Radio Shack making a comeback? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 04:46:53 am
content: http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/radioshack-reboot-retailer-powers-up-with-new-vision/article_2b0389aa-bac5-11e9-b62b-aff8b65d0aa1.html

author: ggchab
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 07:31:59 am
content: Not accessible from EU

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 11:01:01 am
content: Try this:https://web.archive.org/web/20190810150752/http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/radioshack-reboot-retailer-powers-up-with-new-vision/article_2b0389aa-bac5-11e9-b62b-aff8b65d0aa1.html

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 11:57:08 am
content: So basically it is a cell phone store again but this time with AT&T

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 12:20:31 pm
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on August 17, 2019, 11:01:01 amOr use a proxy server.https://us.hideproxy.me/go.php?u=gHg8m5eyIQM6YHsjk8tsZrCI3647kQheqphhhzAK5WZtv0YHQKfWWJQAXbgpNyhTKDwj8MztVT99I6Ln2MqAxFkZHOuTa8xV1nOOeiHjcxfEDrqK6eGB3Y3lR%2BDA9R272bSgX1JeIE7CI8yR54P3QT7U%2FJPgScudA7yPEI%2FQDMtk9k7CyvhDkw%3D%3D&b=5&f=norefer

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 12:28:24 pm
content: I don't think offering AT&T products and services is the same thing as betting the business on cell phone sales. Selling cell phones and plans didn't work out for them before and hopefully they won't make that mistake again. It's hard to compete against Walmart.The other stupid thing they did previously was over-expand. And to make matters worse most of the expansion came from putting stores into high rent locations such as shopping malls.Still, I'm not convinced they will do any better this time around.

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 07:02:53 pm
content: There is no way the old, genuine Radio Shack can come back. Times have changed.They can lend the name to some kind of phone store and even then I am not sure if the name would make a difference.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 12:27:49 am
content: The Shack could definitely be re-imagined.E.g. carry the top 100 Chinese electronic ebay items in stores so they can be purchased quickly and locally...

author: Illusionist
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 01:37:02 am
content: Interesting.Maplin Electronics in the UK, where many years ago I was a regular visitor, shut down some years ago. It reopened recently, selling mostly crap by the looks of it and not a component in sight. Nothing like the original Maplin.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 01:41:01 am
content: I loved Radio Shack when I was a kid, but by the late 90s they had turned into cellphone and crappy RC toy shack. It was still somewhere you could get some solder in a pinch, or some resistors if you happened to need one of the 15 values they had in stock but overall it was pretty hopeless. Even by the late 80s it was very difficult to get all the parts needed to build anything at all.I don't think the Radio Shack I loved will ever be back, as was said earlier times have changed, if it does return it will be in name only and have nothing to offer vs online retailers.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 02:07:13 am
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on August 18, 2019, 12:27:49 amIn the US the Microcenter chain approximates this.They carry Arduino stuff from Inland, Adafruit modules, some Velleman kits, Teensies, wire, solder, breadboards, resistor and cap kits, Hakko soldering irons, Korad power supplies, ... I think I've even seen the DS1054Z there.The Inland products are the closest thing to raw Aliexpress... you can get buck-boost modules, FTDI USB-serial modules, Arduino Uno and Mega clones, etc.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 02:32:24 am
content: Quote from: ledtester on August 18, 2019, 02:07:13 amI was going to say exactly this - the Microcenter near my house operates in a similar fashion and the cashier line is usually full of people every time I go there. I suspect there is demand for such model store, but the key is to keep it at a manageable size and not overgrow.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 02:39:17 am
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on August 18, 2019, 12:27:49 amOne question,WHY? I can order that kind of stuff through Amazon and they'll deliver it the next day.I'm afraid that that ship (Radio ShacK) has sailed and isn't coming back. RS did well in the 1960s whenmanypeople were seriously interested in technology and in electronics and there were very few other electronic stores around and when mail order frequently took 6 weeks or longer to be delivered but none of that is true any longer.

author: BillB
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 18, 2019, 11:48:08 am
content: Just like the previous "re-imagining", the investors are fooling themselves if they think the goodwill of the brand name will have enough nostalgic value to compete with the 21st century online shopping.I, like many others here, grew up in a Radio Shack store and am saddened to see its corpse paraded around like this.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2019, 02:27:30 pm
content: I hadn't noticed the Micro Center, must take a look at one of their stores one of the days.Obviously Internet shopping is very very good for electronic components, we are spoilt for choice with both new and used parts and components.The only place where bricks and mortar still retains an edge is for products that are not economical to ship (e.g. building materials, etc), or products that you need immediately (Saturday afternoon, you are fixing the car, you break your ratchet handle... are you going to order online or go to the nearest hardware store?)