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I'd be willing to bet that this is exactly the way it was at most, if not all, corporate RadioShack stores. On the other hand, the franchise stores (which mostl

I'd be willing to bet that this is exactly the way it was at most, if not all, corporate RadioShack stores. On the other hand, the franchise stores (which mostly no longer exist) could be great places to shop and to work, because they were owned by actual breathing human beings, not faceless corporate overlords. My first "real" job after high school was at the local RadioShack, which was owned by one of the most amazing people in my early adult life. I had shopped there for years as a teenager, as it was the only place I could find electronic parts without cracking the Mouser catalog. This was the mid 90s, and there was nearly no e-commerce yet. One day I was in there looking at the HTX-202, RadioShack's entry into 2-meter amateur radio handsets, as I had just been licensed as a Technician Class ham for the first time. Richard said "Hey, Morgan, you still looking for a job?" "Sure, but what happened to Dennis?" I replied. He said "Well, Dennis kinda died." Poor Dennis, his only employee and an elderly gentleman, had suffered an aneurysm and just like that, he was gone. Thus, thanks to the untimely death of a nice old man, I got my first and only RadioShack sales associate position. Working there was an absolute blast; the pay sucked and the only commission to be had was on Primestar satellite sales, but Richard was like that cool uncle everyone has. I learned a lot about how to run a small business from him, and there was never a day that we didn't have fun. Christmas season could be hectic, but in a good way, with parents who were delighted to see that we carried batteries for all the toys their kids were getting (along with some nifty toys like R/C cars, too). Even after getting a better full time job a couple of years later, I stayed on part time with Richard for over a year, until he could hire someone to replace me. I still drop in when I'm in my hometown to say hi, and we still keep in touch via email. It really saddens me to know that he'll likely have to drop the RadioShack name one day soon, but I know his store will continue operating for the foreseeable future. His kind of salesmanship stands far above what you get at the corporate stores.

toomuchtodo 12y ago
> It really saddens me to know that he'll likely have to drop the RadioShack name one day soon Could he turn his shop into a for-profit hackerspace that has inventory for projects?
- ChuckMcM 12y ago
  This is an idea I've toyed with for a while, I called it 'prototype electronics' where the 'store' part had inventory that was known to work together so that projects could be designed, built, and sourced out of the store parts. (this was true early in the RS era as well of course) There are some annoying liability (ie expensive) issues with letting minors operate soldering irons on the premises or while using solder that has lead in it. But mostly people just don't go out. So when you look at the probability of having enough "customers" you find you need a really large population base while maintaining a very small foot print. New York comes to mind or London. Hard to scale it to more spread out places.
  - ams6110 12y ago
    It's a shame really. I learned to use a soldering iron when I was about 10 years old. My dad used to buy home electronics from Heathkit and we would put them together. I took an electronics course in middle school and we would use soldering irons there also. Also a shop class where we used drill presses, sabre saws, all kinds of oil-based paints and stains, etc. (the table saw was one of the few tools that were "off limits" to the kids). We're now so scared of liability that kids don't get a chance to learn how to work with their hands.
    - praneshp 12y ago
      +1. I learnt to solder when I was 14 or so, and did hurt myself a couple of times too. But I lived in India, where there's not many liability issues.
    - cpach 12y ago
      I learned to solder at that age as well. I even had a side-job that included soldering :)
  - emcrazyone 12y ago
    I had similar ideas too. I envisioned designing a PCB and then going to my nearest Rat Shack to pick it up like the one hour photo idea back in the day. I grew up in the 80s and have very fond memories going there and just browsing the electronic components. I think the hacker space is a great idea for kidspic but is probably not viable for the same reasons you mentioned.
busterarm 12y ago
RadioShack corporate did all of the damage there. The unfathomable boneheadedness of this company goes back so far -- at least to the mid-90s. The franchise stores were doing so well that corporate got the 'brilliant' idea that they would open up corporate stores within spitting distance of every successful franchise. They figured they could steal the customers away and make more money -- and thanks to friendly financing terms for much better locations, they did. The only franchise stores that survived are basically the ones that have always been run by fantastic people and could outmaneuver the company that should have been their partner all along. Ever since then, my beloved RatShack has been peddling useless crap. Still, there's nowhere else I can go when I need circuit parts in a hurry. RadioShack is an absolutely parasitic entity and deserved to be dead and gone decades ago.
T0m_Paine 12y ago
We have a fantastic Radio Shack in our town too. Granted, they've branched off quite a bit and sell firearms and ammo as well as electronic components, but the owner is incredibly helpful and knows that his business only thrives because he is service minded. I've long swore off Radio Shacks as a whole, but spend money there whenever I need a component or two even if things are cheaper online.
- bdunbar 12y ago
  > Granted, they've branched off quite a bit and sell firearms and ammo A RS that sells electronics and guns. I would patronize that store so _hard_.
  - rbanffy 12y ago
    It all depends on the kind of drone you want to build. Just to make this clear, I want to not know what you'd do with it ;-)
    - bdunbar 12y ago
      Ha. I wasn't thinking of mixing the two. Just ... while I'm at the store picking up a stick of RAM, pick up a new magazine, or a brick of .22 ammunition. Guns and drones are, however, an interesting subject. Wildly impractical, now, due to safety, payload, and usability issues.
- GoRudy 12y ago
  Ummm... where is this store located?
chaostheory 12y ago
> he'll likely have to drop the RadioShack name one day soon Why is this sad when his store will outlive Radioshack? I'm sure he or one of his customers can come up with a better name anyways.
- morganvachon 12y ago
  Well like I said, he'll just revert back to the original name, "<Hometown> Electronics" (where <Hometown> is the name of my hometown). He answers the phone as "<Hometown> Electronics RadioShack" as it is, so he could just drop the RS branding. I say it's sad because it's a strategic location for a RadioShack; the one in the nearest town over dropped the franchise long ago and the owner merged his business with a local hardware store. So for about 30 miles all around, it's the only RadioShack. I have a feeling though, his regular clientele will keep him afloat, and he's smart enough to know how to keep new people coming in.
  - frost_knight 12y ago
    Maybe the day he drops the franchise and reverts to his own brand a bunch of us HN folks could come out and throw a huge party for him.
    - morganvachon 12y ago
      Depends; how many of you are willing to travel to the back woods of northwest Georgia? :)
      - qubitcoder 12y ago
        I'm in Rome, GA. Not too far away :).
        morganvachon 12y ago
        So you probably know the store I'm talking about, then.

