We can all agree that RadioShack isn’t exactly the DIY mecca it once was.
What used to be a haven for amateur radio operators, tinkerers, and builders alike has devolved into a stripmall mainstay full of cell phones and overpriced junk. RadioShack knows that they have fallen out of your good graces, and since you are the demographic that put them on the map, they are appealing to the DIY community for input.
They want to know what is important to you – what you would like to see at your local RadioShack, and what would bring you back through their doors. Obviously price is a huge concern, especially with online outlets like Digikey and Mouser just a few clicks away. At the end of the day however, if you require a component RIGHT NOW, it would be nice to have the ability to grab some parts locally.
We’re well aware of the fact that this is all part of a marketing scheme, but if it helps stock your local store with a few odds and ends that are actually helpful, it won’t hurt to let your voice be heard.
Stick around to watch the video appeal from RadioShack’s brand manager, [Amy Shineman].
[Thanks komradebob]
[via ARRL.org]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxyDab_s_lY&w=470]
The internet killed the bricks’n’mortar store.
Tandy here in the UK did have individual components, albeit a crap selection at a crap price, much like Maplin today.
The only good thing about Tandy was that there was a store in my local town, now there’s feck-all and the closest bricks’n’mortar electronics hobby store is Maplin 15 miles away, and with the price of petrol nowadays it’s far easier and cheaper to buy things online – plus you get a selection that no single bricks’n’mortar store can ever compete with.
The only downside of ordering online is the choice between higher prices or longer waiting times, purchasing from within the UK means you get your item(s) within a week but it costs more, purchasing from outside the country means great prices but 2-5 weeks wait from places like China.
Usually I don’t mind waiting :)
I know this is a double edged sword, but associates at Radio Shack are pound for pound more educated on wireless than corporate stores, or other box retailers.
we often share the same reps, and they universally agree that RS demands more training.
The ranting side of me wants to see RS go bankrupt and get bought out by SparkFun. I like a lot of the things I see SF advertising, but Boulder is a long way from Birmingham.
I walked into my local Radio Shack about a year ago (Northwood Shopping Center in Northport, AL) looking for a USB-to-Bluetooth adapter. I was okay with paying markup (up to a point, at least) on the item, but didn’t have a clue where in the store to begin looking for the thing. I walked in and was greeted by the person running the store that evening and was asked if I needed help. I proceeded to ask if they had the adapter I was looking for. After a blank stare from the associate, I began to describe the thing, something to the effect of “You would plug this device into a USB port to let you access Bluetooth devices” along with a physical description of what it would look like. The associate walked over to a wall of cell phone accessories and handed me a Bluetooh headset, “These are all the Bluetooths we have.”
I have been back to that store once since. That was just to save me from waiting to get the pieces I needed to solder together a tube preamp kit I’d ordered off ebay. That time, I noticed a $30 flash drive that I’d bought two weeks prior at Walmart for $13…
In reality, I would like to see component sets — maybe an assortment of common resistor or capacitor values with like 5 pieces per value in a set for like $20. Sell them in a small, compartmentalized box that way I can have a resistor on hand when I decide to put something together. Then sell the individual valued components for when I run out of bits and pieces.
I also like the idea of mimicking a Lego store with large projects that you could buy the components to build yourself. Considering the price of some of those projects, it’s not something you would have to do in every store, but it’s a start.
Kits, like the Arduino and employ people that know what to do with them. RS tried to be Walmart, or BestBuy – it can’t compete against them. So don’t – be what you were known for – the things you can’t get anywhere else at a good price.
I hate that I have to go on-line to buy cables, adapters, and other things to get them at a reasonable price – trying to sell HDMI cables for $50 when you can get them for $1.50 is ridiculous. Fortunately there is a Micro-center about 50 miles from me, that I now drive to to get items RS used to carry at a reasonable price, rather than ordering them on-line.
