*Radio Shack Store Closing Thread* All posts about Radio Shack closing go here.

[K2KOH]

As a Radio Shack store manager many years ago, the core philosophy of the company had always been: I experienced the truth of this philosophy every single day as I welcomed second and even third generation customers by name!

There was a comprehensive training course required for all new hires that had to be completed successfully within a few months, covering every SKU carried in inventory, as well as technical principles of the equipment.

The core of the company sales was DIY parts, as the huge profit margins on small parts provided the majority of the store's profits! Of my store's $1.5 million in annual gross sales, nearly 73% of the net-net profit came from small parts... :lol:

Once the company abandoned the principle of the "Lifetime Value of the Customer", dropped the training program, and shifted focus from small parts to single sales of high-dollar glitzy stuff like cell phones, speakers, telephones, etc. I knew that the company's eventual slide into complete ruin was certain.

I will admit that it was a great ride for me, as no other company I'm aware of ever offered a retirement stock option program like Radio Shack's. For every dollar I invested in Preferred Stock, the company matched 80 cents. That was an immediate 80% return!

A few months after I retired from RS in 1999, I sold my Preferred Stock while it still had it's highest value of ~$98.38 per share. By that time I owned 6873.2 shares. Ten years later, the stock's value had dropped to $19.50 per share!

Nice retirement package! I was a court officer, but I worked part time in Carmel, NY store.*I had a good time. I was not a big cell phone guy, and the DM used to break my chops, but never went too far because my sales numbers were high. I had good managers, too. I was more the electronics guy, sold a lot of scanners and used to program them for people. I never BS'd anyonre, and I actually had a good deal of regular customers. It's a shame RS became nothing more than a glorified cell phone store.

 

[N4GIX]

They were "fellow geeks" if you will...... I was in their stores at least once a week buying something.

Yep! Typical exchange with a youngster entering my store:

"Welcome to Radio Shack! Say, aren't you Phil's grandson?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"Ah, Phil was in here last week and mentioned that you were coming to stay with him on the farm this summer, and no one could miss the resemblance to Phil! How is your father doing with his new job over in Ft. Wayne?"

"Okay I guess, but it sure is different from Warsaw. The Shack there isn't nearly as large and nice as the one here!"

"Wow! Thanks for the praise. So, how may I help you today?"

"I somehow lost a few resistors and a capacitor for this Heathkit 10 meter radio grandpa is going to help me build. I'll bet you have 'em here!"

"We probably do, but in any case if we don't, I'm sure we can come up with a solution."

 

[bob550]

I've known about their demise for a little over a month. They had let go about 60 people from HQ (all of merchandising, all of marketing, most of fulfillment). Have wondered why no one was reporting on it. Still no actual reporting...just repeating GWO's news release. There is a back story. On 2/13 TWICE magazine ran a very positive article (and this was well after all the layoffs). At RadioShack, Profits Are The Prime Directive | Twice

Irresponsible lack of reporting.

In 2015, General Wireless took a company with a failed business model, and made no significant change that would have reinvigorated the business. Instead, they continued pushing products on customers that they weren't interested in, and failed to restock those that customers wanted. Continual replenishment problems drove customers to the competition in droves. The remaining customers always acted surprised that the company was "still in business". Upper management seemed to have all the competence of the "Three Stooges", and created a morale-sucking environment that simply wasted every possible opportunity. Sale discounts were minimal, and were mostly smoke and mirrors. Product prices increased, and the products placed on "sale" for the old price. In the past two weeks, prices on many products were increased. So, before everyone goes out and thinks they're getting a great deal with a 30 or 40% closing discount, you'll only be paying the regular price of three weeks ago.

RadioShack died two years ago. The body has yet to be buried. I know this because I work for General Wireless in one of the closing RadioShack's. This job has been a part-time hobby for me for over 20 years. I am truly sad to see it go!

 

[WPXS472]

Radio Shack in the seventies was a decent place to buy parts and other electronics items. I think we all pretty much agree on that. In retail, it is adapt or die. Radio Shack didn't really adapt very well. Like a lot of folks, I have my Radio Shack horror stories like the time a sales person told me a scanner was "trunkaded". Our local "Shack" went through a period of particularly inept sales people. That, and the emergence of eBay drove me away. I have never considered "Best Buy" an alternative. I keenly dislike that place and almost never go there. The last few times I set foot in my local "Shack" they seemed to have morphed into a cellphone store, as if there weren't enough of those already. A friend of my son's worked there for a while. He said that employees got a pretty good discount. One of his co workers was using his employee discount to buy items which he later sold on eBay. Seems this was not allowed and the co worker was fired. I think that Radio Shack, like Sears, took a good thing and went in the wrong direction with it. Our local Sears closed last year, but I was in Chattanooga last fall and saw two huge Sears stores there. Only time will tell if they can pull themselves out or go under the way Radio Shack did.

