What Happened to Radio Shack?

[Bruzilla]

I went to two local Radio Shacks yesterday to get some radio antenna extensions for a car and found out that Radio Shack no longer carries radio stuff!!! If I wanted a cell phone or cell phone accessory, or some minor computer peripheral, I was in business, but they went out of most aspects of the radio business three years ago!

They should be forced to change their name to Cell Phone Shack.

 

[czygvtwkr]

LOL

Radio Shack has always sucked. I love going in there asking for things like capacitors with a low ESR or high amperage diac I get the best blank looks.

 

[Warron]

I think it is a result of a cultural change within the US. Electronic's have become disposable items. There simply aren't enough people interested in buying components such as capacitors and radio antenna extentions for it to be worth having them in a brick and morter store. You pretty much need to look for a specialty store on the internet for that stuff these days.

 

[Tonio]

I think it is a result of a cultural change within the US. Electronic's have become disposable items. There simply aren't enough people interested in buying components such as capacitors and radio antenna extentions for it to be worth having them in a brick and morter store. You pretty much need to look for a specialty store on the internet for that stuff these days.

I think you're right. I was heavy into hobby electronics about 12 years ago. (One of my quests was to build a good tube-based distortion effect for playing guitar.) I got my start with Radio Shack parts, but gave up on them after a couple of years, because many circuits had one or two parts that they didn't carry. I found it much easier to buy what I needed from catalogs.

 

[Richard B]

Radio Shack has been on a downhill slide for quite some time.

Their motto: "You've got questions, we have BS" or "You've got questions, we have cell phones".

I went to two local Radio Shacks yesterday to get some radio antenna extensions for a car and found out that Radio Shack no longer carries radio stuff!!! If I wanted a cell phone or cell phone accessory, or some minor computer peripheral, I was in business, but they went out of most aspects of the radio business three years ago!

They should be forced to change their name to Cell Phone Shack.

 

[baswm]

I think you're right. I was heavy into hobby electronics about 12 years ago. (One of my quests was to build a good tube-based distortion effect for playing guitar.) I got my start with Radio Shack parts, but gave up on them after a couple of years, because many circuits had one or two parts that they didn't carry. I found it much easier to buy what I needed from catalogs.

I get most of my components from Digikey or allied Electronics.

 

[jazz lady]

Radio equipment doesn't make money like cell phones and other electronics. They changed their core business to STAY in business. If they hadn't, they'd be long gone by now.

 

[Railroad]

I've sadly watched the decline in parts and tools and materials, and in staff expertise, and I'll be really bummed when that element of their business finally goes away. They still sell excellent scanners and CBs and weather radios and shortwave radios, and those are the things Radio Shack started with (actually it was in component parts and kits for HAM (HF Amateur) radios). Things really went to heck way back in the 1960's, when Tandy bought the company. Tandy should have stuck to leather kits.

 

[Oz]

Memo to retailers: Don't ask for a phone number or your customers will hate you!

 

[Sharon]

Memo to retailers: Don't ask for a phone number or your customers will hate you!

Or my zip code.

If I'm in a store purchasing and item with cash, you don't need ask me any personal questions.

If you go into Walmart and ask for a brick of .22's - they'll ask, handgun or rifle? ...just say rifle and they ring you right up w/o ID.