These days, I tend to buy large amounts of things “I might need” and keep them on hand so when a friend calls and needs and HDMI, or eSATA cable, I have it and can give it to him for free since they are cheap if you know where to get them. I’d pay more if I could walk into an RS and get what I need. Today I can’t – at least not for a reasonable price, so I just go on-line and order in bulk – or to a building supply store for bulk ethernet cable and make what I need myself.
Sad to say that we are far beyond the days of the consummate do it yourselfer. At 72 I go back to the days of Allied Radio at 100 N Western Ave. in Chicago. Nearly everybody, by today’s standards was a science nerd. I built my first stereo amplifier from an Allied kit. My brother in law had a whole ham shack full of kit built gear; most of which was purchased at allied. Those were the days, now long gone, when cutting edge electronics were accessible and understandable by the common man, or even some grade schoolers. Now with SMD devices and extremely large scale integrated circuitry in packages so small that it takes special tools or automated assembly lines to put together the DIY gene has been filtered out of our younger generation. It is far easier to go out and buy, for much less money, equipment of all kinds like the tiny MP3 players or home theater equipment. Very few today even want to build it themselves.
We no longer have the ham radio operators, audiophiles, and experimenters in large enough numbers to support a national chain of retail stores.
Radio Shack has, of necessity, become a consumer electronics and toy store. if they cannot do that well then they will fail. The DIY crowd of today is simply too few to save Radio Shack’s butt.
It’s dead. While I can’t blame them for having a small side such as cell phones the store is like 95% consumer electronics. When I think of getting parts I don’t think of RadioShack anymore. Further the stuff they have is overpriced junk. If your going to be overpriced then at least sell brand name components that you know will last a buyer ten years. Digikey and Mouser shouldn’t even exist, RS should have been them, they were there first.
They should have embraced their small stores as loss leaders. Places where people go get into the field. They should have still been selling professional short wave radios well into 2000. They should have had a rentable work areas for cheap if you wanted to assemble something as well as complimentary cheep parts and tools. They should have been losing three times whatever they currently are. Need an oscilloscope but know nothing about them.. go to RS and rent the back assembly room for $10 an hour for a couple hours and get some experience for your current project. Log people and report the statistics back to the component companies for some kickbacks. You have a list of people that want good equipment and you can market to. If you got use to the oscilloscope in RadioShack then you’ll probably learn toward that model or brand and get something similar. It’s a no brainier.
Sponsor events in parking lots, setup folding tables where people demo projects. Have lazy demo geeks willing to work at minimum wage that currently get jobs at best buy that like to talk working at the counter. Someone to give you ideas or connect you with another people doing something similar. I’d be showing people how to build multimeters and oscilloscopes and people will then appreciate the price and just being able to pick the professional equipment sitting on the shelf. I’d be should products and hot to mod them, a little collusion with the manufacturers. The product gets bought and the modder feels like they got a bargain and that learning this stuff is useful and worth it.
I have two suggestions (maybe they’ve been mentioned already).
1) Have a *good* on-line store. The web page should tell you about every component that is stocked, and the stock level at each store (or a subset of nearby stores). It’s possible to do this, and Dick Smith in New Zealand did. It tends to get inaccurate when the reported stock level is low, but it tells you whether it’s worth going to the store, or whether you can visit two stores near to one another. (or if you need to order on-line). Um. Unfortunately Dick Smith no longer sell components. :( And they were for a while tied to Radio Shack/Tandy.
2) Have a progressive discount mechanism on component purchases. No-one wants to buy a $2 LED, but no-one can afford to sell an LED for 10c in a retail store. Instead, offer increasing and *significant* discounts on components, so if you buy a $2 LED and a $3 switch and $10 enclosure the total comes to $10. This way the store covers costs if someone only wants an LED, but customers will be encouraged to buy more when they realise the prices will become more reasonable *per unit* when they do so. This should be possible with today’s programmable PoS systems.
