after 94 yrs, Chapter 11 and all that follows - more than 11 consecutive financial quarters without net profit
For those who fondly remember their golden era, up to including perhaps the mid 80's?, a sad moment perhaps - but how long since they've really been relevant to the hobbyist crowd?
For those who fondly remember their golden era, up to including perhaps the mid 80's?, a sad moment perhaps - but how long since they've really been relevant to the hobbyist crowd?
That was probably the early days of home computing. Without debating the technical merits or performance of the TRS-80 and derivatives, they DID get a lot of folks started in computing, software, and programming.
(I certainly don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if there's a biz school case study showing how Radio Shack's ills started in the early 80's when Tandy decided to throw resources and attention at the business/commercial segment of the computer market while ignoring the consumers and hobbyists they had served for decades. Then, when Tandy became an also-ran in the PC industry, the consumer/hobby business had dissipated too far to ever recover.)
Dale
oddly enough, i never cared for their computers. what i remember them for was the 3 transistor shortwave radio kit my dad got me so many years ago. my first shortwave that didn't use tubes.
🙂
mlloyd1
🙂
mlloyd1
Bought my first LED there (just 1 packed in a box with see through cover). Remember the seller telling my dad how incredibly long the LED (only available in red) would burn on a 4.5V battery. He whispered the secret formula for the series resistor, included one for free and off we went 🙂 The excitement at home to see the LED glow....talking to friends that a LED does not have a filament and the supposedly better longevity. No one knew at that time how long they would really last. Just yesterday I saw red LEDs in an industrial panel that have been glowing continuously since 1979 and they still work !
Apart from that they were terrible shops over here with many competitors selling better stuff for less money and the obvious american formula was not fit for our country. Franchising was a new word then here and we just used the english word. I recall teachers using the word and seeing the potential of the then introduced McDonalds franchise formula which did work out. As fast as Radio Shack/Tandy came on the market they disappeared. A few stayed around somewhat longer but eventually all were gone.
Enter 2015: no more "radioshops" anymore except for a few ones. No more going through drawers with all kind of parts. Arduino or Raspberry Pi ordered on the web from one of the distributors that came in the place of "radio shops". Different game, new players.
Apart from that they were terrible shops over here with many competitors selling better stuff for less money and the obvious american formula was not fit for our country. Franchising was a new word then here and we just used the english word. I recall teachers using the word and seeing the potential of the then introduced McDonalds franchise formula which did work out. As fast as Radio Shack/Tandy came on the market they disappeared. A few stayed around somewhat longer but eventually all were gone.
Enter 2015: no more "radioshops" anymore except for a few ones. No more going through drawers with all kind of parts. Arduino or Raspberry Pi ordered on the web from one of the distributors that came in the place of "radio shops". Different game, new players.
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Radio Shack never really took off in the UK. Some shops appeared, but they seemed expensive to us and we were not familiar with the US semiconductors on offer. If they had put more effort into 'Europeanisation' over here they might have done better.
We still have Maplin, but that now concentrates on electronic toys for the masses rather than components for the enthusiast. Almost all other High Street electronics shops have disappeared.
We still have Maplin, but that now concentrates on electronic toys for the masses rather than components for the enthusiast. Almost all other High Street electronics shops have disappeared.
A thread was started over here.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/everything-else/269054-radio-shack-going-bankrupt-25-off-locally.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/everything-else/269054-radio-shack-going-bankrupt-25-off-locally.html
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