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A sad day: RIP 'Shack — Parallax Forums

A sad day: RIP 'Shack

Seems all our local Radio Shack stores are closing and (rumor has it) all the western stores due to poor sales. I shall miss them dearly!
On a bright note, they're selling most everything in the store at 90% off!
Armed with my trusty Visa card, I went shopping this morning and scored:
A Bluetooth module, couple of gyro's, an Emic2, every color of EL wire and tape plus power supplies, 2-speech recording modules, a couple of project enclosures, 2-Dual Relay Board kits, several circuit boards, a 500 pack of resistors and every IC socket they had left.
Total damage was $30.88. Savings of over $250!
I may head back tomorrow... the component drawers still have stuff them. :-)

@
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Comments

  • My local store had the closing signs up 6 days ago. Nothin' but batteries, which are good to stock up on.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    I better get to my well-stocked Long Beach store ASAP!
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    "Sad day"?

    I seem to have been reading about the last death throes of Radio Shack for years now.



  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    FYI, here is a list of stores that are closing;

    http://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-radioshack-stores-closing-2017-3

    We just visited the Bremerton store, stocked up on $380 worth of parts for $40. Although when you consider RS prices are overpriced the real savings is quite a bit lower, but still worth the trip I think.
  • Wow. Looks like all of the remaining stores in my area are closing. Bummer.
  • MikeDYurMikeDYur Posts: 2,176
    edited 2017-03-27 00:48
    The first Radio Shack I was ever in, was around the late 60s, it is closing. Times sure do change.
  • So of course they list one where I know why it is closing, [Hint, blame the cell phones!] and which I had hoped would close first....

    But miss one who is (trying to) closing (close) in Forest Hills.

    And FYI, I'm in Astoria, and that's the first. Second one is in Manhattan. Missed one is also in Queens.....
  • Can somebody stop by a store and pick up the $75,000 they owe Parallax?

    We'll give you half of it.
  • Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Can somebody stop by a store and pick up the $75,000 they owe Parallax?

    We'll give you half of it.


    I tried that in the one in the Mall on Sixth AVE. Let's just they had empty pockets........
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Can somebody stop by a store and pick up the $75,000 they owe Parallax?

    We'll give you half of it.

    If everyone scores like Amanda and returns the goods to Parallax, we can right that terrible wrong. I'm sure Ken's good for the postage.

  • Ken Gracey wrote:
    Can somebody stop by a store and pick up the $75,000 they owe Parallax?
    I'll try, Ken. But I'm still trying to teach our local franchise store how to fill their drawers with stuff from DigiKey and Mouser, since they can't get it from Tandy anymore. 'Problem is that they don't seem to have the wherewithal to package and barcode the stuff for retail sale.

    -Phil
  • Problem is that they don't seem to have the wherewithal to package and barcode the stuff for retail sale.

    -Phil

    I can imagine more challenges than this, like which parts to stock, whether or not there are enough "Phils" in PT to make it worthwhile, and how to manage the inventory. It could be done, but I think it would be a lot of effort for a little return.

  • It may be time for the local hardware store to fill the gap RS is leaving behind. Nothing elaborate, just some tools, solder, ect. Why not, the hardware store, Ace as an example carries a lot of things these days you would never associate with a store of that type. The only way to survive anymore in retail, is to provide a one stop shopping experience.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2017-03-27 15:22
    Thank goodness my local electronics shop is going strong and not going away anytime soon. It's in an older building with an interesting combination of old parts in dusty cardboard boxes and brand new parts. And there's a small room up front with nasty shag carpeting and a tube tester!
    https://www.yelp.com/biz/torrance-electronics-torrance



    Sadly, a smaller mom & pop electronics shop did close down recently. https://www.yelp.com/biz/signal-electronics-torrance

    Not to brag, but I also live within spitting distance of the amazing monthly TRW swap meet:

  • MikeDYurMikeDYur Posts: 2,176
    edited 2017-03-27 16:42
    erco wrote: »
    Thank goodness my local electronics shop is going strong and not going away anytime soon. It's in an older building with an interesting combination of old parts in dusty cardboard boxes and brand new parts. And there's a small room up front with nasty shag carpeting and a tube tester!

