Radio Shack's last gasp (UPDATE Chap 11 filed)

Not Radio Shack, RS electronics is a big supplier/distributor to industries. One is in Livonia, Mi. off I-96 but there are some in other states. It was my "go to" on hard to find semiconductors. I seldom struck out.

 

The Radio Shack! Ham & CB heaven.

Last time I went they had zero bulbs I use, 2 drawers total. I used to keep three. Felt like I should offer to sell some back, just so they could have stock, its only about 60 houses away. They never paid well. And honesty, and commission, aren't the best of pals. I'll help myself(unless some idiot in a tie moved it all again that can send me packing for the day. Hey, you want me to look around? I will!.... elsewhere.

I've bought lots of stuff needed now, and cheap, in the 70s didn't care for the quality of most of it. But the electronics, and related hardware were at least satisfactory-to- good, very convenient locations.

 Every few years they had a "hit" to copy cheaply, once in a while they did it themselves (like zip zaps was the last "fad", but computers, calculators etc)

Hey, they even advertised once, or twice, years ago

 

Remember the price? (listed)

 

Just like Star Trek! 

 

 

Who dat?

 

  

 

 Olsen! I liked them much better. Had a great set of speakers till my house was robbed in the 90s. They handled way more than 25W haha. By then they were long gone for us. I remember driving by HQ in Akron, Oh. 

 Franks Nursery! They used to have trains! Id walk between them, and Sears pricing! I had forgotten all about them!

 

Great loses..A moment of silence for the fallen please

And thus began the demise of Ma Bell, $8.00 monthly phone rates, phones that you didn't have to buy and worked forever, and service that was 100% reliable.  Ahhh, lawsuits and progress.  Look what we have wrought.

The thread killer has reared it's angry head!

 

Radio Shack wont lock us out of our banks?

In train item sales? I bet PP has a long way to go to catch up.

I bet threads like this actually boost sales at the shack

Do you drive a car or a truck?  Have you ever heard of Sirius or XM Radio?  How about FM or AM?  Still haven't bought a radio recently?

Just have to add this note...remember Johnny Carson?...

 

He called it "RADIO SHAFT"...

 

I suspect there may be a few forum readers who have no clue of whom I speak...

 

Howard...

How many host was there?

quote:

Do you drive a car or a truck?  Have you ever heard of Sirius or XM Radio?  How about FM or AM?  Still haven't bought a radio recently?

 

As far as I am concerned, the stereo system that came with my car (upgraded speakers) is good enough for me. How many people go with aftermarket car stereos these days?

I cannot stand broadcast radio. If I am going to be in my car for more than ten minutes, I bring my IPOD.

Aftermarket?  Who mentioned this?  GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, and most of the other manufacturers sell vehicles equipped with radios (stereos) that have the capabilities to receive AM, FM, and satellite radio signals.  And, if you play music from your IPOD, you should be able to find music you like somewhere in the broadcast world.  

I get it. To each their own. We all have choices.

 

But gotta say -- for me -- XM Radio is the best thing to come down the pike. Have it in all our cars and at home. Love it.

Let's look at it this way. Within the last month how many forum members used Paypal in any form VS how many forum members visited and bought something at Radio Shack in the same period??? So which is more relevant to model train hobby???

I like my local my local Radio Shack.
I enjoy browsing all the sections and asking the young employees questions about electronics that I know they have no clue about. Their ignorance is entertaining sometimes.
But their knowledge of Android and IOS surpasses mine.
I bought a Raspberry Pi kit from them. They asked me what it was and what it does so I explained it to them as well as other electronics and devices. In turn, they explained things about mobile operating systems. I bought my last two iPhones from that store.

I've also met other electronics geeks browsing the store and had many interesting conversations with them.

I really hope my local store stays open but...

 

quote:

And, if you play music from your IPOD, you should be able to find music you like somewhere in the broadcast world.  

 

My IPOD doesn't have commericals, or chatter.

Well, I don't know... regardless of all the cynicism here and observations about "times are changing," I like Radio Shack and within the last couple weeks, bought some stuff to be used in train projects.

