Radio Shack Flounders Once Again

Radio Shack Warns Of Bankruptcy

RadioShack Corp. RSH +9.56% said Thursday it is in talks to shore up its finances and hopes to announce a deal in the near term, but warned it could quickly run out of cash and be forced to turn to bankruptcy court if the talks fail.

Radio Shack somehow is still in existence. They've been in trouble for a long time, can they somehow shape up?

RadioShack's losses swelled to $137.4 million from $52.2 million a year earlier.

You would think they'd get the hint and realize they're obsolete?

RadioShack tried to shut down at least 1,100 of its more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. this year, but some of its lenders fought the move. The company can only close 200 stores this year without lenders' consent.

The one near me stands like a silent monument to days gone by. I confess I did actually buy a 1/8th inch jack from them a few years ago. A very stagnant atmosphere.

The demise of Radio Shack continues. I'll be generous and say they have at most 10 years. That's generous. How long do you estimate they'll be around for?

You're right, they used to have everything you needed very cheap. They just can't compete with big box stores.

They'll still have my fond memories.

I just got a router there yesterday. Only because it was the fourth store looking for an asus router. I gave up since I dislike shopping so much and just got one they did have. They need to expand their inventory.sell expensive coffee and smoothies or something. I would have got one. Haha. Ten years sounds like a good guess.ours shut down last year in my town.

Does not surprise me at all. RS has not been the same store for over 25-30 years now. All they are now is some glorified phone store. Seriously where all all the kit's and fun stuff you used to have?

ETA: I recently went there to purchase a 10' USB extension cable and they wanted 25 bucks for it. So I looked at the 6' extension USB cable and it was also 25 bucks. Whats up Radio shack? I miss the old days.

I have a soft spot for radio shack, I buy small things there occasionally, I really hope they figure out some way to stay in business. Maybe shifting their business model to be more like a hobby shop would be a good idea instead of trying to compete in consumer electronics. There are still plenty of people out there who tinker and have hobbies that need supporting, and radio shack could cater more towards them.

They can't compete on prices or selection so they need to stock inventory you can't get at the big box stores. That's the only way they'll survive.

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

The demise of Radio Shack continues. I'll be generous and say they have at most 10 years. That's generous. How long do you estimate they'll be around for?

I think that you and I feel about the same way about it, but despite my nostalgic feelings for them, despite having sat down in front of an actual TRS80 ages ago in one of their stores, I give them til next spring unless they pull some miracle-rabbit out of their hat.

They were the "Maker Movement" before there was such a thing. How they are not capaitalizing on that is beyond my ken.

I should be able to go to Radio Shack and buy the parts toi assemble my own 3D printer for about $300, and RS should staff the place with people that can tell me how. Thems would be the old days, returned.

originally posted by: Bybyots
a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

The demise of Radio Shack continues. I'll be generous and say they have at most 10 years. That's generous. How long do you estimate they'll be around for?

I think that you and I feel about the same way about it, but despite my nostalgic feelings for them, despite having sat down in front of an actual TRS80 ages ago in one of their stores, I give them til next spring unless they pull some miracle-rabbit out of their hat.

They were the "Maker Movement" before there was such a thing. How they are not capaitalizing on that is beyond my ken.

I should be able to go to Radio Shack and buy the parts toi assemble my own 3D printer for about $300, and RS should staff the place with people that can tell me how. Thems would be the old days, returned.

LOL TRS80, I remember back in the day we would write obscene "syntax" messages on the display machines in the mall and the salesmen would just have to turn them off cause they did not know how to take the obscene messages off the screen.

a reply to: proob4

I remember back in the day we would write obscene "syntax" messages on the display machines in the mall and the salesmen would just have to turn them off cause they did not know how to take the obscene messages off the screen.

Yes, my brother, I also remember the ways of the proto-geek. We were pulling the same stuff in a different city.

originally posted by: Bybyots
a reply to: proob4

I remember back in the day we would write obscene "syntax" messages on the display machines in the mall and the salesmen would just have to turn them off cause they did not know how to take the obscene messages off the screen.

Yes, my brother, I also remember the ways of the proto-geek. We were pulling the same stuff in a different city.

Yep them where the good ole daze huh? Then we go down to the arcade look for girls and play space invaders, asteroids or defender. We also used to phreak too. That's where you record the sound the old pay phones coin dispense sound and record it onto on a small micro cassette then play it back when the operator told you to put coins in. Yea you could call people all day for free. I sure miss them days.

radio shack screwed themselves. it was when they tried to do things like become a computer store they started to fail. if they had just stuck to what they did best radio equipment, electronic parts, and supplies they wold be ok. now days they just seem to be a glorified phone, toy, rc car (the cheap useless ones) shop. just about everything they sell is overpriced compared to other places which means they sell even less. while at the same time don't carry much in the way of electronic parts.

a reply to: proob4

i sure miss that stuff.

