Cpo1944
Member
Sad to see this good company going away. I hope something can be salvaged from the ashes.
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Radio Shack Bankrupt
- Thread starter Cpo1944
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vigil617
US Veteran
<sniff, sniff> I remember when you could buy the parts for a crystal radio there <sniff, sniff> 
vigil617
US Veteran
Well, me, for one.
I went in there looking for that black cord with the colored plugs on it to connect the thingmabob on my computer to the whatchamacallit on the back of my TV, and they knew just what I was talking about, and sold me one.
Was I ever a hero when I got home.
hudsonvalley
Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2008
- Messages
- 168
- Reaction score
- 32
They should have been the computer store of America......couldn't even find a calculator last time I was there..
Dennis The B
US Veteran
The bankruptcy filing is for Chapter 11 Reorganization. RS is selling up to about 2400 stores to Sprint, and it's my understanding that some of those remaining stores will operate with both Sprint and RS goods. The other 1600, or so will close.
I read an article somewhere, that RS's original personal computer, the TRS80 had an OS designed by Bill Gates. I used one in the early '80's, and they were fairly good when it came to spreadsheet and document processing.
It's always seemed like RS jumped from one dying market to another, and never got ahead of the technology curve.
When I bought my first serious stereo, they had great equipment, but it was as much, if not more, than similar Sansui, Fisher, Marantz and others' gear.
They were a pretty good niche seller with scanners, electronics parts, etc.
I read an article somewhere, that RS's original personal computer, the TRS80 had an OS designed by Bill Gates. I used one in the early '80's, and they were fairly good when it came to spreadsheet and document processing.
It's always seemed like RS jumped from one dying market to another, and never got ahead of the technology curve.
When I bought my first serious stereo, they had great equipment, but it was as much, if not more, than similar Sansui, Fisher, Marantz and others' gear.
They were a pretty good niche seller with scanners, electronics parts, etc.
They've been dying for years. Nobody had the guts to tell them They're the Hardee's Restaurant of the electronic store world. Got away from their roots, and then tried to be everything to everybody. Ended up being nothing to anybody . . . I was done with them about 20 years ago when I went in looking for two specialized but not uncommon electronic parts, got the blank stare and a catalog, wanted to know if I needed a flashlight.
A high school buddy had a TRS80 color computer. It was a decent computer, except for the chicklet keyboard.
Back when you could get all kinds of electronic components it was a cool store. Now it is just yet another cell phone store.
Back when you could get all kinds of electronic components it was a cool store. Now it is just yet another cell phone store.
truckemup97
Member
If it really goes away, I will miss it. The employees are absolutely no help, but if YOU know what you are looking for, you will probably find it. I guess I have to wait two days now for Amazon Prime to deliver parts for my projects.
dirty gary
Member
Wow, a TRaSh80, I remember those. They had a data storage system that used a cassette deck (!).
Dennis The B
US Veteran
At the time, that was about the only I/O device for a micro computer. There were Bernoulli disks, and the IBM XT's were still out in the future, and even they had OS's that had to be booted from floppy disks.
We bought our kids an Atari 400, and then encouraged and bankrolled them to upgrade as far as they could take it. We had an Atari 410 tape deck for data storage. We used an old RCA B/W TV for the monitor. About a year, or two, after we got them the Atari, we found an IBM XT, and rebuilt it from scratch, adding a hard drive, and upgrading the floppy drives. Both kids really learned the heart and soul of PC's from those early days.
I worked in IT at Ford from 1993, until I retired. For a long time we had a display of the various PC's Ford bought over the years. The IBM AT's cost about $6K when they were first introduced.
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran
My first PC was a Radio Shack MC-10 I bought in 1983. It was on closeout, and me an my roommate went in on it 50/50. IIRC it was $150. Used a little 10-inch B&W TV for a monitor. Cassette tapes for storage.
What a piece of junk. But I did learn a lot about programming in BASIC, since it used a unique operating system (different than the TRS-80) and there was NO commercial software for it. Wrote a great little program to help facilitate playing Avalon Hill's Panzer Leader board game.
What a piece of junk. But I did learn a lot about programming in BASIC, since it used a unique operating system (different than the TRS-80) and there was NO commercial software for it. Wrote a great little program to help facilitate playing Avalon Hill's Panzer Leader board game.
labworm
US Veteran
True story.
Years back I went in to purchase one of those small B&W Potable TV's, 5 inch screen.
The clerk said they had one left, he went into the back to get it.
Placed in on the counter in front of me and began ringing it up.
Standing there, I picked it up and said Wow is this thing light.
Opened the box and it was empty, imagine if I paid for it and walked out of the store?
Strange things happen.
Years back I went in to purchase one of those small B&W Potable TV's, 5 inch screen.
The clerk said they had one left, he went into the back to get it.
Placed in on the counter in front of me and began ringing it up.
Standing there, I picked it up and said Wow is this thing light.
Opened the box and it was empty, imagine if I paid for it and walked out of the store?
Strange things happen.
Aw, I remember my Dad buying me the little science toys from there when I was a young boy. I really like the one with the solar panel that made the fan turn! That tripped me out so much as a kid, it really seemed like it was magic and the fan was refreshing on those hot summer days. I played with it all the time.
Yes, I was and still am, easily amused.
Yes, I was and still am, easily amused.
Spent a fortune in there, starting in the 1960s. Stopped going in when I had to tell employees, "Yes, you damn sure do carry those, and it goes on this rack right there!" nearly every time I'd go in. Not to mention, "No, I don't need a new #$%^^&** cellphone!" Any parts I still need are available for much less on the internet, so... farewell, RS. You used to be a shack full of radio stuff...
Ivan the Butcher
Member
From the time I was 10 until I was 16, mom would drive me to RS for my free battery every month. I had 6 or 7 member ship cards, so I had lots of batteries. But never quite enough. My first short wave receiver was from RS, It was so exciting for a 12 year old to listen to guys from Spain talk about the girls they went out with. When my wife and I moved last year, I found my log book of all that, instant memories, then into the trash, just like the store. The other Tandy company was their leather working supply. I went in about a year ago for some waxed thread. They were outrageous! Ivan
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HOUSTON RICK
Member
I will not miss it. Never had what I was looking for.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
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The plain hard truth is that there is not much need in todays society for the vast majority of the products and parts they sell. The Cell Phone Company's have the Lyons share of the cell phone business and not too many people are into electronics anymore. Batteries are half the price at places like Costco and so many of their other products are purchased from on-line sources. Even if they do find alternate financing I doubt they can sustain a viable business anymore and there are only a handful of long time customers like myself that will miss them. Just my opinion of course and would love to be wrong on this one!