toomuchtodo 12y ago

> It really saddens me to know that he'll likely have to drop the RadioShack name one day soon Could he turn his shop into a for-profit hackerspace that has inventory for projects?

ChuckMcM 12y ago
This is an idea I've toyed with for a while, I called it 'prototype electronics' where the 'store' part had inventory that was known to work together so that projects could be designed, built, and sourced out of the store parts. (this was true early in the RS era as well of course) There are some annoying liability (ie expensive) issues with letting minors operate soldering irons on the premises or while using solder that has lead in it. But mostly people just don't go out. So when you look at the probability of having enough "customers" you find you need a really large population base while maintaining a very small foot print. New York comes to mind or London. Hard to scale it to more spread out places.
- ams6110 12y ago
  It's a shame really. I learned to use a soldering iron when I was about 10 years old. My dad used to buy home electronics from Heathkit and we would put them together. I took an electronics course in middle school and we would use soldering irons there also. Also a shop class where we used drill presses, sabre saws, all kinds of oil-based paints and stains, etc. (the table saw was one of the few tools that were "off limits" to the kids). We're now so scared of liability that kids don't get a chance to learn how to work with their hands.
  - praneshp 12y ago
    +1. I learnt to solder when I was 14 or so, and did hurt myself a couple of times too. But I lived in India, where there's not many liability issues.
  - cpach 12y ago
    I learned to solder at that age as well. I even had a side-job that included soldering :)
- emcrazyone 12y ago
  I had similar ideas too. I envisioned designing a PCB and then going to my nearest Rat Shack to pick it up like the one hour photo idea back in the day. I grew up in the 80s and have very fond memories going there and just browsing the electronic components. I think the hacker space is a great idea for kidspic but is probably not viable for the same reasons you mentioned.

busterarm 12y ago

RadioShack corporate did all of the damage there. The unfathomable boneheadedness of this company goes back so far -- at least to the mid-90s. The franchise stores were doing so well that corporate got the 'brilliant' idea that they would open up corporate stores within spitting distance of every successful franchise. They figured they could steal the customers away and make more money -- and thanks to friendly financing terms for much better locations, they did. The only franchise stores that survived are basically the ones that have always been run by fantastic people and could outmaneuver the company that should have been their partner all along. Ever since then, my beloved RatShack has been peddling useless crap. Still, there's nowhere else I can go when I need circuit parts in a hurry. RadioShack is an absolutely parasitic entity and deserved to be dead and gone decades ago.

T0m_Paine 12y ago

We have a fantastic Radio Shack in our town too. Granted, they've branched off quite a bit and sell firearms and ammo as well as electronic components, but the owner is incredibly helpful and knows that his business only thrives because he is service minded. I've long swore off Radio Shacks as a whole, but spend money there whenever I need a component or two even if things are cheaper online.

bdunbar 12y ago
> Granted, they've branched off quite a bit and sell firearms and ammo A RS that sells electronics and guns. I would patronize that store so _hard_.
- rbanffy 12y ago
  It all depends on the kind of drone you want to build. Just to make this clear, I want to not know what you'd do with it ;-)
  - bdunbar 12y ago
    Ha. I wasn't thinking of mixing the two. Just ... while I'm at the store picking up a stick of RAM, pick up a new magazine, or a brick of .22 ammunition. Guns and drones are, however, an interesting subject. Wildly impractical, now, due to safety, payload, and usability issues.
GoRudy 12y ago
Ummm... where is this store located?

chaostheory 12y ago

> he'll likely have to drop the RadioShack name one day soon Why is this sad when his store will outlive Radioshack? I'm sure he or one of his customers can come up with a better name anyways.

morganvachon 12y ago
Well like I said, he'll just revert back to the original name, "<Hometown> Electronics" (where <Hometown> is the name of my hometown). He answers the phone as "<Hometown> Electronics RadioShack" as it is, so he could just drop the RS branding. I say it's sad because it's a strategic location for a RadioShack; the one in the nearest town over dropped the franchise long ago and the owner merged his business with a local hardware store. So for about 30 miles all around, it's the only RadioShack. I have a feeling though, his regular clientele will keep him afloat, and he's smart enough to know how to keep new people coming in.
- frost_knight 12y ago
  Maybe the day he drops the franchise and reverts to his own brand a bunch of us HN folks could come out and throw a huge party for him.
  - morganvachon 12y ago
    Depends; how many of you are willing to travel to the back woods of northwest Georgia? :)
    - qubitcoder 12y ago
      I'm in Rome, GA. Not too far away :).
      - morganvachon 12y ago
        So you probably know the store I'm talking about, then.