[Coco] More poor news for Radio Shack

[Allen Huffman]

> On Dec 12, 2014, at 6:55 AM, Gustavo Ranaur Schoenaker <ranaur at ranaur.net> wrote:
> 
> In my last vacation to San Francisco I went to a Radio Shack that had no
> electronics components! Only cellphones and accessories! That's an absurd!

Yeah, that didn't last long. In 2005, I think, I was building control boxes for some Halloween props for a local haunted house. The computer I used was a EFX-TEK Prop-1 controller (Parallax BASIC Stamp 1 computer). Everything else I bought from Radio Shack: connectors, enclosure, 12V lights, power supply, etc.

I was having to hit four or five Radio Shack stores each week, wiping them out of the pieces I needed. They were just then downsizing their parts. I was racing to get everything I needed before they didn't carry it.

But today, you go in one, and it has a HUGE selection -- but they are all in five or six vertical cabinets instead of spread out on the back part of the store. They have so many things they never carried before, but likely are missing many things they used to. Still, tons of parts.

They carry things I can't see there being much demand for -- like these circuit board things you can put a surface mount part on then solder it "no skill required". I had no idea such things existed until I saw it at Radio Shack. They also have tons of Arduino things -- ethernet, touch screen, Xbee, relay and other add-on shields.

> I think they should go after repair/DIY market. They will need to lower the
> prices of the comodities to be competitive. But they can add services, like
> rent 3D printers. Repair/fix electronics, and other "nerdy" stuff. It will
> be tough, but there is no opponent in this market.

Yeah, going after the "Maker" market would make sense -- though so many other larger niche stores (Sharper Image, anyone?) have failed as well. I still think many of us use RadioShack for one-off quick projects, but then we would order stuff cheaper online once we figure it out. It would be nice if you could buy something in the store, then they would let you order online quantities of the same item as a competitive price.

		-- A