Did you never see any of their ads? It didn’t bode well that apparently most of their models couldn’t afford shirts.
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That’s the thing. They aren’t. Radio shack here sells cell phone accessories. Sprint contracts. Cheap RC toys. Off brand electronic gadgets noone needs. And an ever dwindling selection of over priced, but low quality, off brand cables, batteries, and computer or electronic bits.
They’re still the only place I can run in and pick up CPU thermal compound on short notice. But I will pay 4 times as much as from online specialist retailers (or at a proper electronics/tech/camera/computer store if you’re lucky enough to have one). They still have a tiny cabinet of diodes and other circut board bits, but you will pay way to much for them if they have what you need at all.
When you have a Best Buy right next door that sells actual appliances and tech, and name brand stuff at that. Why would you go to Radio Shack for your electronics needs? When you need something more advanced why would you shop at Radio Shack when they probably don’t have what you need and will charge you an arm and a leg.
I really don’t understand it. They built the company on selling fairly advanced radio components, early computer components, soldering shit, and some really cleaver and advanced toys. It was a tech hobbyist chain. They could likely stabilize themselves by going back to that. Build bigger stores with hack/maker spaces. Sell actual quality computer components. Fun shit like Raspberry Pie and the like.
But no they have been for decades, and remain. The last minute, over priced battery and cable shop. I’ve seen mall kiosks pull that off better.
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That’s exactly what I don’t get. They could probably make a killing off old guys nostalgia wise if they actually pivoted to compete with Adafruit and such; there’s no money in what they’ve been doing for my entire life, and there’s now plenty of money where they abandoned.
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I said this the last time they went bankrupt and I’ll say it again; they need to go back to their roots and embrace the maker movement. Every store should become a makerspace that holds arduino classes and 3D printing workshops, and sells all the pieces and parts that go along with those hobbies. They could still sell drones and such, but with an emphasis on modifying and creating. They could also include some VR gear, to bring back the sense that they really were state of the art. It should have been an obvious idea a few years ago, but for some reason they doubled down on cellphones and plastic crap. What a missed opportunity.
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i wonder how many boingers it would take to do a fundraiser and buy the chain???
return it to gadgetry greatness - components - maker space ----
hmmmm
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Yeah I can’t understand how noone whose bought into (or bought) the chain over the last 3 decades has figured that out. I’d be there frequently if it was the sort of place where I could pick up a decent brand of RAM, or a replacement power-supply at the last minute. Sell that kind of shit. Put a little work room in the corner. Hire or train staff who can show you how it all goes together.
There is literally nowhere for around 50 miles from me where I could conceivably pick up decent computer components in person. Nowhere you can learn to solder face to face as anything other than a tuition paying student (or high school kid who takes some form of shop/engineering).
Even that was the thing back in the day. Radio Shack got into RC shit as the place where you could get the parts to build or maintain a SERIOUS radio control car or plane. I had a friend who used to race gas powered RC cars, you’d buy the motors at Radio Shack. Now its all off brand versions of toy store style RC cars and whatever drones and cheap goofy helicopters are expected to be “big” this holiday season.
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I’m not sure they can make money with that model and brick & mortar stores. I mean, I’d be down there every month if they sold Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Adafruit kit. Retail space is expensive though and at this point I’d rather give my money to Adafruit directly.
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They were still in business?!
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I’m fairly certain that Electra Woman has a deal with Edmunds Scientific.
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I think we’ve reached the point where the “mere” thing could be pointed south now.
Classes are a key part of the model I’m proposing; not only do you need to be able to sell the parts, you need to educate a new generation of makers and build brand loyalty. I think there are a lot of people (like myself) who are curious about things like Arduino/Raspberry Pi and don’t have a clue about what to buy much less how to use it. And there’s a lot of money to be made in education, from kids programs to adult classes. I think there’s a lot of potential in that idea… too bad I don’t know anyone who can give me $25 million to try it out… actually, I might know one guy…
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And I’d pay a premium for it too! In fact I already do sometimes. I have one of the few remaining radio shacks (I think the guy who works there, just the one, said there’s…230 stores left or something) within walking distance, and when I actually do need a part right now I’ll drop by if it’s a reasonable thing. Their component cables are only like 1.5x the cost on amazon and I get it instantly. The issue is that they don’t stock as much interesting stuff, and what they do stock they charge insane amounts for, like those $5 transistor packages I mentioned and bought a few weeks ago.
