Posted on 03/09/2017 8:12:10 PM PST by Trump20162020
U.S. electronics chain RadioShack Corp filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday for the second time in a little over two years, faced with a challenging retail environment and an unsatisfying partnership with wireless provider Sprint Corp.
The Chapter 11 filing comes after RadioShack, owned by General Wireless Operations Inc, tried to revitalize its business by co-branding stores with the wireless carrier in an effort to compete against their largest rivals.
General Wireless, which acquired the RadioShack brand in 2015, listed assets and liabilities in the range of $100 million to $500 million in the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Delaware district.
(Excerpt) Read more at aol.com ...
Here’s a company that could be the New Radio Shack: Frys -
34 stores and counting. People love Frys.
Like ACE Hardware, I only go there when I can’t find it anywhere else...
2. None of the staff liked the exec team, holed up on one of the floors and locked the doors everyday.
3. Investing in redesigning stores.....Doesn't matter if nobody shops there!
4. How did they miss the "maker" revolution? More than ever people are doing home products and working with electronics.
5. iPhones are a no mark-up business. Selling cellphones when the iPhone is a top seller doesn't generate much revenue for RS. Apple took home the profits.
6. Staff clueless about electronics.
7. It was over when they stopped the flashlight club.
I have visited RS stores 5-6 times in the last year. Each time I leave disappointed and empty handed. It's been a long slow spiral. Sears, KMart,JCP, RS held on, but they never adapted to new markets.
I had those.
I do. Actually DIY has taken off in the last few years in the area of homemade guitar pedals and synthesizers. A lot more musicians building their own stuff than I recall in the 70s / 80s. It is a niche area and not enough to sustain Radio Shack type stores which is a shame. Not end of the world since one can buy whatever is needed online.
A friend of mine went to HH Gregg today since they’re about to go under thinking he’d get a deal on a new dryer - 10% off and still high as hell.....he laughed and left.....
I remember back in the 1970s, my Dad spent a few years building a HeathKit Color TV.
I still have my baby. I purchased a Pioneer SX-1980 receiver back in 1979.
I used them fo years but they got nothing anymore a couple drawers of junk
Kramer: Why does Radio Shack ask for your address when you buy batteries?
(well it mattered on Forensic Files.
I get Fry’s email blast. Great deals, but they also sell Raspberry Pi, Arduino, canakit, and other kits for robotics. Lucky to find a single kit in the RS store, much less parts, components, etc. I buy from sparkfun or adafruit usually.
Wow and Flutter! Amazing.
Excellent points. Yes, Radio Shack missed the “maker” opportunities for people to enter the store and learn how to do electronics.
2017 Radio Shack. Wow. Radio Shacks in Van Nuys area are teamed with Sprint, like in the olden days with Fed Ex teamed with Kinko’s.
Leo Laporte last month asked, “Radio Shack? Still in business?” Yes, they are, barely. I had a friend work at RS in 2014 and he said it was empty and just a low-wage job.
Fry’s had cool stores and a nice history of starting out by supplying Wozniak with parts in the 1970’s.
New Egg online has everything a person needs at good prices. Radio Shack: I cannot believe I am typing out the store name in 2017. Macy’s needs to close, since it is forcing employees to allow men into women’s rest rooms. Target is to avoided for pushing anti-family politics. And Starbucks is losing customers, because of its narrow political statements.
As a hobbyist they have nothing of value. They haven’t for decades.
“I remember back in the 1970s, my Dad spent a few years building a HeathKit Color TV.”
I built one of those. I was going to mention HeathKit but you beat me to it.
I had one of those too. I got lots of years of use out of it.
Lots and lots and lots and lots of people, many being young people interested in robotics and automation.
Thing is, Radio Shack’s in store selection sucked and Frys Electronics that were in the same markets had electronic component sections larger than entire Radio Shack stores at much lower prices. Better quality parts too.
And that’s before we get into eBay and even online distributors like Waytek and Mouser Electronics.
Cool story about Woz and Fry's! Thanks for sharing that one. Been on newegg for many years - great source to build PCs!
Imagine if RS used their stores for maker faires, workshops,and community STEM events....
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