Yes, they can be expensive. but handy if you need something in a hurry. They do have a few bargains from time to time.
Goodbye Radio Shack
- Thread starter Sandpatch
- Start date
Yes, they can be expensive. but handy if you need something in a hurry. They do have a few bargains from time to time.
sonicbuffalo_RIP
Senior Member
I just wanted to stop and offer my condolences to Radio Shack. I used to buy all sorts of things there back in the 80's. I never went into them after they turned into a circus.
Our household was very much the same and yep, I remember Lafayette too and still have a 1967 Lafayette catalog within arm's reach here. I grew up in the Chicago area and Allied Electronics stores were also prevalent there. Radio Shack bought Allied in 1970 and closed down most of the Allied stores.Sure do. I never quite figured out how Tandy Leather and Radio Shack were paired up, but so it was.
Another old convenience was being able to run out and get a new needle for the record player
I had to smile when amongst the stuff plied up for the going-out-of-business-sale was a stack of blank VHS tapes. Tho, having typed this post, I must admit to having a ton of VHS tapes myself. Up until a few years ago I had a bunch of Beta tapes too, until that fateful day when my 30-Year-Old Betamax catastrophically failed.
Steve Bell
Senior Member
In the UK we had Tandy rather than Radio Shack. Tandy fell behind and closed here some time ago. Here I wait until I have a min order value of £20.00 for electronic components to avoid shipping charges, buying from RS Components or Farnell, and sometimes smaller mail order suppliers. Long ago RS in the UK used to be Radiospares, not Radio Shack. The closest we now have to Radio Shack / Tandy is Maplin (Maplin | Maplin - The Electronics Specialist | Order Online for Fast Delivery). They are expensive, and their local stores only stock a few of each item.They are OK if you have an immediate need for a common component. Other sources of components, good to stock up on common items, are radio rally's. There are fewer now, and fewer selling components, as less people have have an interest in building their own equipment.
I'm already missing Radio Shack. My model railroad was built almost 30 years ago, so is plagued with obsolescent components. Today's train was stopped cold and the culprit was a broken toggle switch. As seen in the lower right of the photo, the internals cracked. Happily, these are common switches and in my case I was able to find a used replacement in a coffee can in the garage. The replacement switch is 35 years old.
I was a sales manager for them for 5 1/2 years, right at the end of their heyday (15 years ago) when stocks were splitting, business was booming, and all was well with the world. Unfortunately, IMO, they got stuck in that rut and didn't grow/change with the market. It has been a steady downhill slide since then... Guess I can say I got out at the opportune time?
Jon Rowlison
Senior Member
Back in the day (up until maybe 1990) you could go to Radio Shack and find a great selection of parts, kits, switches, and patches. They also had some really affordable "100% IBM Compatible" Tandy computers and great speakers (Realistic?) Somewhere along the line, they decided they wanted to dive head-first into selling cell phones and cases for the same. With higher prices than other outlets, I just never understood that strategy and don't know if they made much money on it. All of their stores around my home closed a few years ago after having been barren of customers for quite some time.
Some of the posts in this thread made me think people were thinking of a different Radio Shack. My experience with them was of poor customer service and high prices, going back to the 80s. A friend walked into one and asked for an RS-232C cable with a DB-9 female connector on each end, and got a "Huh? What do you need it for?" (Obviously, to transfer data serially.) It doesn't matter - he told you everything you need to know. Another time I was in one with my father, and we were looking at something, and I put it back on the shelf. As we were ringing out, the clerk looked at me and said, "And did you put that thing back on the shelf?" - basically accusing me of stealing, even though he probably watched me put it down (he should have, if he was that suspicious). It wasn't the last time I shopped at Radio Shack, but I definitely avoided them as much as possible. I worked in retail, too, and I never, ever accused anyone of theft, even when I knew it was happening.
Let Radio Shack die. In fact, I'm a little surprised they lasted this long; the relevance was gone long ago.
I don't remember Tandy computers being 100% compatible, either. I remember them and the PCjrs requiring special programming considerations; in the PCjr's case due to the lack of video RAM - the Tandy 1000s might have been the same. Maybe the later models were more compatible than I know, though.
Let Radio Shack die. In fact, I'm a little surprised they lasted this long; the relevance was gone long ago.
I don't remember Tandy computers being 100% compatible, either. I remember them and the PCjrs requiring special programming considerations; in the PCjr's case due to the lack of video RAM - the Tandy 1000s might have been the same. Maybe the later models were more compatible than I know, though.
Whiskeyman
Senior Member
Yep! I was in their Orlando, Florida store not very long ago. Bought some beautiful suede. Are they gone, too?
WM
BF Hammer
Senior Member
I actually worked at a Radio Shack during 1987. It was during my last semester at the local vocational-tech college earning my electronics degree. I actually stunned a few customers as the unicorn sales person who actually understood electronics and most of the things sold in the store. Of course that was not a path to wealth for me as it was a job very much paid on 10% commission. You cannot sell enough transistors to break minimum wage. You needed to throw in a couple of tape decks and some speaker systems each week to break that barrier.
Actually sold the heck out of telephones and the associated cords and accessory devices, as well as the video cables of the time. Rad-Shack was the best resource for that kind of stuff at that specific time.
Actually sold the heck out of telephones and the associated cords and accessory devices, as well as the video cables of the time. Rad-Shack was the best resource for that kind of stuff at that specific time.
Those are neat recollections you have. My brother and I loved messing with hi-fi stereo equipment. We grew up in the latter 1960s and 1970s and before we could drive, a trip to Radio Shack as driven by our mother was the greatest thing. Back then in the Chicago area we had not only Radio Shack, but Allied, Lafayette and Olson -- all catalog houses that had gone retail. Our Dad had stuff from the 1950s and early 1960s with vacuum tubes and my brother and I would love going to the local drug store with its tube testing machine and new tubes.
BF Hammer
Senior Member
My main audio-visual system is actually using all Radio Shack speakers I bought during 1987-89 to this day. I have had to repair the foam of the speaker cones in the 2 big L-R speakers, but the bookshelf speakers I use for center and surround are still original. Not the best sold at the time in store, and certainly far from the best of anybody then, but far better than most speakers I have listened to in stores in a long time. It was nice of the store manager then to give me the employee discount even after I had left the store a couple of months prior.