Dip shunt? I have not EVER used one.
But I do have one word for you ‘Arduno’
RS is looking at the crowds in the Apple Store and getting jealous.
They all have high markups because of the business franchise model and incessantly harass their customers (“can I have your phone number”, “you really need a service contract”, “don’t you need some batteries today?”)
Wow, so much negativity.
There is *zero* constructive use in complaining about how they suck/are expensive/want to sell you phones/ignore you completely. I’m sure there are plenty of other forums where you can trash ‘RatShack’ (juvenile name-calling does nothing for your credibility) and wish they would go bankrupt.
Radio Shack is *people*. They understand that they can do better. They want their business to do well so they can all keep their jobs and feel good about what they’re doing, and are asking their customers how they can serve them better. They’re not monsters lit from below and they rarely cry “mwahahaha”.
Enough with the criticism, on with suggestions.
The idea that I’d like to see put forward is that the electronics we buy aren’t created by magic and that it’s OK to want to know what’s inside. One good way to do this is to hook up with kit manufacturers and stock their stuff. This could be something as simple as a 555 flashing a led and making a sound. The hook is that you have a working unit next to a shelf of kits so that we (and our kids) can see that if you build this kit, you get this cool device that you saw in the store. Accompany that with a basic description of how and why it works. Then you can stock more advanced projects.
Create an online community around the kit builders so they can share problems and tips. This is very useful for kids who want to understand why something doesn’t work but whose parents don’t have the knowledge to help. Provide videos showing the build process. Dedicate RS employees to these forums to provide guidance. Allow the builders to post short videos of their working project to share their success. The barrier to entry for RS would be incredibly low and the feedback gained from these forums would be invaluable.
You know, I’d love to lead this. Hey Radio Shack, employ me!
…and if we’re so important to the corp, why is it that there appears to be no place on their site where they ask our opinion of they DIY section?
General suggestion: Check YouTube regularly. Follow the trends illustrated there in uploads posted by the DIY community. Note, e.g., the popularity of Arduino postings. I’d love to get into Arduino projects, but never have the time to search through the Internet. What RS can offer is a painless way to browse through the possibilities. Even if RS didn’t sell the actual Arduino products, it could offer books, controllers, components, add-on modules, etc.
That’s just one idea. YouTube, Facebook, etc., provide a terrific source of marketing research.
What would work is this: get out of the mall and into a low-rent storefront, then become a dedicated diy store. ‘course it requires an enormous downsizing and more or less total replacement of the “management team” ;-)
Maybe this was already said, I did not read all the comments, but maybe if Radio Shack partnered with on-line retailers like Digi-key and Sparkfun and we could get what we needed right then and there, it would boost their business.
To keep the company in the same line of thinking, I believe it is quite obvious. It was a store for Radio tinkerers, what back in what the 50’s – 70’s? Did they miss something called the computer age? There are 1000x more computer tinkerers out there then Radio tinkerers. So what I think is they should scrap the radio parts and put in the PC parts and make it a place for PC Do-It-Yourself’ers. To me it’s obvious and would give me a reason to enter the store. Yes you still have the other stuff to. Make it like a Fry’s lite, have to have pricing in line with what Fry’s has to compete against online. Also have the people behind the counter A+ Cert and perhaps do repair/malware cleanup work.
I paid Radio Shack a visit about two weeks ago SURE that they would have what I needed after visiting about 5 different local stores first..(because Radio Shack is always so expensive!!). I needed a display port -> DVI video signal adapter. I KNOW they make these, I can see ooodles of them for sale online for $4.99 on Amazon. I needed one ASAP and was more than willing to spend $20+ on one to get it that day.
I spent 10 minutes trying to explain to the sales person at Radio Shack what the part actually was and what a PC “display port” port was and that is was not the same as the “display port” (VGA) he had on his home PC. /facepalm….sigh.. In the end, the whole staff seemed boggled about what I was asking for. I left in disgust.
