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Radioshack Declares Bankruptcy
gemtech writes RadioShack has declared bankruptcy today. As reported Monday, the company has struck a deal to sell up to 2,400 of its approximately 4,000 stores to Sprint. From the article: "RadioShack said the remaining stores are expected to close. The company's franchise locations, as well as stores in Mexico and Asia, are not included in the deal. The bankruptcy announcement is no surprise. The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading of its shares on Monday. And RadioShack workers have told CNNMoney that some locations have already been converted to clearance stores."
That's what happens when nobody builds or repairs anything anymore ever. Throw it away, buy a new one. Luckily the corporate consumerists haven't adopted the same strategy yet, or we'd be seeing massive layoffs and turnover.
Different management team.
Before cell phones, before the internet, before computers... heck before REMOTE CONTROLS FOR YOUR TEEVEE!
Radio Shack was THE place for geeks to hang out. Kinda like a micro-Fry's in every mall. My dad swore by the Realistic stereos (I never did but when the only other alternatives at the time were Sears or JCPenney's for stereo receivers... They held up pretty well.) I cut my teeth on a TRS-80 Model 1 (Of course I promptly pooh-poohed it for the TRS-80 Model II because it's still true that geeks don't handle obsolescence well! Christmas was asking for the 150 electronics project kits or other gadgets.
Sure, it sucks now and we don't seem to live in a time where people play with electronics or chemistry sets anymore but a time where people are content to watch what the kardashians are up to and re-tweeting it on their phones because, gosh darn it, math is hard.
And now I watch as Radio Shack sells off to the Undying Lands. It's better this way anyway, it was a lousy cell phone store and the last time I went in there to buy a pair of speaker stands, to match the set I had purchased in that store 5 years earlier, I was told by the new kid manager that they don't have *and never sold* speaker stands.
yah... Fare thee well...
NOW GET OFFA MY LAWN!!!!
Frys or Microcenter, or even NewEgg.
Prime thing, though, they need to offer a small selection of electronics.
RadioShack dabbled in Enthusiast PC hardware, but gave up on it. I found them to be fairly priced for getting stuff I needed "now"
The business model needs to change, but RS was unwilling to be more than just another wireless retailer with a few toys and electronics added in the mix. If you have a B&M footprint, you have to give consumers a reason to come in. Providing goods that people usually can't wait for 3 days to get, or offering some sort of technical training for all the new tech, as well as easier returns (or pickup) for mail order goods is a start.
Maybe a "tech of the month" display to show people what they won't see at Best Buy or Walmart, but can order through a kiosk on site after checking it out. Many consumers still like the personal treatment when buying big ticket items, but they don't like paying a premium, or dealing with clueless stockers when they have a question.
You think you're enlightened, but you're a foot soldier for 'the people in charge'.
Down with the rich eh? That's what the French did. The Russians did it too. They finally got fed up. I mean, that's what you actually have to do in the end, if you really want to take the rich people's money. You have to kill them all, and their families. Then, the next day, you and I report to new rich people, albeit with less taste.
Did you really just envision a society without charity? Can you hear yourself?
The answer is not to oppress everybody equally.
Down with the rich eh? That's what the French did. The Russians did it too. They finally got fed up. I mean, that's what you actually have to do in the end, if you really want to take the rich people's money. You have to kill them all, and their families. Then, the next day, you and I report to new rich people, albeit with less taste.
As it turns out, people are not very smart, and rich people are not actually any smarter than the rest of us. What actually happens is that people who have advantages over others exploit them, often heedless of consequence to others, and they then get to remain in control of the system, with eventual ill effect for all. So what happens is, some people rise to the top regardless of merit, then they rest on their laurels and spawn inbred idiots, and then torches and pitchforks. Lather, rinse, repeat, up until we learn to become personally involved in politics by building systems of government which are powered by citizen involvement.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"