The Decline of RadioShack...What Happened?

RadioShack has been on a tremendous decline over many years. It's been much longer and more severe than I realized. But what exactly happened? What happened that turned the successful company RadioShack into what it is today?
Twitter: / mikecompany17
Patreon: / companyman
Website: companyman.squarespace.com
Other Company Declines:
Kmart: • The Decline of Kmart.....
Blockbuster: • The Decline of Blockbu...
______________________________
My KZbin Channels:
Basketball's Best - / @basketballsbest1858
Company Man - / @companyman114
Mike's Thoughts - / @mikesthoughts1576
______________________________
Intro Made By - / @jombo1
______________________________
You May Also Like:
MTV: • What Happened to MTV?
Google: • Google Is a Remarkable...
Vine: • What's the Deal with V...
Harley-Davidson: • The Problem Facing Har...
ABA: • ABA vs. NBA
Mars Inc.: • Mars Incorporated - Bi...
Geico: • The Brilliance of GEIC...
Tim Hortons: • Tim Hortons - Struggli...
Mac: • Remember These Apple C...

[@floriotj]

I'm 63 years old. There was a time when if you wanted something electronic you went to Radio Shack. Maybe five years ago I needed a electronic cable. I went to the local Radio Shack to look for the electronic cable. I couldn't find the electronic cable I was looking for so I went up to the kid at the counter. I told him what type of electronic cable I was looking for. His response was "You probably want to go to an electronics store". I never went back.

[@DeetsterB]

sleepercell I had that kind of experience as well. Went into Radio Shack looking for a splitter for my husband for a stereo . Couldn't find it and the guy working in front was unsure if they sold them. I went to Walmart and they had it. Never went back to RS.

[@Pantechnicon]

This reminds me of a time around 2013 I went in there. One of my son's friends had started collecting old radios and I thought an crystal AM receiver kit would be a nice birthday present for him. I went into this local RS, asked for one of these kits, and they just looked at me confused and started trying to steer me toward the component bins. Yes, you read that right: "Radio" Shack had no idea what to do with someone who wanted to build a radio. Definitely not the RS I remember from childhood. It was rather sad.

[@lordmikethegreat]

You have to cut the salesmen some slack. They were literally paid minimum wage (or commission, whichever was higher, and commission rarely was higher) and were only trained to sell phones. You can't expect an engineer at that kind of wage.

[@invidofinp1828]

sleepercell My story is almost exactly the same. My father and I always went there for the parts we needed. Amazon became our go to but we went to our local one and all it is now is a cell phone store like those kiosk at a mall.

[@Pantechnicon]

M D by the time this happened they had been hiring people like this for 20 years. My point was only that at one time and for several years Radio Shack sold these kits (which a 10 year old could put together) in droves but had now removed themselves so far from what they once were - what they were good at - by no longer even having things like that in stock.

[@NextTimeTech]

I was a manager for a RadioShack during the whole bankruptcy thing all the way until Nov 2016 To summarize what it was like: -Extremely low staff -Work by yourself from open to close (10 hours) -No chance for lunch breaks = starving -Upper management harassing and threatening you at-least 3 times a day -Sold out of everything good for months at a time -Customers treating you like shit for being out of stock on something -Constantly worried if your store was even going be open in 6 months -Questioning why the employees there got paid minimum wage but needed a bunch of experience -being forced to collect customers name phone number and street address and then being questioned why we need that info and having no answer other than IDK I could go on and on, RadioShack made me want to forever be self employed and never work for a corporation again, and that’s what I’m doing now! All of the bad memories motivate me to never go back and settle for a job like that

[@Slotten68]

NextTimeTech I was until mid 2013. Always pushing phones. Constantly. Getting hounded about attach rates and replacement plans by GMs who were constantly getting fired. Being asked by DMs to advertise on my facebook. Never train employees on switches and diodes and other parts, only phones. It was a big joke man.

[@Captain_Neckbeard]

It seems that most companies that know their fate make it terrible for the employees. Gamestop is in a similar position now.

[@michaelsaumure7697]

I managed a store in the early nineties. It was a decent time, it taught me an amazing amount about tech. It also taught me to distrust corporations, and upper management. We had knowledge, we had know-how, what we were short on was customers, and good employees. We worked on commission and that was harder to sell than a Packard-Bell computer.

[@dlwatib]

"It seems that most companies that know their fate make it terrible for the employees." If all you've got is a horse and buggy and you want to go faster, you whip the horse.

[@richardcline1337]

One other thing was crappy repair techs. Radio Shack did not go for quality in that realm and I still have one of their top-of-the line receivers (at that time) that they totally screwed up by replacing the wrong part and when I took it back they put the original IC back in which every knowledgeable technician knows YOU DO NOT DO because of the high probability of heat damage and replaced the bad part which was in the power supply and not the tuner section! Mine still works but once it is powered down you have to go back and reset all the station presets EVERY TIME! Why did I keep it? The biggest reason was the amplifier part of the receiver as most were beginning to downsize and would not drive the Mach II and Mach III speakers I still have (yes, I am old school even though I do have a surround sound system in my den for watching videos). Radio Shack and it's parent company, Tandy, was it's own worst enemy.

[@toomanybears_]

In the late 70's a grocery distributor named Malone & Hyde started an auto parts business and named it Auto Shack. The Tandy Corporation sued them alleging they were trying to ride Radio Shack's "coat tails" and profit from the "brand recognition" of the established business. The parts store changed their name to Auto Zone to distance themselves from Radio Shack. In hindsight maybe Tandy should have just kept their mouths shut.

[@pashon4percushon]

Wow Thats Interesting.

[@kcototheyoyoyo]

Whoa. I would have never thought of them being affiliated because of the name

[@donbenham4934]

Maybe they can change their name to RadioZone.

[@dodgeramsport01]

Like Auto Zone knows what they are doing! They dont even know what they sell!

[@TheDennys21]

Corporate greed never fails to impress, in a bad way ofc.

[@RellyOhBoy]

I almost shed a tear when they finally turned the lights out. My local radio shack was damn near a hang out spot for me in the early 90's. So much that the Manager offered me an off the books job stocking the shelves after school and paid me out of his pocket. They had the Tandy 1000, Scanners, DIY kits, a shit load of electronic parts, CB radios, the Red and Green battery club. Plus the monthly catalog. The end was sad....the few remaining stores were pretty much empty with one pitiful looking employee standing behind the counter playing candy crush wondering if they would still have a job to come to the next day. This is probably one of the stores I miss the most. #2624 in the Bronx, that was my store. Shout out to Ruben and Max.

[@dodgeramsport01]

Yeah the people who talk bad about the shack have on idea what they were! Sure go order your stuff on line and hope its the right part!

[@drakkenmensch]

Me: "I'd like to buy these AAA batteries." Clerk: "Okay, I'll need your name and address please." Me: "Why? I'm getting a pack of batteries." Clerk: "So we can send you special offers." Me: "Never mind, I'll get them somewhere that doesn't keep a file on me." And this is a big part of why people don't like shopping at Radioshack.

[@JelllieWitch]

Can you just tell them no? You have to give them any info.

[@drakkenmensch]

@@JelllieWitch Or I can just go ANYWHERE ELSE that won't creep me the fuck out by asking me where I live because I'm buying batteries. They are NOT the only game in town.

[@jalapenochomper]

True. Funny thing is I probably went straight to Amazon, which also tracked me.

[@JelllieWitch]

@@drakkenmensch In most cases I promise it's easier to just say no instead of putting the batteries back and leaving then finding a whole new place to go.

[@MarkRVillano]

I remember the first time that one of their clerks asked me for my personal info. It took awhile but he eventually got the message that A: I wasn't going to give it to him, and B: If he didn't ring me up immediately, I was going to leave, and do my shopping elsewhere. This routine got old in a hurry, and after two more of these dances (with two different clerks) I never set foot in another one of their stores again. This was in the 70's.

[@HerrGeisteskrank]

In the 80's Radio Shack was a must-visit place on every trip to the mall. They had all the nerdy stuff at the back of the store, but up front were the cool things like rc cars, music keyboards, electronic games, hand held TV's, walkmans, computers, etc. All the amazing things you would only ever see by drooling over a Sear's catalog. Come to think of it, other must-visit places included the arcade, the music store, the book store, and K-mart. I'm sensing a trend here.

[@itsyeeoledskoolfurry3208]

He TOTALLY forgot to mention the DOPE A.F! selection of RC vehicles. Wtf?

[@kriscynical]

As someone born in 1984 I remember when RadioShack was awesome. I honestly feel sort of sorry for kids nowadays who can't really just... _go into a store_ to look at neat shit like that.

[@coachb2766]

All gone 😪😭😣😪

[@zacharysmith4787]

I think Hastings was the last 'hands on' store. R.I.P. Hastings.

[@crimsonlust02]

My husband was an 80s teen... he still talks about his Radio Shack all the time when he wants to build something!

[@jeffsongs]

As a teenager, and young adult in the 80s and 90s, Radio Shack was one of my favorite stores! I'm a musician and it was the only place I knew that had every type of audio adaptor or cable I needed. They were the "go to" place. Even after collecting what I needed, I loved browsing around that store looking at all of the fascinating other gizmo's and products.

[@calorion]

Yes! It was the gizmos that drew you in. They managed to forget that somehow.

[@gabrielrockman]

Especially the remote controlled cars. To a little kid, all of the remote controlled cars at Radio Shack were something that I loved about the place.

[@peir77]

It's crazy to think how much I relied on RadioShack back in the day. I went there for anything I needed electronically. Various adapters, power plugs, cables, headphones, blank tapes, etc. I was disappointed when they closed years ago, but I finally see why.

[@kennethkendrick4795]

Another valid reason for their demise was the death of the analog era. I was an electronic technician back in the days where you would component level troubleshoot in order to replace the defective transistor, diode, capacitor, resistor, etc. Now everything is micro surface mount technology (SMT) and the components are so tiny you couldn't replace them even if you wanted to. Today's electronic devices are throw away, and uneconomical to repair.

[@kingvagar]

I learned that the hard way (my dvd/vhs recorder went down a couple of decades ago) I went to a repair shop and the repairs would have cost me more than a brand new recorder... the same thing with my video consoles. Then I knew that electronic devices became throw away things and expensive to repair.

[@shaunyuskiw5858]

@@kingvagar eweer

[@shaunyuskiw5858]

@@kingvagar gcfffghfhffhhhi8zhZlooPx

[@casey-capri2914]

Yep which is BETTER. For some reason people tend to think it isnt which is silly and ignorant.

