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Everyone buys these things online or at Walmart. I think the best bet would be to try to remain small and capture the hobbyist market around electronics. Michae

Everyone buys these things online or at Walmart. I think the best bet would be to try to remain small and capture the hobbyist market around electronics. Michaels already exists for art supplies, Home Depot can supply the screws but no one can really supply electronic components, PCBs, 3D printers etc.

fsckboy 3y ago
sell linux phones, etc i spent my teen years studying and selecting electronic components from radio shack.
easton 3y ago
I mean, Micro Center exists in some areas of the country (the one near to me is literally next to a Michaels). The reason it’s not everywhere is probably because there’s not as much demand outside of big cities.
- bsder 3y ago
  Cries in Fry's Austin, of all places, really could use a Microcenter. I'm suprised they haven't put one there given they have them in Houston and Dallas.
  - bigyikes 3y ago
    Ha, we posted nearly identical comments at nearly the same time. (Sorry, this comment doesn't add anything, but it was too synchronistic to not point out)
- bigyikes 3y ago
  Begging for a Micro Center in Austin. They're in Dallas and Houston, so it surprises me we don't have one in the tech capital of the state.
- hellotheretoday 3y ago
  I moved 2 years ago but before that I lived about 10m from a micro center for a decade. The hobbyist section in that time progressively got smaller and the selection was overtaken by branded expensive tools and kits. Like instead of just selling the cheap Chinese screwdriver set you could buy on Amazon for 9.99 they’d sell ifixit branded screwdrivers which appeared to be of the same build quality but with the branding and micro center markup were now 24.99 for the exact same set in terms of features. Or the solder practice kits where you could make a blinking heart from an op amp but for $20 when you could get it online for half that. Raspberry pis and arduinos and such were usually priced well but not always although sometimes they’d be on sale for very good deals. They’d sell hats, sensors, and such for them and those would be marked up considerably. So it was the same problem as RadioShack; anyone who knew what they were doing would plan out a project and order what they needed online to save a considerable amount. What you’d buy would be if you forgot or broke something and needed to grab something asap and didn’t want to wait. That didn’t justify the space I suppose so they kept shrinking it down What was really annoying was the stuff that would really be handy would be like small packs of passives. Like when I went to akihabara in Japan there was a market that sold small packet of things like resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc. in little baggies for few yen. And when I went to shenzen it was even better, you could get basically anything, smd or throughhole, in any quantity, but that’s kind of cheating ha. Micro center didn’t do this at any point I lived near it. They would only sell the big assortments so if you just needed a 100ohm resistor for an arduino project you had to spend $20 to buy 300 assorted through holes. Frustrating and pricey so id rather just go online and spend less to get a better and broader assortment. Maybe if we actually do some real right to repair there might be some demand to justify but as is I think it’s just one of those niches that cannot compete with the internet and warehouse/logistic companies like digikey and mouser. There’s just too many skus
  - spiritplumber 3y ago
    how do you live 10 meters away from a micro center? next building?
    - hellotheretoday 3y ago
- batguano 3y ago
  I live in the Bay Area, which is both big city, and heavily tech/maker, and I have never even heard of a Micro Center, much less seen one. I miss RadioShack, and especially Frys when they were in their prime.
dragontamer 3y ago
PCBs these days are like $5 per board from American makers like DKRed (Digikey's PCB service), with support for both 2x layer and 4x layer boards. Radio Shack will never be able to compete against DKRed (or OSHPark) from PCB making perspective. Even cheaper if you buy from China. Radio Shack would be best as a board-level hobbyist group: selling Teensy, Arduino, Beaglebones, Rasp. Pi... as well as wires and common components. A few wires, a standard board like Arduino, and some I2C or SPI components will be enough for most hobbyists, and "looks" far easier than a breadboard or PCB.
- smaudet 3y ago
  I don't know, I think a shop that could offer both would be invaluable. I haven't heard of either of those PCB services, I'm not in the market to make them, but if I walk into a store and see this on offer, especially if someone is helping me to design etc, that could be a valuable service. Wholesale mfgs will always be cheaper, but there is something to be said for a one-stop shop experience. I don't have to spend time learning websites or which tools they accept, I can just go to the store to get my idea built.
  - dragontamer 3y ago
