It's not sad. It's exciting to see how things are changing and what will happen next. The world is evolving. Many old timers cannot handle it. Go with the flow. Rich
It's not sad. It's exciting to see how things are changing and what will happen next. The world is evolving. Many old timers cannot handle it. Go with the flow.
Rich
A valid point. Perhaps we'll get an LHS in that storefront in town. Or an ice cream shoppe.
No, it will be a Starbucks or yet another women's clothing store. The demise of a retail establishment seldom results in an improvement.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I remember when Radio Shack was a single Boston store on Tremont St, up near Eric Fuchs train store. That was before Tandy bought them and made them a nation wide chain. The old store used to have lots of surplus stuff, loose in cardboard cartons, stuff for amateur radio (this was before CB) and TV antennas and rotators. They had their own line of Realistic HiFi equipment, no class to it, but the price was right and it sounded just fine to my ear. Once they even sold British Army surplus rifles for $19.95 each. Shopping Radio Shack (and nearby Lafayette Radio) was fun. Lately it's been less interesting. About all I go there for is parts, they still have a few. I'll miss them when they go. We lost the Littleton Radio Shack years ago. The St Johnbury one doesn't look all that healthy, it's in a dying stripmall, and the Lancaster one is sorta part time.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
The Canadian Radio Shacks stopped selling that stuff several years ago and from what I'm reading the US stores are going the same direction. At first I thought it was a shame but after walking into a few "Real" Electronic stores I realized RS was a bit of a rip off and the selection was minimal at best compared to these places. Internet suppliers are also a better source!
I think once you get over the demise of RS and look around you will be a hppier person!
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=5959
If one could roll back the hands of time... They would be waiting for the next train into the future. A. H. Francey 1921-2007
richg1998Go with the flow.
When in need of model railroading supplies I miss the old hobby shop. When going thru a stack of big box 2x4s in search of at least one that's not split, warped, corkscrewed or soaking wet I miss the old lumberyard. When lucky enought to find the fastener required at the big box, but then having to buy a blister pack of 24 when only two are needed I miss the old hardware store. "Only dead fish go with the flow."
regards, Peter
MisterBeasley It's not sad. It's exciting to see how things are changing and what will happen next. The world is evolving. Many old timers cannot handle it. Go with the flow. Rich A valid point. Perhaps we'll get an LHS in that storefront in town. Or an ice cream shoppe. No, it will be a Starbucks or yet another women's clothing store. The demise of a retail establishment seldom results in an improvement.
Just because it's not an improvement to you, doesn't mean its not an improvement.
I'm sure there were people (not me) who were unhappy when that Popeyes in my town closed and was replaced by a Nando's and made other people happy (me).
This is something of a bummer. Not that I bought all that much from my local RS, but just like the LHS, video stores, books stores, etc.... I've always preferred, when looking for something in particular, to go into a store and examine items while holding it in hand. Then decide on buying or not. Online purchasing is too often hit and miss. I work for a very large international online retailer and see both sides of online shopping. Both as the supplier and as the customer. I wish I had a quarter for every customer return that is stated 'not what the customer expected', and seeing absolutely nothing wrong with the item. I would have a swimming pool full of quarters and could retire.
Times are changing...no doubt. Good or bad...I wonder.
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
jrbernier Radio Shack has been getting smaller each year. They basically abandoned the kit builder and parts supply just like model railroad suppliers - Everyone want's 'RTR' - Right.
Radio Shack has been getting smaller each year. They basically abandoned the kit builder and parts supply just like model railroad suppliers - Everyone want's 'RTR' - Right.
Pretty much right, yes most everyone wants HQ RTR. Thats where the majority of the sales seem to be in MRRing - yes there is still the old guard wringing their hands over the lack of the production of new runs of kits, but the train shows have kits by the box load for cheap. Good? Bad? It just is. People are busy and building a Model Railroad takes a lot of time so not having to assemble a few hundred freight cars saves a lot of time.
Anyway, yes, I remember persusing the Radio Shack catelog when I was a teen in the 70's looking at the sterio equipment - GOOD, BETTER, BEST and later the TRS80 computers thinking how cool, and they were monochrome with 8" floppy disks which really were floppy. Then there was the battery club. Yes, I used to love to buy the kits and solder together resistors, transistors, capacitors and get a thing that flashed lights in different orders, learned how to build power supplies and basic electronics. I guess Radio Shack wouldn't survive forever on those things and as some have noted, have tried to survive recently as a cell phone store. On the radio report about RS closing nearly 2 thousand stores, they said there isn't much profit in selling cell phones.
Eventually I will need to get some electrical components, but I still have my set of 6 heat sinks and a soldering iron I got at Radio Shack that I use to keep from melting ties when I solder track.
Memories!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
From Mr. Beasley: "No, it will be a Starbucks or yet another women's clothing store. The demise of a retail establishment seldom results in an improvement."
Right you are! There was a small electronics "hobbyist" store close to work that I used to frequent- until they closed over a year ago. Now there is a "massage" parlor there- just rubs me the wrong way!
I am old enough to remember going into a Radio Shack as a kid and staring with wonder at that wall full of parts and those how-to project books- I built several and learned more about electronics then when I was in junior high than I remember today- but that era is so long gone, it resides in the dust heap along with 45 rpm records.
The old type Radio Shacks inspired countless thousands of kids to become technically-skilled and many moved on to fulfilling jobs that built upon those simple skills learned from buying project materials at the Shack. Today, the grandchildren of those kids have no interest in the "how-does-it-work" aspect of their various electronic toys.
Radio Shack- for all it was and was not- used to be a cool place to go- long ago! (sigh).
Cedarwoodron
This means the death of the hobby, people now want to buy R-T-R smart phones instead of building one from scratch or a kit. I guess someone is going to tell me that no one build kit phones anymore because you can get one with more and better features already built. I remember when it was common to climb the pole outside to use the party line, you had to ask Clair the operator to connect you to whoever you wanted to talk too.
Those were the good old days and the internet killed the local Radio Shack store and the party line. Those of you who chose to buy everything online, and RTR, it's your fault for not supporting the local guy.
Everything is going to the dogs!!
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
The last time I was in a Radio Shack was last fall. I wanted an antenna switcher, to switch my outside antenna from my TV to my stereo. $19.95. The very same thing was $4.95 at Home Depot!