[@craigwall9536]

LOL I fix this crap all the time. The Surface Mount components are never the problem- it's either tin whiskers or bad electrolytics. I pull great stuff out of dumpsters and come right back to KZbin to find multiple tutorials on the same models...lol this shit is _easy._ Less than $20 usually does it.

[@enderdragonslaya]

I remember when I was a little kid my mom got me some earbuds from RadioShack for my iPod nano and they died like a day later so we went back to return them and the cashier went absolutely apeshit and started screaming and throwing boxes around the store, good times in radioshack🤠🤠

[@oncewithtwice]

Omg... sorry for your loss...

[@hamzerpanzer]

Mikayla Those poor earbuds...

[@bluecollarlit]

Wow, that's scary behavior. A "meltdown" or - - tantrum.

[@jenniferclark9842]

All of that fuss over a pair of earbuds? Yeesh.

[@Josh.V]

lol

[@catherinec2456]

I remember buying resistors and capacitors for my electronics class in college (late 90s) at the local RadioShack. Then a few years later I went in looking for some electronics parts and it looked like all they sold were cell phones. They really did go all in on those.

[@NefariousKoel]

I worked at a small town franchise Radio Shack (privately owned) for a few years in the mid-2000s. We still had a fair number of electronic components, but most of them had to be purchased through third party vendors, which the store was allowed to do being a franchise. Being able to easily purchase all your stock through the franchise company (RS) was supposed to be one of the big advantages of being a franchise store, other than name recognition. At that point it wasn't all that advantageous. We spent a lot of time looking for parts they didn't carry from other vendors instead of just adding it to the weekly replenishment order. Did get some compliments from customers who had recently been to a company RS regarding stock, but it took extra man-hours to keep up. A weakness once the couple experienced employees left around the same time at one of the stores, it closed shortly afterward.

[@MazichMusic]

They went to parts drawers in 2001 and 2002, pulling merch off of pegs. One of my last assignments as a store manager was to install the drawers and stock them, often having to bend the cards to make then fit. It was a nice break from what I had been doing, but whrn my regional mgr paid a visit to talk to me about my decision to leave, I told him there were not enough cell phones to be sold to make the kind of money I would be going back to. I was one of the top mgrs and my store was in the top 5 in the region. The staff churn was unreal.

[@TheCarpenterUnion]

And those resistors and capacitors were on a 50x markup

[@leecowell8165]

Exactly. I gave up on them way before that time, Catherine. I remember going into one of the stores here in West Palm Beach. Yeah it was pretty sad when you still sold discreets & didn't even know it (much less a rudimentary idea of what their actual purpose was). This was in the days when the 7400 series of IC's were the rage amongst hobbyists and Engineers such as myself.

[@CraigLumpyLemke]

Back that scenario up a few decades and add vacuum tubes to the list and I was doing the same thing in college.

[@christopherlloyd6772]

For me personally, RadioShack's golden age was during the 70's, in my childhood. I got really interested in electronics. Specifically, I had fun building kits or playing with my "100 in 1" electronic kit. These kits were a great way to learn about the basics of electronics while still having a lot of fun doing it. My "crowning achievement" was building a shortwave radio kit called the Science Fair Globe Patrol. This was a complete radio, except for the power supply/adapter. Everything else was included - PCB, all the electronic components, knobs, case, etc. I think I still had to provide my own soldering iron and solder but that wasn't a big deal. I put it together and after an initial failed attempt (the selector switch wasn't connected completely), I got it working! That was a blast... During those years, I remember the store clerks were very knowledgeable (if a bit pushy), but I could usually ask them a semi-complex question and they would give me a good answer. Fast forward to 20 years later when I walked into a store and asked for electrical tape. The clerk asked (I kid you not), "OK...what does it look like?" Now, I was willing to look for it myself initially, but they asked "May I help you?"...maybe I should have just said "No thanks...I know what I'm looking for". How the mighty had fallen... My last visit was right before they closed their last stores. My brother's TV was acting up (one of those infamous Samsung models with bad capacitors). The store was still selling components like that and they actually had capacitors with the correct specs in stock! Bought a few and got his TV working as good as new. Company Man pretty much summed up why RS failed. I also think it is because electronics became too mainstream. Gone are the days of building your own kits - it is now far more profitable to sell all kinds of new electronics merchandise than offer kits. Also, with electronics now smaller and more chip based, kits are less practical. Now, the closest I come to those days is building my own PC from parts - but this is very basic by comparison (no soldering, just "plug and play").

[@pompanopunk1937]

I remember when I was a kid, the only reason we would go to Radioshack was after Christmas, one of my toys would take some weird batteries that only a few places had.

[@companyman114]

Legitimate reason.

[@capo328]

That one time they didn't even have the battery though so you never ended up using the toy.

[@blackbeard6861]

I remember when I was a kid going into one and they had a huge stack of rc cars and airplanes and cool electric stuff.

[@garygarside9782]

we got our first ibm computer from radio shack! i remember the ding dong when you walk through the door and the cool gadgets at around xmass time!

[@loop5720]

Nice

[@itsyeeoledskoolfurry3208]

He TOTALLY forgot to mention the DOPE A.F! line of RC vehicles they had. Wtf.

[@kreaola93]

@@itsyeeoledskoolfurry3208 company man didn't play with toys when he was little.

[@Dboi1000]

I remember going to RadioShack looking for a cool rc car and was disappointed with there selection.. didn't buy 😕

[@Robinzano]

I worked for RadioShack in the late 90's. Some places it was declining but not our store. It was a fun place to work because we actually had people who knew electronics and I learned so much from them. I enjoyed my time there and I wish they were still around.

[@Unhacker]

I'm super old and when I was a kid tinkering in electronics, Radio Shack may as well have been Disneyland. Several other nerds I know also credit them for their introduction to building circuits, radios, etc. Before the internet they were the only place you were going to find the capacitors, resistors, transistors etc. Later, I worked at one just as they began selling cel phones and that went precisely as you described: Their traditional clientele dried up from neglect, and the bearded old hackers could no longer find their obscure supplies. And the moment digikey, mouser, and a million fantastic online component vendors entered the picture, Rat Shack became nothing but a nostalgic eyesore. It would sadden me, but honestly it was never really "great", it was just all there was. But if there hadn't been one in my hometown, I would not be a nerd at all, so I'll remember them for that. :)

[@Waya525]

One of the worst policies of Radio Shack that helped kill their customer base was their policy in the 1970s - 1990s where if you just bought batteries, the cashier would write out your receipt,but wanted your name, address and phone number. A lot of people felt that this was an invasion of privacy...I mean, geez, you just need to pick up some AAs, and the clerk wanted your private info. A lot of people walked out and went to their grocery store or drug store where they could make the same purchase without giving their life story. Tandy Leather had the same ridiculous policy.

[@teezee1000]

So they can bombard you with catalogs in the mail...LOL

[@ardiris2715]

Yup, that's why I stopped shopping there.

[@poeterritory]

Yep. That was totally annoying. Plus they were overpriced.

[@roderickwhitehead]

Taking my information with EVERY transaction is what pissed me off.

[@TardisRepairService]

As an employee during that time, I can tell you it was agonizing and you got slapped around if you didn't get peoples names and addresses. They published a report every month and shamed the people who didn't get addresses. I never asked for addresses for trivial purchases and the only reason I didn't get fired is because I had good sales volumes.

[@chrisnorman9980]

“These days you can’t walk through a mall without being offered a cell phone...” Now, do a video about the decline of shopping malls.

[@TehDubster]

Shopping Malls in of themselves are not on the decline, the stores within those shopping malls that have been around for 20, 30, 40+ years are the problem with shopping malls. **Cough** Macys **Cough** JCPenny **Cough** Before the COVID pandemic, my local shopping mall has always been packed to the absolute brim, and its been the same with every other Mall I've been to. Shopping Malls with always be relevant, so long as they keep stores in their premises that can actually stay afloat and aren't on the brink of bankruptsy.

[@BrodyHarris]

The mall near me is only getting larger...

[@chrisnorman9980]

That’s very unusual these days.

[@lillyie]

you mean the decline of **shopping malls in america?** everywhere else in the world: wdym it's declining lmao

[@BrodyHarris]

Lunala Ch.るなてぃく。るなら I have no idea what he meant. Malls aren’t going anywhere...

[@autumnh6200]

I have one fond memory of this company. There used to be a location open near my grandmother’s. When I was a kid, she took me inside because she needed something. While there, she got me my first little MP3 player and I was hooked. I guess Radio Shack just reminds me of my granny.

[@timgrinstead5738]

I worked for RadioShack in 2014-2015 and once they filed for bankruptcy they told us that we weren’t closing. Fast forward 2 weeks we had to help close another store close by. Right after that store sold their last product they told us our store was next. I was pissed because I would’ve been looking for another job. They also told us we were gonna get a severance check and we never got it.

[@stevebruns1833]

Sad not to see a single mention of their computers. Back in the early days of PC computing, Radio Shack was one of the leaders. (TRS-80, anyone?) My first laptop was a Radio Shack model. With today's "maker" culture and emphasis on STEM, they should morph into a "one stop shop" for educators, once again providing kits and programs for clubs, hobbyists, and schools.

[@companyman114]

The computers didn't make the cut Steve. I wanted to spend a minute on it but it was a break from the flow. Suppose I could have given them a quick mention.

[@stanwbaker]

The TRS-80 series, designed, developed and available only at Radio Shack, is a critical link from the days of mainframes to the PC era. If nothing else, it is remark upon how far they have fallen.

[@audiblebeauty]

I also missed the mention of computers.

[@lennomenno]

Thought the same. I bought my first PC at Radio Shack way back. Compaq.

[@bigsky1970]

They could even become a place where you could go and buy a single board computer system like the Raspberry Pi.

[@stabinghobo57]

RadioShack started to suck when they got obsessed about selling cell phones, they were kinda cool back in the early 90s because they were like mini Best Buy's at the time.

[@MetaMetalks]

It's ironic you say that because cellphones is all they *could* sell when I worked at Radioshack-- specifically prepaids. People simply didn't come in for parts and other gizmos. They would come in for Phones, phone accessories, and HDMI cables. Thousands of parts went unsold and all Radioshack had been known for just wasn't what people wanted anymore.

[@raijin6918]

RaidioShack started to suck when they got obsessed with prices XD items 20% over the average price limit, made me tilt my head so HARD! That made the long trip to the computer to order the shit much easier, or the short trip to wall mart to pick up the item cheaper. RaidoShack was the worse offender of price gouging and still wondering when apple will start to decline.

[@vizzini2510]

One thing I liked about Radio Shack is that for a period they sold cell phones and service for all major providers. Nowadays, it is very difficult to determine which cell service is best for your needs. 15 years ago, you could walk into Radio Shack, and they could easily compare all the different services, because they sold them all.

