Radio Shack - buh-bye

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Sadly the days of the DIY electronics guy are going fast. Remember Heathkit, Dynaco, Southwest Technical Products? Them were the days....

Kevin
 
With respect to alternatives like Fry's (which I frequent), I've started to see the same thing happening there. The "hard-core" electronics section is pretty spotty, and shrinking. Software, shrinking. Tools and PCs are pretty good still.

The cell-phone section has boomed.

Despite all the Maker hype, I don't think people are getting appreciably more "build it yourself," at least in terms of % of population. Witness the recent boom in Ready to Fly, and how less handy kids at Build and Fly events are.

It think despite the "Maker Movement," fewer and fewer people over all are "handy," and retail economics these days are tough. Rough mix.
 
Nessalco said:
Sadly the days of the DIY electronics guy are going fast. Remember Heathkit, Dynaco, Southwest Technical Products? Them were the days....
Click to expand...
Products from those companies always appealed to me, but they never seemed like great values. A Dynakit stereo amp or receiver cost almost the same as an assembled store-bought unit. There was little incentive to do the assembly myself. I will agree, there was some learning achieved, but not that much.

Fast forwarding a few years, being in the electronics business, I've come to understand why kits aren't really any cheaper. And I think that is why so many of these players have faded. It cost them as much to make a kit as it did/does for Pioneer to make the finished product. That is, I think the demise of these vendors has more to do with the economics of kits and less to do with cultural shifts (such kids not wanting to take on challenges).

OTOH, nowadays many folks still roll their own, but they use more highly integrated modules rather than individual components. A PC is a good (but dated) example: motherboard, enclosure, hard drive and power supply. RC airplanes are like that, too.

That said, I do think kids nowadays do shy away from some of the high-tech stuff - I think they're intimidated by it. The thirst for knowledge and skill has been replaced with being overwhelmed by complexity. Kids love cell phones, but how many of them want to slog thru years or electrical engineering courses so they can unlock the mysteries of what's under the hood?

Doug

.
 
Fishhead said:
My Rat Shack memory is the big 5 D-cell flashlight that they gave away each year around Christmas. No telling how many of those my brother and I had over the years. Every kid in the neighborhood got one and for a few nights you could see them chasing each other through all the backyards. Then we got the bright idea to shine them at cars, got chased into the woods, and were shocked when we were fingered as the culprits. Like anyone else had been each other chasing around that whole week.
Speaking of the flashlights, after I graduated from college a bunch of my friends who were still in school flew down to Florida to spend a long weekend in the condo of another friend. My buddy Jerry found one of the big flashlights, fully loaded and charged, (much as he was.) He turned it on and started pretending it was a lightsaber, making the requisite "frrrt, frrrt, frrrt" noise as he swiped it around menacingly. One one particularly energetic "frrrt" the end of the flashlight came off and the five D-cells flew cross the room and buried themselves in the living room drywall. Jerry was stunned. Rick was pissed. Everyone else thought it was well worth the price of admission.
Click to expand...

Now THAT's a funny story!
 
Oddly enough, I applied to work for a radio shack back in Michigan just after college. I had a working knowledge of electronics, thanks to Heathkits, and was immediately available, with a car, so I could report to ANY area chain store. They had me fill out an application, and then report for a lie-detector test.

A LIE-DETECTOR test... which I sat for.

The questions covered the waterfront, but seemed to focus around, "Have you ever taken anything from a past employer?" They seemed to be very concerned about that issue. When it was over, I was convinced that I had the job.

They never called. I called them...three or four times, inquiring about the status of the job position that was advertised. I never got an answer. Nothing.

Damn Radio Shack. I guess I knew too much...
 
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Oh, no! This is terrible news! Having only gotten into rocketry in the last year, I have only assembled one launch controller, but I figured RS would be there when I was ready to build... I dunno, something else. A relay system or something? LED-covered rockets for night launches?

I feel like I need to put together a shopping list of components and rush out there right away before it's too late, but I have no idea what I'll be needing in the future.
 
As I can remember it, Radio Shack took off shortly after our expansion into space where many many students going into college got into electronics in fashion or another. I never went to college, but understood the basics of electronics. So I used them to build my own launch controllers. Built my own CB antenna switch box with their parts. And dabbled in this and that.
It's true, they did not keep up with the times. And when they tried, it was too late.
Perhaps selling out and rebranded they might have a chance.
We had one here for awhile, the owner eventually went into cassette video and then dvd rentals faded out the RS line. It's and empty store front now.
The online purchasing, especially for smaller items has taken over. Like me, I'd rather pay a couple bucks shipping and wait a day or 2 before I spend 10 bucks in gas and more miles on the old Ranger, now at 336k miles. Shipping is far cheaper in the long run, and I save time shopping time with a few clicks.
And if it's must have right now, there are auto part stores, big box stores, and electrical supplys if I have to.
Fortunately for me, nothing in my life is dependant upon having anything "right now".
Besides bottled water and air to breath.
 
lcorinth said:
Oh, no! This is terrible news! Having only gotten into rocketry in the last year, I have only assembled one launch controller, but I figured RS would be there when I was ready to build... I dunno, something else. A relay system or something? LED-covered rockets for night launches?

