Radio Shack Files for Bankruptcy

[jjasilli]

Not sure where to put this post, but it will get max exposure here.  Don't know what the outcome will be or if any retail stores will survive.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2015/02/05/radioshack-cuts-the-cord-after-90-years-files-for-bankruptcy/


EDIT:  Looks like some stores will survive:  http://www.wsj.com/articles/strategic-confusion-put-radioshack-at-the-mercy-of-lenders-1423164004


but will they carry parts? 

[mresistor]

They didn't have that much of a selection of parts any more. I did find some 1//4 watt 68K resistors there a few years back. But it was slim pickins. I just went by to visit that store here and it was ...gone gone gone.. 

[John]

We're lucky to have 2 RS stores in Westminster, and both carry a decent variety of resistors, lower voltage caps, switches diodes transformers and soldering supplies plus a lot more. Granted, it all fits in 1 corner of the store... but it's the only place that has that stuff. It's nice when I need "just 1 to finish".


And they have batteries too, sir, you need any batteries today? 

[drew]

Last thing I bought at a RS was batteries.  I asked the young woman who rang the sale up, "what, you guys don't ask customers who buy batteries if they want any batteries with that?" and received a blank stare. 

[jjasilli]

+1 to John.  There's a good number of RS stores near me in Brooklyn, NY; but only a select few have a decent stock of parts.  Very handy when needed.  Lots of stores in Manhattan too.  Lately they've been getting very glitzy, selling name brands and losing their traditional ambiance.  The help is largely clueless.  I'm  not optimistic that they will continue to carry components for us. 

[alerich]

I'm  not optimistic that they will continue to carry components for us.

While there may have been DIY folks who could count on Radio Shack for parts the stores around me have very little in the way of useful parts for guitar amp building and repair. I might visit my local RS every few months for an odd component. Nobody is really going to miss RS because nobody really shops there. That's why they went under.

[MakerDP]

I'll miss them. I do other smallish electronics projects besides amps. Always convenient when you need a small PCB or the odd switch, small enclosure or whatever. They also carry some neat kits from Maker Shed.

[Ed_Chambley]

I'm  not optimistic that they will continue to carry components for us.

While there may have been DIY folks who could count on Radio Shack for parts the stores around me have very little in the way of useful parts for guitar amp building and repair. I might visit my local RS every few months for an odd component. Nobody is really going to miss RS because nobody really shops there. That's why they went under.

Alerich, are you familiar with http://www.acksupply.com/
They are near Northside Drive and still sell tons of audio electronic parts.  They got tubes, chassis, pots.............................you know, all the trailing edge of technology stuff, the cool stuff.

[plexi50]

I missed them as well 40 years ago before they turned into a Cell phone store. Lafayette Electronics was there real name in the 60's & early 70's. You could buy Heath kit's or anything from radio controlled planes to you name it. I bought Celestions 25 watt green backs for $25.00 each in 1976.  Let's build a tube operated time machine and get the hell outa here! Don't forget to bring this forum with us.

[kagliostro]

Do you think this tread is related or not ? (Just curious)

http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26997


K

[plexi50]

Do you think this tread is related or not ? (Just curious)

http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26997


K

Houston we have lift off! Tube shuttle 1952 is now departing at gate EL34.
No Casters & Broadcasters are available for a limited time! Hurry!
 

[sluckey]

Do you think this tread is related or not ? (Just curious)

I doubt it.

[PRR]

> Lafayette Electronics was there real name in the 60's & early 70's.

Lafayette was a competitor of Tandy Radio Shack.

Some Lafayettes were old-time parts-stores which joined the Lafayette expansion, and they were often fine for parts. Lafayette's own lines of parts were very hit-and-miss.

[plexi50]

> Lafayette Electronics was there real name in the 60's & early 70's.

Lafayette was a competitor of Tandy Radio Shack.

Some Lafayettes were old-time parts-stores which joined the Lafayette expansion, and they wlere often fine for parts. Lafayette's own lines of parts were very hit-and-miss.

Boy you have a good memory! Your right.  I forgot about that. There was a Layfayette in Ft.Lauderdale that was so cool.  It was sad when everything started changing. Slot cars were a big thing back then.

[navdave]

An end of an era. De-solder braid and resistors we're pretty much double that of Doug and Antique luckily I still have 3 local old school diy electronic supply stores here in Fresno Ca.

[Jim Coash]

We had a Lafayette Radio supply and several Radio Shack stores in the area in years past.  One of the Radio Shacks was close to my last audio store, Stereo Showcase and the Lafayette store near The Sound Room.  I knew the people who worked there and they were very helpful many times.  The same thing that happened to all the good free standing high quality audio stores was bound to happen to them.  The last few times I tried Radio Shack I was appalled.  The selection was miserable and the "help" didn't know anything about my needs unless I wanted a phone or something related.  It forced me to shop on-line for parts just like everyone else.  The big box stores destroyed the audio/video business that supported me for almost 40 years.  A similar phenomena took place with Radio Shack.  It just took a little longer.  Jim

[supro66]

I guess when they quit selling Tandy computers and went to cell phones was their doom
I used this one I worked at Westinghouse


I am also a Ham Radio operator they had some good stuff back when like heath Kit
WB3---

[supro66]

Last thing I bought at a RS was batteries.  I asked the young woman who rang the sale up, "what, you guys don't ask customers who buy batteries if they want any batteries with that?" and received a blank stare.

