End Of An Era...

[Navy Chief]

Radio Shack lost their way a long time ago and seems to have spent the last 20 years or so unsuccessfully chasing various markets, radio control, stereo equipment, cell phones, etc. The store in my area is not on the closing list yet, and fortunately there is still a small cabinet of components in the back, if you know what you need and have no questions they may have it. Most of the time it is easier and cheaper to mail order the parts from Jameco or Digikey (even with shipping added).

 

[GA Gyro]

In my area, Fry's has more or less taken the parts business away from RS. And then there is the internet... If you do not need it now... there is no way local stores can compete.

 

[JimDawson]

A couple of weeks ago my son bought the entire contents of all of the component cabinets for $60 at a closing store. The pullout drawer cabinets themselves sold to another guy for $25 each, my son got there just a bit late to get those. I really hate to see RS close, they have been my go to place for a lot of projects for many years.

 

[w9jbc]

I remember the pre-Tandy days when it was Allied-Radio Shack. I bought my first electronic kit from them; a Knight Kit Star Roamer 2 tube regenerative multi-band radio. When Tandy acquired them, I thought at the time they were going to Hades in a handbasket. Fortunately James Electronics, now Jameco, and Digi-key came on the scene to satisfy my need to build things electronic.

wow knight star roamer does that bring back memories !

 

[Franko]

I'd mourn their passing too, but it would be a bit late. Radio Shack croaked more than a decade ago. It is a sad day for tinkerers. Hardware stores are swirling around the same drain.

 

[pdentrem]

Hardware stores are swirling around the same drain.

Don't get me started on what they call a hardware store these days!

 

[RJSakowski]

And then the help. Went there for a simple diode, seems to be a teenage girl that dont
know a diode from a light bulb.!!

And when you look for a reason for their downfall, there you have it. With less and less technical support available, or worse yet, given wrong advice by someone who doesn't know anything but is afraid to admit it, why would anyone choose to favor their business?
The same thing happened decades ago with Sears. there was a time when you could get virtually anything you wanted at your local Sears store. I stopped shopping there when I asked a clerk for a star drill and was shown a pipe reamer. I had the impression that they staffed their hardware department with people from women's wear.

 

[Billh50]

the good old days of the real hardware stores. where you could go in and find just about anything you needed. and the guy behind the counter new exactly what you were looking for when asked and brought you right to it. on slow days you hung around just to chat with them.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Be sure to add auto parts stores to what's becoming extinct. Back in the day there were family owned shops that had guys that knew about parts. Now we have chain stores that hire pimple faced kids who only know how to look for a part on a computer.

 

[Billh50]

I hate going in parts stores now. We used to have one in town that had a guy behind the counter who always knew exactly what part you needed. He even knew the part number in his head and if that part was for say a cadilac he would tell you to buy this buick part because it was the same part with a different number and costs less. I miss that place.