Radio Shack Obliterates “Radio” Leaving Only the Shack

I hope they don't go under, they're the only place in town where I can buy 120-minute cassette tapes to record my favorite 1-hour radio show...

Count me as one of the people who still finds a use for "The Shack." I live in the Bay Area, but in the one spot that is the furthest possible from any Fry's. If I need a 2N3904, LEDs, smaller transformer, 7805, etc, I will go to Rat Shack and get it there. People say it is in decline, but it looks more or less the same to me as it ever did. (By the way, I grew up in Jersey, and it was the ONLY place to get electronic components back then. Digikey and Mouser existed but they would not pick a $50 order.) Radio Shack branded products ("Realistic") etc were always garbage, though.

I still shop there regularly for small electronic devices and find the staff helpful. I am not sure about the name change, seems to me they are giving up a lot of brand value.

In regards to the 'last ditch effort to save this dying company' post ... RadioShack is one of the few companies in the world (note I said companies and not retail companies) that owes no money to anyone. Recently, they outsold corporate Sprint retailers on the Palm Pre even though they got it later, and to top it off, more of them have stayed out the door than Sprint has managed to do. Maybe you should do a little research before blindly posting.

I guess I am a throwback. I still buy the occasional odd component at Radio Sha...er, The Shack. Particulary switches. I need to see a switch before I buy it, and The Shack has about the cheapest prices on switches when buying onesey-twosey. I'm not sure how long The Shack will continue to stock parts, but I appreciate that they do and that I can count on that no matter where I am. I also bought my flat-panel HDTV there on Black Friday. Terrific price at the time, $399 for a 32-inch panel. An AOC, the TV manufacturer formerly known as Admiral. Appropriate for a purchase at The Shack, I think.

Two points: one is that I had to work for them to survive for a few months in the early 1980s. This was back when they had 'computer stores'. The operation was pathetic. The other is that I don't know of anyone that thinks of them fondly (although other posts here seem to contradict this). In all my interaction with them it's been high pressure sales and junk products. I am bewildered that they even still exist.

As an 18 year Shack employee, I can only say, in the past 5 years I've seen the company I love go to pieces.Upper management has one thing in mind! Filling thier pockets at the expence of it's hard working employees. My 401k has lost more then 60% of it's value mostley due to bad decisions from those making millions in the ivory towers. I no longer own RS stock as I no longer trust the leaders. The Shack is a dying company and sadley it's time to look for a new home.

The fact is that this is all part of Marketing.. Microsoft corp. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet himself and Berkshire OWN 37% of the Float and 165 million in perfered warrents and bonds due in 2017, 2021 for an additional ..amount of Shares ..so they are not going anyware....its perfect for the pure play Future Electronics Products....Remember they have had large contracts with suppliers of outsourced electronic chip sets and computer on a chip devices... They are into all aspects of this....they will move the Manufacturing of all types of assemblies and chip sets here in the U.S........YOU May Ask Why......Tax Breaks..and incentives for hiring americans to build for americans....lol what a concept... Good Luck.......THE SHACK.........Hmmmmmm RADIO

WOW!!! You mentioned www.RadioShackCatalogs.com. It's an AWESOME site! For those who haven't been there, it's an archive of old 1939-2005 Radio Shack catalogs. Flip through every page of every catalog. There's also a LOT of other cool stuff (old Radio Shack commercial videos, store photos, historical photos, etc.). As the site states, it can be used for: - product information - a reference guide - an electronic parts & products resource - viewing the progression of technology - research - reminiscing - fun reading! It's a "Bookmark" site for sure.

This is their last ditch effort to save this dyeing company, they're trying to cut cost from the inside out by laying off their employess. For a company that is squatting in Tarrant County Junior College with practically no overhead except for the officers oversized salaries. They still have cut more jobs because of lack of sales, and they want to cater to the younger generation but what they don't understand is that the younger people are going to Best Buy and Wal-Mart and finding more of a selection at a cheaper price. This guys don't care about the employees at all, they would rather freeze raises and layoff hundreds of employees just to hire in VP's at a six figure salary. What are they doing, why haven't the Board of Directors fired this clown (Julian Day)and all of his puppets?. This guy is more worried about making more millions for his pocket, instead of worrying about the lively of his employees that he will soon send to the unemployment line. "The Shack" sounds more like an out house than an electronics store!

I'm not sure that I've been into a Radio Shack since my TRS-80 days. Well, maybe once to look at portable shortwave radios. OK, even that was still over 20 years ago. With all the alternatives, I always can't help but to chuckle when someone specifies a part at Instructables with a RadioShack P/N. It's only then that I'm reminded that RS is still the only game in town for a lot of folks. It's hard to walk around barefoot in the summer here without getting a SOT-23 stuck between your toes, but it's just not like that everywhere. Still have very fond memories of them though. A number of folks like us probably wouldn't be gainfully unemployed today if it weren't for them being in the neighborhood in the 70's. I'm sure that I probably *had* referred to them as "The Shack" from time to time, but perhaps never in the wild. But, "The King" for "Burger King"... absolutely!