My local Radio Shack recently closed and I miss it. As for the other mall stores, kids don’t have the discretionary income to hang out in the mall and buy, buy, buy like kids did in the past. Everyone is so squeezed financially.
1. Unavailable products. If you can wait, easier to find components on web.
2. Knowledgeable staff. Most readily admit they have no idea what I am looking for.
I went to an RS last week looking for a battery holder for a Raspberry Pi/Arduino project. Sales rep had NO idea what I was referring to.
Sad what happened to RS - I knew some of the execs. It was run into the ground by mismanagement. How they missed the "maker" revolution is beyond me....RS should have been "Spark" or "Adafruit."