Radio Shack – What The Heck Happened?

[frankie811]

Radio Shack - What The Heck Happened?

Radio Shack was once a household name, with over 7,000 stores across the USA. It was the go-to destination for electronics enthusiasts

americanmemorylane.com

 

[W2JEL]

AMAZON

 

[RichardKramer]

Radio Shack - What The Heck Happened?

Radio Shack was once a household name, with over 7,000 stores across the USA. It was the go-to destination for electronics enthusiasts

americanmemorylane.com

RadioShack.com Official Site - America's Technology Store

The Shack Is Back! Shop Radios, Headphones, TV Antennas, Cables & Adapters, DIY Tools & Parts, Electronics Maker Kits, and much more brand new arrivals daily! Don't forget to visit any of our 450+ RadioShack locations across America!

www.radioshack.com

 

[buddrousa]

Radioshack has been gone for years.
Before the SDSX00'S or TRX'S were ever released.

 

[ladn]

"You've got questions..."
We haven't a clue!

Like other retailers, the Shack dug its own grave. They tried to become a cutting edge technology store--selling cell phones. Corporate moved the stores away from the electronic hobbyist market. The store associates were treated poorly and undertrained.

 

[CrabbyMilton]

Competition. They pretty much exited the scanner and parts for them long before they went defunct. I can't remember which vendor I bought my last scanner from. That's the point. If a vendor has what you want at competitive prices, who really cares about the rest?

 

[dispatchgeek]

"You've got questions..."
We haven't a clue!

Like other retailers, the Shack dug its own grave. They tried to become a cutting edge technology store--selling cell phones. Corporate moved the stores away from the electronic hobbyist market. The store associates were treated poorly and undertrained.

Our local variation of this was "You've got questions, we've got blank stares."

 

[GlobalNorth]

Phone numbers.

People hate giving out their phone numbers just to buy four AA batteries.

 

[CrabbyMilton]

I know how you feel. I only give out my phone number unless I have to otherwise I challenge them as to why or will just walk out of the store or restaurant that wants that for reservations if required. I just want to buy something I don't want to talk to them. Now that you mentioned that, I think RADIOSHACK took my address down which I didn't mind since they would they send me a catalog once in awhile.
Now you not only get blank stares but broken English and/or hostile faces.

 

[kinglou0]

Becoming Phoneshack was the beginning of their demise.

Focusing on products with huge retailer commissions really was a stupid move when they should’ve been leveraging their location count and generally favorable reputation into becoming an alternative to Best Buy or Amazon.

The money from cellular activations along with money that DirecTV/USSB was throwing out for every system sold was pretty lucrative from the mid 90’s through the mid 00’s. I sold my share fair of .01¢ analog Nokia and Audiovox cell phones in the 90’s. The DirecTV RCA systems in a box were huge during Xmas.

“Yes, the phone is really a penny but I need to grab a credit card imprint from you to make sure we get our activation credit.”

 

[CrabbyMilton]

In fairness, blank looks are nothing new. back in the late 80's in the early 90's, I wanted to buy a new scanner. I went to a place that was recommended very highly. They were literally a mom and dad operation and supposedly the end all for anything scanner. I go in and mentioned the scanner model I was interested in. They had no idea what I was talking about.

 

[ladn]

I know how you feel. I only give out my phone number unless I have to otherwise

This is what I use when asked for a phone number (area code of choice)+555-1212.
This used to be the number to call to get the time. Maybe it still is.

Today, it would be as relevant to most retail clerks as a rotary dial phone.

 

[W2SOX]

We had two radio shacks literally across the street from each other I certainly didn't understand how that was sustainable. By the time I entered my senior year of high school all but one remained in my area. I often went more for computer adapters and simple electronic components more than I ever did for radio related stuff. Surface mount tech made it impossible to fix most things, and a lot of people simply don't care about radio enough anymore to keep hundreds of stores open.

I sure do miss that place though

 

[FrensicPic]

They would often ask: "What are you making/building?"
Telling them would often bewilder them!

