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

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wise871

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I miss the old days of going into RS and picking up the latest Police Call and digging through the bins looking for the right frequency crystal for my scanner.


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ecps92

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Now R/S hands out printouts from RR :wink: for the County

I miss the old days of going into RS and picking up the latest Police Call and digging through the bins looking for the right frequency crystal for my scanner.


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mmiller7

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Not only could you by a CB radio there, at that time, it was also a good place to buy antennas, wiring, connector, and other accessories
Now they don't know what a CB radio is for, but they still sell the antennas and adapters...when I needed a CB the clerk asked if I would want a cellphone which they did have. Didn't seem to grasp the idea that if there was cell service I'd just use the one I had.

I’ve also been known to shop at our Local Sears tool department for small specialized screw drivers, nut drivers and Torx sets needed to work on my electronic devices over time.
This is one thing that online can never compete with...if you have <insert random proprietary security bit here> and need a bit for it, you can go in and they will happily open a set and find the right thing to sell you to fit it. Online you have to know not only what it's called but also the proper size to search for it. That's difficult when you run into things like the "torx with a circle thing sticking out of it" or "botwie shape looking thing". Same thing for power plugs - good luck guessing what you need but RadioShack had a bundle to try and figure out which fits. You can't test-fit them all before you order online without a physical store.

(EDIT: NEVER, EVER go to Sears for tools anymore. They used to be good, now they just have Chinese junk. Last Craftsman "precision" screwdriver set I got from them one screwdriver broke, a smaller one bent both before I finished tightening one terminal strip connector and they refused to replace it since I didn't have the receipt on me. When I inquired about getting a new one with the receipt they said they would have to ask a manager but might be able to give me a refurbished one -- even though it was only a few hours old -- because it may have been "abused". Used to be they'd replace lost and missing tools from a kit for free, now they don't even replace defective ones. I buy only Kobalt tools now at Lowe's and they seem to be every bit as good as the antique Craftsman ones were.)

About the only thing I might shop at Radio Shack for now days is an electronic learning kit, but even with that, their inventories are so low and the selection is so thin, I&#8217;d likely shop for that on-line before going to one of their stores.
I wish they'd do more of that...I have a roomate who is interested in playing with stuff and learning soldering but they only have 1 or 2 learning kits and even those have become "no soldering required" or only need to put in a couple components. One of the coolest things I ever built was a telephone kit with my grandfather. It had bags of parts and a blank board, you had to put in every resister, neon light, capacitor...everything. It was an amazing learning experience.

They did finally start to get in on the Arduino stuff but only after it peaked and clones from China were popping up for $10 you can get not only the Arduino but the Ethernet shield and USB cable too. If they'd had the Arduinos back when it first came out I'd probably have thrown a few hundred dollars into it but by the time I learned about them every company had a clone of it.

Take the time to think about it. When was t he last time you shopped at a Radio Shack store for any of the things I just mentioned above? Does Radio Shack even come to mind when you do shop for any of the items I listed above? In my mind Radio Shack as become an irrelevant brand whose name is no longer synonymous with electronics. It&#8217;s no wonder they are struggling to survive.
More often than I care to admit actually. Nowhere else has little adapters and frequently when I need a component part I need it *NOW* to fix something that broke.
 
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pratzert

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QUOTE: "EDIT: NEVER, EVER go to Sears for tools anymore. They used to be good, now they just have Chinese junk. Last Craftsman "precision" screwdriver set I got from them one screwdriver broke, a smaller one bent both before I finished tightening one terminal strip connector and they refused to replace it since I didn't have the receipt on me. When I inquired about getting a new one with the receipt they said they would have to ask a manager but might be able to give me a refurbished one -- even though it was only a few hours old -- because it may have been "abused". Used to be they'd replace lost and missing tools from a kit for free, now they don't even replace defective ones. I buy only Kobalt tools now at Lowe's and they seem to be every bit as good as the antique Craftsman ones were.)" :UNQUOTE

I couldn't agree more..... Sears no longer stands behind their Craftsman Hand Tools. I took a "Craftsman" socket wrench and a screwdriver to be replaced under their so-called lifetime warranty and was told by the clerk that Sears no longer warrants ANY of their tools past 30 days AND you have to have the receipt.

I also agree that both Lowe's and Home Depot have tools that are now higher quality.

BTW... in this mornings news, I read that RS is preparing to file for Bankruptcy.

I bet it won't be long before Sears does the same.
 

SCPD

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Several news outlets expect RS to file by next month.

Any thoughts on if I should hang on to the gift card I got for Christmas, and hope for a great price on a scanner, or just take it in now and buy a ton of batteries? I can always use AA's and AAA's.
 

jackj

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According to the Bloomberg article, Sprint is negotiation with RS to take over the leases on stores that RS is closing. The article doesn't say that Sprint is going to buy RS. But Bloomberg has been known to get things wrong before.
 

mmckenna

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To be fair, Radio Shack/Tandy did attempt to get into the "big box" store business. Anyone remember "Incredible Universe" stores:
Incredible Universe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They were late to the game and there was too much competition from BestBuy, etc. The stores were large and expensive to operate&#8230;

I did have a friend that was an area manager for several RS stores. He tried desperately to get "his" stores to get into GMRS, Amateur, etc. He attempted to train the staff and garner interest in things other than cell phones. No joy, the low paid staff didn't want any part of it.
 

w2xq

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FWIW $RSH closed down S0.15 today to all of $0.26 per share. The Wall Street Journal and other business news sources published stories today that Salus Capital is "leading" the firm to bankruptcy. The filing is predicted for the first week of February. Many comments in the investing forums speak to some stores closing in the early weeks of January. And I can't believe pump-and-dumpers are still playing games.

Another rumor today is that some stores are being sold to Sprint. I thought most (all) company stores were leases. Can't see it happening. $S is having its own problems with the stock drifting barely above $4 and need money to build out the LTE network.
 

MK

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Most of the stores have multi year, commercial real estate leases. A lease is sold to the new tenant. Unlike subleasing an apartment, the building owner really has no choice in this situation. Either a new tenant gets the balance of the lease, or the building owner gets nothing because their current tenant is in bankruptcy. This is a good opportunity for the new tenant because their monthly cost is less than if they were a new tenant moving into a new space.

The bankruptcy outcome was expected by mid January. Store traffic declines dramatically after the holidays. Radio Shack probably has higher daily costs than revenue at this time.
 

Voyager

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A few days ago, I posted a message on an article about their filing, but so far it hasn't been approved. Maybe it's not big enough news for the community forum. (but lack of radio coverage in DC is...)
 

MotownJG

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Out here in Modesto, California, at least two stores are at 50% off everything in the store.

The manager in one store told me they had no idea how long they would be open. She said they were told the stores were changed to "outlet" stores, whatever that means.

Looks like the end of RatShack out here in California.
 

pratzert

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I did have a friend that was an area manager for several RS stores. He tried desperately to get "his" stores to get into GMRS, Amateur, etc. He attempted to train the staff and garner interest in things other than cell phones. No joy, the low paid staff didn't want any part of it.

It used to be that RS stores had electronics enthusiasts, hobbyists, or "Geeks" for lack of a better word, working in them.

I often felt they worked there because they got a discount on all the new electronic goodies and could play with them at the store. I had many a conversation with some employees about scanners, monitors etc and they were excited to talk about those things.

Now-a-days they just want to know if you need some batteries or a new cell phone.
 
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