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RadioShack Trying To Return To Its DIY Roots

Posted by timothy on from the ghost-of-christmas-past dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In what seems to be a desperate attempt to keep the company afloat, RadioShack has made a video appeal to the DIY community that helped the retail chain grow into what it is today. The days of amateur radio operators and tinkerers flocking to the store are long gone, but it seems that the company wants to issue a mea culpa and move forward."

3 of 413 comments (clear)

  1. You mean that cell phone store? by Dwedit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You mean that store that sells Cell Phone plans and accessories, and doesn't sell any electronic components?

  2. RadioShack just followed money orders, anyway... by ibsteve2u · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some time ago Corporate America decided they didn't need any stinkin' American engineers...toooooo expensive...outsource 'em all. RadioShack just followed along and eliminated elementary school for engineers in favor of pre-fab junk for the proles in a "We're a service economy now!".

    Shouldn't let Wall Street run a country; they're only in it for themselves.

    --
    Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
  3. Re:I don't think the problem is that they didn't.. by poptones · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I disagree. Ratshack sold out its base over time because it lots its innovative drive. It became just another competitor to the cheap big box stores and lost because it's not a big box store. Radio Shack once sold some of the highest quality affordable home audio (yes, it did) and look where it went: RCA and other "brand name" CRAP. That's just one example of how it lost focus.

    Radio shack has almost unprecedented community presence. They could offer services, like reflow soldering, act as a front end to an affordable pc board manufacture, and even offer walk-in cnc services. There's like 2500 stores in the US; imagine if you could walk in to a store less than 20 miles from the house, hand them a thumb drive, then stand there with the kid and watch while a cnc machine grinds out a part for you. No better way to get kids interested in this stuff than seeing it done and working hands on.