 

[pratzert]

I remember when RS was the "go to" place for batteries, particularly for any specialty battery.

Now they have almost no batteries other than the common "C" or "D". And they cost a bunch more money than if you buy them in bulk at Costco.

I still have my old RS Battery Club Card somewhere. You could get your choice of one battery every month. Kinda corney, but it drew me in every month. I got my battery and spend at least another $20 bucks on something else they had on display that I thought was cool.

Sears will be gone soon I believe.

 

[DJ11DLN]

The old Shack has been gone for some time. I think it was in the late '90s when I went in to get something from the parts area and realized that the employees no longer knew more than I did about electronics. And I am the opposite of an expert.

I have a local farm & garden store here, Rural King, that is a mess. They have everything, but unless you know where to look for it, you're out of luck, because the employees are underpaid untrained idiots who couldn't find their hind ends with both hands and a 3-way mirror. That's kind of the way I've looked at RS for the last 20-odd years. But at least they were there, and I could go in and find components I needed. Luckily the internet has everything...it's just a bit maddening when I need something to have to wait for it to drop into the mailbox, instead of being able to just take a drive up to RS and pick it up.

 

[ecps92]

For Giggles, I drove by my local RS

Everything On Sale 10-30% Off signs

Now to drop in an scope it out on Sunday

 

[N9NRA]

Yeah, i too remember (fondly) when RadioShack was a real store that one could buy everything from a good shortwave radio to a (okay i`ll say it ) a CB radio to a ham radio, i even got batteries there, somewhere down the tracks RS went from a really good store with salespeople that knew about their products to a bunch of basically traind puppets that would try to get ya to (more like browbeat ya) buy a cellphone or SAT TV system, and since i had cable i sure didn`t need a SAT system . while i will miss the days when one could actually buy a RADIO there, i won`t miss the salespeople they had near the end, they couldn`t sell their way off a flatbed raillcar if they tried, and could be sometimes downright rude. Now that RS is dead i say plant `em deep and stick a flare in the ground for a headmarker, time to let Radio Shack go away (but i will still fondly think of when you could really get a radio there ). N9NRA

 

[marksmith]

Hope the price slashing is as good as the previous, time to stock up again

There's nothing left to stock up on....batteries?

Mark
536/436/WS1095/HP1/HP2/996T/996XT/996P2/396XT/325P2/PSR800/15X/others

 

[KK4JUG]

Now that RS is dead i say plant `em deep and stick a flare in the ground for a headmarker, time to let Radio Shack go away (but i will still fondly think of when you could really get a radio there ). N9NRA

I understand what you're saying but RS used to be a place where you could get a DPDT toggle switch, a red led or maybe even a knife switch. There's no place to do that any longer. Little incidental parts are no longer available in most locales. You can get that switch on the Internet and pay $1.50 for the switch, $4.50 for shipping and wait at least a week for it to arrive. Before, I could pay $3.00 for the switch and walk out with it. It was probably over-priced but at least I had my switch.

Is this where we start reminiscing about the "good ole days?"

 

[gonefishn1]

went over to my RS and they were putting up the 10-30% off signs. They said it will be 50% off in 2 more weeks. Problem is all they have is a bunch of cell phone stuff. Nothing I want.

 

[Nasby]

went over to my RS and they were putting up the 10-30% off signs. They said it will be 50% off in 2 more weeks. Problem is all they have is a bunch of cell phone stuff. Nothing I want.

Useless connectors and cell phone accessories that anyone could get at a much, much cheaper price.

Even at their 50% off rate.

 

[MTS2000des]

Is this where we start reminiscing about the "good ole days?"

Yes, because as a much as we want to, the days of a business model like RS peddling bins of component parts are long over. China pride mass produced garbage is what sells. Even the major Japanese electronics manufacturers don't support their products like they once did with service manuals and parts.

Product life cycles are shortened and consumers are accustomed to replace, not repair,

I'm surprised RS even got a second chance, but we all knew this was going to go down this way,

 

[KK4JUG]

Yes, because as a much as we want to, the days of a business model like RS peddling bins of component parts are long over. China pride mass produced garbage is what sells. Even the major Japanese electronics manufacturers don't support their products like they once did with service manuals and parts.

Product life cycles are shortened and consumers are accustomed to replace, not repair,

I'm surprised RS even got a second chance, but we all knew this was going to go down this way,

(Sigh) You're right

 

[ecps92]

Some that I've been to, in the past 6-8 mo's still stocked Hobby items, besides batteries.
Soldering Irons - Wired and Cordless, Parts Bins - stocked, audio cables, adaptors etc

There's nothing left to stock up on....batteries?