[@GoldRushMedia2023]

One of the reasons I stopped shopping at Radio Shack was their insistence on demanding my name, phone number, and address. Even thirty years ago I didn't think this was any of their damned business to be collecting my personal information. So I would go somewhere else where I felt more comfortable buying things.

[@captainobvious9233]

I remember Radio Shack for the little adapters and connectors you needed to hook things up to your T.V, VCR, Game System, etc.

[@FantacistI]

Same

[@ironman2326]

Me too

[@packingten]

That was when they were going under!, Hardcore buyers went in to get resistors,transistors,diodes,transformers,that game stuff put them under guys.

[@ScottyBrunton]

I bought probably $700 or $800 worth of electronic components when they were going out of business, for about $63!

[@get8bit]

What do you use them for? Why does one need that many electronic components? Was everybody a genius inventor in RadioShack's heyday?

[@angelit161]

@@get8bit bruh.

[@rickygkilla1358]

@@get8bit reselling

[@mysteriousstranger5873]

@@get8bit ….hobby electronics? You don’t have to be an inventor to use resistors or capacitors, plus those things are so cheap that $600 worth is probably close to a lifetime supply, depending on what he got.

[@dant.3505]

@@get8bit if you are in the hobby you will use all eventually.

[@carladams9345]

When I was a kid radioshack was the most amazing for me to visit. I was really into electronics and often built different gadgets. I even tried to open my own radioshack after graduation but someone in my town had already secured the rights and opened their own. However, it has since closed. I guess I got lucky.

[@MarkMcDaniel]

When I was a kid, in the '80s, Radio Shack had great hobby toys -- transistor radios, cordless RC cars, consumer electronics. It was always a decent, albeit somewhat expensive place to source cool hobby electronics.

[@galactic-hamster7043]

Radioshack is like Blockbuster's more enigmatic sibling. Same family situation, and they're both out back living in the dumpster behind a Wendy's while talking about the glory days .

[@pichuqaq8551]

Enigmatic

[@Art_V101]

But Blockbuster was awesome at one time,can’t say the same for Radio Shack

[@Thvndar]

lol Radio Shack never had any glory days

[@JBM425]

Ironically, the last surviving Blockbuster Video is in Bend, Oregon, and is a block or two from a Wendy’s. It’s a local franchisee, not a corporate store.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

@@Art_V101 Tandy computers were absolutely amazing. They were better than Apple in their glory days. And they just squandered it all.

[@davem5333]

The death of the electronic hobby due to printed circuits making repair impossible. The loss of knowledgeable staff. A store by my home in 1970s Chicago was run by 2 EX-WWII Navy electronics techs. Both brilliant and affable guys. You could go into that store with a nonfunctioning electronic device and they could fix. They would say "Just because we never saw one before and really don't know what it is doesn't mean we can't fix it." At the end they were staffed with disinterested high school students.

[@EphemeralTao]

I remember going in to RadioShacks stores within the last decade or so, asking staff where to find really simple stuff, and no one there had the slightest clue what I was talking about or where in the store it was. The staff seemed to be there mainly to sell cell phones and plans. Every time I went in, they'd try to get me to buy a new phone, really hard-sell stuff; and would always ignore me standing at the counter trying to pay for stuff if there was anyone else in the store they could try to sell phones to.

[@jc.1191]

Smd does have major benefits tho. Usually the electrolytics die still, and you can replace those easy. It's crummy switches and pots that can't be replaced tick me off. Clean only.

[@artcrime2999]

Radioshack was dope when I was a kid. When my snes rf connector broke I took it up there alone as a 10 year old. They not only helped me fix it with parts instead of selling me an overpriced replacement, but they also taught me what it did and how to fix it at home with scrap wire myself in the future.

[@vman8126]

Radio Shack was absolutely one of my favorite places to go, especially in the late 70's through the 80's when I was a kid. I remember getting my first DJ mixer, the infamous Realistic stereo mixer with crossfader, and anytime I needed a special cable, part, adaptor, etc, Radio Shack was my go to. I loved how they would always have a Tandy version of the hottest products at the time. One reason not mentioned in the video, was also Fry's Electronics, though also now defunct, I believe in areas where they were located, probably took a lot of business from the local Radio Shacks as they were much much larger stores, and had literally most of the components, connectors and cables you could find in a Radio Shack, a much larger selection, and the Fry's stores were a lot more interesting and "fun" to browse. You could literally spend hours at a time in a Fry's. at least for me, Fry's definitely stole the thunder from Radio Shack as my go to place for parts. By the early 2000's it was apparent Radio Shack was a shell of its former self, parts selection dwindled, little internet presence and focus almost entirely on cell phones as the video is on point with.

[@tomsanton440]

As a child in the late 80s / early 90s, Radio Shack was my favorite store to go to... I was big into radios: Police scanners, Shortwave, CB, antennas, etc... Once they pivoted towards pushing cellphones, they neglected everything else. Their workers mostly knew nothing about the electronics they sold; they only cared about selling their cell phones. They lost a lot of dedicated customers when they started pulling that shit. 🤷‍♂️

[@pontifexinstitute]

Me too😂😂

[@georged5420]

Last time I was there I just needed a optical cable. I had the salesperson trying to sell me a family cell phone plan. I explained to them I'm single I don't need that and it's more expensive than my current plan. Lol it was like I was speaking Greek to the person.

[@robodd4694]

This was one main reason I stopped shopping there. It was pathetic. The phone section started getting bigger and bigger and the bigger that section got the more they hired young unknowledgeable people who really didn't give a s*** and weren't paid enough too. Just push their phones. Thats all. I got tired of trying to get answers about electronics and what i needed. Then be hassled, as if they wouldn't sell to me unless I give them my phone #, address and zip. Screw that.

[@martygould5114]

I worked there over Christmas I think in 1989. Cell phones were just starting to become a thing, and pagers too. My store was in gang territory so we had a good idea who our clientele was. Because I was Christmas help, my sales quota wasn't that important to me. I liked helping people with complicated problems. But what you're saying is correct. There were sales people there who aimed for the big bucks and really didn't know anything about the more detailed products.

[@RM-bs1wx]

In the late 90's I used to go there for equipment for my band: cables, microphones, PA system stuff, etc. They had the best stuff at that time, and folks were knowledgeable. I remember several years after not going to one (after the band broke up - wah-wahhhh, haha), and going back in, I didn't recognize the place anymore. Never entered another one.

[@tokyojon4344]

Anyone else remember going to R/S monthly for their "battery of the month" club?

[@B.H.56]

yeah, now I feel guilty for getting all those free batteries. I had a card and my spouse had a card. We did buy some audio cassettes from time to time, though.

[@masterdanx9335]

@Big AL wow a pleasant memory from an experience at a store that sells batteries. who would have ever known

[@Spinechoppa]

They kept 9 volts in my Space Patrol Archer walkie talkie when I was a kid !! lol.

[@ProGraMmer562]

Idk about you guys but currently as a 23 year old, battery of the month might be the saddest thing I've ever heard

[@IvIigz]

I was never gay, unfortunately.

[@Busefalis]

I remember growing up in Radio Shack. My dad was an electronics guy and always went in there for electronic components. I was so sad when my local store stopped carrying them. We were into CB's but didn''t exactly need to buy them that often. I still loved the store so I would convince my Mom to let me go in whenever she was grocery shopping next door. I loved seeing the new stuff they had. When I left college I tried to get a Job there. I thought that being knowledgeable and excited about electronics would give me an edge. At the open house Job night, there were 3 Men and 5 women. All of us in our late teens to mid-twenties. The guys looked either stereotypically geekish and/or clean-cut. The women were all mostly 'conventionally attractive'. And the guy running the show was getting a lot of attention from them (made sense to me, he was the guy who would be doing the interviews). None of the women seemed interested in friendly conversation with any of the other men, and while a bit shy, we talked a bit amongst ourselves. I remember thinking I had a great chance, because at least out of the guys I had about equal electronics knowledge. I felt I nailed my interview because I answered everything well. I was excited. He did mention, the job was much more sales-oriented (commission) . I didn't end up getting the Job. No biggie, I figured people just as if not more qualified than me got it. Well over the next couple months I would go into some of the local stores (quite a few in my area) when I could just to see if I could find out if anyone from that meeting got hired. Seemed like none of the guys and, 4 of the women. Most of the women ignored me (and other) customers unless we interrupted them. One was nice, and somewhat knowledgable. Between reading between the lines with what she told me , and later what I heard from a friend of mine who became a manager there later, there was an unofficial push to get more attractive people in there to get people to shop there. knowledge was not quite as important.... I decided not to even try to shop there any more. Thanks for listening to my rant

[@davelowets]

Back in the late 80s - early 90s, Radio Shack used to have piles of speaker drivers on the shelf. From tweeters on up to 15" woofers, some of them were very good. I built some crazy home speakers back in those days. I still have one of the pairs that I built hooked up to my current stereo system.

[@paulyXvpf]

I'm 50. I used to love Radio Shack as a teenager. I bought those little electronic project kits, where you can make radios and light boards. I purchased a couple electronic chess kits, I played a lot of chess. I think I bought birthday presents for cousins, like remote controlled helicopters, etc. All this was in the mid '80s, well before PCs were in every home. Fond memories.

[@gearhead4526]

I thought the Realistic home and car stereo systems were pretty tough, and they were very underrated!

[@CarlosGalliath]

I´m also 50, I lived in L.A. from 1985 to 1990 and had the same experience you had with Radio Shack. Those were the Radio Shack days! I now live in South America And the last Radio Shack here in Bogota closed in 2018. Sad to see it go.

[@dalethelander3781]

@@CarlosGalliath You never bought from "Fred Rated"?

[@CarlosGalliath]

@@dalethelander3781OMG I had totally forgotten about that guy! No, I don´t think I ever bought from him.

[@huskymcfluff]

Growing up, RadioShack was always "that electronics store that *doesn't* sell video games."

[@austinlane5533]

Or anything else you went there hunting..

[@lawnside82]

Just that 1 overpriced hdmi cable..

[@mysteriousstranger5873]

There are people who do want resistors and capacitors, myself included

[@JimBrownski]

lol Actually I worked there in 2001-2002. We sold Consoles, Just the Nintendo Gamecube (When PS2 and Dreamcast were RULING) smh. So we had games - just not ones you wanted - or on a console you played lol

[@vizzini2510]

When my kids were in middle school, about 10-15 years ago, we made several trips to our local Radio Shack to buy obscure electronic components for minor science projects, like generating electricity from a potato. On each trip, we might spend $5-10 on materials. Other than that, the only time we went to Radio Shack was to stock up on batteries, and we would only go when they had their "50% off batteries" sale, which seemed to be about every other week. Our local store was located in one of the more expensive shopping centers. Being in the real estate business, I always asked myself "how the hell do these guys stay in business?" The former RS space is now a nail salon, where my family spends at least $200 per month. Go figure!