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Right. If you look at what works in retail these days. Bar wallyworld and other deep discount places. Its all in service and usable space. Best buy (apparently) makes ends meet with tech support and home theater building/intallation. Through Geek Squad and Magnolia Home Theater. National and regional instrument chains stick around on strength staff expertise and shit like in house guitar techs. I know few musicians who don’t regularly say “I guess I’ll just go to Guitar Center and ask that one dude”. Home Depot and Lowes won’t just sell you lumber and tools. Their staff will give you advice and cut it to measure. Or you can book them to re-do your god damned kitchen. Independent book stores and comic book shops are apparently resurgent on the strength of large cafes and public use spaces along with frequent special events. There’s a comic shop we used to go to in Brooklyn that had weekly wine tastings and craft brew nights.
Whatever your business some one like Amazon will almost always have better prices and more selection. So more successful retail businesses are focusing on the things that a website can never provide. Space, and face to face time with human beings.
So? Home Depot for geeky shit. Buy your elderly mother a cheap laptop packaged with a class on email for grandmas. Have your kid’s LAN party or D&D birthday down at the Radio Shack. Need a powerhouse PC? Buy one of their home built ones, or all the components and have them walk you through assembly. Don’t understand Raspberry Pie? Take a class, on assembling it and programming for it. Need some hard to find plastic bit for your car that the dealership wants too many moneys for? 3d print it down at Radio Shack.
I keep hearing that PC sales are up. Largely due to gaming/building. I keep hearing 3d Printing is blowing up. And simple programming based toys. And small robotics kits. And small solder together computer things. And all that junk. But outside of major cities there really isn’t anywhere to buy any of this shit save online. And if you don’t already know what you’re doing (or know some one who does) you’re gonna be figuring it out yourselves from Instructibles and enthusiast forums. There’s a business in there. And in populous enough areas there’s no end of small independent shops doing just that.
When stuck its still the first place I go. And my main reason for doing so is PC bits and bobs. The Best Buy here is better than it used to be. But mostly in the regards that they now carry an absurd amount of day glow “gaming” peripherals (which is nice I can test out mice a lot easier now). And 1 or 2 brands of mid range GPU. I won’t be finding a decent cooler to replace the one that burnt out. I wouldn’t trust their power supplies. And they don’t seem to carry anything resembling SATA cables, thermal compound, case screws, or the like.
So to Radio Shack I go. To pay $12 for a $3 tube of Thermal compound. Same brand you find everywhere else, but for some reason encased in a hard to open Radio Shack branded clam shell. Canned air, the one 3 prong power supply cord they still have on the shelf. ETC. I hate it.
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Oh yeah, generally speaking I won’t pay the premiums now, not unless they actually add some value for it. Like I said, 1.5x is a sweet spot that’ll keep me from waiting 2 days.
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That’s what keeps it fresh 
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Well of course your mysterious over priced computer goo needs to be at peak freshness.
What I don’t understand is the laziest white labeling ever. It can’t be more cost effective to buy the regular stuff by the case. Divvy it up. And reseal it in perfunctory Radio Shack packaging where you can still see the original brand name. Than it is to have the manufacturer slap a Radio Shack label on there.
Its a model of efficiency!
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It’s what happens when companies are run by investors instead of people who actually care about the thing the company does.
- Cellphones and cheap Chinese electronics make money for other stores.
- “State of the art” means risk.
- Knowledgeable staff costs more than counter jockeys.
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I think that’s counteracted by the increasing trend of retailers who take that risk and expense thriving. While those who cut costs and grind eroding business models go bankrupt six times and disappear.
So perhaps our frustration is as much a response to Wall Street and multinational companies once again taking the cautious route that’s ultimately bound to fail/produce inferior results.
The dynamic is rather similar to entertainment companies refusing to make things like say, blockbusters with female stars. Because they supposedly don’t make money. Then the new Star Wars with its female star, makes billions and the money end of things is all “wait what”. The writings on the wall for anyone who cares to pay attention. But money is cautious, because that’s usually the smart thing. So the rest of us have head to brick impulses when we see that backfire again.
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We had Tandy in Australia and they were very good for their time. I would drop in on my way home from school and buy CB radio crystals. I bought a two axis joystick which interfaced to the Apple ][s at school.
But then DSE came along. They were bigger and in more locations. Now DSE are gone and its only jaycar and altronics. I like my local jaycar store and I buy from them but I fear for them as well. In ten years time there might be only one place I can go to buy components without going online.
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Video stores are another example of this situation. There is money to be made, but evidently not enough to satisfy the hedge fund types. Blockbuster Video is basically no longer a thing, while Family Video keeps on trucking. I’ve even seen one of their stores near me move across the street into the former Blockbuster location a couple of years or so ago. However, Family Video has some important things going for it:
- They are privately held
- They own their own real estate
- They diversify and partner with others; most locations have either a Marco’s Pizza or a local business on-site
If Family Video did an IPO, they’d probably be dead in five years. Being privately held and owning their real estate makes them a lot less vulnerable to landlords and Wall Street fuckery.
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