So Radio Shack…. you should start with a knowledgeable staff for starters, they will know what you need to do to. If they don’t already…it means you need more geeks on staff or in leadership. You need someone who knows TECHNOLOGY to run this project, not some paper pusher or marketer. The reason Radio Shack went to the shitter is because you lost that…”have every part or adapter known to man” status you used to have and went to selling mainstream crap you can get at literally every single store these days.
Best of luck hope to see you for an overpriced part (that you actually have in stock)…soon.
The “I’ll believe it when I see it” has been beaten to death, so I won’t repeat it.
It IS nice that someone thought to ASK us. It’s been a while since the DIY community has been asked about anything.
I read these ideas in the comments of others – I just want to repeat them so that the message gets through
1. A stocked vending machine, accessible from the outside of the mall or store – like maybe a bank machine vestibule – with components, mostly emergency components. Suggestions include:
Quarter watt resistors in packs of 5
or 10, from 1 ohm to 100 Mega ohm
Transistors, npn and pnp, mosfets
Op amps, a few voltages like 0 – 12V, +/-
15V, and a small range of quality –
standard, extended temperature range,
faster slew rate
Optoisolators, triacs, SCRs, and PCB
relays, so my Arduino can turn things
on and off, standard, higher current,
inductive load
Voltage regulators, zener diodes
I guess pretty much what a 70’s or 80’s radio shack looked like but packed into a vending machine that takes credit cards and gives you what you need. We know what the items look like, so they don’t have to be displayed. You can pack a *LOT* of components into a small space and dispense them. I don’t have any advice on how to get the correct items put into the machine by people who don’t know what they are looking at … but there are methods, I am sure.
It needs a touch screen interface with a decent search engine, and a way to accept lists of parts via email or USB stick.
This will get people coming to the store in off hours, or during the day when they don’t want to wait for online delivery. This WILL translate into more sales.
2. Community involvement, like a source for makerspaces and hackers in general. I am a maker and I will pay more for parts when I can get them all in one place, and bring them home with me today. These groups are very specific, and vary from region to region. They will tell you what they want you to carry. They will tell you if it is too expensive by shopping elsewhere. It might be a good idea to have these stores revert to locally owned so they have the flexibility to respond to the user requests.
This would include a (described elsewhere) space for making things work, classes in the half hour to half day range. Stock the items for the classes or workshops. Have assembled projects on display and running in demo mode.
3. Cool kits that get my grand-kids’ attention. Flashing LEDs, mods to the remote control plastic toys that you already sell that make them different from every other toy out there – kids like noise. Horns, beepers, signal lights, follow the light, roll away from the light … something different.
There are companies out there that do this now, and flexible young companies that can do this soon, that you can partner with to make this happen. If you can get my grand-kids interested in MAKEing, and MODding, I will VOLUNTEER to TEACH some of the classes MYSELF!
Keep selling consumer stuff – after all, you have to pay the rent, but DON’T hassle people to buy junk. ReMAKE your support structure to support the independant owners you have, and sell the ones that the company runs to independants. Get them good prices on the stuff they want to carry – because their customers want them to carry it. Let them respond to their own markets so that they are in control – they take the risks, they are successful. Fill the NEED in each community – there is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL. SO WHAT if Radio Shack is not the SAME EXPERIENCE in every store you walk into?
We have enough BEST BUYs and HOME DEPOTs.
Way over priced. I payed 12 us dollars for 100 pcs rca jack. Compre to $4 just for 4 pcs. Also they dont carry any gold plated y,r, and b. Rca jacks… WTF
Here’s a fairly new product I would love to get my hands on:
http://www.openpicus.com/cms/
Wouldn’t it be great to have a store where items like that were set-up for demonstration, and you could buy a couple?
.
