RadioShack Stock Drops to Under One Dollar

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Hard times for the company that used to be the equivalent to Best Buy back in the 80’s. Stock for RadioShack dropped below the $1 barrier paving the way for RadioShack to be delisted from the Stock Exchange, which usually sounds the death knell for most companies.

Earlier this month, RadioShack reported a $98.3 million loss and a 14% drop in revenues, marking the ninth consecutive quarter that sales fell at the chain.
 
I guess that corporate image change to "The Shack" they had some time ago didn't do much of anything. :D
 
I remember the day when RadioShack is the shiznit. The TRS-80 Model I, it was revolutionary in that it was the first computer that most people could see running in a store. RS really missed out on PC revolution. They never met the demand for the Model I or II I believe and buy the time they started to get serious about computers others had past them by.
 
Focusing on cellphone and junk instead of modernising their hobbyist and engineer sales model killed the company.
 
I remember the day when RadioShack is the shiznit.

I'm not old enough to have bought them new, but one of my favorite stereos is my Realistic STA-2100 and the Mach Ones it feeds. Great stuff.

Now I go to my local 'Shack to buy...well, nothing anymore. In the last few years my store actually ditched the parts bins, and the audio accessories are totally gutted. Slows down the hobby and repair projects.
 
I'm surprised Radioshack hasn't went under yet. Every time I go there I see maybe 1 customer and 3 staff members behind the counter doing nothing. Can't keep continuing to do business like that.
 
RadioShack sucks now because most of the crap they call you can find at any other store.

Even when you go there for their Niche products, they don't even have what you want.
 
I wen in there to buy caps the other day and they wanted like 8 bucks each. Amazon had 10 packs for the same price =\
 
I think part of the reason is that Radio Shack has always felt like a mom and pop store. The stores are so tiny compared to something like Best Buy, so people flock elsewhere.
 
didn't help that every time you purchased i roll of solder, wire, LED's or other make it yourself electrical items that they asked you what you where making like you need to be put on a list of sorts.
 
I'm surprised Radioshack hasn't went under yet. Every time I go there I see maybe 1 customer and 3 staff members behind the counter doing nothing. Can't keep continuing to do business like that.

When I go there looking for capacitors or resistors they look at me funny, and then offer me a cell phone deal. :mad:
 
I'm surprised Radioshack hasn't went under yet. Every time I go there I see maybe 1 customer and 3 staff members behind the counter doing nothing. Can't keep continuing to do business like that.
It's the same with my local store. It's been a perennial ghost town for as long as I can remember.
 
When I go there looking for capacitors or resistors they look at me funny, and then offer me a cell phone deal. :mad:


Yeah, they failed to even adapt to the internet. I used to go there for misc components. But why pay them $3 for a switch, $2 for 4 caps, and $3 for resistors when I can pay the same amount plus get five times the quantity online.

Tons of stuff they sell are overpriced and any visit has usually been for about $5 or less.
 
I can go to the Ace hardware next door to the Radio Shack and get my solder,tips and wires for less then a quarter of the price.
They no longer carry quality RC cars/ planes/ choppers.
3/4 of the shop is cellphones and cellphone accessories.
They no longer carry electronic components, wanting you to order them out of a catalog which can take a month or more to get in, instead I buy online straight from the source at a fraction of the price and get within a week.
I'd have to suffer serious head trauma to pay their prices on audio and video wires, adaptors and accessories.
 
I never understood the cell phone/radio controlled trucks version of RadioShack at all.
 
Focusing on cellphone and junk instead of modernising their hobbyist and engineer sales model killed the company.

so much this

just as people are getting serious about hardware hacking again you can't buy a goddamn thing useful in there

corporate out of touch stupidity
 
Focusing on cellphone and junk instead of modernising their hobbyist and engineer sales model killed the company.

Completely agree. I can't remember the last time I was in a RadioShack, and I used to go all the time. Even worked at one while I was in college.

Guess the few shares of stock I received while I worked there are not going to do much for my retirement.
:(
 
I haven't been to a RS in years. I used to visit on pretty frequently for items to repair electronics or build something electrical. Their prices are always so high I don't even bother to look anymore.
 
Back in the day, if I needed some random weird component, I would go to Radioshack and while it would be a struggle to find it, they usually had it. Unfortunately, you also pay out the ass for it.

These days, in 1/100th the time I can just go online, find the part in seconds, and order it more cheaply right to my mailbox. No brainer.
 
The only time i ever bought from RadioShack was when I was using my employee discount. Now i rarely go there but when i do i make sure to use my sisters discount since she still works part time at the shack.
 
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We totally did not see that coming.
 
As others have stated. You used to be able to go into radio shack and find anything you could want. But all it is now is a cell phone and junk store. Surprised they lasted this long
 
Ahhh, Radioshack and Microcenter, the two remaining stores that want your address to simply buy batteries.
 
I became my Dr's tech guy for 2 hours today i just came in for blood work he gave me a 20 to hit radio shack for a cable fucking 20 bux for a 7ft piece of cat 5. i went home and got my extra cable and fixed his issue
 
Ahhh, Radioshack and Microcenter, the two remaining stores that want your address to simply buy batteries.

Microcenter is outstanding and 100% relevant in the electronics world. If I can get it at Microcenter I go there.

Probably the last thing I bought at RadioShack

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Inept & idiotic management over the last 20 years has driven RS into the ground. I can't believe it lasted this long.

Just close all the stores and be done with it. While I would like a local place to pick up affordable components, anything associated with the Radio Shack name is cursed.
 
I've never been a Radio Shack shopper cause local Fry's always had far better prices and selection or local mom and pop electronics store. The ebay / internet pretty much filled in the rest of the space for those odd ball parts.