[@jeffreyacevedo9640]

Wonder where they’d be if they had jumped onto the “maker” thing. Imagine if you could have used in store 3D printers and had maker events??? Just a thought

[@loganricherson3749]

Wish I had the money for that. Could set up a store that sells stuff like Raspberry pies, 3d printers and accessories as well as hosting workshops to learn how to do things with each. Unfortunately, I'm broke as hell

[@zymurgynet]

They actually did jump into the maker thing. At least when it came to DIY electronics like Arduino, etc. However, the product line they chose to stock was too generic, and they still believed that their longtime extensive markup policies on products would be accepted by the consumer.

[@hulkpanda4378]

Was with the company from 2002 till the end. Last 5 years they did try to get into it.. I even had 3d printers and a working demo. But it wasn't really advertised and very very few stores had them

[@soulman7675]

Story time: When I was like 17 (I'm 20 so this was recent) I got my first car. It was an old truck which unsurprisingly didn't have an AUX cord, just a cassette player. I wondered if a tape-to-AUX adapter would even exist and if so who would even have such a specific thing. Then, for first time in my 17 years of existing on this planet I said to myself, "Maybe I should go to Radio Shack." Spoiler alert: They exist, and I was able to purchase one in-person. Y'know where I didn't get it? Radio Shack.

[@seanheaney8303]

Ironically the same thing happened to me , except maybe about 10 years ago and I did happen to have a local RadioShack and me and my friend wondered in there after school one day. Only time I have ever been in one or felt the need to go to one in my whole life! Still have it somewhere too 🤣

[@Just1Guy1000]

For a short while I worked at RadioShack. Those auxiliary adapters were one of the top five selling SKU's in the company. Especially in the northeast.

[@sleepful1917]

my girlfriend back in like 2016 worked in sears, where she needed that exact product and ended up buying it there with her employee discount lol

[@stephnicole3078]

I have had this exact same experience. I was 16 so this was like 10 years ago now but it’s funny that so many went there for the same item. I actually did still regularly go to radio shack up until 2017 or so. I always refused to get a contract cell phone plan because I’m terrified of debt and like paying out of pocket and knowing I own it so I used Virgin Mobile (finally realized I had to switch last year lol). Radio shack was one of the few physical stores that would have the better Virgin Mobile phones in stock, I assume because no one thought to go there. My grandmother still goes to the one near her every month to add money to her cell phone lol (yes I’ve told her there are better ways to do it but she insists on the “in person experience” and refuses to give her credit card # out over the phone or online)

[@T-Dawg75]

Shocking

[@JoeCnNd]

When I went to radio shack I felt like the most important customer. because I was the only customer.

[@Sam-xc7jm]

That was good 😁 harsh but good

[@uiopuiop3472]

@@Sam-xc7jm i didn't want to say this, but f*** the metal shelves made by OBI

[@southpark1you0]

womp womp womp

[@howdybair1827]

😂

[@charleesamuelson6152]

*Damn...*

[@kodymcmullen5691]

God. I remember standing there looking at all the bootleg looking products while my parents set up cell phone service or looked at phones. Lol. Such a boring thing. Yet. I'd do anything to go back just once lol.

[@mattxonweigh7486]

I was an employee of RS from 2011-2012…Never been so stressed at a job in my life before or since then! I’m a firm believer that the cell phone push is the reason for the company’s decline!

[@jbussa]

When did I stop liking them? When they had those commercials "You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers" and then you go there and it's a hipster that basically knows how to sell a cell phone and that's it.

[@UrbanNoizeMusic]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jbussa]

@Duke Hugh Johnson It was that generation's version of a hipster lol :)

[@fabrzflamethrwr1772]

@Duke Hugh Johnson or at an Apple store

[@edwardhamm5535]

Its uncanny that Radio shack and Fryes did not foresee how their tech savvy clientele would quickly move to buying online?

[@-NateTheGreat]

The saying used to be "You've got questions, we've got blank stares."

[@briankreitner1873]

So I worked for radioshack back in 2002, even at that time they had a website. It was cumbersome but they had one. Infact, the biggest complaint I recieved was that people wanted to see a product in person before they bought it. That plays into the demographic that actually came into a radioshack. Most of my customers were over 50 and they didn't understand the internet at all. The cell phone issue is real. Sales staff would bicker over cell phone sales cause we were a commission based pay program. Plus they would toss you an extra $10 -$30 per cell phone transaction.

[@jasondyrkacz8270]

Brian Kreitner At the store I was working at, it was $20.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Brian Kreitner, and the worst of it is you STILL can't guarantee a component you've ordered online. Once you order it, you're getting something "close"... And when you order (for instance) an AC adapter for a yesteryear computer (HP, btw, so not obscure) and the WRONG one comes, that's still money out of your own pocket to send it back, straighten out the issue, days of waiting... and a replacement.... And even THAT might be wrong. And I'm supposed to "trust Amazon" to do the right thing? Hardly. It was the primary reason that I still went to RadioShack or Wally World to shop in spite of the "dot com explosion"... They'd have the same niche right now, if they had kept a few knowledgeable folks in-store and just managed both-sides of the business through the growth of the cell phone market. Now, I don't know. They could maybe pull together a campaign to promote getting answers in-store, workshops with locally sourced tech' experts, and maybe events for things like building a home-custom computer or adding some spice to your own drones (after market parts/accessories)... But whatever they try to do, it's going to be a long road to even keep their brand, let alone build something.

[@QuantumRift]

I hear ya Brian. See my comments (above). I was an electronic warfare tech in the Army and when I out of the Army in 87, I started working as a defense contractor employee. I also picked up part-time work at the Radio Shack in Mililani, Hawaii, outside Honolulu, for a year or so. I moved to SE Arizona in 1990, still working as s defense contractor, and worked part-time for Shack in Sierra Vista, AZ. I remember spending hours for the cellphone commissions (1995-1996), but it was time consuming, and eventually after a few months, I would just divert the cellphone customers to another sales guy, and I would make more commission off the stereos, and tvs etc.

[@jayducharme]

I agree, Brian. I worked there as well, during the cell phone boom. There was a lot of pressure to get cell phone contracts and a lot of backstabbing to get them. That's the only way the sales people made money. I also agree that the practice of forcing people to give their name, address and phone with every sale hurt business. People just went elsewhere so they didn't have to deal with that intrusion. One thing I didn't hear about in Company Man's analysis was the Shack's boom time with computers. They had one of the first personal computers on the market (the TRS-80) and that was a huge business for them in the 1980s. But as usual, the management didn't follow evolving trends and that business dried up.

[@Phillyhippie215]

RadioShack was always more expensive than most other electronic stores. That’s what I always remember in the 90s and 2000s. They became the “last resort” store for me if I couldn’t find the electronics I needed. Which most of the time was computer wires, connection type things.

[@printmaster43]

I grew up with RadioShack in the '70s and '80s. I was a nerd and it was my favorite place. They used to carry some decent stereo equipment under the Realistic brand. Bought my first CB radio there, and you could buy replacement speakers of good quality for your car as well. When I was growing up there were a lot more people tinkering with electronics projects. I built several radios from parts. When cell phones hit, I bought one of the first bag phones from them, and later one of the first Qualcomm Dual-Band cell phones as a Sprint customer. It's a shame they didn't last, as I have many fond memories of their store in my very small hometown.

[@THEGREENHELIUM]

Damn you know it's bad when the golden years of a company were in the 80's

[@jdigitalseven7]

They did have one of the best commercials ever a few years before they went out, trying to revamp their business model. It was a bunch of 80s icons (even Teen Wolf) coming in and taking all their stuff out making way for new tech.

[@NickFarrow]

@@jdigitalseven7 You would really love the new Walmart commercial then.

[@rockk9753]

@@jdigitalseven7 teen wolf sucks hahaha

[@edwintejada1746]

It’s very nostalgic in my life

[@audinos4827]

I used to hungrily look forward to the new catalog coming out every August.

[@TheAlexSerrate]

“All you’ve been doing is little moves just to stay alive. You haven’t done anything that will help you come back and win.” My life for the past year.

[@HMRLTL]

Ha...Just posted the same. How sad...

[@bsx121]

Same here...

[@FermentedGrumpyGrapeSqueezit]

Buck up Alex time to win is today

[@honestfriend767]

Pray, and find a relationship with Christ through His Holy Spirit and you will see a change

[@markdixon392]

I think Radio Shack is responsible for a great number of successful people... through project based self learning. Pre-internet for a teen on summer break from school, just a little inspiration and access to some basic electronic components was a good remedy for boredom. Fast forward to today, with access to videos for learning and comments from others to give advice, it's a little sad that one cannot be inspired and go get some parts locally. Online is great, but sometimes I don't want to wait a few days. On the other hand, can't run a business selling resistors and capacitors.

[@CareerDropout.]

exactly

[@JBM425]

It’s not that one cannot be inspired to get parts locally; it’s more a matter of fewer to no places locally remain, at least around here.

[@ReelAustinB]

I’m 23 and remember loving to go into RadioShack when I was a kid. They had a kids section with kits to build different electronics and I thought it was super cool.

[@Aidan_Au]

Do Kodak. Kodak used to be a Fortune 500 company. They went bankrupt in 2012. The most ironic thing is, they were the pioneer of digital photos. They invested a bunch of money in the technology, which ultimately put them out of business.

[@TheMediaDirectory]

Aidan Au it is already online since a long time ago

[@dakingofgeese]

Aidan Au Kodak's profitable again.

[@Fendervana]

Aidan Au no, kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012. They're still in busness..

[@intelligentfringe]

Aidan Au It's kinda a relevant comparison, but they were more overwhelmed by a technology wave than Kodak was. Like Radio Shack, Kodak tried to catch up to digital with crappy and overpriced products, and also abandoned its core (film) customer. Radio Shack should have remade itself into an unapologetic computer-geek destination, and it could be alive today (if smaller). As it is, there's been no replacement - Best Buy can't be specialized or obsessive enough to serve that population. The post-bankruptcy Kodak is a shadow of its former self, and has very little to do with consumer photography anymore; its film is made by a spun-off entity.

[@larrytraber]

Aidan Au Polaroid sued them cause they made a instant camera like theirs.. I think that's what happened

[@rogertravis945]

"As per loan agreement, you can't close more than 200 stores per year." Why not close 199 stores per year?