More electronic components and power supplies that don’t brake the bank, I got one of those universal cell chargers from you a few years back but now you don’t have that brand any more so I can’t get new tips for it making it over f***ing priced for something that with just the one it is not all that universal.
change your name or go out of business and let someone else shine where you left a shit. If you really want to help the DIY people… stop while your ahead. As been proven by over 100 comments, youll never achive what needs to be done. Bow out, let someone else take the reins, or make a seperate entity store for that purpose and stock it with reasonable parts and smart people (if i see a pig fly by, ill start believeing that its possible)
I worked at a RS a couple of times in the early 90’s.
People have to understand that the stores Managers and employees all work on a base + commission basis.
When I was there it was 6% commission until the Christmas season when it dropped to 4(?). Of course, their prices didn’t drop, they just payed us less since so many people were coming in buying RC toys, stereos, etc.
So, it should be clear that the one time a year that us sales-losers actually had a chance to make some actual money, the company shafted us. And if you new how RS is set up as a corporation, buying at wholesale, then reselling to itself at 100% markup, and then once again through the cycle when the store ‘buys’ the merchandise, well its sad and no wonder they are where they are.
I was just in a RS in Vallejo, CA looking for some parts, and noticed they did have some Parallax sensors and such. But all of their parts are now mostly consolidated in 4 large 8-10 drawer cabinets about 4-5′ tall.
People need to face the fact that a lot of the RC toys,phones, etc are what is keeping RS in business. I doubt most stores sales average over $200-300/month, so this is one of those long-shot PR exercises where a company is looking desperately to find a revenue stream.
I would not be surprised in the slightest to hear of RS going Chapter 11 in the next year.
Can anyone name one niche market that they actually ‘compete’ in? As said above, Best Buy, Walmart, etc beat RS on price, service, brand selection, and knowledgeable sales folks.
If RS really wants to give this a try, then they need to put just a bit more effort into this by showcasing a better parts selection, including maybe an updated selection of educational material, ie Forest Mimms.
BTW, I can go to my local Harbor Freight and get a $4 multi-meter for a nephew or spare for my car toolbox. Get some entry level tools in there for <$10.
RS is the one of the few companys that I would feel no remorse for if/when they go under. They are nothing like the RS of old.
” I doubt most stores sales average over $200-300/month,”
should have been:
I doubt most stores sales average over $200-300/month in components
@Dennis B
Well said a sad and bitter truth
Only tangentially related, but for what would likely be a good impression of the Shack of old, if you ever pass by Montreal, visit Addison Electronics. It has also started going the consumer route but still has a fantastic industrial/hardware/overstock electronics section.
I’m the lead mentor for our FIRST Robotics Team. I would like to see more microcontrollers, like Arduinos, Parallax, Basic STAMP, etc. and an array of sensors, motors, PWM cables, etc. It would also be nice if RS would stock FIRST parts and return to VEX, maybe even some of the aftermarket LEGO Mindstorm sensors and parts.
In another vein, they should try to attract students and people with an interest and experience with Maker projects, robots and such. Having a knowledgable sales force is key to attracting customers. People will gravitate toward those suppliers that can answer questions intelligently.
Forget adding handfuls new of components to all your existing stores. Set up a few new, branded DIY specialty stores carrying everything you need to build all the most popular modern projects: Arduino, RC, DIY synth, DIY audio, etc. Design and sell starter kits in these interest areas, for newbies. Convert a single store in each metro market to this new “DIY Shack” format (“Radio Shack Extreme?”). Use your weight Wal*Mart-style to get low price components for us. We’d praise your name forever
I have to agree that I really love the idea of having PCB fabrication, CNC, laser etching and 3D printers is an excellent idea. The machines to do these things or the investment/space required to do them is just not something the average hobbyist has access to. Radioshack probably could really excel here. There is simply no places out there locally to have these things done.
I spend alot of my time trying to make these different processes more efficient for me instead of what I really want to work on. If I could quickly have a board made and an enclosure produced for it, I would use the service all the time.
