Radio Shack filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on February 5th, 2015, and have since announced that they are closing somewhere between 1750 and 2100 stores, depending on which source you read. Radio Shack has wasted no time starting the liquidation process either.
I have only visited two stores so far, and a manager I talked to has said this is happening to all the closing stores as far as he was aware. In other words, according to that manager, if a store near you is closing, they have probably already entered liquidation process.
Not every Radio Shack store is shutting down. There are about 1750 stores that will remain after this liquidation event, but their future is uncertain. Radio Shack posted a PDF list on its website of the stores that are closing. That list doesn’t seem to be organized for the benefit of the consumer, but luckily Quartz and CNN Money posted more useful lists that are organized in alphabetical order by state and then city.
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If you are interested in purchasing steeply discounted tools or supplies from Radio Shack, I wouldn’t wait. When I walked into one of my local Radio Shack locations, I was surprised to find it half empty with all prices discounted 30-60%. I visited a second local store, this one mostly empty, and found that were already offering a 50-80% discount.
This discount applies to everything in the store, including tools, electronics kits, cables, batteries, and radio equipment. They are even selling the “fixtures, furniture, and equipment.” I was not impressed at the prices they were asking for those though, maybe you’ll have better luck.
This speed of this liquidation took me by surprise, but Radio Shack was apparently already in the process of liquidating before they announced the closures. The store manager I talked to said they’ve been having a series of clearance events starting with a “House Cleaning” sale around January 1st, but he only just recently found out that they were closing his store.
From my talk with the manager, I found out there are two type of stores: A and B. A stores close next Sunday and are the ones with the higher discounts. B stores close at a later date and have the less progressive discounts. I’m not sure if A and B correspond to standalone stores vs. mall stores or some other criteria.
I know not all Radio Shack stores are closing, but this is a sad day for me. While other kids my age were browsing the music store, I spent hours browsing in Radio Shack. It played a large part in getting me interested in electronics and ultimately becoming an electrical engineer.
More Info (article via WSJ)
More Info (store closing PDF)
Store Closing Lists (Alphabetical Order): Quartz, CNN Money
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Did you score a great deal at your local Radio Shack? Let us know!
Greg Post
I still buy parts at Radio Shack. It sucks that I’m not going to have this option now.
adam
no other place that I can think of you could go buy “a” capacitor, or something else you would need a side-by-side comparison of the part.
T
Meh. They havent sold any of the good raw tech stuff i used to get, for years… The stores in my area have been bare for a long time, sans phones and usb cables. Part of the reason they are done done. Thank goodness for the large “radio” manufacturer in my area, the engineers support several small local supply stores that specialize in all things that make up most of the gizmos we love. It is sad to see the Shack drop off the landscape but time marches on…
Webley
I especially like their “High-Tech Rosin Core Silver-Bearing Solder (1.5 Oz.) #:2160630”. Its a 62/36/2% tin/lead/silver .022″ diameter solder that really works well for circuit board work. I bought a couple of extra rolls.
To be honest, I mostly like it because the solder joints are so shiny compared to ordinary tin/lead solder.
Jim Felt
This explains everything!
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/
Jerry
Wow! If I were on the board, I’d vote to eliminate any bonus he gets, cut his pay, and put him on probation, if not worse, for making such idiotic, negative statements.
Seriously, a CEO who has no idea how his company is in business, or what draws people into his store, and with such a negative attitude, should not be leading the company. He should be talking up the good points of RS, and providing a vision for the future.
rx9
Go and read some more of “America’s Finest News Source” – The Onion. You’ll figure it out. In the age of lyin’ Brian Williams though, I honestly can’t blame you for missing it.
rx9
In the event you already knew, well played, sir.
Jon
I like that idea. Trolling in the comments on an Onion link. 🙂
Jeremy
I agree with Benjamen, it is a sad day…for me because it shows how disposable things are in America and the desire to learn, build or fix anything electronic no longer exists. Like Benjamen, I used to spend hours each week browsing the aisles and shopping for components for my high school electronic class. Now, I am not too sure they even have shop classes in schools any more. I think Radio Shack could have benefited by having workshops in the stores to get children interested in electronics the same way Home Depot does with wood working or the way art supply stores do with learning crafts.
But with all that said, it’s a tough economy and very difficult to compete with the Internet. At least we still have Grainger. It’s not as fun to shop in but there are plenty of products available.
Mike
They would have needed to start those workshops nearly twenty years ago. By that time the retailer was already changing from being a supplier of discrete components, computers, surplus electronic assemblies, and electronic related tools to just another retail consumer electronics outlet. Gone were the N-in-1 electronic learning kits, advanced electronic labs, even the number of components was down to near nothing. The entire essence of the old stores was pared down to three cabinets of drawers containing a tiny assortment of various components, switches, and battery holders. Then, of course, came the cell phones. But the old store was already long gone by that time.
Whatever happened to the name change to “The Shack” a number of years ago? I read about it in several trade magazines, I even think I saw a commercial or two about it, and it just disappeared. I never heard a thing more about it and obviously they never went through with it.
I don’t know if this is interesting to anyone here, but there’s an archive of all of their catalogs and some of their other publications here:
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/
Jon
Yeah, they were all but useless to me years ago, except the occasional need to pick up some solder or banana plugs (before monoprice.com). They didn’t know what their niche would be anymore, once it was no longer necessary to build your own computer or radio equipment, so they tried to be everything to everyone in a tiny footprint. RC cars, cell phones, tvs, soldering irons, batteries, magnets, A/V cables, tablets, more cell phones from more carriers, etc. All over the map, and not serving any of those markets very well. Meanwhile the market that their name actually implies was sorely neglected so that even the limited number of people who still wanted those products didn’t like going there anymore.
