Walking in, picking 'IT' up, paying and leaving with parts in hand".

Same with grocery shopping - wife has to explore. Send a man in to get milk and he goes straight for the refrigerated section and grab the first gallon of milk he sees. The wife - she has to peruse every isle, even though her mission was milk. She may spend anywhere from $30 to $120 on her "milk run".

This thread reminded me my very first experience in buying componentes (resistors) down here, 50 years ago and the terse answer I got: we don´t give prices on the phone! I enjoyed seen that shop vanishing into oblivion.

 

With the loss of all the old TV/Radio repair shops the local parts stores are also a thing of the past. My local one survived by segueing into telephone/TV/data/fiber cabling parts and supplies for the local installers. They didn't always have the chips I needed but could get just about anything I needed in a day or 2 plus always had free databooks and sold Sam's Photofacts and their other publications. Second and not even close option was Radio Shack but one of my local Hams worked there so it was always an enjoyable visit. Did a lot of mail business with Jameco back in the day.

 

RadioShack has no chance in returning unless it becomes a vending machine. A chinese-made chinese-stuffed vending machine to be precise.
Kids now do not even know to fix a bicycle, solder, assemble an erector set or know what is a radiocontrolled model airplane; only play fu***ng Nintendos and phones.
Needing a $10 bill to go get a soldering tip is stupid. Yes, the salary of the employee + the medical insurance + and local rental has to be met + lack of newcomers to electronics + surface mount components + death of amateur radio + disposable electronics + chinese crap everywhere + mail/web order vendors + add your own reasons...

Yes, sure ----> https://www.radioshack.com/products/radioshack-5mm-led-blue --- Not even the owner of RadioShack wants to pay that abuse.

Smile, tomorrow will be worse.

 

Remember Tandy Leather? RS has always been on a very rocky road to ruination. Kinda reminds me of a really bad surfer trying to catch a wave. Always too late to get in front of it. Crafts, audio, radio scanners, CB, Computers, Cell Phones, etc., always just behind everyone else who caught the perfect wave to ride the current trend to success.

 

This is like walking down memory lane. About 50 years ago, my friend and I would take a public bus to Lafayette Radio and Centennial Communications in Yonkers, NY. We would buy parts and kits for building code practice oscillators and the like. It was also the first time I got drunk. As we left Centennial one day, we went next door to the deli for sodas. We bought what appeared to be something like a Mountain Dew. All I remember is it had the picture of an alligator on it. It turned out to be malt liquor. By the time we got off the bus - DRUNK!

 

In Columbus there is the original Micro Center. Besids all of the computers, monitors, peripherals, networking, etc., it has both a large build-your-own-computer section for the gamers, and a large parts section with everything from resistors to Teensy's and PICs, to Arduinos. More focused than the old RS inventory (very little RF-oriented parts), but deeper into robotics, 3-D printers, etc.

ak

 

In Boston, the you-do-it electronics center is still open. Parts and products are still available there.

 

Back in California Fry's Electronics was the super-store of electronics. You could buy almost anything that used an electrical current. They also had a huge selection of raw components, chips - caps - diodes - resistors and the likes. They had RS beat like a Red-headed Step Child. Sadly, I just looked them up and - um - you guessed it - gone.

https://www.frys.com

 

sad, sad days indeed...