Yeah, this. They had this silly idea that ordinary people would spend money for computers.
Posted on 03/09/2017 8:12:10 PM PST by Trump20162020
“Who still buys electronics parts to build things as a hobby?”
Engineers
The abandoned their core customers and never really recovered. If they go back to that and do it online they might have a chance.
“Here’s a company that could be the New Radio Shack: Frys -
34 stores and counting. People love Frys.”
I live near one of their first stores.
At their peak for retail sales, the parking lot was full. A few weeks I stopped by the store, and was quite surprised how few vehicles were in the lot.
I assume that their online business is offsetting the fewer cars in the lot.
Prices great. Selection large.
People still do. Fry's is a good place to get items. I stopped shopping at Radio Shack in the early 1990s, because they had idiots working there. I'd ask for eproms, roms, dip components and they looked like deer caught in headlights, then would try to sell me batteries - of which they didn't have the type of batteries I needed. Bad management. They had a good base to work from, for getting in on the ground floor of robotics, 3D printing and other creative electronics but they pissed away their opportunities. Boys and men want good hobby stores but few are around in malls.
When they started hiring minimum wage employees, their fate was sealed. Of course they don’t know anything about electronics...buts its worse than that. I’ve found myself waiting by the store in the morning, waiting for the slow motion clerk to drive up 10 minutes late. And the most unhelpful employees in the world - I could show a clerk their ad, showing they carried a particular phone...and just get a shrug. No offer to look it up, perhaps order it...maybe call another store...just a shrug.
And never in my life has a clerk pointed out my phone and criticized it for being outdated...except of course a clerk at Radio Shack - because of course their store was really no different than the phone kiosk at the mall, and selling phones is all they really cared about.
#20 I had that top one 150 in One kit
My son-in-law has his own home business building guitar pedals and synthesizers. Sells items around the world. His parents instilled the attitude in their kids to work for themselves and not others, and his siblings are also doing well inventing their own stuff. Prototypes his creations at TechShop, then has other shops do large quantities of his designs.
You can still buy those...don’t know what brand name they’re under now though.
25+ years ago I got a Realistic DX-440 portable AM/FM/shortwave for my birthday. It’s just a rebadged Sangean ATS-803, but all these years later it still works!
Yeah, this. They had this silly idea that ordinary people would spend money for computers.
Actually I do.
Although not really so much a hobby as a necessity.
Thank goodness for the parts sellers on eBay.
But it has been decades since Radio Shack's main business was parts and kits. They trended more and more towards TVs and telephones, small household electrics and remote control toys over the last many years. Cell phones and cell phone contracts was the primary business of my local one.
I used to drool over Model 4D’s ! I would still give good money for a working example.
Rebranding & reopening as a string of head shops, “BakedShack.”
Hey! Bill Gates said nobody needs more than 2 GB of hard drive storage. I still have a draw full of 3.5 floppy drives.
That piece of junk would cost $627 in today’s dollars.
And it doesn’t even have speakers!
Radio Shack must be a front to launder drug money, there is no other explanation.
I buy parts. But not in a retail store. It has been a very long time since Radio Shack was in the parts business. It was in a simpler day. They never had much selection. (remember BA, Burstein-Applebee)
There are some very good electronics specialty stores left. Like Tanners in Dallas.
There are very few “builders” left today.
I still have an excellent (somewhat dated) parts selection.
It’s a shame that so many great old businesses are dying out, but I guess the internet will kill plenty more yet.
Twenty-five years ago (perhaps a little more than that) I bought a Realistic DX 370 AM/FM/SW radio from Radio Shack. It’s incredibly reliable, durable. I’ve used it almost every day since. They just don’t make products like that much anymore.
I still have my Collins Twins and accessories. Superb equipment.
Built an outboard synthesizer so I could tune general coverage. It was 1 of 3 that I know of that ever worked.
I had a number of general coverage receivers. At one time I had a Collins R-390. Really nice tube rig.
“Who still buys electronics parts to build things as a hobby?”
You’re joking, right?
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