What happened to Radio Shack?

ODYSSEY · 01-26-2003, 03:49 AM

It used to be you could buy most anything at a store. Then they changed policy, anything that started with a "9" was online only. Wasn't too bad, I could still get items I needed. Now Radio Shack's website doesn't list over half the items is used too. I was looking for a parts to hook up my graphic VFD, flat-ribbion cable, IDC connecter, 25DB connecter. None of these parts are listed.

Why? IMO it makes ratshack a useless store.

GRRR...

cproaudio · 01-26-2003, 04:11 AM

too bad you don't have a Fry's Electronics store near by. It's a Radio Shack on steroid. They have everything you could imagine. Their online store is www.outpost.com

CrazyLittle · 01-26-2003, 08:44 AM

Even Fry's is lacking that certain variety of electronic components that they used to carry.

Jay · 01-26-2003, 12:32 PM

Radio Shack wasn't making enough profit selling little diodes and caps, they have now moved to more of a "Best Buy" type retail store.

vikrampant · 01-26-2003, 01:08 PM

I guess "Shaq-cessories" was more marketable than "Shaq-diodes and Shaq-caps"

-- Vikram

Alphared · 01-26-2003, 06:33 PM

yeah, their store are even scaled down on the stuff. Used to be 2-3 walls of caps, diodes. Now its down to one cabinet, with draws for each parts, and most of them are empty

These day no one really fabricate stuff, its easier and sometimes cheaper to buy it.

Rob · 01-26-2003, 06:48 PM

It's a shame really, I used to go there loads as a kid, and built/tried to build all sorts. But it seems an ever growing trend these days, at not just with shops, even the electronics mags have less and less, technical & hands on articles, it's all reviewing the lastest stuff.

I don't think it's just electronics, that's suffering, when was the last time you saw a Chemistry set, or an home optics set, even Lego is becoming less technical & more gimicy, and do they still make Mechano?

If you take technology away from the masses you'll end up with everyone doing tourisum & lesuire at Uni.

Still in 30 years time when there are no electronic engineers, I'll be driving around in a streched Mini and charging millions.

Alphared · 01-26-2003, 10:56 PM

well there's always gonna be electrical engineers. Check out india, theres no radio shack there yet they have a huge engineering mass.

Charliey · 01-26-2003, 11:42 PM

a streched Mini, eh? kinda ironic, lol,

i know a store in toronto that sells all the little electronic parts, but for loads cheaper then ratshack. its about $0.10 for a red LED, etc. the only problem is that its about 40-50 minuites away, so its not worth it for $5 in parts.

the store is called supremetronic btw, and theyre on queen street.
www.supremetronic.com

Aaron Cake · 01-27-2003, 10:03 AM

Radio Shack is a complete waste of time for electronics components. Always has been, always will be. Any town with more then 50,000 people will have a "real" (or a distributer for) electronics store. Yellow pages under "Electronic Components". London (a city of 331,000 people) has about 6 of them.

Otherwise, just order online from the tens of thousands of shops. I recommend Electronics Goldmine.

dscustoms · 01-27-2003, 03:21 PM

I was arguing with a rat shack employee the other day, after finding out they discontinued the frequency scanner that was sooo much fun in the past, and I needed one... They have decided that cell phones and RC cars are the only things they really need to carry. They have been phasing out everything else, and they don't order more. Within 2 years, they wont have anything for the hobbyist.
P.S. Anyone know what kind of signal controls the locking wheels on shopping carts in safeway?

Dave

eugenen · 01-28-2003, 08:28 PM

Stretch mini

I saw a stretch yugo in the parking lot of a Meijer store when I was pushing in carts working through college. Pointed it out to the guy next to me and he hit the ground laughing. I have an electronic engineering degree but no one wants to built things anymore, everything comes from china because its cheaper. Rat shack hasn't had much good in a long time, quality kept going down and prices kept going up. I bujt my stuff online now anyway, too darn busy to hit the stores anyway. I order from digikey and mouser and sometimes goto mendelsons in dayton for stuff.

lstrunk · 01-28-2003, 09:41 PM

yeah, I was there last sunday. And god they suck anymore.

2.99$ for 2 Red LEDs!!!
I payed 3.99$ for a toggle switch.
Its sad. And they don't order anymore stuff like that anymore. I went in and asked if they knew the calculations To find out what size of resistor I would need to run a 3volt 60mah LED laser off of a 9.6volt 1600mah battery, the reply "UHHH....I don't know, resistors are in that cabinet." It used to be either they knew, or they atleast knew how to find out from a book or something.

Thats ok, when I need parts, I go to mendelson's. A whole warehouse of stripped parts from factory machines. I got 100 LEDs for 4$ the last time I was there. Theres isles of nothing but DC to DC powersupplies (nothing we can use, just like 24volt to 12 volt, or 18volt to 5 and 9volt, wierd **** like that) Theres even an isle of nothing but the "8" LCD screens,

jboy · 01-29-2003, 11:44 PM

Screw ratshack

DIGIKEY

NEWARK

PARTS EXPRESS

Ohgary · 01-30-2003, 08:30 AM

Remember radio shacks tag line.

You got questions, We got batteries. -

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