I feel like I need to put together a shopping list of components and rush out there right away before it's too late, but I have no idea what I'll be needing in the future.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't give up yet- Radio Shack seems to flirt with near-death about every 5-7 years, and somehow they're still around.
 
I recall going to Radio Shack from a very young age. It was pretty much the only place around that had electronic components such as SPDT switches and a bunch of other parts for DIY projects. It's hardly anything close to that now for reasons others have mentioned. Places like Tanner Electronics in Carrollton are the go to shops now. They have a lot of foot traffic but I doubt there's room for many others in that category.
 
OMG! Where will I go when I need a capacitor to fix my refrigerator? Oh, wait... consumer electronics aren't end-user serviceable anymore... sigh...

I remember when the drug store, Reeds or something, had a tube-tester next to the photo developing section. Near the aisle with the acids and other chemicals. Times, they have certainly changed.
 
We used to have a great science store in Charlotte, (back when I was a teen) that sold all kinds of electro kits & gizmos, chem lab equipment, compounds (which are prolly not readily available today) They stocked every Estes kit known to exist, along with every part they had. Kit and RTA model airplanes...yadda yadda. No said electronic pieces and parts that I remember, but it was a complete hobby store. They even had whole geodes that they had a slicer for.

In those days RS was in it's prime. Their "Realistic" brand of stereo equipment was considered substandard, but it was cheap. And it worked. Geez...back then, I'm sure a lot of this stuff was made in the USA, except for what we got made in Japan. China wasn't part of our market, best I recall.
 
lcorinth said:
Oh, no! This is terrible news! Having only gotten into rocketry in the last year, I have only assembled one launch controller, but I figured RS would be there when I was ready to build... I dunno, something else. A relay system or something? LED-covered rockets for night launches?

I feel like I need to put together a shopping list of components and rush out there right away before it's too late, but I have no idea what I'll be needing in the future.
Click to expand...

You can get all that stuff elsewhere... not like they're the ONLY vendor in the universe or anything.

I got some parts to build a relay controller-- for that, you'll find your local auto supply a lot more useful than RS anyway. Lots of stuff at the hardware store. The rest you can find online or from other stores...

Later! OL JR :)
 
Plus One on what Luke said.

Most everything sold nowadays is being made in China, including what Radio Shack carries. Recently, I was looking for a keyed switch at Radio Shack (as per The Handbook of Model Rocketry) and discovered they no longer carry that part. I then did a Google search and discovered plenty of retail outlets that carry very similar parts and at a greatly reduced price. That's probably what is undermining Radio Shacks monopoly on such stuff...competition from Internet vendors.
 
I remember going into RS in the 70s. Joined their battery club and got my first computer (post Commodore 2001), a Trash 80. Ah, good times. They will be missed.
 
Almost forgot; about this time last year we had a project in Vegas. One of our power supplies went out which put things at a stand still. I had two options; 1 have the manufacturer overnight me a new one, or 2; hope there was a Radio Shack nearby that had something that would work. Fortunately, there was a RS just a mile or so away and they had exactly what I needed. It was way over priced but I didn't care. I returned an hour later and we were back up and running. Doesn't look like I'll be able to count on that moving forward so now we'll just have to take back up stuff with us.
 
luke strawwalker said:
You can get all that stuff elsewhere... not like they're the ONLY vendor in the universe or anything.

I got some parts to build a relay controller-- for that, you'll find your local auto supply a lot more useful than RS anyway. Lots of stuff at the hardware store. The rest you can find online or from other stores...

Later! OL JR :)
Click to expand...

True, but I imagine now is the time to get some deals, before the stores shutter up.
 
John Beans said:
With respect to alternatives like Fry's (which I frequent), I've started to see the same thing happening there. The "hard-core" electronics section is pretty spotty, and shrinking. Software, shrinking. Tools and PCs are pretty good still.
Click to expand...

Interestingly, I haven't noticed this, if anything I'd say the opposite. The Bay Area Fry's I frequent (Arques) has moved its component section (seems to give it more space), and I've had better luck finding the kinds of things I've wanted recently than a few years ago. They have a bit of stuff in the Adruino-type space, and still a pretty good selection of R's, C's, LEDs, switches & buttons, headers & connectors, proto boards & perf board, wire, project boxes, etc. I was surprised to see they sell some basic 3D printers as well. But of course we're also lucky enough to have places like Anchor Electronics and Halted Supply in our area. :cool:

I was much less happy about the selection of hardware in the area (I find the local Lowes and HD's hardware sections lacking, and even where they have a slot for what I'm looking for it's very poorly-stocked, do they ever inventory those hardware drawers?), but I just discovered this week that my local Orchard Supply has a much better selection of hardware, and fully-stocked (the employee I encountered in the area was quite proud of it in fact). So I know where I'm going for my forged eye bolts, U-bolts, T-nuts, etc. now.

