I hadn't read this thread until now. Ironically, I just returned from the RS nearest me. I bought this http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062486 because I didn't want to wait for this http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_317236_-1

$3.99 vs $1.39. I will miss the convenience of RS, but that's all.

 

Jameco is mainly a web business but they also allow you to call in an order or enter it online for pick up at the counter. I've even filled out an order while sitting in their lobby then waited while it was picked.

Companies like Adafruit and Sparkfun are filling the hobbyist niche in a way that Radio Shack could have if they'd had some vision. The market won't support a large chain of small stores like they have but the major market/regional approach of Fry's may work if they can manage it right and diminish the blank stare factor.

 

Is Marvac still alive in Southern California?
I used to go to Chester Electronics in Largo, Fl, but it died with the TV repair business.
I'm in a metropolitan area of 3 million people and a search for, "electronics parts" in my area comes up with Best Buy, Sams Club, Staples, and Walmart. Not where I'd expect to buy a mosfet!
It looks like Mouser and Jameco and Digikey are going to be my sources.

 

Hello,

My first computer came from radio shack (called Tandy in holland).
I have played a lot with this TRS80 model 1.
A lot of years ago the Tandy shop in Amsterdam transfered to a phone shop.
No parts where sold there.

Luckaly I have 2 well assorted electronic parts shops in a 10 minute walk distance.

Bertus

 

Jameco is mainly a web business but they also allow you to call in an order or enter it online for pick up at the counter. I've even filled out an order while sitting in their lobby then waited while it was picked.

Companies like Adafruit and Sparkfun are filling the hobbyist niche in a way that Radio Shack could have if they'd had some vision. The market won't support a large chain of small stores like they have but the major market/regional approach of Fry's may work if they can manage it right and diminish the blank stare factor.

The way I've read it over the years is that they, like all others that get big, decided to hire asshats for CEO's that have no idea about the market and are just professional company liquidators. For reference, read up on Guitar Center and how it was bought out and run into the ground (not gone but not the same as it was). Look at the Market Basket fiasco as well, and who they hired to run the company after they ousted the CEO. Surprised as to where he came from? At the end of the day common sense prevailed at the grocery chain but the problem is endemic in this country at this point. You would think that the 'haves' would realize that after they bleed the country dry and it goes bankrupt that all the things they accumulated will then be worth zilch and they'll be very unpopular for being a big part of the problem that caused it.

 

it seems to me that radio shack made their mistake long ago. wehn they decided to put their eggs in one basket, when computers came out, they got rid of some of their core buisness to make room for computers they made, then a little later they were just another ibm clone store. same thing with cb craze and cell phones, each tie taking away from their core buisness to sell to a fad. there is an associate store near here in Derby Ks. that sells ham radio equipment and sells on consignment. in Wichita ks, population over 400,000, there is no electronic outlets left other than a LLoyds electronics ( old lafayette store) and radio shacks. the wholesale outlets like radio supply, interstate electronics and such closed long ago, victims of the clone computer fad.

 

Talking about parts - Before gas hit >$3/gallon, running to the RS store to get something quick - even if it was twice the price - was a convenience. Now I cannot justify the total cost of a trip to the local RS store when I can instead get better selection, quality and price delivered right to my door within a day or two. I doubt that anyone could make a good business out of retail electronics parts these days. Stay alive, yes. Good scalable business, no.

RS might have held onto a decent parts business if they went high-quality, but instead you could always be certain to find the cheapest example of anything you went looking for there. A race to the bottom makes no sense to me when you have to pay for retail space overhead. They did nothing to inspire people to engage in the hobby. Maybe that's not possible anymore, but look at what sites like MAKE and Instructables can inspire. RS could have been a factor in that.

Talking about everything else - The lack of focus is death. What comes to mind when you think of a visit to RS? Cheap crap at not-so-great prices. Not "value" (like Walmart), not "cool" (like an Apple store, for instance), not "exciting" or inspirational (like a good hobby store), not anything much more than a "garage sale" of new stuff instead of used stuff. I can't wait to get out the door.

 

Radio Shack used to have an excellent (on the pole) TV antenna amplifier, and I'm still running one at my house, but I had to go to Chesters or Tampa to get the antenna heads. When these rust out, I'm not sure if I will be able to replace them. Then I'll be stuck paying for "400 channels and nothing on".

 

Ever open one up? They are really simple devices. With the advent of 3D printers it wouldn't be hard to role your own.

 

Open up an antenna amplifier? Never had one go bad.
Besides, it's the antenna heads that are going out of production because of cable TV.

But, yes, it's probably a single jfet amplifier.

 

or an mrf901 you used to get at radio shack.

 

RadioShack says may file for bankruptcy

It is funny, I have really good memories of this chain when I was a kid. I will miss them, but not too much.

Now, where can I find another store that will charge only $149 for a 4-meter HDMI cable?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...=Category_CMS&umt_source=CAT&umt_medium=RSCOM

Or, $29 with shipping on Amazon...
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-MC800HD-4M-Advanced-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B000WX7B6Q

Not that anyone needs a Monster HDMI cable...

 

Verizon needs bigger stores, because it is much more successful. Service + devices trumps devices any day. What is so hard about that to understand?

Services are exactly that services, they take up no shelf space or inventory space. The amount of display space and stock storage for what they sell is obsurd compared to the size of their store compared to a RadioShack.

So your statement of Verizon needs bigger stores because they are more successful is completly illogical to me.

 

Services are exactly that services, they take up no shelf space or inventory space.

Depends on the service one provides. A doctor's office is pretty big for the "service" they provide. The lawyer's office is large and it's a service oriented industry. The support to provide the service determines the largess of the space.

 

I used to work at a Radio Shack (private franchise) in the mid/late 70s. I also did electronic repair for them. In fact, Radio Shack was the only company that I have ever been fired from. (I made the mistake of telling them I was looking for another job.)

 

I can't say I've ever been a fan. Then again, my electronics training was via the manufacturing realm. Hence, I was acclimated to Newark, Allied, Digi-Key, Mouser, Jameco, etc., etc. Notwithstanding, when I had to have a part at 4:30 on a Saturday, they usually came through, albeit at a price.

All this aside, yes it is a shame to see them go down. They really represent a bygone era in many ways. IMHO, when they dropped Heatkit they changed course. Didn't RS originally begin in response to the HAM radio explosion?

 

Didn't RS originally begin in response to the HAM radio explosion?

Maybe that's the philosophical basis for their failure. They thought they were going to get rich serving fads. Ham radio, CB radio, personal computers, cell phones, and the next fad isn't sustaining them.

 

Excellent observation #12.

 

Thank you. Just speculation. Figuring out the minds of CEO's is not on my list of accomplishments.

 

Maybe that's the philosophical basis for their failure. They thought they were going to get rich serving fads. Ham radio, CB radio, personal computers, cell phones, and the next fad isn't sustaining them.

Current fad? How much can RS make from a charity ice bucket challenge? Oh, bankruptcy it is!