Hang Fire
No false nostalgia here. I was done with Radio Shack by age 14. Horribly out of spec reject parts on cards for high prices, when you could even find them. Cheap, bad imported soldering irons and wire tools. Managers letting discrete components run out of stock in favor of more shelf space for stereos. Rude, pushy sales people.
Good riddance.
SteveR
I’m not an electronics guy, so Radio Shack wasn’t a place I went to often. I mostly visited them when I was done food shopping at the nearby Vons in Southern California, as they could reliably provide unusual types/sizes of batteries (for car remotes and other electronic gadgets). After reading this post, I went to the local store today to buy a few batteries for my car’s remotes. The store was locked up tight, with white painter’s paper covering the full height and width of the windows. I guess they had their “going out of business” sale last weekend, or possibly earlier. I’ll have to find another RS in the Valley, or possibly find batteries online (at Amazon, most likely).
Benjamen
I was in Coon Rapids (another burb of Minneapolis) and decided to check out the Radio shack there. I found the same thing. The store was closed and the windows were covered in white paper.
Toolfreak
Went by and picked up a few small bulbs that aren’t available anywhere else, 70% off.
The signs outside say “30 to 70% off everything”, but the signs inside say “Entire store 25% off”, and some stuff is still only 25% off.
Guess I’ll check back every so often over the coming days/weeks to see when the rest of the stuff I could use is 70% off or more.
Stan
This is very sad news. Not only are some people going to out of a job, but there was a time in history that Radio Shack was one of the greatest stores to buy electronics and even learn as well. There was a time that they employed those with electronic industry experience and some of the items sold were not only American made, but some of the best the industry had to offer.
Problem is, these days seems that few people have the desire and patience to want to learn and start projects of their own. Kids these days especially and with entitlement particularly.. Very few seem to have any interest in fixing and understanding the concepts of how items work. If they aren’t spending copious hours with their video games, they are wasting time on Facebook or other social media websites.
Truly this is an end of a era.
Troy
I went to a Radio Shack in a local strip mall “not closing” according to the lists you provided. There were no sales or promotions or signs of distress. So, it would seem at least some are remaining open and active.
Ola
Here in Sweden we have a chain of stores that seems to be doing pretty well selling electronic parts, phone accessories (But no phones), other electronic accessories, some tools, Arduino / Raspberry pi stuff, some selected electronics mainly “rare” stuff that you dont tend to find in big box stores and more recently 3-d printers etc, Pretty much have found / created their own niche market.
They run small stores with just a few items displayed, instead you tell the cashier what you want and they go get it in the back. With incredible knowledgable staff and what seems to an unbelivable number on items in stock it is a favorite store
Chris
Even at a discount their prices suck. Stopped by a liquidating store and got thermal paste. They will be missed though. As someone who does audio/video/RF/data integrations they saved my butt in many a pinch. Where else can I run out to last minute to grab a 3.5mm audio jack, a console cable or a diode?
Chris
That particular store was 25% off btw. If it was 60-80% I probably would have cleaned them out.
CB
As I’m sure I’m posting way too late but I highly recommend using http://www.monoprice.com as replacement to Radio Shack.
They’re located just east of LA and their prices are the lowest for the items you seek, I’ve never had a problem with them, there shipping prices are low and because they are located on the west coast next to a major airport the shipping is wicked fast. I’ve had items delivered the next day with basic shipping. You can be sitting at your desk on the east coast at 7pm, ordering items and still get it shipped out the same day.
RICHARD DECKERT
In reference to DISPOSABILITY, look up http://www.ifixit.com. read their mission statement. they are trying to fix stuff. they offer accurate help to fix our stuff. they accept manuals uploaded from knowlegeable citizens and make it available , FREE, to all! YES-FREE! they also have great tools to help fix our new electronics. Visit ifixit and help buckthe trend and DON’T TAKE BROKEN FOR THE ANSWER!
Benjamen
I’ll second ifixit.com I use them all the time. They have their own line of tools which Stuart has covered here https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/maker-tools/%3C/a%3E and here https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/ifixit-magnetic-project-mat-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
CB
I also highly recommend iFixit. There website is highly useful and informative. I also have purchased an iPhone battery from them and had an excellent experience using there web store. The company is located in California. It appears to be run by a bunch of computer geeks trying to do a good thing.
There instructional pages were very thorough and easy to navigate.
btw: The replacement battery has done wonders for my 4s phone, I longer have to always look for my battery cable anymore, it’s like having a new phone.
forum cb radio
Swietny blog 🙂 duzo w nim humoru i dystansu, ktory bardzo lubie 😉 Pozdrawiam Cie cieplo i zycze udanego tygodnia!
forum cb radio http://rfcb.pl/index.php?ap=42
siacri
i honestly do not know what i will do without a radio shack down the street.. They have been my source for diodes, l.e.ds, and other electronics parts that are frequently needed in a pinch.. the problem is which diode or spectrum of l.e.d. is unpredictable meaning that without radioshack a 10 minute run down the street for a random $2 part will now become a 3 to 7 day wait and a shipping charge that will likely be more than the part… this is tragic for our business as radio shack has allowed us to be faster than other competitors for that reason… it has allowed us to stay afloat among the bigger companies that usually take longer to finish more detail specific jobs.. a week ago the guy mentioned the possibility of a closure..last night i walked into an empty store with a few items still lingering.. the axe came down fast for a store that has been in the same location for 40 years.. very sad..
Benjamen
Do you have a Micro Center in your area?
Besides computers, Apple products, 3D printers, TVs, etc, the one by me carries just about everything RadioShack used to carry and more.
http://www.microcenter.com/
I’d also try Digikey, I’ve had good luck with getting stuff the next day.