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Radio Shack is stocking analog parts again

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saturation:
http://blog.radioshack.com/

Lawsen:
Radio Shack is alike a convenience store in electronics.  It is not basic staple like Mouser or NTE electronics mail order here in the U.S.A.  Radio Shack is more focused in some shopping malls and local neighborhoods in Stockton, California, U.S.A.  They always have common NPN transistors and LM324 op amps and 555 TTL oscillators.  Parts costs more than surplus stores and selection is limited.  Frys is mostly in Northern California in the South Bay Area around San Jose and one store in Northern Sacramento, a fromer Incredible Universe store that was owned by Radio Shack Tandy Corporation, ironic!!! Radio Shack is very limited, that it is more of a neighborhood convenience store in California region.  They almost tried to change their name to "the shack."  The workers there are not techs or engineers and some are more into self study and others are not.  Two of the locations around here are very helpful and accommodating, that varies to who runs the store.   If you need a special oscilloscope, then it is mail order or E Bay would be better than Radio Shack.  I liked those spring clips many in one electronics projects set that I used in my youth days, before college and university.  Radio Shack cannot provide everything and they are not focused to do that.  Instead of the Micronta, Archer, or Radio Shack brands, they started to carry Sony, Casio, Olympus, Sherwood, and Apple I Pod Touch brands.  They became a consumer electronics local neighborhood store and the do it yourself or electronics technician/engineering section have reduced and limited.  You might be better driving to San Jose along Brokaw Road to an electronics surplus store or Weird Stuff in Sunnyvale store for surplus parts than Radio Shack.  Radio Shack expended their components selections, but their prices will be higher than mail order, thus increases the costs of the electronics work or project.  It is a great convenience shop.  I have advanced so far that Radio Shack is not specialized enough for me.  Most of you on this blog have advanced far enough that mail order is the way to go. 

Lawsen

Bored@Work:
It is a marketing campaign they kicked-off in April. Make had a blog entry about it back then http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/04/radio-shack-decides-it-loves-diyers-after-all.html And Radio Shack got an earful in the comments.

In April they said they will do something. Now they say they will do something. Meanwhile they filled their blog with the latest cell phone crap. I don't think the really mean it. It is just a marketing campaign.

IanB:
If Radio Shack didn't cell cell phones and other consumer electronics they would have gone out of business long ago. So don't knock what keeps them alive. I for one am glad they are still there selling some home build and DIY stuff, even if the range is limited. Some is better than nothing.

insurgent:

--- Quote from: IanB on July 23, 2011, 08:35:15 pm ---If Radio Shack didn't cell cell phones and other consumer electronics they would have gone out of business long ago. So don't knock what keeps them alive. I for one am glad they are still there selling some home build and DIY stuff, even if the range is limited. Some is better than nothing.

--- End quote ---
+1
Absolutely. They rent on most RS locations are no doubt paid by this stuff. That is their quandary with respect to the personnel they have manning their stores. The vast majority of he people wandering into their stores are state-educated morons that understand nothing but texting and American Idol. The last "real" Radio Shack that I know of went out of business many moons ago her in FL.


--- Quote ---It is a marketing campaign they kicked-off in April. Make had a blog entry about it back then http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/04/radio-shack-decides-it-loves-diyers-after-all.html And Radio Shack got an earful in the comments.

In April they said they will do something. Now they say they will do something. Meanwhile they filled their blog with the latest cell phone crap. I don't think the really mean it. It is just a marketing campaign.

--- End quote ---
They posted the video in April and gathered the replies and have actually added a number of Velleman kits already. They promise to add other parts later and I have no reason to doubt them at this point. They took the effort to add http://www.radioshackdiy.com/ along the way as well. I will give them the benefit of the doubt at this point as it seems they are slowly but surely climbing the (albeit steep) uphill battle.

Trust me, I have been upset with the RatShack for a very long time now but I'm willing to give them this shot. I know they will never be able to meet online prices but so long as they can provide the necessary items for the electronics hobbyist, I will give them kudos and patronize their stores.

There is one downside to having the store staffed by electronics knowledgeable people: They had a clearance on a number of DIY items a while back and I went to the store to grab some. Unfortunately the employee at the store had grabbed up the highly discounted items for himself because he was an electronics nut! No doubt if the store was run by Baywatch Ken-dolls I wouldn't have had a problem!

I think they would be smart to also add some big ticket items such as Hakko soldering stations (vs the Mandell) and such to their stores as well. Perhaps a decent hot air unit of some kind, and perhaps some decent SMD resistor/capacitor/inductor kits as well. I'd rather trust their kits advertising 1% tolerance vs the kits sold on EBay from HK/China any day.
Remember kiddies: You buy local, you don't pay shit for return shipping when you aren't a happy camper!

That all said, I wouldn't hesitate to never enter one of their stores again if all they do is add a couple of kits/LED's for a few months and then just return to sending me cell phone spam.
Just as there seems to be a renewed interest in the electronics hobby by people such as myself, there is going to be a renewed interest in being able to find the components & equipment locally. One can only hope this fad is as sustainable as the local organic farmers markets!

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