Mark
536/436/WS1095/HP1/HP2/996T/996XT/996P2/396XT/325P2/PSR800/15X/others

 

[ka3jjz]

There's been many threads in the DXLD Yahoo group recently about The Source - the company that took over and is co-running RS stores - is filing for bankruptcy

Time to put the gravestone together, I fear.....Mike

 

[Septa3371CSX1]

Noticed last week the Radio Shack on Concord Pike in Delaware was gone. I had stopped in there about 2 years ago and it was one of the stores staying with the Sprint stuff. Not sure how long it has been gone but it looked to have been closed for a while now.

 

[N9NRA]

I understand what you're saying but RS used to be a place where you could get a DPDT toggle switch, a red led or maybe even a knife switch. There's no place to do that any longer. Little incidental parts are no longer available in most locales. You can get that switch on the Internet and pay $1.50 for the switch, $4.50 for shipping and wait at least a week for it to arrive. Before, I could pay $3.00 for the switch and walk out with it. It was probably over-priced but at least I had my switch.

Is this where we start reminiscing about the "good ole days?"

And you`re correct, at one time you could pretty much snag whatever ya needed at a RS store, quite the great place to grab that part or (in my case) really cool ham radios (my HTX-202 and 404 HT`s, best analog units i ever owned, still miss them bricks ). Now if ya REALLY wanna get that part, and IF ya can still snag it...youu can deal with salespeople that are variously rude, dumb as a box of rocks, and probably couldn`t sell their way off a flatbed raillcar if thay tried. I remember trying to get my `202 fixed when the speaker/mic jacks went out, safe to say it was like pulling teeth, the guy was rude, didn`t know what i was talking about and pretty much wanted me to just go away, which i did after the mess with the scanner programming software i bought from them (cable didn`t work, returned it and never got software or anything except batteries there again). So while yes, one could get great stuff there at one time, now RS is little more than a dead store walking. Time to let `em go, i`ll snag my radio stuff from HRO or gigaparts, the RadioShack bus has left the station and it ain`t commin` back, and while i do miss the good ol` days of going there and actually being able to snag a radio or other part i might need, i don`t miss what they bacame, rude, dumb salespeople that can`t sell ice to even their own shadows and just plain bad selection of SAT TV`s and cellphones. N9NRA

 

[SCPD]

I heard some chinese firm wanted to buy them and put the Radio back in Radio shack,I wonder if they will buy the name and try this idea now or if that is totally out of the question.Either way I hope something replaces it.The store hasnt been itself for awhile now.Cellphone shack is not radio shack.RIP 1970s-90s Radio shack,you will be missed

 

[Hamradiostuffing]

In 2015, General Wireless took a company with a failed business model, and made no significant change that would have reinvigorated the business. Instead, they continued pushing products on customers that they weren't interested in, and failed to restock those that customers wanted. Continual replenishment problems drove customers to the competition in droves. The remaining customers always acted surprised that the company was "still in business". Upper management seemed to have all the competence of the "Three Stooges", and created a morale-sucking environment that simply wasted every possible opportunity. Sale discounts were minimal, and were mostly smoke and mirrors. Product prices increased, and the products placed on "sale" for the old price. In the past two weeks, prices on many products were increased. So, before everyone goes out and thinks they're getting a great deal with a 30 or 40% closing discount, you'll only be paying the regular price of three weeks ago.

RadioShack died two years ago. The body has yet to be buried. I know this because I work for General Wireless in one of the closing RadioShack's. This job has been a part-time hobby for me for over 20 years. I am truly sad to see it go!

I totally agree with the comments about Radio Shack. I remember going in there when the First Store opened near me when I was in High School and drooling over all the stereo equipment I could not afford. Now I can afford it and they no longer sell it. They were truly an electronics store up through the mid Nineties. They continued to discontinue product and things I liked to purchase from them. I found myself going to Radio Shack less and less because of it.

I bought a set of Radio Shack Mach three speakers in 1993 and I still have them to this day. I found that the woofers outer edges had started disintegrate. I thought that is no problem just call the radio Shack parts department. I contacted my local Radio Shack store just to find out that I could not order any new woofers for them. Luckily I found a company that serviced speakers that were able to replace the foam edges for half the price of an aftermarket placement. This is far from what I remember when Radio who used to sell real audio equipment, Two way radios, receivers, and any electronic product you could think of.

I went into the local Radio Shack store to buy a replacement headphone extension cable and I was told by a store associate that they don’t stock them or any type of headphones anymore. I ordered one online and had it mailed to me. I am not surprised they are failing it is like you said General Wireless did the same things that the old company did and expected a different result. That is the definition of insanity if you ask me. It is really sad and I feel sorry for the people who are going to lose the jobs.

At least the local Electronic Store here in my area is happy they are getting all the parts business lost by Radio Shack. One owner said it if it were not for Radio Shack getting out of the parts business they would have been the ones closing their doors.