[Coco] RadioShack closing 1100 stores

[S Klammer]

One word "hackerspace".

sk
On 2014-03-05 10:37 AM, "Bill Loguidice" <bill at armchairarcade.com> wrote:

> I wonder if that's a good model. I mean it's the kind of unique model that
> they need, but I suspect all of those parts needs can be far better filled
> by all of the wonderful online resources. Especially given the size of the
> individual stores, they won't be able to stock much, and certainly being a
> hobbyist store wouldn't produce enough volume (it's thriving, but still a
> niche market) to be profitable.
>
> Their other plan, to be a specialist electronics store is OK, i.e., only
> carry the best of the best and most commonly needed (and reasonably cost
> conscious) consumer products, but again, you have places like Best Buy that
> are far larger and now specialize in the popular stores-within-a-store
> model, as well as again, low price online retailers with vast inventories.
>
> In retrospect, the smartphone direction would have been a reasonably sound
> strategy as that's the type of inventory that smaller stores like a
> RadioShack can easily accommodate, but that would have only been
> sustainable if every mall wasn't littered with smartphone kiosks and every
> carrier didn't have dedicated stores everywhere.
>
> So the question becomes, what's a good direction for a (now modest) chain
> of small stores in various strip malls and malls to bring masses of people
> into again? Unlike the mid-90s and before, RadioShack is far from the only
> game in town for most of the things they might offer, hence their need to
> shift direction to smartphone in the first place. Now that that can't be
> the primary focus of their business, what's the next mass market target? I
> don't know if there is one.
>
> -Bill
>
> ===================================================
> Bill Loguidice, Managing Director; Armchair Arcade,
> Inc.<http://www.armchairarcade.com>
> ===================================================
> Authored Books<
> http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Loguidice/e/B001U7W3YS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_1>and
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> in touch <http://about.me/billloguidice>
> ===================================================
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 10:45 PM, Kip Koon <computerdoc at sc.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi Rogelio!
> > Right on my friend!  Radio Shack needs to get back to what they did best
> -
> > Electronic Parts and Computers of various types.  FPGA Development kits
> > maybe and CPLD Kits too.  We all will of course always need electronic
> > parts
> > if they'd just price those things decently.  Heck I cut my electronic
> teeth
> > on the 150 in 1 Electronics Project Kit in my youth.  I remember bugging
> my
> > family with an audio oscillator I built with it.  I had to replace a
> > general
> > purpose transistor a little while later as well.  I think it was a PNP
> > Transistor if memory serves.  Those were the days!
> > Kip
> >
>
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