One of the things I ALWAYS liked radioshack for was the project enclosures and the fact that they had boards that were a perfect fit for them. Combine this with the ability to custom etch these same boards and I am definitely in!
The reason I say that is that I truly believe services, community, and good books are what RS could reasonably do. Stocking every part I need is just unrealistic. And while I might be happy with the selection, others might not. You won’t be able to cater to us all except maybe with micros and sensors. Common components are a waste of time. Oddball stuff like relays and such that always come in different form-factors and are easier to visualize when you can look at the part, now those would be helpful to me. Oh, and have an eagle library for all your parts…. I remember the days when published electronics projects almost always had a list of radioshack PNs for you. THAT is built in business right there. An eagle library of your parts would mean people would design with your parts and refer people to you as a source. Digi-key has been doing this for a long time now, but I don’t see alot of people using it because it isn’t widely publicized.
Figure out brick-and-mortar way, Amazon-style, to work with guys like tigerdirect, Parts Express, and the like. Imagine a, “pick it up at your local Radio Shack,” option on their website(s). I’d love to see a DIY speaker-building area at the Shack.
I live in Bozeman, Montana, and have been a Radio Shack customer since they advertized their first catalog, probably in Popular Electronics. For a long time I never found any employee in any Radio Shack store who was worth talking to beyond “please go away”.
Here, however, they are aware (I asked once) that they are the only electronics parts store within a wide area, and they do really try to be helpful.
The kids’ dvd player cratered on a road trip recently, we ended up at the Radio Shack store in Missoula, and they were polite and helpful too, as in “I thought I had one of these left. Look at this, it’s marked down $50”.
That sort of thing goes a long way with me.
As far as prices go, their larger items have seemed more or less in line with local retailers, and components have not been dramatically worse than online-order-plus-shipping.
I would definitely buy development boards and 8-bit computer trainer kits like those available in the day. Toss in some good electronics books and a better parts drawer, and I would definitely be in there on a more regular basis. If they just did that, I could care less whether they had staff who have no clue what certain parts are, and if they still want to try up-selling crap I don’t want or need, it still wouldn’t turn me off from walking in despite me obviously saying no. For a brick-and-mortar store, I don’t mind paying a little extra for the convenience of getting parts right on the spot, even if I can get stuff cheaper online.
I passed by a couple shopping mall RS stores over the weekend, and I didn’t even see a parts drawer in those locations. The local one here at least has that and SOME tools though, and the staff at least knows how to help you find a part if they have it.
People who are *really* into electronics and DIY never go to RS. RS is for people who don’t know any better and just buy junk RC toys and cell phones. Typically when someone says they went to RS I immediately loose respect for them.
I commented last night on the RS site. Today, I have been thinking about it… It is kind of like punk. Punk was not developed by mainstream music artists. It was designed by some hard core folks who poured every ounce of life into their music. Then it became ‘cool’ to like punk and the mainstream corporates got a hold of it and squeezed the life right out of it, slapped a price tag and a NC17 rating on it, and put out a commercial stating it has a funky beat that you can dance to.
I looked at that commercial they have on their site. It is so… just… ugh.
While I want them to be who they once were… I think that they are dead and just don’t know it yet. I grew up going to RS. Yeah, I was easily labeled a nerd. It was exciting to hop on my bike and find something new there. I even worked at a RS at one point. They have sterilized and squeezed the life out of it. Much of the stuff that is in there looks to be the same stock as 10 years ago, just a new label. None for me ma!
I did see in the comments that someone is reading each post and has encouraged more feedback. I think that it is funny that someone else posted a link to this thread. Good. I hope they read it.
Stocking Sparkfun and similar kits is a great idea, but true DIY folks will want to modify/adapt those to make something new. That means they need access to a variety of components that it is uneconomical to stock in the average storefront. So right now, anyone with a real interest in EE stuff is guaranteed to “outgrow” their local RS store very quickly.