    You "can't" make a one stop shop for electronics, not at least how things are done right now. Different projects will have different reasons for choosing transistors: maybe response time is maximally important. Maybe they're using the transistor in "linear" mode and would rather have a wide and consistent ohmic region. Maybe its a high-power application where breakdown voltage is most important. Maybe it needs to be ruggedized and they'll prefer protection diodes. This is _JUST_ transistors. Every other part basically has this similar problem. There's just too many important decisions per part. As such, modern nmos-transistor catalogs number in the thousands of parts in practice. The only way you get the right transistor is through online ordering through megastores (like Digikey) who can keep stock of all the hundreds-of-thousands of SKUs + have an online searchable database to help you find what you're looking for. ------------------- So where Radio Shack could feasibly work... is by: 1. Shrinking the catalog down to "standard" generic parts that have wide applicability to many different projects. "Jack of all Trade" transistors, that aren't the best in any particular category but instead have nice behaviors across a large set of axis. This is just for a "keep in stock" perspective, for anyone who wants to "make an electronics project today" without waiting for the 5 to 10 days for typical shipping times for custom PCBs. #1 means that Radio Shack (or other stores) can swap between transistors from different manufacturers as they come into (or out of) stock, or based on supply/demand. (Buying up excess stock from a factory on the cheap), etc. etc. But still organizing these parts to match various SKUs that match particular use-cases (ex: 3.3V logic NMOS). 2. Focus on physical attributes which benefit to coming into the store. Ex: Serving as a central point for expensive tool rental. An OEM-set of crimpers, for example the Harwin M20 series of Dupoint / Mini-PV clone connectors, has a $570 crimper. That's cheap for a store to hold in stock/rental, but a bit expensive for hobbyists. Electronics in practice have _LOTS_ of $500+ tools (crimpers, 3d printers, laser cutters, etc. etc.) that really would benefit from rental-models. Furthermore, the tool usage scales well with wire usage in practice. (Ex: bulk ethernet cable is way cheaper than individual ethernet wires. If hypothetical-Radio Shack buys 10,000 ft. spools and has the nice $500 to $1000 crimpers to make your own wire in store, that's a good reason to come in) ----------- With 4-layer boards so cheap in practice through online ordering, I really don't think "Hypothetical Radio Shack" can compete with that. But give me a place to consolidate custom wire lengths + rental of those expensive crimpers, and we probably have a deal.
nodesocket 3y ago
I honestly don't know how Michaels is still in business. I do tend to think it's not necessary location that is going to make it for Radio Shack, but their products, and target market. They should focus on makers, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Drones, make that their core business. Pricing needs to be competitive (vs online), stock should be plentiful, and knowledgeable employees (maybe like a Geek Squad equivalent "The Shack").
- lancesells 3y ago
  The thing with Michaels is there are a lot of products that are nicer to experience in offline instead of online. For electronic components I'm not sure that's the case. I know very little about electronics but I would much rather go to adafruit.com and look at tutorials, specs, etc. and then order. I personally don't need any sort of tactile feel or quality control on breadboard compared to if I'm buying yarn to knit something.
  - b112 3y ago
    The thing with Michaels is there are a lot of products that are nicer to experience in offline instead of online. I agree, and even wonder what's up with bed bath and beyond's implosion. Many people, mostly but not only! women, tend to really really care what pillows look and feel like. I think the only reason Amazon works here, is the crazy free return shipping. But still, how is that the same?? I don't care about pillows, but I know if I did, I'd want to choose! To touch! To see how fluffy, how they look.. Hrm. Maybe I am harbouring an unknown pillow fetish. Anyway, I don't get it either. If Michael's can't survive, can anything?
    - bombcar 3y ago
      Bloodbath and beyond was just insanely overpriced. Kohls is surviving because they have billions of coupons, but they also are encroaching on things like BB&B sold. They were finally killed in my opinion by the wedding registry options at other stores getting better. Michael’s survives by having way more art supplies than other places and people who do art wanting it NOW and not later.
bsder 3y ago
> Everyone buys these things online or at Walmart. Most people need in-person, tech customer support--especially in small towns. Radio Shack could find a nice niche by being that. The problem is that while it could be profitable, it won't be a "growth industry". And that seems to be a gigantic problem given the MBA management mindset in the US.
- notatoad 3y ago
  "people will pay more to shop in person because they want the in-person support that our staff provide" is written on the gravestone of every dead retail company.
  - bsder 3y ago
    Only because they try to scale. Support doesn't scale. It's weakly profitable. It's specific to an area. It's slow. It requires workers with a bit of clue. Support is everything that modern business culture loathes.
    - notatoad 3y ago
      Support scales fine. there's plenty of huge companies built around charging for support, all the way up to consulting companies like IBM and SAP. support doesn't scale, or work at all as a business, if you aren't charging for it. if you're providing free support as a loss leader to get people to buy your stuff, people will take the free support and leave. it's nothing to do with scale.