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Exactly what I was thinking and what I would have done.

[@trevortrevor2047]

Right? But it actually says "MORE THAN" 200 meaning you could close 200...

[@LightPink]

They closed 1800 when they filled for bankruptcy so the 200/year wasn't enough

[@buckscountyeasarchive8995]

@@LightPink It'd still help at least a little.

[@Saaad2]

Here is a man who could save Radio Shack but alas.. :P

[@lukewarren7857]

I'm born in 1964. My dad was attempting to find mutual hobbies with me and we would purchase these various kits such as build your own crystal radio or multi meter I believe they were produced by a company named Heath whom also some of their products assembled at a much higher price, I still have a small tube guitar amplifier assembled by Lafafette Did I mention transistors were the new rage? Tube's we're still around and needed to be tested and replaced in old radios, t.v and musical amplifiers. I didn't learn howsales to use a computer until 1999 and so going into a shop was for parts & advice. Yes, the sale's staff was very knowledgeable not like today's Walmart supercenter Heath kit corporation would be an interesting subject so would Tandy leather I also purchased many 'kits ' from. Assembled a purse for mother's birthday present or moccasins for my sister and it was on shelf of RadioShack ready for use

[@jrwheeler81]

OMG, my dad was ALWAYS going to RadioShack when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s! I swear, every phone, answering machine, clock, battery, etc. in our house was from RadioShack. It's also where we got our first family computer in the fall of 1995 when I was in the 8th grade. My husband also loved RadioShack and we could never go to the mall without him disappearing into that store. All of the RadioShack stores in our area closed in 2015 and both my dad and husband still miss it. I guess I kind of do as well. So many memories!

[@martyosborne7506]

Last time I went to a radio shack, they wanted every bit of my personal info even though I was paying with cash. I put my purchase on the counter and walked out to never return.

[@mcribs7811]

Marty Osborne Wait, so I can’t have the last four digits of your phone number? How about your address? I understand you’re paying cash. But don’t you realize I’m an idiot? Do you own a cell phone?

[@musket-hc1fc]

I found that very annoying too.

[@Justin-wd2vy]

@@musket-hc1fc I worked there. Did that. Managers told us to do so. That's the only reason why. The commission wasn't worth harassing people that didn't want it. Just people trying to not get fired.

[@RevolverOcelot2008]

I listen to a pranks call show whose host was an enthusiast about the company. He mentioned they used to send out a catalog every so often so I assume they tired getting people's info to send them unwanted catalogues and other advertisements. For people like him who wanted one it was nice but doing it all shady like they did was stupid

[@gtgene]

On the bright side, I needed a replacement cell phone for my niece who was on my account but in another state. The manager got on the line, talked sports teams with the manager there and arranged for a "release" where I would pay at my end and the store at the other end would give her the phone. I know being a manager was a ditch-digging job, but there were really good ones.

[@paulbear3376]

I remember going to Radio Shack with my father in the 70's. He would go to test the tubes from our television. I remember sawdust on the floor and a very distinct aroma of solder and electricity. There were very intelligent people there also, Glasses wearing, pocket protecting types that could actually tell you exactly how to assemble a tv. (And sell you the parts to do it)...

[@roymckenzie3566]

Kool and sweet...da good ol days of real electronics repairs

[@mingchi1855]

@@roymckenzie3566 Instead now the "genius bar" opens your device, check for the water damage indicators, and suggests buying a new one.

[@robertcallahan7153]

I was thinking this was the actual problem with Radio Shack. They had this identity where you'd go and do some "tinkering" or fix something. Every Radio Shack had some old guy that may not have graduated high school, but he could teach electrical engineering classes. That guy would tell you what you needed, or how to replace, by-pass, or modify what was broken. Everyone one of those guys had a poster or a book of diodes and capacitors that they'd reference when you asked them a question too. After you talked to him you'd go home and solder your radio back together, or build your cheese-board, or whatever. Last time I walked into a Radio Shack I had some kid half my age trying to sell me a cellphone and then when I told him what I needed some AV cables. He argued with me about how what I was doing wouldn't work because my devices weren't the same brand. I couldn't figure out if he was trying to up-sell me, or was just an idiot, or both. I got the cables I needed, and left, and hadn't been back since. I get that's a very intangible brand, and probably doesn't sell, but it's funny to me how many of us have a nostalgic view on Radio Shack, and a general annoyance with what it became.

[@kuebby]

@@robertcallahan7153 That's a perfect description of classic Radio Shack. A vestige of the age when you could buy a kit TV to put together yourself.

[@zymurgynet]

@@robertcallahan7153 Sounds like your last visit to a Radio Shack was more pleasant than my last visit to a Radio Shack store before it closed. Walking in, you see the round checkout counter in the middle of the store. Sitting on that counter was the store employee, backside facing the store entrance, and half their butt crack sticking out. NOT the same Radio Shack I grew up with...

[@Xpyburnt_ndz]

I'm 60 yrs old and used to use RS for my electronic parts back in the 70's and early 80's. But then they started hiring dull pointed pins and blown out light bulb so I couldn't get any help with parts I needed. I'd have to go thru their parts drawers myself to find anything because these bright peeps they hired had no clue what I was looking for...kind of like you described here in selling phones and letting the other customers fend for themselves and the employee could carte less. I got better help off the internet so went there and continue today when I need parts.

[@davidb2206]

You aren't going to get skilled people in electronics for minimum wage. It was $7.15 an hour in year 2000.

[@nickmontelongo1652]

While I understand comments like this. You need to understand retail isn’t going to get anyone like that (and if they do not for very long) by providing non existant benefits and pay thats near minimum wage. I mean its whats happening in the hardware industry these days too, I should know I work in it. Plus retails more about managing stock, orders, and other factors than making sure youre knowledgable about ur dept, a good example is our guides which try and front products the store thinks the customer should want going over their features listed on their website rather than explain the basics to roofing, plumbing, electrical etc

[@davidb2206]

@@nickmontelongo1652 American companies, at least, used to TRAIN people over many years, and they gained increasing expertise in their field. Loyalty was a two-way understood agreement, not just one-way.

[@grayfiresoul]

This story of decline is a real shame, because they were a serious competitor in *all* areas of electronics for decades. Calculators, AM radios, alarm clocks, home intercom systems, gimmicky executive desktop electronics, just to name a few. I'm shocked that you didn't go into their computer side of the business. They were, at one point, one of the main pushers/providers of consumer home computing, from the late 70s to the early 90s. Tandy Computers was their in-house brand, and they were spec'd out fantastically for their era, often graphically ahead of IBM's offerings. The TRS-80 absolutely revolutionized the accessibility, affordability, market viability, and power of computing for the average person, all staring in 1977. In North America, we know Radio Shack as Radio Shack. Though, everywhere else, especially in England and the commonwealth nations, Radio Shack was known as Tandy. That's just how ubiquitous the brand was. I'm only in my late 30s, but I remember them first hand for their remote control cars/trucks, radios, electronic parts, and array of computer accessories. I really used to love going to Radio Shack.

[@RoyAntaw]

In early 1978 when I was 14 years old I walked into a Tandy store, Radio Shack traded under the Tandy name in Australia, and just inside the door was a TRS-80 Model 1 with Level 1 BASIC and for the rest of the summer, I visited that store where I learned to programme in BASIC. The staff were incredibly supportive and allowed me to stay for a few hours each day using the only computer they had on display. Tandy Electronics has long closed its doors in Australia but I still have fond memories of them.

[@Parpl22]

They really lost me as a customer when they used to ask at the register, "What is your name, address and telephone number, sir?" Nobody asks for this when buying 5 dollars in batteries.

[@stevehealton5969]

As I worked there, it was required and you were rated on the percentage of names and address' because it was part of the marketing program where they would mail flyers to your address. It was called a warm contact, because you had been in the store. It did work for quite a while, and that's why the grew.

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

Steve Healton - they could have just done what everyone else does and send literally everyone on the planet their fliers; you might argue most of them will get thrown away, but most of them probably got thrown away anyway LUL

[@abemartinez9623]

Man I remember being 16 years old. Walking into RadioShack after playing dice an selling some grass to my friends. Bought my first cellphone with that money it was awesome. $20 phone. $30 all you can text plan. 2008 was a good year

[@muffs55mercury61]

Radio Shack was one of the saddest declines in our retail history (along with Circuit City) When the Tandy Corp left, their days were numbered. I have so many memories of Radio Shack in the 1970s buying many of their things (I still have their Battery Card in my keepsakes as well as a Realistic turntable that still works great) They had top notch technicians (like Circuit City would later have) I had a CB radio that was no longer made but they were able to repair it and I never had a problem with it for the six years I had it. The place was great for tech wizards and wannabes as well. In the end they were just another cell phone store and from what I heard many of the workers had no clue what they were selling. A sad end.

[@leecowell8165]

Exactly.. the sales people in the 60 & 70's needed to know basic electronics at the least.. but in the 80's they were clueless. I'd go in there asking for a 0.1 mfd cap at 400 volts and they had NO clue WTF I was talking about (even though they still sold them). sad...

[@muffs55mercury61]

@@leecowell8165 The tech people back then were outstanding and shared their knowledge if asked. Now no matter where you go it seems no one knows what they are selling.

[@drdrew3]

Maybe I’ve become jaded but I’m no longer “sad” to see my cherished retailers go out of business. Or maybe I’ve just accepted that the online vendors have replaced the brick and mortar stores for all time. Nearly all business sales models become disrupted over time by its hard to imagine what could ever replace online sales

[@kingk3245]

I can remember 13 years ago was my last visit to radio shack. The man working there told me to get my car charger from Wal-Mart as it was only $20 there for the same exact model that i had in my hand for $34.99

[@Jason-qs4jj]

Nicholas phelps Sounds like a good guy but a shitty salesman. Salesmen need to be ruthless, selfish, and sleazy to be successful.

[@kingk3245]

I think even he knew no body in their right mind wouldve paid that much. He definetly wasnt getting a sale on that occasion no matter how he spun it. If the damn thing had a price on it I wouldnt have even got that far before leaving

[@One-Crazy-Cat]

A real miracle on 34th Street Santa moment. Lol. Go get it across the street cheaper.

[@rodneykingston6420]

On Seinfeld, in response to some hypothetical question, Kramer says to Jerry "Why does RadioShack want your name and address when you buy batteries?" - I remembered when I was 12 I bought something at RS and the clerk just casually ordered me to fill out a form and being a kid trained to respect adults, I did, but I was really annoyed. I remember as an older teenager when the same thing happened I'd say "I don't want to do that, I just want to buy this, ok?" "We can't get your contact info?" "Can I buy this or not?" and they'd look really hurt. I think a lot of people avoided RadioShack even in its heyday because they didn't want all the red tape (or drama) that went along with a purchase there.