What RS should do is negotiate a partnership with DigiKey where the customer can order anything in the DigiKey catalog and get it shipped FOR FREE to their local RS store in two days. (Same price as the catalog, but customer pays local tax.)
Another strategy is to compete for business with the local Guitar Center by teaching musicians how to solder up their own really good cables. Ditch the made-in-wherever pot metal connectors and stock real Neutrik stuff at a fair price. Stock Mogami cable. Show folks how to make better mic cables than they can buy at GS while spending half the money.
Solve the know-nothing staffing problems this way: Hire real tech-heads (the kind that hold down engineering jobs) to come in on Saturdays and hold “office hours” to give advice to hobbyists.
David
Last time i went into a Radio Shack for a UHF/VHF Transformer. The employee had a dumb founded look, told me they did not have them, then suggested I go to BestBuy.
It seems to me that the model they should be looking towards is places like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joann Fabrics, etc. While even I roll my eyes at a lot of the stuff they sell, they are largely the only chains that concentrate on selling people materials to make things with. While there’s a lot of comments about there not being enough parts buyers out there for Radio Shack to be a viable operation, consider the ratio of techies (and potential techies) to scrapbookers and then the ratio of floorspace tied up in the craft stores versus Radio Shack.
I think RS management may be onto something here. I’ll be honest, I know nothing about electronics, but I’d happily pick up a learner’s Arduino kit if it was staring me in the face at the mall in Radio Shack’s window, and I suspect there are a bunch of other pre-techies out there waiting to be reeled in like big meaty cash-bearing fish.
“Solve the know-nothing staffing problems this way: Hire real tech-heads …..”
Hmmm, I make 5 times as much as an engineer as my daughter does as a counter monkey at The Shack. There’s a better chance that Heathkit will reopen.
There are comments saying they wont be able to live from DIY. And then I can see sparkfun, lady ada, seeed studio, maker shed and countless other diy/hacker vendors that are doing very well.
How the hell home depot can live with motto “you can do it, we can help”? They have classes teaching how to paint, many books, tools and materials!
Can’t RS have class how to connect your HDTV or build robot kit or instal alarm kit and have items for that? It is simple, sell knowledge, then tools and materials will sell by itself.
And don’t say they can’t have parts in stock. Really? Are you serious? I can fit 2000 resistors in my front pocket. Those are tiny items! Invent smaller/more ecological packing and they will fit easily.
You just don’t get it, and asking us won’t help. Get some of your upper management to buy an arduino board and build something with it using only parts you can get from RS. Until you become a DIY junky, you will never understand us. If building/fixing stuff doesn’t appeal to you, you are in the wrong industry and you will drive RS to its grave.
I don’t believe you will actually take my advice, so I’ll give you some hints.
1. Sell arduinos. They commonly sell for $30, with your size, I think you could sell them for $25…people will buy a few other parts while they are there.
2. You’ve got a reasonable online in-store pick up program in place. There is no reason you can’t increase your selection on that. I could handle the useless sales people at the store if I knew I you’d have the part at the store in 24-48 hours. Currently, it’s a waste of time because you don’t have it, or I can get it cheaper elsewhere.
3) Print free magazines of cool projects people have done with instructions on how to build them (include part names and prices). I like to read blogs where people post their projects, but getting the parts takes time. At the very least, sell Make magazine or something similar.
4) Your prices are too high. Building stuff can cost a lot of money. Your prices should match sparkfun and other websites prices, only you shouldn’t charge shipping.
5) More of your toys and electronics should be hacker friendly. Include a link to a website that explains how you can hack your stuff. Not only will we buy the toy, we’ll buy stuff to hack the toy.
6) Get employees that are DIY people. You don’t need so many employees in the store, get fewer better ones. If you gave them a really good discount on parts you’ll attract the right crowd that will educate themselves.