fsckboy 3y ago

sell linux phones, etc i spent my teen years studying and selecting electronic components from radio shack.

easton 3y ago

I mean, Micro Center exists in some areas of the country (the one near to me is literally next to a Michaels). The reason it’s not everywhere is probably because there’s not as much demand outside of big cities.

bsder 3y ago
Cries in Fry's Austin, of all places, really could use a Microcenter. I'm suprised they haven't put one there given they have them in Houston and Dallas.
- bigyikes 3y ago
  Ha, we posted nearly identical comments at nearly the same time. (Sorry, this comment doesn't add anything, but it was too synchronistic to not point out)
bigyikes 3y ago
Begging for a Micro Center in Austin. They're in Dallas and Houston, so it surprises me we don't have one in the tech capital of the state.
hellotheretoday 3y ago
I moved 2 years ago but before that I lived about 10m from a micro center for a decade. The hobbyist section in that time progressively got smaller and the selection was overtaken by branded expensive tools and kits. Like instead of just selling the cheap Chinese screwdriver set you could buy on Amazon for 9.99 they’d sell ifixit branded screwdrivers which appeared to be of the same build quality but with the branding and micro center markup were now 24.99 for the exact same set in terms of features. Or the solder practice kits where you could make a blinking heart from an op amp but for $20 when you could get it online for half that. Raspberry pis and arduinos and such were usually priced well but not always although sometimes they’d be on sale for very good deals. They’d sell hats, sensors, and such for them and those would be marked up considerably. So it was the same problem as RadioShack; anyone who knew what they were doing would plan out a project and order what they needed online to save a considerable amount. What you’d buy would be if you forgot or broke something and needed to grab something asap and didn’t want to wait. That didn’t justify the space I suppose so they kept shrinking it down What was really annoying was the stuff that would really be handy would be like small packs of passives. Like when I went to akihabara in Japan there was a market that sold small packet of things like resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc. in little baggies for few yen. And when I went to shenzen it was even better, you could get basically anything, smd or throughhole, in any quantity, but that’s kind of cheating ha. Micro center didn’t do this at any point I lived near it. They would only sell the big assortments so if you just needed a 100ohm resistor for an arduino project you had to spend $20 to buy 300 assorted through holes. Frustrating and pricey so id rather just go online and spend less to get a better and broader assortment. Maybe if we actually do some real right to repair there might be some demand to justify but as is I think it’s just one of those niches that cannot compete with the internet and warehouse/logistic companies like digikey and mouser. There’s just too many skus
- spiritplumber 3y ago
  how do you live 10 meters away from a micro center? next building?
  - hellotheretoday 3y ago
batguano 3y ago
I live in the Bay Area, which is both big city, and heavily tech/maker, and I have never even heard of a Micro Center, much less seen one. I miss RadioShack, and especially Frys when they were in their prime.

dragontamer 3y ago

PCBs these days are like $5 per board from American makers like DKRed (Digikey's PCB service), with support for both 2x layer and 4x layer boards. Radio Shack will never be able to compete against DKRed (or OSHPark) from PCB making perspective. Even cheaper if you buy from China. Radio Shack would be best as a board-level hobbyist group: selling Teensy, Arduino, Beaglebones, Rasp. Pi... as well as wires and common components. A few wires, a standard board like Arduino, and some I2C or SPI components will be enough for most hobbyists, and "looks" far easier than a breadboard or PCB.