I thought Best Buy would have gone under before RS (large stores = more expensive) but appears BB managment reorganization has gotten their grip on their nitche market faster than RS ever did.
 
Focusing on cellphone and junk instead of modernising their hobbyist and engineer sales model killed the company.

It's the polar-opposite, actually.

I'm surprised Radioshack hasn't went under yet. Every time I go there I see maybe 1 customer and 3 staff members behind the counter doing nothing. Can't keep continuing to do business like that.

they look at me funny, and then offer me a cell phone deal. :mad:

But why pay them $3 for a switch, $2 for 4 caps, and $3 for resistors when I can pay the same amount plus get five times the quantity online. Tons of stuff they sell are overpriced and any visit has usually been for about $5 or less.

I never understood the cell phone/radio controlled trucks version of RadioShack at all.

But all it is now is a cell phone and junk store. Surprised they lasted this long

Fellas, the very reason Radio Shack is still around is because of the cellphones. Hands down. The focus on cellphones, annoying as it is, is the very lifeblood that's kept the 'Shack breathing over the years. Take away the cellphones and RS dies an ignominious death ten years ago. It's entirely unrealistic to think that any retail store could possibly float on just selling specialized hobbyist electronics parts.

And to those complaining about the markup, and how they could get 5x more for 5x less -- that's the point. It's called "retail". The markup is for the convenience of "now", and is necessary to pay for the storefront, which internet businesses don't have to deal with.

I became my Dr's tech guy for 2 hours today i just came in for blood work he gave me a 20 to hit radio shack for a cable fucking 20 bux for a 7ft piece of cat 5. i went home and got my extra cable and fixed his issue

I hope your doctor doesn't hire you for punctuating anything.


;)
 
When I was an electrical engineer student in college, I used to go into Radio Shack to get a bunch of parts and components to build things. Aisles and aisles to pick from. That was back in '95-97.

Today - cell phones and chintzy imported kids toys. Some stores still stock components, but the selection is paltry in comparison. They advise people to shop online or out of their catalog now.
 
I actually bought something from them in over 5 years today, but was cutters for model kits. I don't think there's ever been reason to walk into their store otherwise.
 
I actually bought something from them in over 5 years today, but was cutters for model kits. I don't think there's ever been reason to walk into their store otherwise.

As other people stated, it is(rather, was) useful for your hard to find wire, capacitor, etc. But the days of tinkering with electronics is pretty much gone.

I was in there a couple years ago when I needed an adapter for an old stereo, and while I could have found it online, it was just one thing I needed that day. The online world is a blessing and a curse in this sense.
 
I went to go buy a PC microphone from them the other day and the lady looked at me like I was from mars...
 
I can go to the Ace hardware next door to the Radio Shack and get my solder,tips and wires for less then a quarter of the price.
They no longer carry quality RC cars/ planes/ choppers.
3/4 of the shop is cellphones and cellphone accessories.
They no longer carry electronic components, wanting you to order them out of a catalog which can take a month or more to get in, instead I buy online straight from the source at a fraction of the price and get within a week.
I'd have to suffer serious head trauma to pay their prices on audio and video wires, adaptors and accessories.

Pretty much this..though at no point did they ever carry quality RC anything. Sorry had to point that out as all their RC stuff has always been of the shit category.
 
The biggest problem with Radio Shack is an "identity problem". Nobody knows what to go there for that they can't get anywhere else.
 
Pretty much this..though at no point did they ever carry quality RC anything. Sorry had to point that out as all their RC stuff has always been of the shit category.

Quality was probably too strong a word.
For someone not raised near any hobby shops we had RadioShack and Kmart, so to me RadioShack was "quality" via comparison.
 
I'm not old enough to have bought them new, but one of my favorite stereos is my Realistic STA-2100 and the Mach Ones it feeds. Great stuff.

Still have an STA-2080 in my office that works great.
Only reason I replaced it in my main stereo system was so I could get surround sound.

Still using a pair of Mach II speakers. Sound great after all these years, love the real walnut wood cabinets, and the 15" woofers have enough bass to crack plaster :)
 
Once upon a time, it used to be "Radio Shack! You're got questions, we're got answers."

but in actual practice it was more like:

"Radio Shack! If you have questions, so do we!" :)

The majority of the times I ever went into a Radio Shack, the employees were basically clueless on what parts they had or where to find it. It's a wonder they lasted this long.
 
hobbyshops are on the brink as well.

surprised rc hobby shops have made it this long without shutting down.
thankfully we have like 3 good ones here in my city, but i dont expect them to be around much longer.

but its real depressing to see RS die like this, the 80's were great.
going and picking up a 30in1 or 100in1 electronic kit, loved going through all the electronic components.
but technology advanced so fast, they were selling outdated components pretty fast.

i miss those old days though. and getting that rs catalog in the mail like it was time for christmas
 
i miss those old days though. and getting that rs catalog in the mail like it was time for christmas

I was going through some of my junk awhile back and lo and behold, a vintage late 70s 150-in-1 electronics kit. Tandy/Radio Shack used to be cool, but sadly they have been mismanaged for the last 20 years or so. Heck, I learned BASIC on TRS80s/TRaSh80s in high school. I am old enough to remember Tandy leather goods. I got a "Moccasin Kit" for Christmas one year.

Agreed, that RS Christmas catalog ranked up there with the Sears Wishbook when it came to kids dreams. I so miss those days, and kind of sad my son won't have the experience.

Last time I went to RS was for a pack of fuses when I blew one in my CV AT12 (got too loud one day). That was about 6 years ago. Just kind of pointless now.
 
Well said punisher, I remember as a kid getting my free battery every month with my punch card.
 
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