I live in a town of about 10k. I have 2 cities within 25 miles that are over 50k.
I had to order solder wick from Amazon today, because out of all the dept stores, hobby shops, and hardware stores, nobody carries it.
I use to be able to go down to the Radio Shack, and find just about anything i needed. Not only did they close here last year, but apparently they’ve closed down all the shops in a 50 mile radius.
Sorry, small rant
Thank god for Prime
You are not alone. Miss my Shack too!!!
I miss the 1970’s Radio Shack. The modern stores were lame.
I miss the old Radio Shack that was geared to hobbyists .The new Radio Shack sucked .
Was going to post the same thing. Seems when cell phone came out they really went downhill
Yup, poor management much like Sears. Their main clientele weren’t cellphone buyers and few would pay their accessory prices when there were so many other competitors nearby with better pricing. Their on hand selection of basic electronic components became so small, that it was basically a wasted trip in most cases.
I miss what they were, but not what they became after the late 2000’s.
KuoH
When I became a driver a few years back, RadioShack was the only place where I could affordably get a radar detector. Nearby, relatively cheap and the products kind of worked as intended. Even though they are a chain they often came across as a neighborhood store and the staff were friendly and knew their customers.
All other shops back in the day were way to far away or just “too big box” without any personality.
I went on this tirade before, but I predicted over a decade ago they were heading towards bankruptcy.
They used to be a neighborhood electronics store, the place you could get (way back when) a 12AX7 or 6LB6 tube, or a 5-pak of resistors, or all the crap you needed to put up your own teevee antenna (antenna, poles, mounts, baluns, cable, standoffs, splitters, ad nauseam).
Watch batteries, a stylus/cartridge (even the V15!), ICs, LEDs… basically, you name it.
Stereos (rebadged turntables, cassette decks, etc., but their own amplifiers/tuners, some of which were not just good, but impressive, like the STA-2080, which I still got), speakers, wire, etc. Radar detectors. Somewhat crappy car-stereos and semi-crappy car-speakers. One-stop shopping for technogeeks.
Then came cellphones, as mentioned. Rather than concentrate on their niche, what made RS special, they wanted to become Yet Another “Me Too!” Company. So they jump into an already crowded pool with dozens of competitors (Circus City, anyone?).
And worst of all, their policies downright SUCKED. Before they became computerised, and only had sales pads, if you wanted something on sale that was out of stock, you could go to the manager, and if he wasn’t a complete ass-hat, he’d be like the (great!) manager I used to have and be all like, “Don’t worry, just come in next week and I’ll take care of ya…”, and he would. He’d honor the sale price, and you’d write on the ticket in big letters, “RAIN CHECK”. Done.
In the years AC (After Computer), no dice. What pops up on the computer was the price. No wink-wink agreement, no overriding the price, nothing.
“Could I get a raincheck, then?”
“No, sorry, we don’t do rainchecks…”
So you’d have to hunt around from store to store to try to find one in Outer Siberia that had one of the few sale items left. And what used to be a simple ICST (intra-company stock-transfer), they’d call the store that had one, you’d pay for it here, then go pick it up there. Or something pricey enough, be nice enough to send the customer there and let that salesdewd get the commission. But YOU COULD GET THE ITEM.
Later? There were some wireless keyboards I wanted. Christ, I couldn’t throw money at the idiots to get me a keyboard. Checked a store in Outer Siberia that had one. Wouldn’t hold it for me. Do an ICST? (I said the magic words.) Blank stare. NO ONE in the store knew wtf that was. Ship it to my house? Nope, we don’t do that. Ship-to-store, but pay now? “Huh? Don’t think we can do that…”
Absolutely painful.
No price-matching, either. Everyone and his grandmother will honor competitors’ ads, some even online! Rat Shack? Nope. The price is the price. “Sooooo, I should go to Best Buy to get one?” “Yeah, I guess so…”
Wow.
No rainchecks, no price-matching, no anything that everyone else has, and yet another “Me, too!” company, only worse. Duuuh. Is it really any surprise they went down the toilet?
So the people that made Rat Shack what it was, were effectively abandoned, told to go screw themselves, “Nope, we’re gonna assault you with endless questions and pitches about your cellphone plan, when you just came in for a f’n 2016 coin-cell!”, that’s what they became.
RIP Rat Shack. You were great, once upon a time.
When the catalog stopped , I knew the end was near . Kinda like Sears .
And who could forget Lafayette Electronics from the 1960’s and 70’s? and of course HeathKit. I spent a lot of time and money in those stores. I guess I’m showing my age. lol!
OP, you are not alone…had to order DVD+RW discs. Did I say I was in a small town? Beats driving 60 mile round trip to Metro 
yeh still diggin my Lafayette and RS relics…. :sunglasses:
Remember the Minimus 7 loudspeakers? All metal constuction. I had a pair many years ago. Like an idiot, I sold them to my brother in law. He still uses them in his workshop. I want them back!
I’m extremely fortunate to have a small independently-owned electronics shop within walking distance from my house. Unbelievably low prices, too!
The friendly owner says he has regular customers who drive an hour to shop there.
I still get excited when he reappears from behind the labyrinth of shelves with exactly what I need! :partying_face:
I have minimus and maximus 7’s. Still going in my shop. For the size, with proper power, you can’t beat ’em. -Matt
I’d guess that their cell phone business probably kept radio shack in business for an extra 5-10 years.
Back when I made my first visit, as a kid in the mid 1970s, Good ol’ Radio Shack’s business seemed to be a mix of parts and consumables for hobbyists, DIY repair (particularly replacement tubes). For those debating whether a repair was worthwhile, they had value priced consumer electronics, and whatnot for installation (ie TV antennas, antenna wire, speaker wire, etc).
As the decade wore on, they got in on the CB radio and then the early personal computer boom, which was good, because, thanks to transistors and integrated circuits, the mass market for replacement vacuum tubes was approaching its end. (Somewhere in this period, the Tandy leather craft store in town shut down.)
Or, in short, even in the heyday, the hobby line of business was only viable because of crossover with DIY repair of (expensive) mass market consumer electronics.
Wow guys, I love this thread. Brings back a lot of fond memories of electronic times of the past. Lets keep it going.
There was a store near me called Electronic City. They sold Dynaco kits, AR loudspeakers, amplifiers, tuners, and turntables. I’ve built several DynaKits and AR products from them. I wish I still had my Dynaco’s since they’re worth a fortune today. Plus they sounded great. That said, I’m still a vacuum tube guy these days. Unfortunately, it’s a very expensive hobby.
I have a Color Computer in its original box somewhere along with the cassette tape deck used for storage of the games I typed in from the magazine.
Got a key to his place? :smiling_imp:
Dunno exactly where you at, but if it might be near-ish, there’s LNL Electronics on Robbins Lane in Syosset (well, Locust Grove, technically).
You’re not alone. I lost my Radio Shack a couple years ago. Nearest one is 50 miles away and I live in an area with 3 million people.