Electronics is an online business these days, the equivalent in the UK (Maplin) keeps up only because it sells lots of other random bits and pieces like cables

Electronics is an online business these days, the equivalent in the UK (Maplin) keeps up only because it sells lots of other random bits and pieces like cables and consumer electronics that nobody really buys. Their actual electronic component business is tiny and expensive. They occasionally have great deals on tools though. I can't speak for Radioshack, but sadly the technical expertise in Maplin is lacking. They know a hell of a lot more than the guys in PC World, but about proper electronics design/components? Don't bother. To be fair Maplin are trying to move with the times, they've got a cheap 3D printer, they sell Arduino bits and so on. I can get next day shipping from Farnell (£20 min order) with all my bits at industry prices. Farnell and Digikey cover components for most hobbyists (and of course lots and lots of big businesses) nowadays. For those of us in Europe options like Mouser and Digikey are normally secondary, simply because they ding you with exorbitant delivery charges unless you make a big order and you have import fees too; though I think Digi now includes everything. Then came Sparkfun, Adafruit, Seeed and the glut of third party vendors selling hobbyist things. Not to mention Tindie and of course eBay. There's just no contest any more. If you need parts fast, then Farnell is usually good (usually...). Digikey is extremely reliable, but for international orders it's 2-3 days. Other companies? It depends, but most of them have expedited options. It's often said on the Amp Hour by Dave Jones that going into a parts business is a mug's game. Your margins are razor, razor thin and going to brick and mortar will kill you.