 

My layout and trains are loaded with stuff I have bought from Radio Shack: all the toggle switches, wire, clips, connectors, motors, light bulbs, etc.

 

To all the cynics who comment on changing times, let me remind you there are hardly any 0 scale decals made because not ENOUGH people buy them. If your favorite railroad doesn't get made by Lionel or MTH it's probably because it DOESN'T SELL.

 

And I love the posts demanding photos from people of some new train product just being released, so the person demanding a photo can decide whether he wants to buy the product from the lowest cost mail order place, and then complain here when the product is defective and is owed free shipping for service.

 

I for one, will miss Radio Shack.

 

Yes, folks, times are changing. Remember that when you have to order one tidbit electronic part and pay $11 shipping for it. Remember that the next time you complain about BTO, don't pre-order and then the product you say you want, gets cancelled. Remember Weaver couldn't even get a 300 minimum order for their cancelled troop cars that everyone supposedly wanted so bad.

 

Yes, times are changing... not always for the better.

Sounds like it worked out as it should have.  I would have treated you the same if I was helping customers and you tried to bump in front of them.

 

Your roll of solder, while high profit margin is not a big ticket (they are rated on $$ per hour/week/month, etc), so I am pretty sure the 2 "idiots" did not miss you when you never returned.  I would welcome such a threat from someone who threw an item over the counter, tossed me the bird and cursed at me  because I was helping other customers.

 

Somehow your solder purchase was supposed to make them drop their discussions with the people who wanted to buy a phone?

 

Do other establishments let you cut to the front of the line because you are in a hurry and only have a single item?

 

If I was the person they dropped to service you, that would then tick me off pretty much.

 

But I guess you must be right, and your needs are more important because you needed "a quick roll of solder".

 

(Now, if one of the people was just sitting there doing nothing, that's another story, but that's not what you said.  You said they were both selling phones.)

 

What was the relationship between "Tandy" and "Radio Shack"?  One owned the other?

50+ years ago Tandy was leather working, with kits, such as one I used to build

a fast-draw holster set when fast-draw was a rage.  I think I remember that Radio

Shack bought Tandy, but do not now know if Tandy or any leatherworking kits are still

available?  My local Radio Shack closed a few year ago.  I think I was in there once

looking for something they did not have.

I remember Allied and Lafayette well; they were my favorite stores. Then Radio Shack showed up, and it seemed like a steady downhill for components henceforth . . .

 

Radio Shack history, old catalogs, and much more "here".

 

Excerpt:

"Radio Shack once owned Allied Electronics!  In 1970, Allied Radio and Allied Electronics changed ownership when they were acquired by Tandy Corporation (now Radio Shack Corporation) and moved its headquarters from Chicago, IL to Fort Worth, TX.  For their 1971 calendar year, Tandy introduced combined catalogs of Allied Radio Shack products. (Allied Radio Shack catalogs and sale flyers from 1970-71 can be found on this website.)

 

In 1973, due directly to federal court action, Tandy was ordered to divest itself of Allied Radio, but by that time with the purging of duplicate stock and closing of low volume stores, there was very little left to sell off, and the Tandy stores would once again bear the Radio Shack name."

 

 

Now I get my parts from Jemeco, Mouser, Allied, and Newark. Occasionally from Amazon and the Bay as well.

 

Alex

 

Radio Shack, a Tandy Corporation, is how they used to refer themselves as.  I'm not sure what it meant, exactly.  

RadioShack's stores essentially become cell phone kiosks, but signing up customers took about 45 minutes per person, tying up store employees, Bloomberg notes. That frustrated the store's core customers, electronics enthusiasts, and weakened the brand.

Chris,

My favorite book for,"rainy day"projects. Little things to keep one's hands busy. What a shame that books like this are getting so hard to find. Lucky to find mine at a yard sale.

Possibly true, and it very well may have gotten worse over the years.   Doesn't automatically dump the employees referenced into the "idiot" bucket because of this business model issue.  this is a flaw in the way the stores were directed to be managed/operated, not (necessarily) a flaw in the employee behavior.

