RadioShack Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

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The day has finally come, RadioShack has filed bankruptcy. When was the last time you were in a RadioShack?

RadioShack's bankruptcy, which has been expected for months, follows 11 consecutive unprofitable quarters as the company has failed to transform itself into a destination for mobile phone buyers. But its sale agreement with Standard General could spare it the fate most retailers suffer in Chapter 11, liquidation.
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I'm a bit maudlin about this: RS was my go-to place for components in the late 1970s through the 1980s. They were a decent shop back then ... between free batteries (who can forget the "Battery of the Month Club") and some pretty decent electronics gear (I still have my true RMS multimeter from ... 1990? and it still works great!)
 
The day Radio Shack removed most of their electronic components in lieu of selling cell phones/plans, headphones and electronic gadgets is the day I stopped shopping there. Their components were sometimes inferior and usually overpriced, but they had enough locations to make it a convenience.
 
I only went to RS in cable emergencies but I hated paying their stupid premium prices that I could get from Monoprice.
 
OregonLAN said:
The day Radio Shack removed most of their electronic components in lieu of selling cell phones/plans, headphones and electronic gadgets is the day I stopped shopping there. Their components were sometimes inferior and usually overpriced, but they had enough locations to make it a convenience.
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This.

Like so many other companies, they lost track of their core business, and tried to follow what they thought was trendy. Instead they just became a "me too' storefront selling stuff you could already get for a better price at a hundred other places. Instead, they lost their core customers, and eliminated any reason for someone to seek out their local Radio Shack.
 
The first computer I ever used was a TRS-80 Model I. The first computer I ever owned was a RS Color Computer, nicknamed the CoCo by the community. The Shack played a key role for me in my first days of computing and like many, I feel that nostalgia. I've long thought that RS missed an opportunity to be a major player in computing past it's days of it's proprietary systems. They made some so so DOS clones but they seemed to after thoughts and they weren't competitively priced.
 
Still have my 70s vintage 150 in 1 electronics kit here somewhere. Times change, incompetent management takes hold, businesses die. We have a local RS that still has a decent supply of actual hobbyist supplies. Sad to say I haven't been in there since they had a 90% markdown on components awhile back. Got all the resistors and LEDs I will ever need. Mouser and Digikey have stepped up.
 
I guess no one wants cheap Chinese shit toys any more.

The early 80's RS was the stuff. Then their CEO drove them over a cliff into the abyss.

RS has been dead for over 20 years :(
 
I really hope the rumors are true about Amazon buying up radio shack and having stores that actually have stuff I need in them.
 
rpeters1969 said:
RS was my go-to place for components in the late 1970s through the 1980s.
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RS was my go-to place up until the late 90's when they still had a vast array of components. When I stepped in to one back in 2002-2003 looking to pick up some replacement resistors and capacitors, I quickly determined that they decided to focus on cell phones and children's toys with quality about on par with cereal-box prizes. I haven't been in one since. I knew it was just a matter of time until they went OOB.
 
While Radio Shack was still in Canada they were still the traditional kind - electronic components lining every wall & shelf. I used to go all the time but would only spend like 80¢. They all got replaced with the awful Source stores which are like mini Best Buys with worse prices and less selection.
 
TechLarry said:
RS has been dead for over 20 years :(
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Not quite that long, their stock peaked in 2000 I believe. And for a while they had some decent stores within their umbrella, Computer City and Incredible Universe we're pretty cool for a while but as competition picked up those stores couldn't keep pace. I remember when Incredible Universe shutdown. No warning, no nothing, one day the stores were open and the next all closed. But RS still was able to do ok for a few years after that.
 
heatlesssun said:
The first computer I ever used was a TRS-80 Model I. The first computer I ever owned was a RS Color Computer, nicknamed the CoCo by the community. The Shack played a key role for me in my first days of computing and like many, I feel that nostalgia. I've long thought that RS missed an opportunity to be a major player in computing past it's days of it's proprietary systems. They made some so so DOS clones but they seemed to after thoughts and they weren't competitively priced.
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Same here. What I had tied up in that thing, in early 1980's money, was ridiculous:

1. TRS-80 Model 1 - $499
2. TRS-80 Expansion Interface - $499
3. Memory upgrade to 48k - I think was around $200.
4. Funky hack lower case mod - $5 in parts :)
5. Accoustic Coupler 300bps - $200
6. Double Density Countroller - $100
7. Four Floppy Disk Drives @ $500 Each
8. 15MB (Yes, MB) Hard Drive - $2895.
9. Epson MX-80 Printer - $400
10. RS DWP-210 Daisy Wheel Printer - $400

Just over 7 grand, and that does not cover the diskettes, recorder, desk (the RS one with the holes cut out for the console and expansion interface to sit in), etc....

I had LDOS (my favorite), NewDos/80, Multi-Dos and of course TRS-Dos.

Even by today's standards, LDOS was fucking awesome.

I skipped the model 3. I forget why. IIRC it was something about the ROMS I didn't like. Don't remember for sure.

But I did later own a Model 4 AND a Model 4/P.

In late 83/Early 84 I changed to Mac's and didn't look back until around 2000 when the company we support switched to PC's. I built me a few PC's throughout the 80's, maybe one or two during the 90's, and dozens since 2000.
 
heatlesssun said:
The first computer I ever used was a TRS-80 Model I. The first computer I ever owned was a RS Color Computer, nicknamed the CoCo by the community. The Shack played a key role for me in my first days of computing and like many, I feel that nostalgia. I've long thought that RS missed an opportunity to be a major player in computing past it's days of it's proprietary systems. They made some so so DOS clones but they seemed to after thoughts and they weren't competitively priced.
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Oh, and remember Big-5 software? A bunch of kids (literally) that learned Z80 assembly programming and came out with some pretty damn awesome games for a computer that had graphic pixels 1/8" Square :)

My goodness, they still have a web site though it hasn't changed in a decade LOL

http://www.bigfivesoftware.com/index.asp
 
I wanted that Tandy 1000 or 2000 so bad back then =) They had Space Quest II playing on it just looked awesome =)
 
bixby-tandy1.jpg
 
lord_emperor said:
While Radio Shack was still in Canada they were still the traditional kind - electronic components lining every wall & shelf. I used to go all the time but would only spend like 80¢. They all got replaced with the awful Source stores which are like mini Best Buys with worse prices and less selection.
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Of course it was Circuit City that bought Radio Shack Canada, only to discover that they had bought the stores and not the Radio Shack name, forcing them to come up with "The Source" as a name.

Since Circuit City went bankrupt in 2009, The Source has been owned by Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE).

The last thing I bought in The Source was a 90 deg F-connector adapter a few years ago and that only because I couldn't find one elsewhere in my town. It is usually a complete waste of time going in there.
 
Yeah it was expected but kind of sad. I use to buy electronic parts from them like capacitors, resistors, soldering supplies, and computer stuff floppy disks, cables (RS232, Parallel, Serial cable gender changers and adapters) etc... but then they started jacking up prices and became a cell phone store reduced the inventory of the stuff I'd usually be buying from them, so I haven't stepped foot in one for like more than a decade already.
 
heatlesssun said:
Not quite that long, their stock peaked in 2000 I believe. And for a while they had some decent stores within their umbrella, Computer City and Incredible Universe we're pretty cool for a while but as competition picked up those stores couldn't keep pace. I remember when Incredible Universe shutdown. No warning, no nothing, one day the stores were open and the next all closed. But RS still was able to do ok for a few years after that.
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Guess I'm not going to retire on the 10 shares of stock I got while working there :(
 
heatlesssun said:
Not quite that long, their stock peaked in 2000 I believe. And for a while they had some decent stores within their umbrella, Computer City and Incredible Universe we're pretty cool for a while but as competition picked up those stores couldn't keep pace. I remember when Incredible Universe shutdown. No warning, no nothing, one day the stores were open and the next all closed. But RS still was able to do ok for a few years after that.
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I used to love Computer City!
 
