RS is not what it used to be, they have a lot of stuff for robotics some CB stuff, nothing for the ham radio community.. They are not what they used to be.
AFAIK, the point everyone is missing is that they have closed 100% of the company-owned stores. That's the half that are gone, and the half that are left are the franchises. RS survives as a firm that supplies franchises, but no longer owns any stores of it's own. At least in my area all the franchises are still open, and they make up about half of the stores they had before. As for stock, I guess that's up to the individuals that own the franchises. They have always been able to sell stuff in the franchises that didn't come from Radio Shack, no doubt excluding things that RS also sold. One of our local ones has always sold large appliances (washing machines, fridges, etc.) but also used to sell ham rigs after RS quit that market. Sadly, they no longer do, but that decision can't have had anything to do with RS, so they must have decided themselves that they weren't getting enough people coming in to buy a 2m rig or WHY. At this point none of the remaining RS franchises around here still sell any rigs or antennas for ham radio, or even coax, just connectors and small components.
It's still "You've got questions; we've got batteries". The old RS is gone like the big Lafayette and Allied Radio catalogs that I would get in the mail. Our numbers are dwindling.
On a chance of finding some parts I need, went to RS. New sign on the door, don't remember exact wording but was something about the old RS with parts coming back. Went in and nothing has changed yet from when I was there a couple of weeks ago.
If you go to Facebook, you'll see a RS spokesperson doing their best to tell you that they're back, and better than ever. Just do a search for Radio Shack.
Problem number 572: They're trying to market to us on facebook. They just don't get it; for a long, long time.
We had RS in the UK but it was called Tandy, they shut around 2000. We have a similar company called Maplins, that is just like Tandy/RS but about 5 years further to go before it folds. There are less and less components being sold, every time you go there. The combined age of the staff (about four of them) is less than my age (and I'm only 50). They know nothing about the products they sell. However, if you want a glitter disco ball and an R/C drone helicopter, they're your man.
We still have Tandy stores here. They split with Radio Schack and joined up with The Leather Factory. It's almost as good as it ever was as Tandy Leather. They still have a good selection of good products but their store just isn't what it used to be.
Well, on the one hand, stuff really isn't made to be serviceable anymore. On the other hand for connectors, cables, adapters and such, things that can be serviced, it is nice to have someplace local to go. Last install I did, I need a couple little bits and pieces, and needed to get it done today. I ended up make-shifting it.
Someone built a new strip mall by us last year. Right on the end of the mall was a brand new RS. It was a beautiful building and store. They didn't stock anything that would be of interest to a ham however. Two months ago it closed. It was open for about 9 months.
We still have our radio shack, approx 3.5 miles according to mapquest but its actually 3/4 of a mile away, still got cool ham n cb radios radio parts in largo town centre pg county md Trevor
