) writes:
All,

I know this sounds like a troll, but it is not, I assure you. I am at
a point where I may be forced to consider a career change. My wife
wants to teach at a reservation for the next several years, and as I do
not see very many days left in my 20 odd-year career as a software
designer, I am very much tempted to take her up on this.

Since I have a had an abiding interest in building amateur gear from
parts, and since I hear a lot of complaints on this group about certain
retail chains not being responsive to amateurs,

You do realize that for some reason people like to gripe about Radio
Shack. They have contempt for the place, while all the while expecting
it to deal with them.

Radio Shack hasn't been a main place to buy parts since a few years after
Tandy bought it in the sixties. Selection was/is limited and prices high.
They were a great place to get something quick, because a store would likely
be nearby, and a place to get them in the off hours.

But just because people like to gripe about Radio Shack doesn't mean
a thing about the state of buying parts generally. Note they are griping
at one store, not talking about other places.

There are plenty of places to buy parts. Sadly they may not be in a cluster
downtown in your city, which was the case decades ago. But they still
exist. Some places have risen up to deal with specialty items, filling
a void that is missing. Amidon is a classic example, starting at a time
when toroids were virtually unknown, and being the standard for buying
the cores in small quantities (be it the hobbyist or the prototyper).

So you really need to not be looking at the griping at Radio Shack,
or Radio Shack itself, but at what exists today and whether it
can fill the market, or if there are gaps that need filling.

Michael VE2BVW