DING! DING! DING!
We have a winner!
RS started going down hill when they cut loose their Tandy Leather market! I learned how to make belts and hat bands with an old Tandy kit, I probably still have the letter stamps - somewhere! Hell, I built my own radio from one of their kits. The problem is that parents and kids no longer build stuff together, and that cut them to the bone!
However, their vision and management is what SCREWED them! It was a DIY shop, back when DIY was popular, and instead of keeping that niche, they decided to move to a miniature Computer City, I mean Circuit City, I mean CompUSA, I mean BestBuy! And they are going the way of those first three!!
Now, DIY is popular again, and as someone else stated, RS is one of the only places you can (well, you USED to could) find the electronics needed to make your own repairs. While in combat in Panama, we went into downtown Panama City, into a RadioShack, and purchased the diodes and resistors needed to repair 24, million dollar combat vehicles (we couldn’t get the parts through supply fast enough)!!!
I have a power inverter that blew a transistor on the cooling fan, but three of the RadioShacks that I visited, didn’t even carry these products anymore! When I finally found the part, I asked the clerk if they had a solder sucker, and he looked at me like I was STUPID!!
THEY FAILED THEIR CUSTOMERS!
Four.........BestBuy isn't doing well....................
Stocks fluctuate after four-day slide; Best Buy lowers outlook; RadioShack bankruptcy?
If I need something quick, I just bite the bullet on overnight or two day air.
10 years ago we had 4 electronic supply stores in a 30 mile area, now we just have RS, meaning we have nothing.