7) Offer workshops to teach some basic skills like soldering or stuff with breadboards. Other stores already do this. You’ve burned bridges with many of the more experienced crowd, you’ll have to start with people that haven’t been burned.
8) Have some displays people can interact with in the store. The geek kids will be attracted to it.
Oh, and don’t make videos like you just made…it’s insulting.
“Hi, I’m Amy! I don’t make geek things, but I’m going to find some way to relate to you. Um… I make things… like cookies, my bed, and um… Gosh I have no idea what geeks like. Hey give me 3 things I can sell to you because we need to get our sales up”
The same thing happened to the Australian equivalent “Dick Smith Electronics”, a few years ago.
All the dark and dingy stores were replaced with brightly lit stores minus electronic components and staff that knew what a resistor was.
The market has adopted other retailers who have expanded since.
Do not fear, I’m sure that you guys will pull through.
I grew up going to RadioShack and used to love it. But now that I live near other electronics stores I never go to Radio Shack. Their selection isn’t as good, the prices are higher, and perhaps most importantly the employees make me feel uncomfortable. It’s important to me to have a local store I can go into and just browse. The online stores don’t offer that. But Radio Shack employees are bored because there’s often no one else in the store and so they want to help me too much. I’d rather they go away and let me look around.
Arduino stuff, Lead-free solder, lots of breadboard variety including SMD. Better yet, take a look at what Fry electronics carries for the hobbyists for an example of how to stock.
Remember the old days, and weep:
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalog_directory.html
I worked my way thru highschool & colleges at Radio Shack (1973-1986) and, early on, I could fix pretty much anything they sold just with parts off the pegboards (I never sold, – I did repairs and answered questions).
Dear RS: if you’re SERIOUS about improving things, hire Limor Fried, stand back, watch, learn, and rake-in the kinds of profits you USED to have.
@j_at_chaperon: in France we have RadioSpares… which is the french version of RS Components. It’s the same company.
They are great!
To move back into the parts and components sales, I think it would require an incredible purchasing department who really had their finger on the pulse of what would be necessary for basic building of electronics projects. One of the negative aspects of digikey and mouser is the vastness of their products list. I would love it to have an identified middle ground for each product selection, so one knew they were getting a good quality part for a good price. This should lower the cost, as RS wouldn’t be carrying 300 varieties of the same item.
I think it would be an incredibly large endeavour for them to tackle… I don’t think we even have Radio Shack in BC, Canada anymore, taken over by “The Source”.
I used to love the stores like RAE, which were bigger than Radio Shack, but you could still go in and see and feel the parts you were going to buy, especially good for connectors, etc.
I wish them luck, but feel this may be too little too late…
KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE DATA COLLECTING.
You do not need any information about me or where I’m from in order to conduct a $4 cash transaction for some friggin’ batteries.
Customers don’t want a relationship with your store beyond this: I give you MONEY; you give me THING.
That’s it.
Wow, all the comments that I’ve read here pretty much sums up RS as an almost useless store. Indeed, they need to restructure their store into something that fits the rest of us, the “DIY’ers”.
Perhaps this effort would not be enuff for them to exist on alone; it would need to be very strategic. However, since they’re asking us, I think it’s a good idea to go ahead and make the suggestions to ’em. Let’s hope we see some real changes in the Radio Shack- the way we once remembered it…or something close to it.
Its bad because half the people who work there have no idea what half of the shit is that they are selling.
I went in the other day for a heatgun and the lady tried to sell me blow dryer…nice try.
I was just in RS last night at the local mall in Taunton, MA. I needed some heat sink compound and soldering tips for my gun. Kid behind the counter SHOCKED me when he asked what I was building. (the compound was for an ignition module in a car.) We got to talking about Arctic compound. I was surprised he even knew that A, it exists, and B, they stock it. Regardless of the cost, where else can I get heat sink compound at 8 PM on a Thursday?