 

But that is not an excuse for the behavior bragged about.

 

While I worked there, I never sold a single cell phone, I happily passed those sales to others who liked that role.  I was more content to help people get what they needed and not tie up my time on a phone call for a cell contract that may or may not have been approved (early to mid 90's here, this has likely evolved).

 

-Dave

The Tandy family owned it. They moved to where Leonard's department store in Fort Worth was. They even got the streetcar that brought people in from the parking lot to the store.

I was reading an article on Gizmodo and they mentioned RS sales Arduino kits and supplies that some have mentioned here for various projects. I guess I should see if some can be bought for cheap when they are shutting down

I remember the name changing to Radio Shack, very early 70's.  I can't remember what the name was prior, was it Allied Radio?  I agree the customer service really went south with the cell phone craze.  Even if you did only purchase a few electronic components, the sales people were only interested in interrogating you for "who is your cell phone provider" and just wouldn't give up the pushy sales approach. Back in the day, the sales staff could actually answer questions about simple circuitry and components.  That "You got questions, we got answers" tag line really became ironic unless your question was about a cell phone. I agree that day by passing day, those component drawers and racks continued to deplete and not get restocked. Just makes it less convenient for us tinkerers.

 

Rich

hafta find a new source for my rectifiers!!!

Popi,

You won't have to look that far. Buy in quantity (10+) at www.allelectronics.com  

I guess I must be lucky.  The Radio Shack by me is pretty good.  Helpful, and knowlegable  

employees.  They seem to keep thier parts cabinets well stocked. I was fooling with the Arduino and they had everything I needed.

 

I am surprised (in a good way) that in all the times I shopped there no one has ever asked me about my cell phone carrier.

 

I hope they do well as they are a good local source of parts.

 

Ed

I just took Happy Pappy's lead and checked the link for one of the last items I got at Radio Shack: mini-alligator clips. All Electronics didn't have them, or anything even remotely close in size. Strike one.

 

So, maybe "Radio Shack" didn't sell radios. But All Electronics is hardly "All" but more like "Not All Electronics."

 

Just like having a local hobby shop, there are some items that are more easily bought locally than by mail order. 

I always liked Radio Shack and will hate to see them go. That said there was a time when they thought the cell phone market was the cats meow for big sales. It was obviously a stupid move on their part. As Dave's link above points out they spent so much time on that stupidity that I was driven to Mousers web site inorder to buy my electronics.

Many of their product lines that where pritty good like fire alarm systems have been dropped so  as to carry stuff I could care less about. But, that is only part of their bad business practices that brought about this mess they find themselves in. A big shot in the foot came with that over priced insurance product they pushed and most of the times getting something repaired or replaced was far more trouble then it was worth. I do admit getting some really good buys from them but pushing that crap warenty product made me feel as if I was dealing with a bunch of flim-flams.

 

If the Shack was smart they would go back to their original market plan with a few large outlets in selected area where customers can kill time browsing. The real business will come from a strong internet presence stimulated by a catalog mailing.

 

Good luck Radio Shack, I really do wish you the best. You have made my hobby world a much fuller one even if some of your management have tried to end that relationship.

Very interesting article.  Thanks for posting the link.

Back in 60's,  70's,  & early 80's Radio Shack was a great place for the do-it-yourself hobbyist & good quality electronics store with employees that knew the difference from a resistor to a battery charger, I always liked the Battery of the Month club, but when they switched to making cell phones, stupid toys, & selling poor quality products their priorities and pushing the electronic parts to the back corner of the store & jacking up the prices and everything always out of stock and putting a store in every city they started shooting themselves by competing against their own stores. I could drive 15 mins from my house depending on direction & go to 3 stores. Wal-Mart will be doing that to themselves too, remember when their "Superstores" were spaced apart and you had the choice of going to the local smaller store or driving a distance to the big Superstore,  now every store is a Superstore and they're fighting against themselves too. I remember the Lafayette & Heathkit stores too, they were great stores with quality products and knowledgeable employees, they have been gone a long time but preferred them both to Radio Shack. I will miss them but I am surprised "The Shack" chain have lasted this long. They should had stayed in the strip plazas & out of the malls. Rent is unbelievable in those places.

