Quote
1,100 underperforming stores to be shut down by RadioShack | Business Sun
Business Sun
7:41 PM Wednesday 05 March 2014
• It reported net loss of $400.2 million, or $3.97 per diluted share for whole of 2013, compared to net loss of $139.4 million in the previous year
• The firm has been striving to restructure its business by not only improving its operational efficiency but also revamping the assortment of products its carries
• It is now looking to consolidate its store base "into fewer locations while maintaining a strong presence in each market"
WASHINGTON - Electronics retailer RadioShack Tuesday announced plans to shut down 1,100 'underperforming' stores - nearly 20% of its total - in an attempt "to consolidate our store base into fewer locations while maintaining a strong presence in each market', the company stated.
It reported net loss of $400.2 million, or $3.97 per diluted share for whole of 2013, compared to net loss of $139.4 million in the previous year. On an adjusted basis, net loss was $305.8 million, which compares to an adjusted net loss of $60.5 million last year.
During the fourth quarter, the company's net loss was $191.4 million, or $1.90 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $63.3 million last year, the company stated that after closure of 1,100 poorly performing stores, it will continue to have a strong, unmatched presence across the U.S. with over 4,000 stores including over 900 dealer franchise locations.
On an adjusted basis, the retailer stated that its net loss was $129.9 million, which compares to an adjusted net income of $6.8 million last year.
"Our fourth quarter financial results were driven by a holiday season characterized by lower store traffic, intense promotional activity particularly in consumer electronics, a very soft mobility marketplace and a few operational issues," Joseph Magnacca, chief executive of Radio Shack, said in a statement.
The company's shares, which have fallen by nearly 80 percent over the past two years, fell as much as 19% in early trading in New York on Tuesday.
The firm has been striving to restructure its business by not only improving its operational efficiency but also revamping the assortment of products its carries.
"We have undertaken a comprehensive review of our portfolio from many angles - location, area demographics, lease life and financial performance," it said.
Based on the review the company has decided to shutter 1,100 underperforming stores and is now looking to consolidate its store base "into fewer locations while maintaining a strong presence in each market".
Magnacca did not reveal whether the restructuring and closure of stores would result in job losses.
The company ended the fourth quarter with total liquidity of $554.3 million at December 31, 2013, including $179.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and $374.5 million of availability under our 2018 Credit Agreement.
"Other than letters of credit of $55.0 million at December 31, 2013, the company has not otherwise used the availability under the 2018 Credit Agreement. The company's total debt was $614 million at December 31, 2013, which matures between 2018 and 2019," the retailer stated.
Serious question: Does anyone still go to RadioShack for anything? Do they have anything you can't get at Target, WalMart, etc.? :hmm:
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 07:46:49 PM
Serious question: Does anyone still go to RadioShack for anything?
I had the same question in my mind when I saw the thread title. I didnt actually know they were still in business.
I bought my first computer there way back in the day.
I just went to RadioShack today. :( I was being so good for 18 years, but alas, that streak has ended, and it doesn't look like I'll have the opportunity to top it. :(
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 05, 2014, 07:48:56 PM
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 07:46:49 PM
Serious question: Does anyone still go to RadioShack for anything?
I had the same question in my mind when I saw the thread title. I didnt actually know they were still in business.
They had a Superbowl commercial this year, which surprised a lot of people that thought the same.
We have a RadioShack in town (the small town I live in, not Louisville) and I've literally never seen anyone in there, ever. I imagine some old people still shop there who don't realize you can get hearing aid batteries and shit at WalMart now, but that's probably it.
I get my 8" disks there.
Survival of the fittest.
They should go for a different business model.
Or, I would sell it all and buy stocks in Google.
Google will dominate the future.
You guys heard about the new fiber cable google is laying down?
Quote from: Siege on March 05, 2014, 09:07:46 PM
They should go for a different business model.
What do you suggest they try?
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 07:46:49 PM
Serious question: Does anyone still go to RadioShack for anything? Do they have anything you can't get at Target, WalMart, etc.? :hmm:
I have when doing field work; in a pinch they're a decent source for connectors, components and the like.
So do they in fact have crap you can't get at WalMart? :hmm:
Another problem with RadioShack is that their name is pretty dumb for 2014. They need to change it.
I was looking for a 12volt splitter so could charge multiple things at one time in car, only place i could find it was at local Radio Shack.
That was like at Thanksgiving time, just drove past it and was now a vacuum store.
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 09:25:24 PM
So do they in fact have crap you can't get at WalMart? :hmm:
I've never gone shopping at Walmart for electronics; but judging from their website I think so. It looks like Radio Shack has DIY stuff for electronics that Walmart does not.
Ok, so it sounds like it will actually kinda suck when RadioShack goes under then. :(
If you're doing it yourself in this modern world, then you're not being a good consumer.
I don't like "underperforming". "Differently performing" is better.
They do have a lot of weird/unusual connectors and assorted electronic and audio supplies, but their markups are awful. Only went there in a pinch.
Too expensive. Even their DIY stuff can be purchased elsewhere for cheaper.