[@grampi68]

K Mart also did the same thing. One time when I refused, they were unable or unwilling to complete the sale, so I walked out.

[@minnie7453]

Why *did* they do that? Was it for every sale so they could spam you with catalogs and stuff? Or just for batteries? :b

[@amongthewillows9953]

Rodney Kingston They wanted to help the govt keep tabs on who was buying what like bomb making materials etc. sneaky shit.

[@adjaphbootys9520]

Stores ask for email addresses now.. for their "promotional offers"..

[@norman7179]

Just say NO! They sell your information to spammers and yes, it also goes to gubm't snooping.

[@HarvestTexas]

This was always my go to store for police or aircraft scanners. I used to purchase the crystals for a specific frequency in my then 10 channel scanner. Later the programmable scanners with lots more frequenxies came into being. I always prefer seeing and checking out items in store rather than on-line.

[@sezwo5774]

They were a fantastic store in the 80s, into the mid to late 90s.

[@c4manke]

Well done, I worked at a Radioshack back in the day, and you hit the nail on the head with number 3. They lost focus on their core business in search of fast profits, alienating loyal customers and annoying people who were already locked into cell phone plans. (this was before cell phone stores existed and no provider ever paid your early termination fees to get you as a client)

[@ProductionRG]

When I was a kid in the 1960s my grandfather and I would go to Radio Shack to pickup parts for b&w televisions and radios. My grandfather retired from the Fire Department and started a side business out of his workshop. He was a radio man on a Destroyer in World War II, so he had a lot of experience. Back then they had everything we needed for the repair... We worked on old tube type B&W Tv's, and wooden stereo/television console furniture.

[@edwaggonersr.7446]

I just turned 70, for years Radio Shack was the first place I looked when I needed just about anything electronic. In the 1980s I bought a Realistic stereo system that was fantastic. I miss the stores.

[@bobdabuilder6618]

Damn

[@One_of_Many750]

Ed Waggoner Sr. Remember Circuit City?

[@DavidDHahn]

Same here, Realistic was a well-known and quality brand. I had a whole stereo rack system that was the pride and joy of my teenage years.

[@Dakintosh]

damn bro i bet ur nuts saggy af

[@AlphaMacho]

@@Dakintosh 😂😭

[@alukuhito]

As a kid growing up in the 70s, Radio Shack was the coolest store around, other than maybe the toy store. Radio Shack had all the cool things. My parents got me some of my favourite gifts from there like an electronics experiment kit, a microscope, and a video game console that had Pong on it. I loved that store. Then, some time in the 80s they seemed to disappear. I think by the 90s they were all replaced by The Source. I always wondered where they went. I grew up in Canada, so there must've been some different policies at head office when it came to Canada, because I'm quite surprised they still exist in the USA. I haven't seen one for probably at least 30 years. The Source is so boring though. None of the fun stuff for kids. I'll always have fond memories of Radio Shack.

[@allentate3760]

Exactly! Same here

[@AllieRX]

The RadioShack at the mall near my house closed not too long ago. Strangely enough, the Kmart next to it is still around.

[@chroniclea9058]

Opposite happened where I live.

[@pompanopunk1937]

The sears in my area is going really strong for some reason.

[@lovelyheiferdev]

PompanoPunk Given your username, if you live near a city, your Sears sales are still going a tiny bit strong. I live near Boston and my Sears store is still stocked like it's new, but it's still a ghost town there. I don't know how we are still open in '17, heh.

[@chroniclea9058]

My local sears is an anchor store in my local mall. The escalators were shut off inside of the sears and nobody ever goes inside despite the fact its fully stocked.

[@OfficeSupplyRobot]

The only one that's alive near me is at Mall of America. There are a few others in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, but they're pretty much on life support.

[@gwouru]

Radio shack used to be the shit for electronics, like resistors, and capacitors, and breadboards... Used to shop there all the time as a kid. Then they stopped being the shit for that, and so I stopped going.

[@fPonias1]

They jacked up their prices, probably due to declining sales, and eventually I could find anything they used to carry on the interweb for a 10th the price (made in China of course).

[@danielhall6938]

@@fPonias1 I mean you did what they did, just without buying in bulk. Fuck the middle man

[@packingten]

I like others probably used to go get a switch or some other electronic componet then bought something else... expensive!,And like you they got rid of electronics and me as well !.

[@joseabril772]

Wolfe Wright so stop buing shit' you shit lover!

[@stevenkaeser8583]

Wolfe Wright they sold most of that at the end, from trays as opposed to wall rock. But they could not survive competition from large Audio/Video stores, and as the profit margin declined with less sales of small parts, they tried to expand in already flooded markets.

[@rickshaves6913]

I worked for Radio Shack in 2001 the year I graduated high school. All I remember about my time there was upper management being extremely aggressive with their store associate trainings. Making store associates seem so desperate and pathetic to Sell, Sell! Sell! Most people went into Radio Shack for specific items, but were hounded by pushy store associates trying to up sell everything including the kitchen sink!

[@drdrew3]

So true. For years I visited RS every 2-3 months and the same guy tried to sell me a cell phone. After about 5 years of harassment I actually needed a cell phone and went to him. They had nothing in stock for weeks so I went across the street to the AT&T store. That happened twice more before I gave up. At my last visit to the store I asked the manager if he was concerned the store closings would affect his store. He defiantly said “No, we are here to stay” - 4 months later it was a Chinese take out place. Pre-2000 Radio Shack was THE go to place for everything electronic

[@eddyb5980]

I have some great memories from Radio Shack as a kid growing up in the ‘90s. Every Christmas Eve my dad would take a last minute trip to RadioShack (in retrospect most likely because they gave out credit cards back then for use in their stores) and would fill supplement our Xmas morning presents from ‘Santa’ with all kinds of cool stuff like RC cars, cool electric piano keyboards, walk/discmans, and other cool electronic novelties from the time. I actually got my first ever MP3 player from there back in like 2001, I remember it held like 8 songs I had downloaded from Kazaa or Napster. One Xmas gift from Radio Shack that I still have to this day (and works well I might add) was this cool battery operated robotic arm that came attached to a tabletop joystick contraption called the “Armatron” I believe; you could like pick up objects and really make your own fun and just play around with it, the true definition of an electronic novelty. I guess my point is they did have some cool products in my experience back in the mid to late ‘90s but I can’t speak really to their later product lines and promotions in the decade just before their closure.

[@truthoverall3893]

I worked for RadioShack for 4 months in 2013... it was the most pathetic place. They would only give their employees half commission on cellphone sales until the "training packet" was complete. This consisted of selling a family plan, added line, and a new line for each major carrier they sold. Problem was, no one shopped there for certain carriers, thus the packet was NEVER able to be completed... people working there for over a year without full commission. They forced us to try to sell a cell phone, or cell phone upgrade to every customer that walked through the door, even if they just stopped in for batteries. They would force us to try and tack on the useless Radio Shack warranty onto every item we rang up. They would scold us if we couldn't get the customer to buy accessories with their phone. It got so ridiculous, that if a customer didn't want any accessories, we had to call the district manager before finalizing the sale, so he can tell you word for word what he wants you to say to convince them to buy some. Oh yeah, and the store manager would find out when all the new cell phones would come in, make calls, and pre-sale them all before any employee could get a chance to sell them and make some money. I could go on, but you get the point... it was shit. Only good thing was the employee discount on Radio Shack affiliated electronics was great.

[@DocHollidaa]

TruthOverAll - I had pretty much the same experience. We had to push those cell phones on everyone and everything else took a back seat even customer service. I was pulled aside and "coached" for taking 20 minutes on a slow day to discuss HD tv's and DVD and Blurays to an elderly couple. I knew they were not going to buy but I took the time to listen to their questions and explain so that they could understand. When they left they thanked me for taking the time to answer their questions. Our DM was like a bull in a china shop whenever he visited our store. He tried to "lead" through intimidation. On the bright side my coworkers were great to work with.

[@kevincraig6033]

I had the exact same experience when I worked there during that same period of time. Everyone would say the place was going bankrupt anytime.

[@h3ctor272]

TruthOverAll - who cares??? If you're getting paid to not sell anything, who cares what RS sell. As long as I'm getting my check and benefits, I could care less if they sold only batteries

[@truthoverall3893]

Charles St. Pierre Haha, yup... I was "coached" everyday for trying to help customers who wanted information on items that were not cellphones. I eventually told them I'll sell phones to people that want them & that's it. It turns out I'm not a great salesman, because I didn't want to screw over everyone who came in. That being said, they still begged me to stay when I was leaving.

[@The_Mimewar]

This one makes me sad. Radio Shack was such a special place, then they started selling phones

[@seedistrash2748]

Shane Ellis there is still one near me in Ashtabula Ohio!

[@CSDonohue11]

SeedIs Trash That’s dope. We still had 2 in Vegas up until just like 2 maybe 3 years ago.

[@seedistrash2748]

ThA MAN C MAcK I don’t know how they open but they somehow manage to stay alive amazing!

[@daniellafferety4025]

The I phone were probably a last ditch effort to stay current.

[@janellcrews6108]

Brings back memories I got my first pager at radio shack. I had a cellphone but my grandpa paid the 20$ a month plan. It was 20 min a month free nights and weekends. I'd give my pager number then called back on the landline unless it was night or weekend. I never got a cellphone at that place there were so many cell stores everywhere. Then metro was unlimited call and text needless to say I didn't need a pager anymore.

[@ChrisBakerauthor]

I worked for Tandy for six days in 1998. I quit because they had sold the job as something different. In early 1999, I called my old supervisor to tell him that my address had changed so they could send my W2 to my new address. He refused to help. I ended up going to my old landlord to get the W2.

