Well RS is doing well financially, better than the competition. As for
what they sell, well, you have to follow the money especially with the rents
so high. Cellphones, satellite service and other modern fun things is where
the money is now. Parts make up very little of the business, even though
they make a high profit on them. The do-it-yourself market is pretty lean
now a days, with college areas making up the biggest market. It is to easy
to buy a digital rig and get it up and running than a homebrew one. Even
though the homebrew one is funner to get going.
The internet also plays a big roll in the dimise of the parts draw.
There is also a few hams left at RS.

Dave
KB1HUP

"-ex-" wrote in message
...
clfe wrote:

the front. Radio Shack selling basically the same thing the others do -
with the exception of a few things, will peter out. I give them 10 years
tops. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it. I think their era has come and
gone.

clf

10 years? No way. In recent years I've had a few instances to go into a
RS looking for stuff for the kids like videogame machines and just odd
random non-radio related stuff. They aren't competitive with that stuff
either.

Seems to me that they are 'surviving' off of their convenience aspect
since most of their urban stores are located in malls and many smaller
towns that don't have the big box stores and malls at least have an RS
franchise...but they never have a very good stock of anything. When you
go into a RS and they can't fit you with a new cellphone battery whats
left?

My bet is that there are a lot of red ink stores in their chain and the
poor franchisees are basically working only to have a job and to try and
salvage their investment. I suspect if it weren't for their franchising
schemes the name Radio Shack would be long gone already.

-Bill M