I just missed the phreaking, it's a shame too because I had one of those Cap'n Crunch whistles right out of the box and I was too young to think of anything to do with it but, well, whistle with it.

At least we have Arch and New Egg, I guess.

originally posted by: Bybyots
a reply to: proob4

i sure miss that stuff.

I just missed the phreaking, it's a shame too because I had one of those Cap'n Crunch whistles right out of the box and I was too young to think of anything to do with it but, well, whistle with it.

At least we have Arch and New Egg, I guess.

Hell even pay phone are becoming extinct. I updated my post btw.

The last time I stepped foot in a Radio Shack was in 2004. I think online vendors have really hurt them, along with retail chain stores offering increasing electronic products. There are some things that other stores would not carry, or at least chain stores, but many people probably get this stuff online. About the only time I think I would go there is if I needed something that I couldn't find anywhere else, and I needed it right now. If I could wait a few days I would just order it online. I don't know if their prices are competitive now, since I haven't been there in so long, and that could be a factor. I don't even know where Radio Shack is located anymore in my city, lol. I think there is one in the mall, or at least there used to be. I haven't been there in years either. I basically go to the grocery store, and maybe one or two retail stores that carry non-food items, for the most part. Occasionally I will have to go to one of those stores like Home Depot or Lowe's or something like that, but other than that I will order online. I'm probably not the only one, so stores like Radio Shack truly are becoming obsolete.

And it would be hard for them to compete in the online market as well, but that is the direction they should take imo. Just close the majority of stores, and try to get lender support by reinventing the online presence. All the money that is saved from physical stores should be used to build a customer base online by undercutting the competition initially, and then raising prices slowly. They would still have to be competitive however, as online customers are not loyal. They're out for the cheapest deal. This is why you have to have something that sets you apart from the other tech vendors. I have some ideas for what they could do, but I might decide to start a similar business in the future, therefore I cannot divulge said ideas...lol.

a few years back I had to replace a 8 YO crank/solar radio from C.Crane, I bought a $50 model from radio shack as a replacement, but it was not their product it was a Red Cross radio

today I heard on CNBC money market that radio shack was going down-the-tubes, the wholesale marketers will be buying their inventory at pennies-on-the-dollar soon

but the top exec's will unfurl their "golden parachutes" to stay above the fray

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

Nobody repairs anything anymore...too bad I use to love going to radio shack as a youngster...

The people that work in Radio Shack have an attitude. I'll just order stuff from New Egg and wait a few days. Big deal!

I bought my first computer there back in 95 or 96.
IBM pentium 166 I think with 2 gig hard drive. Don't remember exactly but around $1600....?..?
28kb modem! Whoo


God I'm getting old

Radio Shack in Canada (much different than the American inventory) was my one and only retail job, back when I was in grade school. I was pretty much an electronics engineer by then and I just couldn't bring myself to sell that crap to people who didn't need it and were too technically unaware to know better. It was cheap, junky stuff that wasn't practical, and it wasn't compatible with anything else. It had zero resale value. I member pawn shops wouldn't even make an offer on RS stuff.

Years later when the Radio Shack Catalogue went online I member seeing all this new decent brand name stuff like ham radio equipment, electronic test equipment and other things you would expect a company with that kind of name to have. But every time I would try to order something they would tell me that it was only available in the US. No kidding, you can't even buy a scanner at RS in Canada (even though they are completely legal here).

I wander around in RS occasionally when I'm waiting on something at the mall but I can't remember the last time I've been in there to shop. They try to focus way to much on their own brand which is still really junky stuff that you would expect to see at a bankruptcy/overstock store for much less.

A few years ago they changed the name from Radio Shack to The Source. I guess they got tired of it being compared to the American version with all the wizzy stuff. When a company really sucks though, changing the name just tells people that you are trying to cover up the stink.

originally posted by: olaru12
The people that work in Radio Shack have an attitude. I'll just order stuff from New Egg and wait a few days. Big deal!

New Egg is awesome. But so was RS. Who's to say in another 25 years New Egg looses their business model also?

They lost direction at the close of the 90's then got wallmarted, futureshoped and best buyed to death. I got a coco2 from them in the 80's when they still had decent stuff. Minimus 7 bookshelf speakers were dynamite in the small places I lived in. As another poster said "nobody fixes anything anymore" and it's a shame really.