smaudet 3y ago
I don't know, I think a shop that could offer both would be invaluable. I haven't heard of either of those PCB services, I'm not in the market to make them, but if I walk into a store and see this on offer, especially if someone is helping me to design etc, that could be a valuable service. Wholesale mfgs will always be cheaper, but there is something to be said for a one-stop shop experience. I don't have to spend time learning websites or which tools they accept, I can just go to the store to get my idea built.
- dragontamer 3y ago
  You "can't" make a one stop shop for electronics, not at least how things are done right now. Different projects will have different reasons for choosing transistors: maybe response time is maximally important. Maybe they're using the transistor in "linear" mode and would rather have a wide and consistent ohmic region. Maybe its a high-power application where breakdown voltage is most important. Maybe it needs to be ruggedized and they'll prefer protection diodes. This is _JUST_ transistors. Every other part basically has this similar problem. There's just too many important decisions per part. As such, modern nmos-transistor catalogs number in the thousands of parts in practice. The only way you get the right transistor is through online ordering through megastores (like Digikey) who can keep stock of all the hundreds-of-thousands of SKUs + have an online searchable database to help you find what you're looking for. ------------------- So where Radio Shack could feasibly work... is by: 1. Shrinking the catalog down to "standard" generic parts that have wide applicability to many different projects. "Jack of all Trade" transistors, that aren't the best in any particular category but instead have nice behaviors across a large set of axis. This is just for a "keep in stock" perspective, for anyone who wants to "make an electronics project today" without waiting for the 5 to 10 days for typical shipping times for custom PCBs. #1 means that Radio Shack (or other stores) can swap between transistors from different manufacturers as they come into (or out of) stock, or based on supply/demand. (Buying up excess stock from a factory on the cheap), etc. etc. But still organizing these parts to match various SKUs that match particular use-cases (ex: 3.3V logic NMOS). 2. Focus on physical attributes which benefit to coming into the store. Ex: Serving as a central point for expensive tool rental. An OEM-set of crimpers, for example the Harwin M20 series of Dupoint / Mini-PV clone connectors, has a $570 crimper. That's cheap for a store to hold in stock/rental, but a bit expensive for hobbyists. Electronics in practice have _LOTS_ of $500+ tools (crimpers, 3d printers, laser cutters, etc. etc.) that really would benefit from rental-models. Furthermore, the tool usage scales well with wire usage in practice. (Ex: bulk ethernet cable is way cheaper than individual ethernet wires. If hypothetical-Radio Shack buys 10,000 ft. spools and has the nice $500 to $1000 crimpers to make your own wire in store, that's a good reason to come in) ----------- With 4-layer boards so cheap in practice through online ordering, I really don't think "Hypothetical Radio Shack" can compete with that. But give me a place to consolidate custom wire lengths + rental of those expensive crimpers, and we probably have a deal.

nodesocket 3y ago

I honestly don't know how Michaels is still in business. I do tend to think it's not necessary location that is going to make it for Radio Shack, but their products, and target market. They should focus on makers, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Drones, make that their core business. Pricing needs to be competitive (vs online), stock should be plentiful, and knowledgeable employees (maybe like a Geek Squad equivalent "The Shack").

lancesells 3y ago
The thing with Michaels is there are a lot of products that are nicer to experience in offline instead of online. For electronic components I'm not sure that's the case. I know very little about electronics but I would much rather go to adafruit.com and look at tutorials, specs, etc. and then order. I personally don't need any sort of tactile feel or quality control on breadboard compared to if I'm buying yarn to knit something.
- b112 3y ago
  The thing with Michaels is there are a lot of products that are nicer to experience in offline instead of online. I agree, and even wonder what's up with bed bath and beyond's implosion. Many people, mostly but not only! women, tend to really really care what pillows look and feel like. I think the only reason Amazon works here, is the crazy free return shipping. But still, how is that the same?? I don't care about pillows, but I know if I did, I'd want to choose! To touch! To see how fluffy, how they look.. Hrm. Maybe I am harbouring an unknown pillow fetish. Anyway, I don't get it either. If Michael's can't survive, can anything?
  - bombcar 3y ago
    Bloodbath and beyond was just insanely overpriced. Kohls is surviving because they have billions of coupons, but they also are encroaching on things like BB&B sold. They were finally killed in my opinion by the wedding registry options at other stores getting better. Michael’s survives by having way more art supplies than other places and people who do art wanting it NOW and not later.

bsder 3y ago

> Everyone buys these things online or at Walmart. Most people need in-person, tech customer support--especially in small towns. Radio Shack could find a nice niche by being that. The problem is that while it could be profitable, it won't be a "growth industry". And that seems to be a gigantic problem given the MBA management mindset in the US.

notatoad 3y ago
"people will pay more to shop in person because they want the in-person support that our staff provide" is written on the gravestone of every dead retail company.
- bsder 3y ago
  Only because they try to scale. Support doesn't scale. It's weakly profitable. It's specific to an area. It's slow. It requires workers with a bit of clue. Support is everything that modern business culture loathes.
  - notatoad 3y ago
    Support scales fine. there's plenty of huge companies built around charging for support, all the way up to consulting companies like IBM and SAP. support doesn't scale, or work at all as a business, if you aren't charging for it. if you're providing free support as a loss leader to get people to buy your stuff, people will take the free support and leave. it's nothing to do with scale.