I did notice, however, now that I'm looking for a better still & video camera for taking rocket launch photos, that the camera section in Fry's is dwindling compared to the past. I've bought my previous cameras and a camcorder from them, but it looks like I'll be going elsewhere now.
 
woferry said:
Interestingly, I haven't noticed this, if anything I'd say the opposite. The Bay Area Fry's I frequent (Arques) has moved its component section (seems to give it more space), and I've had better luck finding the kinds of things I've wanted recently than a few years ago. They have a bit of stuff in the Adruino-type space, and still a pretty good selection of R's, C's, LEDs, switches & buttons, headers & connectors, proto boards & perf board, wire, project boxes, etc. I was surprised to see they sell some basic 3D printers as well. But of course we're also lucky enough to have places like Anchor Electronics and Halted Supply in our area. :cool:

I was much less happy about the selection of hardware in the area (I find the local Lowes and HD's hardware sections lacking, and even where they have a slot for what I'm looking for it's very poorly-stocked, do they ever inventory those hardware drawers?), but I just discovered this week that my local Orchard Supply has a much better selection of hardware, and fully-stocked (the employee I encountered in the area was quite proud of it in fact). So I know where I'm going for my forged eye bolts, U-bolts, T-nuts, etc. now.

I did notice, however, now that I'm looking for a better still & video camera for taking rocket launch photos, that the camera section in Fry's is dwindling compared to the past. I've bought my previous cameras and a camcorder from them, but it looks like I'll be going elsewhere now.
Click to expand...
I've never thought of OSH for rocketry hardware.

Thanks for the mention. I'll check it out.
 
Back in the 70's, I won a bronze coin from the local RS and still have it someplace. Last year I went into a RS to find a battery for my Estes altimeter. I thought the price was absurd and went to Amazon--thanks to advice gleaned from this forum.
 
This really doesn't surprise me. As someone else mentioned, Radio Shack just seemed to be without focus over the last couple of decades. They kept trying to get into the latest electronics, but couldn't compete on price OR quality. Too little...too late.

And as a hardcore electronic hobby guy, you were probably one of the first folks to go on the internet to get your parts.

I think the very last time I used them was to buy a RF modulator.

FC
 
https://www.heathkit.com/

exaggerated.png
 
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In the place that I now life, and pretty much all the places I have lived in Ohio, RS is one of the only places I have seen since the 1980's that has any electronics pieces/parts at all anywhere retail. If I need a transformer or an LED or a microphone jack, or even a spool of wire, RS is the place to go if you don't have the time to order it. Sadly, I think, besides all of the management problems that have already been noted, they suffer from the same problem that the Mom and Pop hardware stores have suffered from. If you know what you are doing and need a few parts to fix something then the mom and pop store is the place to go, if you need advice on how to fix the pipes under your sink, the local hardware is the place to go, but fewer and fewer people know how to fix anything on their own. Everyone calls the professionals and the pros don't buy from Mom and Pop. What's more, they aren't making money selling nuts and bolts (or resistors and LEDs) one or two at a time. The places that make money selling hardware are actually paying the rent and making real money selling lumber and windows and major appliances. The thing that RS doesn't have is any kind of major profit center that can keep the doors open so they can sell the little bits and bobs a few at a time.

Management never figured out what they wanted to sell or how to sell it.
 
Kirk G said:
Oddly enough, I applied to work for a radio shack back in Michigan just after college. I had a working knowledge of electronics, thanks to Heathkits, and was immediately available, with a car, so I could report to ANY area chain store. They had me fill out an application, and then report for a lie-detector test.

A LIE-DETECTOR test... which I sat for.

The questions covered the waterfront, but seemed to focus around, "Have you ever taken anything from a past employer?" They seemed to be very concerned about that issue. When it was over, I was convinced that I had the job.

They never called. I called them...three or four times, inquiring about the status of the job position that was advertised. I never got an answer. Nothing.

Damn Radio Shack. I guess I knew too much...
Click to expand...

When I worked for Radio Shack some 15-16 years ago, sadly, most of the theft was internal. In the nearly 3 years I worked there, at least two big theft rings were broken up in nearby stores. Each resulted in employee arrests, others getting fired, etc..

They were still doing very well when I left, though there were some inklings that they were having marketing issues with the "store within a store" concepts they were trying out. But at least from my observation, it was probably about 10-12 years or so ago that they started on their rather aimless course of not knowing who their market is. When I worked there, they could get away with charging what they did for components (which were a great margin item) because the only alternatives were still catalog/phone order or the local electronic supply, which either had minimum order amounts or kept odd hours. When Internet sales started creeping in, they were slow to the punch, kept their prices high, and reacted to softening sales by removing SKU's from the store...which defeated the one advantage that they had, the ability to find a component in stock at a moment's notice.

When people went into the stores and found that they would now have to order something that was regular stock a month ago, and cost more than the competiton, people stopped buying from Radio Shack, driving away what were their most loyal customers.
 

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