Sales people not to bright


I got some stuff one day they asked me for my name and phone number I said
Cash she said first name I said Johnny she had no clue

[Willabe]

 

[MakerDP]

...luckily I still have 3 local old school diy electronic supply stores here in Fresno Ca.

You do??? Names??? I'm about 75 mins from Fresno. I'd like to check those places out. There's one in Sacramento that I go to from time to time but they honestly don't have all that great a selection of amp stuff.

What I need to do is start going to the swap meets in silicon valley!

[6G6]

I'll miss them.
They haven't had much for a long time, but if you need one more
(anything they do have) to finish something and don't want to wait,
they are better than nothing.

[mresistor]

I still have my first Multimeter that I bought from RS back in the day... and it works as good as the day I bought it.

[sluckey]

I see you have the DeeLuxxe model.  I still have my first el cheapo meter also. Still works as good as it ever did.

I used to go to the store and just stare at all the neet goodies all over the walls. It was cheap, but very shiny! Oh, and remember the free battery/month punch cards? These days what little is left is neatly stacked in a multi-compartment/multi-drawer cabinet that takes up almost no floor space or wall space.

For the past 15 or 20 years I've found it's very helpful if you know what you want. Just look up the cat # and walk in and say I want cat # 276-###. You'll be served in a flash.

[Platefire]

Boy everybody has something to say about RS and even Lafayette. I recall several electronics company's including Lafayette that had catalogs out. In rural Louisiana no such stores, only catalogs. These had a limited selection of guitars, amps or effects. I bought my first Kingston fuzz from one and a Maestro Hollow body(335 style) bass. I was a lead guitar player then but I kept having this pure country guitar player kept calling me to play bass for him, so I ordered that cheap bass for like $89.99 and only used it to play bass for him when he called. He had a bass amp, so all I needed was the guitar.

On RS, we have one in Many, La. I use to buy a lot of jacks, resistors, switches, soldering supplies, terminal strips, pilot lights, bulbs from them. That store have quit re-stocking these Items. When they run out, they didn't order anymore. I've been back several time in a bind for a part, only to find the same situation over and over, so I don't go there anymore.
In the closest adjacent town's RS about 30 miles away, they do restock. So I'm wondering which ones in my area will be biting the dust??? Platefire

[shooter]

while most young guys were learning about girls, I was hanging out with "the 'ol guys" at  Lafayette learning how to run the tube tester, charge caps, hot wire cars, use a meter etc...  The modern RS was convenient.  The staff was clueless like previous comments, when asked what I was doing with "all that stuff", my reply; "someday you'll read about it in the papers". 

[2deaf]

My meter up and walked away years ago, but I still have the box.

[lego4040]

They're closing up here left and right

[MakerDP]

There are lists of stores closing released now.

Looks like one in my town will close but the one close to me will survive... for now at least. That store has been open since the mid 1970's. It's the only original store in it's strip-mall that is still open.

[Ritchie200]

I lived directly behind a RS.  I was a dumpster diving fool!  That's how I learned about "real" electronics after I got past my 50-in-1 electronics lab.  They would throw stuff away that was discontinued or could not be sold at clearance and all sorts of non-working returned goodies.  Parts, stereos, cb's, radios, headphones, speakers....I would dig out them out, take them home, and attempt to repair.  Of course that was before they put everything on a single chip with surface mounted specks....


My fav store was Lafayette.  All those cheap guitars with like 15 pickups on them.. I think I probably bought about 12 EH LPB1 power boosters from them!!!  A couple of screaming trees...big muff....  Ahh the good ol days!  Allied had some good high end geetar stuff at one time.  I bought a univibe with pedal from them on sale - wish I still had that one....


Wow, I had a bad feeling about this last year.  I hate it when I'm right....


Jim

[PRR]

> It's the only original store in it's strip-mall that is still open.

My Radio Shack is the ONLY open store in its mall. 300 feet of dead-store one way, 200 feet of dead-store the other way, and that's the ends of the mall.

That's not a total shock in this place and in this economy. However I knew another last-store-standing Radio Shack in the 1980s in a well-to-do area of New Jersey. I don't know what happened, but over 2 years EVERY tenant except RS collapsed and was white-washed. Yeah the area was over-built but there is usually some scum-merchant to move into any space. Not this one. Maybe the mall operator did better if the mall failed? Maybe they took investor money and ran?

[alerich]

They're closing up here left and right

The one closest to my house is closing. I stopped by today to pick up some fuses. All their component parts are on sale for 60% off the posted price. Grabbed one of those big multi packs of 1/2W carbon film resistors for $3.00.

[Ritchie200]

THe one closest to me is almost wiped out.  I did pick up a couple of 19ft guitar cords with gold plated plugs for $9.  Also picked a "retro" speaker for my phone for $7.  It looks like a small mono practice amp with volume treble and bass.  Plugged in my guitar and it sounds pretty good!  Depressing going in there.

Jim

[MakerDP]

I got $200+ worth of stuff today for $20. All the really good stuff was gone, but I got a few good items... like a 12v transformer for 10 cents. Everything was at least 90% off.

Got a bunch of heatsink, PCB standoffs, six voltage regulators for 10 cents each and some stuff for my Arduino hobby like camera shields, SD card shields.