[@KevinGaudineer]

My experience with Radio Shack (2 words) was a great experience... At least during the 1960's through the late 1980's. Your #3 reason for their decline should really be the #1 reason for their decline. Also, one very important aspect of Radio Shack that didn't even get mentioned in your video was their 'Customer Service'. In my youth, I couldn't wait to go to the local radio Shack on the weekends when my parents would go shopping. They had toys, electronics, electronic kits, walls and bins and racks full of parts, pieces breadboards anything you wanted to start creating something. Plus there were knowledgeable store employees there who could answer all your questions and help you gather any part (or parts) you needed to keep your latest creation moving forward. I even bought my first computer at Radio Shack... The Radio Shack TRS 80 also led to years of Christmas and birthday gifts because of accessories like the thermal printer or any of the cassette tapes that had programs you could run. Even if you had trouble with a radio, record player, or even a small tabletop TV you could wander in to Radio Shack and talk with one of the Store employees about the trouble and they would help you get the parts you needed to make the repairs. My interest in Radio Shack began to waver in the late 1980's and by the end of the 1990's I had no interest in going back to Radio Shack at all. The leading reason was because of 'Phones'!!! All they wanted to do was sell you a phone or a plan..... Even when you explained that the phone wasn't yours and was provided by your employer they still hounded you the entire time you were in the store. If you asked a question about a kit or any electronic's parts you got a blank stare and no answer. The knowledgeable helpful staff that use to work at Radio Shack were gone, Most of the electronics and parts were gone, and in their place was some high school kid who didn't want to be there but was only there because the parents made them get a job and instead of parts, kits or toys there was phones and phone accessories...... If I wanted a phone I would go to the cellular store next door to Radio Shack. I agree that they missed the online sales opportunities. Since you couldn't get your questions answered in the store you had to go home and find the answers on the internet (Compuserve dial-up) and you also discovered that the parts you needed were a fraction of the cost at Radio Shack. It was sad to see Radio Shack abandon its core strength (which is what made it famous) for a cell phone and other junk electronic trinkets. It would be interesting to see if they have learned a lesson from the last 20 years and reverse that course.

[@BluntForceTrauma666]

Ahhhh yes, Radio $hack. When I was a kid and my mom dragged me to the mall, she could just dump me off at RS and I would entertain myself for hours. That was back when you could walk in and ask for a 10k resistor or a 10 MFD 16v capacitor and they _actually understood WTF you were talking about._ That rapidly morphed into some clueless *moron* trying to sell you either a cell phone, a shitty RC car or a clock radio. Complete loss of focus, IMHO...

[@savage-americanimperialist4335]

BluntForceTrauma666 If you know what it is, then grab it, buy it, and move on with your life. lol

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Savage, It's not the point whether he knew what it was or not... The point at RadioShack was being able to ask questions about components and not expect to light your house on fire with the project when you got home. The answer to every customer is no more ,"Hey mister, you want a cell phone with that?" Than you want to hear, "You want fries?" with every friggin' meal. :o)

[@BluntForceTrauma666]

@savage: of course, that was always my intention for the most part. _EXCEPT_ every now and then I would actually *like* to discuss alternatives...maybe get another's thoughts. OR, more importantly, to be able to honestly answer the sales person's question, "what are you looking for?" and not have them look back at me like I was a purple bug...

[@spazmaticaa7989]

Savage-American Imperialist Also what if it was in a hidden corner of a drawer or if you just weren't sure if they forgot to restock an item you needed. However I do agree that people are forgeting what was basic knowledge back in the day. Now people go on their phones and don't care that not many kids are doing DIY projects or taking classes for electrical engineering or any other engineering form that if we didn't have would spell the end of technological advances or the eecli e of said advances.

[@DanaTheInsane]

I went to one and asked for a compact flash card, I ended up with a person who kept trying to sell me a Micro SD card insisting it was the same thing. Never went back.

[@Movie_Games]

I'd hate to say it, but a big part of RadioShack dying is the employees. I remember going into one in the 80's with my dad and asking the person working what he needed to repair his blown TV set. If you walk into a RadioShack now, the employees wouldn't know a fuse from a hole in the wall. But they would be glad to sell you an extended warranty on either of them.

[@grownman284]

That's really anywhere you go these days. Most workers are there to just collect a check.

[@kylesonsalla7620]

Our still open Shack still has knowledgeable people. Walked in looking for a ferrite choke, the young lady asked what size cord it was for, and went to the right bin and pulled them out first try.

[@wheatonna]

@grownman284. Absolutely. And with what they get paid, it's hard to blame them.

[@carlinphx]

When I was a kid Radio Shack was pretty amazing. They had a lot cool lights, electronics, radios and computers you didn't see anywhere else. As I got older, it was the go-to place for cables, splitters, speaker wire, etc. It really started going downhill with cellphones. It no longer was a place for knowledgeable geeks but became a cellphone store. The store that was near me is now a Sprint store.

[@quemeese]

totally agree with all these replies as I have been there too.

[@Sarasdad91]

Back in the Mid/Late 70s, when the CB Radio boom was in affect, Radio Shack made big money, because Shack had more choices of CB models, CB Antennas and accessories than anyone at the time. I really loved that store. We didn't have computers back then, but CB Radio was as much fun for us. And it was the only time that you could be identified by a name of your own choosing and not a name your Mom and Dad chose for you.

[@chrisyanover1777]

Well when I needed to replace my Vacuum Tube transistor, RadioShack was the place to go! Golly gee, it was so super off the moon! Then I would get a root beer float at the local hop! RadioShack is just the bee's knees!

[@0714will]

😆

[@sped6954]

I remember Radio Shack from about the late 70s. During my teen years in the 80s, you couldn't keep me out. All those plasticky stereos on the market now? That's not what we had. The stereos back then could be repaired, and that's what a lot of us did. Even though they were plasticky back then, it was different. It was easier to crack into one, figure out where you went wrong, quick trip to Radio Shack for whatever was necessary, trip back home and 20 minutes later you were back in business again. I made sure to always have RCA cable ends, styluses, fuses, resistors, heatsinks, heat shrink tubing, speaker wire and all kinds of mostly universal small parts that seemed to fail way before any actual component did. Then there were the tons of 60 and 90 minute cassette tape blanks. Ironically, it was all these small things that I bought from them along with a good quality multimeter, soldering equipment and other various tools that kept me from having to buy new equipment from them when something failed. Kind of like the intended target of an assassination knowingly selling the gun and ammunition to his assassin. I remember toward the end going in to pick something small up. I always knew exactly what it was, where it was, which compartment in which bin, etc, picking out my item, going to the register to check out, and finding that all four of the employees that were on duty at the time were all helping customers at the cell phone display tables. This happened a few times, so I just quit going in altogether. Everything I needed could be purchased online and usually a lot cheaper anyway, and nothing I needed was so important that it couldn't wait a couple days.

[@MediaM5]

sorry that happen, as a former manager its frustrating to see a customer wait. specially ones whom were loyal. ive had many. the cell phones where pushed heavily, incentives where given as far as cash to the paycheck per phone as well as a big commission number to their quota. so many went that route instead of the "normal" customer with a lets say 40 dollar ticket sale. that also hurts the store when a loyal customer leaves but individual sales people dont see it that way.

[@memyname1771]

Yes, I remember the overpriced, low quality stereos of the 80s.

[@whorton4]

Funny as my first stereo receiver came from RS back in 1973. A STA-120B, it served me well into the early 80's. By the 2000's they did not even offer such things that as you note were junk.

[@deaddy57]

very similar for me.used to love that store until the cell phone times, then never returned.

[@FlipSRT4]

I miss being able to buy individual capacitors or resistors in store, drive home, solder them in, then resume enjoying my electronics.

[@ChristCenteredMinist]

PooTubeHD yea, now I have to order it from Amazon, then wait days b4 using them...

[@cobhcdr]

PooTubeHD go to frys electronics

[@gbobzburner8687]

Yeah, I miss it. When I had money as a kid, Id go to the comic book store or Radio Shack.

[@tomcorwine3091]

@@cobhcdr That didn’t age well :)

[@ninji5226]

I still remember getting excited in the early 90's going into one of these in the mall. It was the most concentrated collection of weird electronic around. Lots of remote controlled cars and whatnot. They never really carried name brands though and I would argue that was a factor too, everything seemed like in house brands.

[@JBM425]

House brands wouldn’t have been as big a deal if they were cheaper, but most RS brands were more expensive than the competition.

[@JasonCone]

Radio Shack was awesome when you could go in and browse through inventory of capacitors and resistors and LEDs and switches and so on. It died for me when they switched away from that and more towards "consumer electronic products."

[@Gungho73]

I work in electronic retail. Every time we move something to our online retail branch a bit of me dies inside. Similarly, when I can't help DIYers with specific manufacturer specific quirks like proprietary LED technology. Capacitors, when I read your comment, hit me hard. Those used to be on my shelves, small section, and it was clearly that 5 customers a year item. And yeah it wasted space and space is at a premium, but I loved we were that place for that guy that needed it. And it keeps going that way.

[@willfishing5605]

I went to their website right now, 3 years after this video, and they have the same am/fm headset, and hdmi converter on their home page... what a joke.

[@NateLeeGriggs]

Lmao I just checked as well. What’s more shocking is that they have 5 star reviews but they all reiterate the same shit. Fuck outta here 😂😂😂

[@duffy9090]

They have the hdmi converter too further down and still way to expensive haha

[@notta3d]

I just checked out their site and they have a image stating "The Shack is Back." First thing I saw was a pair of radio shack batteries for $3.99. Seems like they have a lot to offer :(

[@etherico3041]

The only thing that sucks about buying electronic components online or from Amazon is you have to wait several days. It would be nice to go down the street and buy every component you need and keep on moving forward with the project instead of delaying it by multiple days. It really blows and I’ve ran into this problem to many times. But it really isn’t worth it to have a brick and mortar store if a lot of your inventory is worth pennies to a few dollars and not that many people are into tinkering with electronics they just want to use them how they were sold and hope they always work.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I used to love Radio shack. As an electronics hobbyist it was the only place in our more rural area you could actually go and find resistors, inductors, project boxes, switches and more. The soldering supplies and the Engineering Notebooks were also very helpful. I remember when they went from having Robots, Electronics lab kits and Tandy computers on display to simply being a cell phone place. I was pissed ever time I went in there. No one knew anything about electronics parts etc. anymore they just wanted to show you the newest cell phones. I could not believe it. I knew that for me it seemed like the worst direction they could have gone, I did not even realize how bad of a direction it really was. I miss being able to go and find a resistor or capacitor when you need one for a repair. In the 80's and 90's I thought it was one of the best stores in existence. It was one of the only places to ever have an electronics selection and supplies in stock.

[@jamesstudebaker1210]

I recycle hardware from old machines for resale and projects. When our Radioshack closed they threw the entire parts cabinet into the dumpster, along with a surprising number of old electronics, including almost thirty perfectly good phones. Best dumpster haul ever.

[@TS-jm7jm]

i felt somewhat envious at that comment,

[@tessierashpoolmg7776]

Don Mega Made perfect sense to me, amigo.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Same goes for me. Every time something breaks down for good, I get the soldering iron. Every cable, every resistor, capacitor, cooler, screw, fan, etc can get a second life. And if they are done as well, it doesn't hurt anyway.

[@sperge5673]

Oh yes. I got some of my current computer parts from doing that.

[@copanationdie]

Isn't that illegal dumping of electronics?

