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Shack attack


Jay Rose

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From AP this morning:

 

RadioShack said it plans to close up to 1,100 stores in the U.S..

 

No more place where you could get emergency resistors and badly made XLRs on a Sunday afternoon?

 

Of course, they haven't really cared about parts for a long time. And I'm sure they found it harder and harder to hire kids who even knew what a resistor is.

 

But I've got fond memories of sending my wife out to pick up a list of parts around the corner (while I stayed home packing the rest of my kit), so I could quickly solder the pad / mute / phantom supply / whatever that I'd need for the gig.

 

On the other hand:

 

CEO Joseph Magnacca said in statement that the store closings would leave RadioShack with more than 4,000 U.S. stores, including more than 900 dealer franchise locations.

 

So at least there still will be a few places where they don't have that particular resistor or XLR in stock...

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I will miss them too.... but in todays sales and retail world, you just cant sell a few of what everyone else does, in a small store, with high overhead, and expect to survive...  

 

Batteries, phones, a small electronics repair section, some bluetooth speakers, a few radios, and some other stuff just don't add up to profits....

 

 Every time I have been in my local store, there has been one person other than me inside... mostly just me....  combine that with the profit on the few sales items of the day and your done...  After bills it is a no brainer... They simply can't go on....

 

  If it was not for cell phone sales and accessories, this would of been done 5 years ago... but now even that gravy train has run it's course...

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I think they would be very foolish to drop that… 

 

Possibly not. It's a lot of separate SKUs to be inventories, ordered, tracked... with most of the pieces just sitting there, and not much profit* on the ones they sell.

 

From a business point of view, a company that's bleeding cash might consider simplifying that whole department.  Yeah, it leaves us out in the cold (there's exactly one actual pars store left in the Boston area)... but that's capitalism.

 

* Even if they charge much more than you'd expect to pay at Newark or Markertek, the actual profit on their $4 Chinese XLR-ish plug isn't going to be that much.

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So many memories of Rat Shack. As a kid, I bought and built some kits including a bucket-brigade delay box that simultaneously sounded awesome and terrible on my guitar and organ…iirc, it would typically work for 2-3 gigs before it needed some sort of repair. As a dad, I bought some cool radio-controlled cars for my kids.

 

As a mixer, Rat Shack helped me out on a job in Rapid City, South Dakota. One evening we were going to cover a hearing and scoped out the venue during some down time. The "press box" was actually a stage box with all female XLRs. No one around the facility knew what was up. Zipped over to the local Radio Shack, of course they had male-male XLR adapters, bought two, got our feed and set a spare for a local news crew (who pooled with the other TV station that dropped by). All ended well and made some new friends. Thanks Radio Shack!

 

But the last few times I've been to a RS haven't been so fruitful. Sigh.

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I have probably purchased $10K worth of BNC adapters in my lifetime.  They have always been a convenient outlet for getting that last minute - "oh shit" part that no one else in town is going to carry.  My son and I built a little FM radio with one of those electronic kits where I gave him an introduction to soldering - he really seemed to get a kick out of that.

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Funny enough, I just read this mass email I received from RadioShack CEO. You may find it below. I underlined the part that is of most interest to us:

 

Dear Friend of RadioShack, 

As we kick off an exciting new year, I hope you have heard about the bold 
changes RadioShack is making. In my year at the company, we have put our 
complete focus on you and what we can do to better serve your needs as a 
customer. As a past shopper with RadioShack, we invite you to come see
us again
, so consider this offer an invitation to visit us soon. 

Having a winning Super Bowl commercial to launch our new branding has
sparked unprecedented attention and conversation around RadioShack. This
will continue as we make the right moves to provide you with the best
RadioShack possible. These changes won't be achieved overnight. However,
please know that one of America's most trusted, iconic brands is ready to
serve you. 

We are right now building upon the attributes that make RadioShack great,
like trained associates who understand how to make technology work for you; 
strong national brands like Apple, Samsung, Beats by Dr. Dre and SOL 
REPUBLIC; and innovative private brands, including core items for our DIY enthusiasts. 

"It can be done when we do it together" is more than a campaign; it's our
promise to you, to help you get the most out of your technology. 

Many of you have seen changes in your local store, and I appreciate your
honest suggestions and praise. This refresh provides ease of shopping in a
clean, bright environment, the ability to test products, and new-and-improved
items. Your neighborhood store might not have seen a full rebrand, but we
are reviewing opportunities to improve the overall RadioShack experience. For
instance, we have recently launched a price match guarantee to ensure you
get the best deal possible. 

We want your feedback and invite you to interact with us through social
media here. 

On behalf of RadioShack employees and our management team,
thank you again. 

Joe Magnacca 
CEO, RadioShack

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