 

[Randyk4661]

In all fairness to radio shack,
When I was hired I was given a catalog and told to go home and read it and to sell that item from just the description.
I was only paid minimum wage back them ($3.35 an hour). We had to sell overpriced products that anyone else could go buy for 25% or more cheaper elsewhere.
America's technology store. Yeah right, give us a cash register instead of having to write up every ticket.
When I worked there Cellphones were just starting to come out, Radio Shack sent a memo stating that they were not going to be selling them as they didn't see a future in them. It was about a year after I left them they started to rethink the decision and of course by this time you could buy Cellphones many different places.
That's when Cellular Shack started to take over and they got away from the electronics hobbyist part of the business.

I don't miss them at all.

 

[p1879]

I sure loved to go to The Shack and get all my adapters, as well as my RS Pro 2006, Pro 95, several Pro 97's, etc. I bought 4 or so great ST1 ( I think) scanner antennas on closeout, and the Remtronics 800 Mhz antennas as well, very cheaply.

The ST-1 was a knockoff of the ChannelMaster Mon-5094-A, a legendary early scanner antenna.

I was very fortunate the local RS store had a man who really knew scanners and everything else in the store. He knew the programming software, and variants as well. Thank you Lynn!

I met a real gentleman here on RR who worked at the Shack somewhere in the NE USA. He got my broken Pro-97 fixed somehow, I think, and we swapped my RS DX-440 SW Radio and RS antenna tuner for another RS Pro-97, a personal deal.

Miss The Shack!

 

[KevinC]

They would often ask: "What are you making/building?"
Telling them would often bewilder them!

I always thought that was just me. They NEVER understood what I was going to do with the parts I bought.

 

[samcken]

Being in my eighth decade (but still just 39) I can remember many times walking in and getting just what I needed: 10% resistors, tubes, wire, even those newfangled transistors. Needed a power supply transformer for a home made digital clock - the shack had it. A battery holder for a rechargeable battery project? You guessed it - RS. But times change, the old timer I could count on to keep me from going astray moved on. It seemed the parts I needed became less available, resistor bins went empty. I found a commercial electronics supply further away, but better stocked. Visits became rare, and each new visit I wondered what became of the store I once knew. When the cell phones took over the main wall of the shop I knew I'd never be back.

 

[trentbob]

I started as young kid the mid 60s with the help of my dad and uncle. Radio Shack was always my candy store.

Although there were other makers of scanners for them GRE Japan was their main source of scanners Crystal and programmable and before that tunable monitors. They put out all of the famous legendary radios like that 2004, 5 and 6.

The people that worked at Radio Shack actually knew what they were talking about, why wouldn't they, why would they even be hired if they didn't.

The Tandy Corporation, Archer brand, realistic, all I knew is they always had a frequency list printed up by the manager that they would mimiograph for you and they had most of the pertinent crystals that you needed for the area.

When the cell phone craze came in the late '80s and early 90s they became Cell Phone Shack.. as time went on the people that worked there used to sell women's shoes two stores down in the mall, they got fired and were hired by RatShack, actually no offense to anyone who worked there and knew what they were doing at that time but you know it better than anybody.

Company destroyed itself over many years like I don't know, Bud Light did in 3 weeks. With Radio Shack it took a long time. The writing was on the wall.

During the liquidation sales when it went out of business pretty much the only people left working there where people who did know what was going on. Long time employees..

The stuff I picked up at that time, scanners, antennas, coax which has been well taken care of, is incredible. I remember buying fistfuls of RS 800's BNC of course made by GRE for five bucks a piece.

We know how that's been a success by ramtronix. I also bought up every Sputnik ground plane I could find.

I have no idea what Radio Shack is today on the internet?? Don't have a clue.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Cell phones and Dish Network. Then they stopped catalogs.

I think the corporate folks were convinced those commodities were all they ever needed to sell. I of course went to the store for parts. I would be intercepted by a Cellphone/Dish-jockey and they would ask, "can I help you find something". Inevitably they could never help me find something because usually I was looking for a specific component the technical description of which caused their eyes to glaze, or I wanted a solution, random parts A plus B or C that solved my problem. It was a shame when they closed up. You could actually buy one of those loaded huge parts display cabinet when the sold the furnishings.