I worked at RS a couple years (last year of high school then +2) then did Computer City for a year. RS corporate mgmt was brain dead back then and it only got worse. Things were slightly better at Computer City, at least it made sense what they were selling. But the same stupid management mindset was everywhere. Also Incredible Universe might have looked like a great idea on paper but what a failed concept. Plus they were in our same division (by the time I was at CC, 1993) so we competed with them number wise, which was STUPID. Even worse was we had to price match against them... competing against your own stores is BAD.

No wonder it all fell apart in short order. I do still have a yellow CC shirt around here somewhere... probably as a rag to shine my shoes with (LOL).

CC wasn't bad at first, but after I had been there 6 months or so they cancelled all the commission pay plans. If you thought workers were not highly motivated before, take away their commission. Absolutely no incentive to do anything.
 
2032
Museum
- Hall of Violence
Simon Phoenix: "What, does it take batteries? Where's the nearest Radio Shack, Motherf^&r?"

No Radio Shack stores.

MOVIE WAS ACCURATE! :eek:
 
OregonLAN said:
The day Radio Shack removed most of their electronic components in lieu of selling cell phones/plans, headphones and electronic gadgets is the day I stopped shopping there. Their components were sometimes inferior and usually overpriced, but they had enough locations to make it a convenience.
Click to expand...

This.

The last couple of times I've gone in there looking for a component or cable or something, it's always been "We don't carry that, but we can order it!" Yeah, fuckin' great. It'll cost twice as much and take twice as long to get to me compared to Amazon. Newp!
 
Maybe GNC will go out next, they both seem to be next to each other at every plaza around here, and both have the same amount and type of customers.
 
I go in about once a year when I run out of thermal paste. They have Artic Silver 5 not the greatest stuff in the world but they are walking distance from my house and instant gratification.

Otherwise yep just a bunch of junk.
 
Good. Fuck them.

I stopped going there back in the 90's when the local store started demanding addresses and other personal information to complete any transactions... even cash.
 
I was in my local Radio Shack recently and the speaker wire wasn't too bad, really was the only place in town that wasn't a total rip off. That said, when an audio jack adapter is $7.50 in a store verses getting 4 of them for $1.50 online for a total of about $3 shipped... its just damned insane. For some things I'm likely better off heading to a place like Platt electrical supply.
 
Last time I shopped at Radio Shack I went there for a 3.5mm splitter and extension cable. They wanted almost $30 for both. This was in the late 90s/early 00s.
 
monoprice.com made Radio Shack completely obsolete.
Radio Shack was good up until around 2002, then their prices sky rocketed, the info they required from customers was ridiculous, and the employees became ever more arrogant; kind of reminds me of Best Buy, except that Best Buy was always like this.
 
I wrote them off a long time ago. Went into RS to pick up some flux and solder. They didn't have any. Seemed like most of the biz was phones and radio controlled cars.

Never went back.
 
DejaWiz said:
RS was my go-to place up until the late 90's when they still had a vast array of components. When I stepped in to one back in 2002-2003 looking to pick up some replacement resistors and capacitors, I quickly determined that they decided to focus on cell phones and children's toys with quality about on par with cereal-box prizes. I haven't been in one since. I knew it was just a matter of time until they went OOB.
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+1.

I went there not long ago for some caps and they were pricey and a small selection.
Well, pretty much what I used to think of RS was pretty much all gone. :(
 
Last time I went to RS, I needed some soldering supplies. Stuff was 50% more than online, but I needed it there and then.
 
Just stopped in my local stores, and nothing is marked down. The shelves don't have much stock on them. You might need to go to a bigger store to see a major markdown.
 
Not surprised. Radioshack used to carry oddball stuff and things no one else had.

Then they tried to become another big box electronics retailer a la Best Buy or something, without having large locations with lots of physical inventory. So in the end... They'd have nothing you wanted or needed.
 
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