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Radioshack files for Bankruptcy - It's Official

50.183.218.111
Posted on February 5, 2015 at 16:03:56
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46291
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
It's official, RadioShack files for bankruptcy. I haven't been to one in a couple years but I considered them to be the 7-11 of electronics stores back in the 1970's and 1980's. Never cheap but very convenient.



 

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    ...
Too bad..., posted on February 5, 2015 at 17:14:51
Steve O
Audiophile

Posts: 12374
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
 ...but entirely predictable. Rumor has it that maybe 1/2 of the retail facilities will be picked up by a collaboration betw sprint and some other entity as dedicated phone outlets. It's still going to leave a lot of holes in strip malls. I expect near 100% closings in my area because we're saturated with cell phone outlets.

 

RE: Radioshack files for Bankruptcy - It's Official, posted on February 5, 2015 at 17:18:58
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15519
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 A great American business story comes to a close.

 

RE: Radioshack files for Bankruptcy - It's Official, posted on February 5, 2015 at 19:45:53
jebe1
Audiophile

Posts: 4
Joined: September 22, 2008
 Here is a slide show on the Electronic Memories of Radio Shack:
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=276019&image_number=1

Also reminds me of this classic article from The Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/

 

Those catalogs and shops played a big part in the early days of my audio interest, posted on February 5, 2015 at 22:16:15
Goober58
 When I was a young teen I used to enjoy those catalogs in the same way I enjoy audio magazines today - mostly looking at the pictures.

 

I hear Amazon might grab a few of the locales..., posted on February 5, 2015 at 23:38:59
JoeKool
Audiophile

Posts: 896
Location: NYC
Joined: May 9, 2003
 you can pick up your packages, or feel up future purchases...lol

 

When I first got into hi-fi music reproduction..., posted on February 6, 2015 at 08:07:55
Mr. Dick Hertz
 ...in the late 60's, my first stereo system came from Rat Shack. At the time, I was a novice but they had everything I needed. Gradually over the years they had less and less of what I needed. Pretty soon in the early 90's, they had nothing I needed. Couldn't even find a film cap for my speaker crossovers.

 

I considered them to be the 7-11 of electronics stores , posted on February 6, 2015 at 08:25:40
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 Yes that's a good one I see them that way too. Of course there really weren't many electronics stores period even in the DC area. We had Capital Radio, Fairway, Collins Brothers, Arlington Electronics, The RCA store in Silver Spring and maybe a couple of others but they all mostly closed in the 70's and 80's.


I still say they abandoned what brung em' and that's why they are gone.

E
T


ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Radioshack files for Bankruptcy - It's Official, posted on February 6, 2015 at 23:06:23
pixelphoto
Audiophile

Posts: 655
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: December 15, 2009
 So I went to a local Rat Shack today for a project board and received a 60% discount on my purchase. Monday I'm going back with a shopping list! I sure miss the catalog.

Need batteries mister, we got a special...

 

Mostly cultural, methinks..., posted on February 7, 2015 at 06:41:40
MWE
Audiophile

Posts: 2202
Location: Burlington, NC
Joined: June 8, 2000
 fewer and fewer people, especially young ones, are doing DIY-type activities like electronic kits and projects. And standard home audio is somewhat moribund. Yes, I remember looking through those '70s RS catalogs in the same way I had looked through the Sears Christmas catalog a few years before. "Mach Ones, man, yeahhh! A pair of those would put everyone else on the block in their place!" Hee hee.

Mark in NC
Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

 

DIY is alive and well, posted on February 7, 2015 at 13:24:15
Bromo33333
Audiophile

Posts: 3502
Location: Ipswich, MA
Joined: May 4, 2004
 Actually there is a revival of DIY (THe so-called "Maker" spaces) that is quite popular among the under 30 crowd.

THe issue is that Radio Shack changed what they sell and market away from the DIY crowd some time ago.

The folks doing their own hacking, and making ... have gone elsewhere since day 1.

And honestly, I haven't used Radio Shack in any serious way for years. The gadgets have been lackluster, and the type of parts they stock are easily beaten by price, delivery and variety with Digikey and Mouser.
====
"You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you." ~ R A Wilson

 

RE: DIY is alive and well, posted on February 7, 2015 at 17:53:27
MWE
Audiophile

Posts: 2202
Location: Burlington, NC
Joined: June 8, 2000
 Well, I hope you're right on this. Do you think, though, that electronic hobbyism is going to be on the same scale as in the 60's or 70's? The only electronics into which I see any teens have their noses are smartphones.

Mark in NC
Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

 

It's alive and well, posted on February 7, 2015 at 19:15:59
Bromo33333
Audiophile

Posts: 3502
Location: Ipswich, MA
Joined: May 4, 2004
 There certainly a lot of interest in Robotics, Programming, 3D Printing and some electronics.

I actually think when I was growing up, it was mostly Personal Computer Programing and not as much in electronics.

But also, consider that some of the kids playing around with the phone may be writing an app for it, but also may have "rooted" their phone.

====
"You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you." ~ R A Wilson

 

You're right, of course., posted on February 7, 2015 at 20:12:23
MWE
Audiophile

Posts: 2202
Location: Burlington, NC
Joined: June 8, 2000
 I'll say it's an "age-related socio-contextual disconnect" on my part and we'll call it even. Hee hee. :))

Mark in NC
Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

 

RE: You're right, of course., posted on February 8, 2015 at 09:22:01
Inmate51
 Great observations by both of you.

RadioShack failed to adapt to changing trends in "diy", AND tried to get into markets (toys, cellphones and other gadgets) already saturated by Target, WalMart, Circuit City, service providers, etc.

For a long time, this was a company looking for a purpose.

Plus, the name "Radio Shack" might have been cool when they first started, but it's been known as "rat shack", and the TRS-80 computer known as the "trash 80", for at least 30 years. Didn't ANYONE at that company have a f-ing clue to change the store name?

But, what really pisses me off is that I didn't have the foresight to offer my expertise in telling them how to turn it around. I'd have only charged maybe a couple of million. Think where they'd be now, if I had offered to help. I blame their demise on myself.

:)

 

RE: DIY is alive and well, posted on February 8, 2015 at 09:25:48
Garg0yle
Audiophile

Posts: 859
Joined: December 1, 2014
 I have only had 2 local Radio Shack/The source, which as we know were terrible for getting parts at.

Recently I found out about a electronics store the next town over. It is everything that Radio Shack should be.

It's not full of exotic things, but it has an a decent and fairly broad inventory. I was able to check the in-store stock online, zip down there and ~hour or so later I'm home with the parts.

So not all is lost in my case since I found this little gem of a store lol.
I can't believe it has been there for so long with out me knowing, as I had done google searches for that area before.

△This message will self destruct in 10 seconds△

 

500 years - so close, yet so far, posted on February 24, 2015 at 18:44:21
Inmate51
 From awedofile:

"Reading the posts here on AA about Radio Shack I decided to check out my local "Shacks" which are both in Winchester,VA about 30 miles away to see if there were any deals.

There are two Shacks in Winchester and quite oddly they are less than 500 years apart!"

Huh. Whoda thunk it.

 

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