Radio shack basically couldn't find a business model that worked. They were one of the bases for electronic hobbyists, and they also did well with Ham radio guys as well, and when the CB radio craze hit they also were there for that. There last big hurrah was with the TRS 80 computers, they were a big deal back in the CP/M days. Part of Radio Shack's problems were that they expanded tremendously during the TRS 80 days, when they thought they might be a big player with computers, but then the IBM PC and the clones came along, DOS then windows came along and bye bye TRS 80..and when they tried to sell PC's, it didn't work.  Meanwhile, there other core business, the guy buying a tv antenna for his house died with cable tv, the guy needing a mike for his cb or a cb antenna and so forth, died away, too, as other things supplanted those particular areas.

 

In recent times they tried making it by being a cell phone store (featuring Sprint) but that didn't work well either, too much competition. 

 

I agree with others, it is amazing Radio Shack made it this long, its heyday passed 30 years ago. And yep, it could be convenient, if i needed a new meter, if I needed components, a soldering Iron, and so forth, it would often have it saving me the bother of ordering online or going elsewhere. 

 

I think if Sprint buys it, they are doing it for locations, and what you will see is Sprint stores that are all phones. I miss stores like Radio Shack and Lafayette, they were goldmines for a tinkerer and jury rigger like me, but to be honest my days of doing a lot of that is over, I have neither the time nor the patience to putter around with that kind of stuff. It is sad, but when you can buy stuff we  couldn't dream of having easily and cheaply, kind of takes away the need for places like Radio Shack. 

The same thing happened here with Tandy stores (UK arm of Radio Shack). Bought by Carphone Warehouse in 1999. Just bought for the high street locations.

 

On the upside we now have Maplin which are very similar to Radio Shack. Just bought a soldering station there a couple of weeks ago.

 

When I wanted a USB to serial cable for my Legacy base I went to PC World. They used to have every lead and adaptor known to man! Not any more, they have merged with Currys and now sell white goods as well as computers. The sales guy sent me to Maplin!

 

Nick

My oldest son is into leather craft these days and shops at the local Tandy leather goods store quite often.

Back in the late '70's and early '80's I was a regular Radio Shack customer buying stuff for layouts. When the boys got to the RC car stage we went to RS to get those too. Of course Dad had to have one as well to keep up with them! I still have mine. It still runs and I still have part of the original box. Maybe someday it will again be worth the $20 I paid for it!  lol

 

 

 

 

Like most chain places today in business the words customer service is not held in much regard. It's about hiring employees on commission and only training them on selling the big ticket items.  The companies like Wegmans Food Markets,  Cracker Barrel Restaurants,  Home Depot,  and Lowe's actually train ( no pun intended) their employees to make customer service a priority. I don't have a Menard's in my area but have heard they are very good too on customer service.  Walk into a cell phone place (especially the biggest major one) and find someone who knows how to fix a problem,  forget it! Go home and call their customer service support,  spend 3 hours talking to 6 people & keep getting transferred before you get someone who actually can fiqure out your problem and can fiqure out their billing process. It's hard to find the locally owned hardware or train/ hobby shop but usually that's where you normally get great customer service but as we all know there are exceptions but they're usually already out of business.

I took Leather working in Jr high school, around 1965-66 or so and there were a few Tandy leather stores here. Got my supplies there. I continued with it for few years afterward. They have been gone around here for a long time now. I didn't know there were any of those left still in business? That's good to hear. Also nice to hear that people like you son are still interested in it. Some have said they don't teach this type of stuff in school any longer?

 

I'm sure I'm wrong here, but it seems like the Leather stores kind of vanished about the time the Radio Shacks started appearing, but that was a long time ago? We had one Tandy Leather store here that might have made it into the '90s, can't remember for sure? It was about 3-4 doors down from where my local train shop is located now. That's a strange coincidence. That wasn't the Tandy store I went to in the '60s though, different part of town. 

Chapter 11 was filed a few hours ago, watch for sales

RS Files Chapter 11