Radio Shack EOL Visit  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2016, 08:31:02 pm
content: We covered the end of RS a few times but still sad to watch. So many early memories of my first interest and start in electronics was at RS in the late 70's early 80's.Courtesy of;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw2SbtOH0K9AjQTbIRI6cqA

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2016, 09:35:17 pm
content: I went to our RS when they were closing. Their 40% off on items brought the price down to the same price as other stores but without paying shipping so I grabbed a few things.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2016, 11:16:54 pm
content: Found a live Radio Shack about a week ago. Dropped in and found myself wondering two things. Why they were still in business, and why anyone would care.Radio Shack went from a parts and goodies store for electronics hobbiests, to a computer store, to a cell phone store to a who knows what store. They grew out of their original market, and were never the best in any of the subsequent markets they went after. In the course of chasing their new businesses they got worse and worse at what they started out to be. Sad to see them go, but they have really been gone for decades.

author: imidis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2016, 11:44:37 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on May 15, 2016, 11:16:54 pmIt is crazy how many business kill off their business chasing after shinier things.Microsoft is another example, they are chasing the phone/tablet market and will never get it. Why is any manufacturer going to choose a paid os over a free os for their devices?

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2016, 11:52:54 pm
content: One of my favorite Onion articles:http://www.theonion.com/article/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b-2190

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 12:16:34 am
content: We have one in our neighborhood that is doing well, new products on the shelves and seems to be reasonably healthy.

author: jsi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 02:53:27 am
content: My local radio shack has started stocking some things like arduinos and various little electronic kits. They have a long, long way to go it they want to be a good hobbyists store again. But, they are at least trying.

author: imidis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 06:44:10 am
content: They were bought out here by a phone company and are the source now, but meh. Rarely go there.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 11:07:26 am
content: Very much like Maplin in the UK, used to be a place where you could pick up pretty mucht eh whole range of 4000 CMOS, 74 TTL, hundreds if not thousands of transistor types etc. etc. from either a store or the mail order catalog (a work of art, literally, and an incredible resource with transistor pinouts, IC pinouts etc.)A real resource for hobbyists.Now they're in the business of selling overpriced, shiny Chinese tat to people who know nothing. The component offering is reduced to about twenty pages and most of those are out of stock all the time.There's a piss poor attempt to tap into the maker market with Raspberry Pi and Arduino boards on sale with a rather large markup added.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 11:43:01 am
content: Yup the business has changed considerably.Components are bought online against lower (lowest?) prices with sometimes dubious sellers with dubious parts.The priceless knowledge is retrieved from fora like this.But what I do not understand, a lot of shops go out of business but the rents of the buildings still keep going up as well as the salaries of the salespersons.That is an unstoppable downward spiral.So the consequence is that you see a lot of empty stores and only those kind of stores survive that make a profitmargin of 80% between buy and sell, like clothing stores

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 12:37:46 pm
content: A business needs to make in excess of 40% margin to survive.This equates to about 73%markup on cost.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 01:38:44 pm
content: Quote from: IconicPCB on May 18, 2016, 12:37:46 pmI'm good with them making a profit, I just fail to understand how they're in a position that forces them to sell at a higher price than other retail outlets, some of which are on exactly the same retail parks in neighbouring units and selling the exact same products down to the packaging for considerably less.

author: MT
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 03:25:04 pm
content: Quote from: sokoloff on May 17, 2016, 11:52:54 pmHilarious!

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 04:23:10 pm
content: And sad at the same time, perhaps a young person could have come up with some innovative new articles to sell and keep it afloat.

author: jsi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 09:30:43 pm
content: Quote from: MT on May 18, 2016, 03:25:04 pmAlthough the article is probably way closer to the truth than anyone knows, just for reference Onion.com is a satire site. (don't get suckered in like North Korea didhttp://www.npr.org/2012/12/01/166293306/the-onion-so-funny-it-makes-us-cry(don

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2016, 09:48:43 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on May 18, 2016, 01:38:44 pmExactly. I was in RS one time listening to the sales droid telling some lady how their (1200mAh) NIMH batteries for $5 each are better then the (1600mAh) $2 Sanyos. I had to bite my tongue and leave without paying for my stuff.