Radio Shack to go under

[duck_arse]

@psych - you must have all the good jaycar staff over there, last time I went in, handed my bit of paper with 3 transistor numbers and 2 ic's, with quantities, so it would be an easy transaction, spotty oik says "are these transistors or something?" this while he's standing in front of about a thousand drawers full of transistors and stuff.

[isher1992]

Radio Shack is a necessary evil over here.  No one else in this area seems to sell electronic components (or at least, on a consumer level where you don't have to buy in bulk), so the only real competition is online vendors like Small Bear or Mouser....but, the other trade-off is, Radio Shack is immediate.  Yeah, you can't really get premium stuff like Panasonics (Sometimes I get lucky) through them, but even then, the added cost (+ gas for the trip there) usually makes outweighs the convenience.

I think they've kind of brought this on themselves.  Most employees in their stores now don't even know what different components are, much less where they are.

[psychedelicfish]

@psych - you must have all the good jaycar staff over there

Either that, or us Kiwis are better than Aussies 

[Harry]

Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?

[haveyouseenhim]

I'm no math genius but there seems to be something wrong here.

[armdnrdy]

Details.....bah!!! 

[DougH]

All of this kind of begs the question whether a brick and mortar "parts, kits, and gadgetry" store could survive today. Let's say there is a decent selection of all three of those categories AND a knowledgable staff.

I know Dayton, OH has a couple such stores. I'm not sure if one is a small chain, but the one I have been in is independent. That particular store has parts in bins so you can buy in ones and twos or handfulls, new, used, and surplus, as well as a staff whose eyes don't glaze over when you say "op amp". (The downside is that Dayton is a 3-4 hour drive for me.) The older hands here may know if some place like that was the roots of Radio Shack 

If Radio Shack's longevity is a mystery, then I really wonder how those smaller, independent places - where the ohms are strong, the microfarads are good looking, and the parts selection is above average - can keep going in a world where "nobody uses that archaic stuff". There must be some market for it, and I wonder if there is a greater potential market that Radio Shack has consistently failed to tap.

Excellent points. We have an independent electronics surplus store in our area that is packed every time I go in there. Weekends, weekdays, it doesn't matter. The place is always busy. One thing I think that helps is they carry higher power components that electricians and HVAC people use in addition to the kinds of things we are interested in.  They also have a very good selection of wire & cable as well as hardware. I think businesses like this can thrive, but they have to reach out to a wider and more appropriate customer base. DIY-ers have more in common with repairmen than the average mall rat. And pretending to be electronics experts while just peddling the same cell phones as everyone else, while not really knowing any more, and many times much less, is just kind of silly. Yeah, they're not dead yet, but they are doomed to mediocrity, which they have consistently demonstrated.

[davent]

Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?

It's just that new math stuff.

[tubegeek]

I should imagine they go to 11 as well.

[CodeMonk]

As far as local electronics parts supply stores go, around here, I (As well as one other member on this board, forget who. Reno, Nevada) am screwed.
The one place that is around here is just as expensive as Radioshack, but at lest they carry a shit ton of parts, tools, etc.
Although for most IC's transistors, its all NTE stuff.
But for me, its about a 60+ mile drive.

Damn, I miss Apex Electronics in the San Fernando Valley. Like 99% NOS parts. And LOTS OF THEM.
They have the stock numbers of Walmart crammed into a building about 1/4 the size.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

@Harry

That is a sales ploy. It makes you feel like you are getting a bargain with the extra side 

Just like the $0.99 sales pitch. Everything is ended in $0.99 to make you feel like you are saving money. Lord knows they need to at the RatShack!

[duck_arse]

Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?

It's just that new math stuff.

the metric hexagonal knobs have 8 sides.

[Electron Tornado]

Excellent points. We have an independent electronics surplus store in our area that is packed every time I go in there. Weekends, weekdays, it doesn't matter. The place is always busy. One thing I think that helps is they carry higher power components that electricians and HVAC people use in addition to the kinds of things we are interested in.  They also have a very good selection of wire & cable as well as hardware. I think businesses like this can thrive, but they have to reach out to a wider and more appropriate customer base. DIY-ers have more in common with repairmen than the average mall rat.

There was a hobby store in a town I used to live in that carried a few electronics kits that reminded me of the ones Radio Shack used to carry. The radio control and model building crowd is another market that such a store could cater to as well. Consider all the markets that have overlap with the amp and pedal DIY crowd. Get some knowledgable staff and maybe a repair shop and you could probably do well.

[Dave W]

Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?

It's just that new math stuff.

the metric hexagonal knobs have 8 sides.

look again. i count 7 sides. hmmmm.... 

[morcey2]

Just picked these up from radio shack today. Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture?

It's just that new math stuff.

the metric hexagonal knobs have 8 sides.

look again. i count 7 sides. hmmmm.... 

That seems to be a reasonable approximation.

[Jdansti]

You get a extra side at no extra cost! 

[Electron Tornado]

You get a extra side at no extra cost! 

Now you can really throw the staff for a loop by going in and asking if they still have that "special" going on the hex knobs with the free extra side.

[garcho]

wow, that's incredible

[soupbone]

Yep.Pretty sad.I actually went in there today to get a couple of 1/8 watt resistors,and they didn't hardly have anything.The Store Manager was arguing on the phone with her boyfriend I'm guessing while she ringing people up.Quality service at R.S. 

[toneman]

Liked the story on the "hex" knobs!! heh heh.

I've always got most of my quad pack synth knobs from RS.
They were reasonable in price and instantanious!
Otherwise, I've just ordered from Mouser or Digikey or Allied or SmallBear.

Yeh, I thought RS would have died YEARS ago.
Lost three other electronics stores here in sacramento.
But the RS's just keep on ticking.....
Now, all I do is just save my list until I get enough to order from Mouser.

R.I.P. R.S.