RADIO SHACK RIP.

[Stellasstillarat]

My memories of radio shack. 6619 18 ave. Bk Ny. It was 1974 and upon entering the store you would be greeted by a large tube tester stocked with 100's of the most popular tubes. Then there were the was boards loaded with 100's of conectors, switches, fuses, 12 volt bulbs and the latest tacnical gadgets one could ever hope for. You antenna blew down and broke in a winter storm. No problem. Just a quick walk to RS and two hours later you'd have a ground plane up and operaterating. Not to mention drolling over the many brand new plastic foe chrome bezeled transcivers nicely displayed . You could actually bring a mic or radio and most house hold appliances there and the guy behind the counter would break out his RS soldering iron and get to work. That's right! The workers were actually knowlagable and could often repair your item on the spot. And those RS tubes! 100% guaranteed for life! I believe if you have any of those tubes RS will still replace them (maybe). The Christmas catalog! Wow! We would go over every page as if it were play Boy. I'm sure there's many to young to remember what a great company Radio Shack used to be. Those of you old enough to remember can vouch I'm sure. RS at 6619 18 ave is still there but it won't be for long. Soon it will say SPRINT but i will always remember the way it was . It may say SRINT or may even be rented out by a Korea manicure joint but when i drive by the memories of the old RS will flood my thoughts.

 

[Atlasta]

In this time, the waning days of the once-great RS I suppose it's time to share my personal RS story- everyone has one.

I spent a large part of my young life in the local RS. Often cutting school to hang out with the guys at the local store. I received an excellent education in retail sales and customer service, something that would pay great dividends in the future.

My first CB radios came from the Shack- and I stuck with them for many, many years. When the TRS-80 came out, I was there. Didn't know the first thing about them but I learned how to sell them!

Over time, the Shack changed. Less of a hobbyist store and more focused on phones. The quality of the staff declined. Once- ubiquitous parts were no longer available. The tube tester was scrapped.

No business lasts forever, and so it must be with the Shack. Gonna miss the place- even though I can now get everything they ever sold online for less-

The business lesson here: Evolve, or die.

RIP Radio Shack. It's been a hell of a ride.

 

[space cowboy]

radio shack will live on, for as long as you can keep those electronics running anyway.

 

[giboni]

radio shack will live on, for as long as you can keep those electronics running anyway.

Well. The Truth is it became ShitShack. Corporate Geniuses decided to put one on every corner.

They figured they could capitilize on the Brand fallowing offering over priced electronics.

They moved away from the hobbyist and tried to become a "Specialty Retailer".

Of "High End" items.

I have a Ten Dollar coupon. Tomorrow getting a third de-soldering GUN on sale at 11.00 pluss as many packages of tips I can get for my Desolder pumps.

That and their power supplys were the only fair priced quality Items in my opinion they carried recently.

Damm. When my Radio Shack 6LQ6's give out again. They will not be around to get a new set. Lifetime Warranty. They honored the Warranty four times in Twenty years !

They asked once what devices they were in? Told them old Color TVs.

Not my Kriss Big Boomer LOL !

 

[Stellasstillarat]

Good post. When I mentioned the life time guarantee I wasn't totally sure if thay still honored that but I guess thay did. I guess if you still have some of those tubes it's to late to swap them in as bankruptcy killed that.

Well. The Truth is it became ShitShack. Corporate Geniuses decided to put one on every corner.

They figured they could capitilize on the Brand fallowing offering over priced electronics.

They moved away from the hobbyist and tried to become a "Specialty Retailer".

Of "High End" items.

I have a Ten Dollar coupon. Tomorrow getting a third de-soldering GUN on sale at 11.00 pluss as many packages of tips I can get for my Desolder pumps.

That and their power supplys were the only fair priced quality Items in my opinion they carried recently.

Damm. When my Radio Shack 6LQ6's give out again. They will not be around to get a new set. Lifetime Warranty. They honored the Warranty four times in Twenty years !

They asked once what devices they were in? Told them old Color TVs.

Not my Kriss Big Boomer LOL !

Well. The Truth is it became ShitShack. Corporate Geniuses decided to put one on every corner.

They figured they could capitilize on the Brand fallowing offering over priced electronics.

They moved away from the hobbyist and tried to become a "Specialty Retailer".

Of "High End" items.

I have a Ten Dollar coupon. Tomorrow getting a third de-soldering GUN on sale at 11.00 pluss as many packages of tips I can get for my Desolder pumps.

That and their power supplys were the only fair priced quality Items in my opinion they carried recently.

Damm. When my Radio Shack 6LQ6's give out again. They will not be around to get a new set. Lifetime Warranty. They honored the Warranty four times in Twenty years !

They asked once what devices they were in? Told them old Color TVs.

Not my Kriss Big Boomer LOL !

 

[fourstringburn]

Last I read is Sprint will take over many of the stores and some of the Radio Shack items will be brand names and sold there. Can't think of anything useful that a Sprint store will carry for us.

In recently years I had only used Radio Shack when I needed something they had that I couldn't wait to have shipped to me buying online or buy locally since our real electronics stores where I live are only open 8-4:30 5 days a week when I don't always have a chance to patronize them.

With more online shopping that many of us do, expect to see more stores disappear in the future.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Checked their on-line site to see if there was a store in the Dallas area that had any of the CB Radios listed on their on-line site...And NOT ONE store within a 100 mile's had any CB's in stock! Heck. Fort Worth is the Headquarters for Radio Shack, and not one store has a CB sitting in a back closet?

 

[w9cll]

Went to the one by me and bought every rf/audio connectors they had left.

 

[Crusher]

Yup, I hit 4 different Shacks that were closing. I waited till most was 75% or higher discount. The parts bins were 90% percent off. I stocked up on perf board, transformers, fuse holders, panel indicators and a lot of other goodies. Picked up a bunch of Dmm and analog meters as well. 75% off. Couldn't pass up. Handy when you are working on something and need to measure 3-4 things at once. I don't mind butchering the cords on this deep discounted meters. Picked up a bunch of snap on ferrite that was 90% off as well. Picked up their 6/2/440 antennas for $15 and scanner antenna that was next to nothing. I spent nearly $500.