    Sadly, a smaller mom & pop electronics shop did close down recently.

    Not to brag, but I also live within spitting distance of the amazing monthly TRW swap meet:



    That is a big issue, you folks in California have it all when it comes to electronics. Like minded people, son's and daughter's of engineer's and developer's. You live, eat and sleep thinking circuits. Hence many hobbyists in a general vicinity, bigger overall market.

    How's is the housing market?

    What's the COL?
  • It's not just RadioShack. They're part of a much larger trend:

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/03/22/retailers-closing-stores-sears-kmart-jcpenney-macys-mcsports-gandermountian/99492180/

    As more people gain confidence in online shopping, it makes less sense to them to fight the traffic getting to a mall. I can order stuff from DigiKey and have in here by Priority Mail in two days. The shipping is less than the money I'd spend on fuel to drive to the nearest RS mall store.

    Sometimes, though, I need something right now, like a battery holder or a switch; and the local mom'n'pop RS franchise store used to be able to accommodate me. But it's getting harder find stuff among their dwindling parts stock. Yet, they still seem to hang on from their battery and computer cable sales. I'm not sure how, though.

    -Phil
  • MikeDYur wrote: »
    How's is the housing market?

    A house near me in San Jose (close to Xilinx) with 1500 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, one car garage, 8k lot just went on the market for $1,048,800 had one open house, and it's already sale pending. No idea how much it sold for. Minimal upgrades - built in 1948 and still has original cabinetry and wooden flooring. As you go north the prices go higher and higher. (The latest tax assessment was $53k ;-)
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    Here in the frozen wastelands of northern Europe I have four shops I can visit to get electronic stuff from within 10Km.

    They range from supplying old junk like 555 timers and TTL logic, to modern day Raspberry Pi/Arduino related things. To the "serious professional" Radio Spares.

    Want a capacitor on a Saturday morning? No problem.

    I guess it helps to have a couple of technological universities near by.

    If these stores close, I'm moving to Shenzhen : https://www.freetronics.com.au/pages/the-ultimate-electronics-hobbyists-guide-to-shenzhen#.WNlZtTuGNhE

  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2017-03-27 18:53
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Can somebody stop by a store and pick up the $75,000 they owe Parallax?

    We'll give you half of it.

    Tried...Blank stare.

    Probably my last visit today to the store that I had been going to since the 70's.

    12Volt SLA 7AH $8.00. (May go back to get another).

    11 pack of resistors @ 0.19 each. Never can have too many.

    Also heard Payless Shoes is shutting down.


  • K2K2 Posts: 691
    As more people gain confidence in online shopping, it makes less sense to them to fight the traffic getting to a mall. I can order stuff from DigiKey and have in here by Priority Mail in two days.

    Over the past six weeks I've ordered more components from Tayda Electronics in Colorado than from everyone else combined. Their selection isn't as broad as Mouser or DigiKey, by any stretch, but for the the common parts they carry, it's pretty hard to beat their prices anywhere. Shipping is honest. The parts are real. (Power semiconductors from China are curiously missing copper. Not so Tayda.)

  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    Publison wrote: »
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Can somebody stop by a store and pick up the $75,000 they owe Parallax?

    We'll give you half of it.

    ......

    Also heard Payless Shoes is shutting down.


    No surprise there. The one and only pair off shoes I bought there fell apart in three months and they didn't cost much less than a top brand name.
  • Well it appears the rich pond scum are a lucrative enough market to keep my local RS in Mandeville, LA alive. Not so good for the bargains, although I did score a RGB LED strip for seven bucks in the last go-round which I happened to hook up tonight for the first time.
  • Regarding stores closing in general:

    How much is caused by the internet...

    ...and how much is caused by poor store inventory (or inventory you can't find), clueless/rude clerks (if they exist), and high prices?

    I gave up on Sears a long time ago. My last visit to KMart was a nightmare, didn't buy anything, some merchandise (shoes) were stacked (not shelved) 4-5 boxes high. How was I supposed to look through a mountain of shoes?

