Jay Rose Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Radio Shack: "You have questions..we have batteries." Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afewmoreyears Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I saw a commercial recently for Radio Shack where they were going to re-vamp their stores. I guess they aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Bummer. The only place to get any sort of parts in many many places. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 AFAIK The 1100 closings will still leave about 4000 RS stores open although with minimal inventory for the DIY crowd. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) many of the "shacks" actually do not carry a limited selection the small parts inventory... Edited March 5, 2014 by studiomprd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard-NYNY Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 oh how i miss Lafayette Radio Electronics. I wish they were still around; you could get anything, even a $49 guitar that played well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 and Olsen... and the old Allied Radio.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Waldron Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 They are remodeling the Radio Shack near me. I miss Yale Electronics on Sunset Blvd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I believe the remodel project is still alive, and thus the stores will either be remodeled, or closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Steigerwald Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Radio Shack: "You have questions..we have batteries." Win. I think I might still have one of their 'battery club' cards in a drawer somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 ...and the good old days of Heathkit, Eico, Dynakit and so many others of days past. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 built them all... plus Paco and Knight kits... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBoisseau Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Really! ALL the Radio Shacks (if they are corporate owned) that I have EVER been to carry the small parts. Although some of the mall stores I've been to carry a more limited selection. Perhaps it's just this area of the country. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Even the small urban RS stores still have those sets of drawers with a (limited) parts inventory. I think they woould be very foolish to drop that…. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Rose Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Steigerwald Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Norflus Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I remember how excited I was when I got a new Radio Shack catalog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze Frias Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 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 hassparked unprecedented attention and conversation around RadioShack. Thiswill continue as we make the right moves to provide you with the bestRadioShack possible. These changes won't be achieved overnight. However,please know that one of America's most trusted, iconic brands is ready toserve 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 ourpromise 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 yourhonest suggestions and praise. This refresh provides ease of shopping in aclean, bright environment, the ability to test products, and new-and-improveditems. Your neighborhood store might not have seen a full rebrand, but weare reviewing opportunities to improve the overall RadioShack experience. Forinstance, we have recently launched a price match guarantee to ensure youget the best deal possible. We want your feedback and invite you to interact with us through socialmedia here. On behalf of RadioShack employees and our management team,thank you again. Joe Magnacca CEO, RadioShack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Dr. Rose: " Possibly not. " sadly, true... but maybe Joe speaks the truth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I miss the local places that also had a mix of military surplus. My Dad used to take us to those as kids. We got some weird stuff over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted March 7, 2014 Report Share Posted March 7, 2014 Speaking of weird stuff, check out Weird Stuff Warehouse, always a fun place to visit: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/05/the-weird-stuff-warehouse-is-where-old-tech-goes-to-retire/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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