Maybe they could team up with the new Ten-Tec and make arduino based digital P25 police scanner kits for $700 ($30 radio shack AC adapter not included)
There was actually a class action lawsuit regarding this a few years ago. The attorneys kept most of the settlement. I got a card in the mail that entitled me to... $11 off my next purchase basically. So I went in, got a few connector adapters and such and paid the guy 35 cents since thats how far I went over on the coupon. Haven't been back since. But supposedly part of that settlement was that they couldn't require it anymore. I know when I used the postcard I wasn't asked, and I hadn't been asked about 6 months before when I went in for a purchase. Might still be some individual stores that were doing that though. I want to say I got the card a few years ago. Maybe 2012-13ish? I almost forgot about it, it was good for a year. I wonder how many of them actually got used. Supposedly whatever didn't get used out of the fund for those was to be donated to charity too, if I recall correctly.
We still have a former RS in Cartersville, GA. I think it's been re-branded as a Sprint store. They still have the DIY stuff in the back corner, including a dozen or so parts drawers. I picked up a resistor yesterday.
I make an annual trip into RatShack, just to remind myself why I don't shop there. Sometime you just need a part that they carried in the PAST. I can get most things in a week or less online, I am rarely in a hurry.
Our local RS is still here and kicking. They actually have more of the stuff I go for and less crap. I don't know if they can stay in business doing that - the store looks more like a Dick Smith store now, with fewer parts, but a more open layout. They do have a fair assortment of 'Maker' stuff, and I hope that continues.
They do have those drawers. Also found some RG8 in 25 and 50ft lengths but with crimp on SO-239's. They seem to mostly deal in Cell phones, drones and some computer stuff.
Right, but if you really need something right away, online isn't the answer. If there's a "Brick and mortar" store with an overpriced item, sometimes it's worth it. I try not to put myself in that position though...
I went into Radio Shack looking for some coax. The guy asked, "How long do you want it?" to which I responded, "Pretty much forever!"
Went to Radio Shack looking for a replacement tip for the soldering iron I had bought at the same store some 10 years ago. They still sell the same iron, but no tips and neither are they listed online as replacement part.
While the wife was swimming at a rec center, I visited a surviving Radio Shack Store. The store seemed to be functionally divided into 2 parts: cell phones, and everything else. They had a pillar of back-to-back drawers about 24" square (each drawer) so that made the total column about 2ft x 4ft. Each side had about a dozen drawers, fully stocked, with various components. I picked out a 30amp inline fuse holder for "Mini Blade" fuses that has an integral LED that tells you when the fuse is blown (part # 270-0015). It cost about $4 - not too bad. The gal handled the cell phone customers and the guy handled everything else. I wanted either an RJ-11 coupler or an extension cord with RJ-11 male and female connections - not happening. 8-pin cat-5 cables and USB or HDMI stuff was plentiful. I did not get the impression that the store was "dying" or simply selling off stock. I hope they survive. I was the only customer in the store.
My biggest problem with Radio Shack, besides my stock being worth less than toilet paper, is that *every* frickin' time I went in one, I had to wait while both clerks argued with someone no speaka de english about using or returning a digital camera, or some issue with their cell phone, bill or service. Lest we not forget dumping the inexpensive tan computer cables for the 3x the price black designer cables with the gold-plated ends. I am not going to pay $20 for a 3-foot PS/2 extension cable.