    The closest RS (one of those closing) was always good about stocking adapters, batteries, solder, tips, wire, etc. Electronic parts, not so much, although I suspect there was quite a bit of shoplifting going on (empty packages).

    Why drive to the store (because you can't rely on the online stock quantities) to find you only get 30-40% of the parts that you need?

    Not to mention the loud music after it became a Sprint/RS mess.

    It's ironic to me that, with the big STEM education push, kids may not be able to find parts and/or kits locally.

    I second buying from Tayda. No problems there.

    Walter
  • The only RadioShack in the 2 county area where I live is spared from the closings! It is half empty with Sprint pulling all its stuff out. It still may have a slow death though. It is in a plaza that just had a grocery store close and the plaza's anchor store is K-Mart which is closing a lot of stores. Luckily that Kmart is the oldest of 3 in the area so it'll probably be the last to close.
  • The manager of my local Shack says he doesn't know yet if his outlet is closing. The window sign says entire store on sale, 20%or more. I'll miss it if indeed it goes, only 3 blocks from my house. We still have Al Lashers Electronics though, a mix of old and new with racks of Jameco and NTE parts, bins of surplus, supplies for Burning Man, good tools, hey! all good stuff at reasonable prices. I hope they can hold on.

    40 miles south, Silicon Valley -- Yesterday morning I suddenly realized we were out of an exotic op-amp needed to complete a job that has to be shipped today. I placed a will-call order with Linear Tech and drove to Milpitas to pick it up. Past the Tesla plant in Fremont, off at the SR237 exit where there used to be the ranch land and fields of strawberries. Past the huge Cisco complex and the Sandisk facility. Linear Tech distribution warehouse is a tucked into a quiet techno side boulevard with Analog Devices across the street, IXYS Semi next door and a host of a other techies. Out in back and in through a plastic curtain stands a towering chainlink cage with anti static warnings and staff in lab coats. Down the corridor past the break room, stop at a gate and choose a doorbell button to press for for your choice of e-commerce or samples pick-up. Very friendly, very efficient, but not your mom and pop store.

  • 40 miles south, Silicon Valley -- Yesterday morning I suddenly realized we were out of an exotic op-amp needed to complete a job that has to be shipped today. I placed a will-call order with Linear Tech and drove to Milpitas to pick it up. Past the Tesla plant in Fremont, off at the SR237 exit where there used to be the ranch land and fields of strawberries. Past the huge Cisco complex and the Sandisk facility. Linear Tech distribution warehouse is a tucked into a quiet techno side boulevard with Analog Devices across the street, IXYS Semi next door and a host of a other techies. Out in back and in through a plastic curtain stands a towering chainlink cage with anti static warnings and staff in lab coats. Down the corridor past the break room, stop at a gate and choose a doorbell button to press for for your choice of e-commerce or samples pick-up. Very friendly, very efficient, but not your mom and pop store.

    Mucho envy! :)
  • Publison wrote: »
    Mucho envy! :)



    Going to read it again later tonight for a bedtime story, sweet dreams.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    Are you telling me you can walk into Linear Tech and pick up parts?

    Heavenly!

  • KeithE wrote: »
    MikeDYur wrote: »
    How's is the housing market?

    A house near me in San Jose (close to Xilinx) with 1500 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, one car garage, 8k lot just went on the market for $1,048,800 had one open house, and it's already sale pending. No idea how much it sold for. Minimal upgrades - built in 1948 and still has original cabinetry and wooden flooring. As you go north the prices go higher and higher. (The latest tax assessment was $53k ;-)



    I'm destin to live here till I don't. If my place could sell for a million plus, or I hit the lottery, I'll go to CA for a visit, if by chance it's through CO, I might try reliving the 70s.
  • MikeDYur wrote: »
    I'm destin to live here till I don't. If my place could sell for a million plus, or I hit the lottery, I'll go to CA for a visit, if by chance it's through CO, I might try reliving the 70s.

    Think of how much shipping you can pay for with all of the money that you're saving on housing.
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