Ah, Radio Shack. Way back in the day when I was 1st licensed in the 1970's, they did have parts in stock. I had one of the 'Battery of the month' cards, and did go for the 'green colored' 9volt batteries then. Yes they always wanted your name and address when making a purchase. Over the years I bought some of their Amateur Radio Transceivers such as the 'HTX-242' (2 of them) and their mini HTs 'HTX-200 and HTX-400' which I still use to this day. Along with several of their radio scanners. Plus a VOM, and a DMM (digital multi meter) from the Shack in my shack which I still use frequently. But now go into a Radio Shack store and their highly skilled sales staff have no clue where the remaining parts bins are/ let alone if they have any stock in them, or what coaxial cable by the foot is. No, I don't want or need to buy a cell phone!
Shopped local rat shacks since 1977. Convenience was tops, as it was (in small towns) the only game in town. Best deal ever? 2016, when a mom/pop appliance-rat shack store closed. All parts were 90% off, and I bought nearly everything. The proprietors were good folks, and they were really appreciative of not having to inventory that stock. End of an era.