[@justinrboyett]

Apparently I am old. In the 80's, this was your Best Buy.

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

It was. But Radio Shack tended to be a bit pricey. The products were top notch but expencive

[@robcohen7678]

he didn't mention their Tandy computer phase either, that was semi successful and for a little while Radioshack was synonymous with Tandy computers. They were pretty popular in elementary schools, kinda the (semi) PC compatible version of an Apple iiC

[@tessierashpoolmg7776]

In the main I agree. But did RS ever sell TVs?

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

If they did, I never saw any in the stores I ever went too

[@japerry75]

@@chaosdemonwolf1 A few of the stores did probably the mid 2000s to later but overall that was a hit or miss finding TVs there. I think it depended on the store management. I saw a Radio Shack that was the best electronic store around in Columbus, IN back then but you go 30 or 50 miles away and the next store was pure crap with employees that knew nothing.

[@teddycustumz3267]

There is no feeling like needing a resistor or fuse , walking into one of these stores and actually finding it so you can go back to repair an electronic device you can’t get repaired elsewhere. That’s why I loved them. People that tinker, repair people and even number Jonny 5 love radio shack

[@johnfoltz8183]

They used to sell electronic components for people wanting to build their own electronics such as radios for many years, but near the end, they stopped selling components. They were also popular for people wanting to have their own rc cars.

[@KennethScharf]

Back in the 1960's, when I was a teenager, I got involved with radio and electronics as a hobby. In 1970, I got my first ham radio license. At that time, Radio Shack was a good place to buy parts, and they often were the only place a hobbiest could buy some of the latest parts cheaply. They carried Field Effect transistors, Tunnel Diodes, Calculator IC's, 7 segment LED readouts, and many other parts. They'd buy overstocks from the semiconductor outlets and blister pack them. They also sold replacement vacuum tubes, their Realistic Lifetime tubes had gold plated pins, and were guaranteed for life. They also sold kits under the Science Fair name. One product line you didn't mention was their High Fidelity and Stereo audio products. Their Realistic stereo equipment and speakers were decent products, not high end like Onkyo or Pioneer, but worth their cost. I had a low end Stereo Receiver from them that sounded rather good in my bedroom using a pair of small speakers. I bet many college dorms were equipped with Radio Shack stereo equipment (or Heathkits, but that's another story you might look into). They also were known for their magnetic recording tape. Before cassettes replaced reel to reel machines, Radio Shack had the most complete line of open reel blank audio tape. There were better brands, but the Shack almost always had the whole line up in stock, and many recording hobbiests had their collections recorded on Radio Shack brand tapes. And how could we forget batteries? The larger stores had a good collection of the hard to find batteries in stock, or could get them from the warehouse in a day or two. I remember being able to get old old fashioned high voltage radio B batteries from Radio Shack to build a project from one of Alfred Morgan's Boys electronics books. Maybe the decline of DIY as a hobby also played a part in their demise. Too bad they couldn't catch the wave of DIY's revival. Did you ever see them advertise in Make magazine?

[@jayusn-et2231]

Heathkit: :-) I made many a Heathkit project in the 1970s, from a FM transmitter, to an oscilloscope, and even a xenon strobe light that is probably still working(?) that's stored away in my garage. (It worked at my nieces HS graduation party 3 years ago)

[@davidtaylor5007]

Back in the 70's I was a teen I loved their 75-in-1 project kit and the little you-assemble projects in the red plastic breadboard kits. And I'd buy some of the specialty ICs and misc components occasionally. But all the fun stuff disappeared and all they carried was overpriced crap consumer products you and you had better selection/pricing/quality at KMart/Sears... :-/

[@KennethScharf]

"Rat Shack"

[@Focusembedded]

My friends -- young hobbyists, all, back in the 1970's called it "Ripoff Shack" on the basis of prices. But it was understood when you needed an LM741 that-freaking-afternoon, they had one. The trouble was that as the electronics industry grew, it became harder and harder to supply all of the semiconductors people might want. So Radio Shack gave up entirely -- when they could at least have kept on with passive components, transistors (because sooner or later, everybody needs a 2N2222), and a few op-amps and simple digital circuits. But they just plain quit and became a cell phone vendor. The internet alone didn't kill them, since a lot of us were getting Digi-Key and Mouser catalogs in the 1980's and ordering over the phone. With things like UPS Second Day Air reasonably priced, Radio Shack lost its geographic advantage long before the internet came along. The writing was on the wall for them in about 1985 when that whole back wall covered with small electronic parts had morphed into three drawers in a small filing cabinet.

[@reedrichards82]

I knew the internet helped kill them off, but I love your story about what they are. People just don't use radios any more: there's just no reason to go to a store and get radio parts. They suffered the same fate as Borders: the competition pushed them out.

[@kevinswartz]

RadioShack was nerd paradise back in the day, but ya, quickly became inconsequential post-internet.

[@Moodie111]

Wow, man! You summed up my absurdly long comment above in one short sentence. WTG!

[@dniceo7]

It was a pretty cool place to go to get an R/C car in the early 90s. They had all kinds of little accessories to trick them out with. You'd always get excited if your dad had to stop at radio shack for some audio components, because you might be getting some little flashing lights for your R/C Lambo haha

[@Robert08010]

My first computer was a 1979 Radio Shack TRS-80 Level I Model I with 4k of ram!!! Im tearing up just thinking about it.

[@Robert08010]

As a kid one of my favorite toys was my "Science Fair 65-in-1 Electronic Projects KIt". Manufactured for and sold by Radioshack, this was an electronic learning lab where you built simple electronic circuits and hopepfully learned how they worked.

[@bigcrackrock]

Yep the RC cars/planes and the circuitry kit were a few of the things that came to mind when thinking of Radio Shack. It was still worth poking my head around even in the early 2000's every once in a while. I seen my first water cooled PC with neon lights looking like something you'd find in an alien spacecraft there around that time. Though it quickly thereafter became a place to buy overpriced connectors in a pinch.

[@madcat789]

The RadioShack by my house eventually was bought out and turned into a Verizon store, which eventually failed too, then became a liquor store.

[@isaiahbastille4967]

When I was younger, probably 12, we had a RadioShack in town that was directly connected to a lumber shop. It was like maybe the size of a classroom if even that. I remember looking around while my mom got something. I really didn't think it was special but they sold cool DVDs there and that's all i really cared for

[@SlumberSource]

The niche they would have dominated successfully could have been DIY computers along side off-the-shelf brands. I would have been in Radio Shack once per week. Instead they focused on Cheap Cell phones, Cheap TV's, Blenders and junk. They had no idea what business they were in. Wouldn't have been surprised if they started to sell Gold Nugget watches too at some point.

[@lordmikethegreat]

They threw us away, which is what ultimately killed them...

[@ckycrewlou]

Micro center is taking steps that are going to future proof them. I can't tell you how convenient it is to walk into a store that's basically a physical Newegg. Can't beat it for short notice situations and they have an incredible selection and great pricing.

[@Ifixstuf]

Plus they have great deals and rebates that make you come in and check it out

[@lordmikethegreat]

MicroCenter is awesome! I'm so impressed that they are still around and doing well. They've been around for a very long time... going back all the way to when PC's were still called microcomputers--hence the name! They've picked up a lot of the slack where Radio Shack left off.

[@JeremiahTrue]

They tried that at the end. The shop on School St in Boston had a workbench surrounded by Arduino shields, Raspberry Pi, breadboards and so on but it was overpriced and not always current stuff.

[@brodysdaddy]

Worked for this company (corporate) for almost a decade. I can tell you the reason stores stopped stocking components is because lack of sales. This was chalked up to millennials being less likely to repair electronics themselves. We still carried an enormous amount of components in central locations that could be ordered from stores or online, but the few customers that wanted them didn't want to wait. Once you saw cell phones, tv, and dish services in stores we had already been in big trouble for a while. It's the same as blockbuster, RadioShack was known for selling products that customers no longer wanted. It's not loss Internet sales or poor management. I'm assuming the person making this video is too young to understand why RadioShack became so successful. The products he mentions from the website or stores now are not why the company failed but the result of the failure. RadioShack was already done when they started selling cellphones...they weren't going all in with cell at the expense of other products...they were trying to find anything to sell. Bottom line is RadioShack was a store that serviced customers who repaired their own products or were hobbyists...and that demand tapered off with the millennial generation. Not saying that's a good or bad thing, it's just what happened.

[@JayJay-ex6yo]

ur exactly right, and it is just the nature of the products. electronics had gone from some assembly required, and repair is normal, to all accessories built in, and replace by advancement/repair is impossible. ive seen it in some hobbies/sports were it took a whole store of shit to get what you needed, then within a couple years the tech changes to open box, install batteries, profit. and small shops had truck loads of suddenly useless shit they had paid massively to buy and stock. it makes sense they would go balls deep on cellphones to try to modernize with in the same theme but playing catch up rarely works.

[@grandoldsoul4691]

basically their number was called.

[@nedlan1857]

wow ain't u a typical boomer.. blaming millennials for every miserable.. oh u an ex worker? no wonder u so blind...let me educated u...every generation need to repair its own electrical devices,that thing is not immortal..just because we attached with smartphone doesn't mean we neglected the basic repair...this alone,dont include engineering student and electric hobbyist which is nowadays a lot than boomer,because most boomer i met didn't even know how to repair a simple electronic device..while me and my brother can repair house appliance,repairing our pc laptop,our radio..and its not us alone..many of millennial have some degree of electronic knowledge and can experiment thing...now back to radio shack,u said this such as component is not sought by millennials.. didn't or just dont want to provide? u know lan cable?u know its usage?but if RS dont have it,we find in another store..u just dont know the value of the product,losing its identity and try to come up with other product... basically anything..losing the core aspects is what drive people away...not because "millennial didn't repair electronic anymore"...if i want my component i bought it from legit electronic store because RS is selling shit! thats all..

[@nedlan1857]

2nd...you just dont realise the potential of online store...more diversity and availability..this,combine with cheaper price is what made old school store is kept losing...its not just RS..any store..yeah we millennial is lazy to get out,and we sought a cheaper..its ur fault u didn't evolved...world is moving forward 2020 and RS stuck in 80's...granted this,and RS is become total jerk (bad PR, inconvenient, scarce product)..u still think this is millennial fault?

[@Hopeguz3]

Ned Lan Exactly some people are so quick to blame millennials like the product or company didn’t go to crap and it was too late. The millennials coming up during the decline were young teenagers. I know how to fix things as well, I’ve even built a computer from the ground up and Radio Shack didn’t even have electronic parts, so blame Radio Shack, not the consumer. They lost touch and went crazy and that’s on them.