Probably you can get it all from NewEgg for a fraction of the price, no?
Quote from: Caliga on March 06, 2014, 07:53:28 AM
Probably you can get it all from NewEgg for a fraction of the price, no?
No. Newegg is dabbling in components through their Marketplace, but the selection is shit. Mouser, Digi-key, and Jameco are where I buy most of my components. If I need something immediately, I have Fry's.
I'm stopping by later today to see if they have one of those things to connect an Ipod to the AUX port in a car. :blush: The lady on the phone said it'd be $10. I just finally got a used Ipod as a gift, and also got a new enough car back in the summer to actually try this out, but I keep delaying.
I've been the Shack off and on for various needs. The last time I was there, I wanted an Ethernet cable, but the guy working there (couldn't really call him a "salesman") straight up told me that the RadioShack prices were ridiculously inflated and that I should buy them online if I could afford to wait a few days, and that maybe they'd get more sensible about the pricing if nobody bought them. :sleep: He also persuaded me to buy the cheapest possible computer speakers, saying they worked about as well as the other ones, even when I walked in there saying I wanted to spend a little more to get better quality. :lol:
That's service.
I remembering going into one for some computer component (SATA cable?) and the dude didn't even know what I was talking about.
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 09:15:54 PM
Quote from: Siege on March 05, 2014, 09:07:46 PM
They should go for a different business model.
What do you suggest they try?
They could go back to their old business model, which was selling electronics parts for DIY enthusiasts, RC hobbyists, and so on.
They could, but then they'd have to shrink the scope of their business drastically. :hmm:
Quote from: fhdz on March 06, 2014, 09:54:28 AM
They could go back to their old business model, which was selling electronics parts for DIY enthusiasts, RC hobbyists, and so on.
With the Maker movement in full force I have dreamed of doing that myself. I don't have near enough capital, though. :P
http://www.l-com.com
Those guys have been a good source of the things I used to buy at RS. Also blackbox.com for specifically cabling and racking stuff.
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 07:46:49 PM
Serious question: Does anyone still go to RadioShack for anything? Do they have anything you can't get at Target, WalMart, etc.? :hmm:
I needed a BNC connector at Christmas time. And getting in and out of a Radio Shack is more convenient than all the bullshit that comes with dealing with a Target, WalMart, etc.
Quote from: Caliga on March 06, 2014, 10:59:44 AM
They could, but then they'd have to shrink the scope of their business drastically. :hmm:
They're already doing that by closing 1100 stores. You might make the argument that the n-1100 stores left could actually post some small successes, rather than just slowly and inevitably closing themselves.
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on March 06, 2014, 11:51:02 AM
Quote from: fhdz on March 06, 2014, 09:54:28 AM
They could go back to their old business model, which was selling electronics parts for DIY enthusiasts, RC hobbyists, and so on.
With the Maker movement in full force I have dreamed of doing that myself. I don't have near enough capital, though. :P
Yeah, they could really pimp themselves out by becoming official Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Twine resellers, in addition to all the "standard" DIY electronics shizz.
QuoteRadioShack Corp. RSH (U.S.: NYSE)
after hours 7:59 PM ET
$ 2.02 USD -0.02 (0.98%)
CdMWatch says "Moderate Buy"
Quote from: CountDeMoney on March 06, 2014, 11:52:13 PM
QuoteRadioShack Corp. RSH (U.S.: NYSE)
after hours 7:59 PM ET
$ 2.02 USD -0.02 (0.98%)
CdMWatch says "Moderate Buy"
CdMM (Count de Mad Money)
Quote from: CountDeMoney on March 06, 2014, 11:35:47 PM
Quote from: Caliga on March 05, 2014, 07:46:49 PM
Serious question: Does anyone still go to RadioShack for anything? Do they have anything you can't get at Target, WalMart, etc.? :hmm:
I needed a BNC connector at Christmas time. And getting in and out of a Radio Shack is more convenient than all the bullshit that comes with dealing with a Target, WalMart, etc.
They were talking about this on Stern the other day and a couple of his staffers said that the reason they stopped going there is actually because it's become so inconvenient... that when you go to check out with your $3 connector they hold you hostage asking you your address, phone number, etc., and apparently do that every time you go there, as if they don't save your info in some database someplace. No idea if it's true of course since I've not been in a RadioShack in forever.
Quote from: Caliga on March 07, 2014, 06:28:16 AM
They were talking about this on Stern the other day and a couple of his staffers said that the reason they stopped going there is actually because it's become so inconvenient... that when you go to check out with your $3 connector they hold you hostage asking you your address, phone number, etc., and apparently do that every time you go there, as if they don't save your info in some database someplace. No idea if it's true of course since I've not been in a RadioShack in forever.
That's when you say "No thanks". Fuck, Americans are polite to the point of paralysis. It's OK to say No, people.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on March 06, 2014, 11:52:13 PM
QuoteRadioShack Corp. RSH (U.S.: NYSE)
after hours 7:59 PM ET
$ 2.02 USD -0.02 (0.98%)
CdMWatch says "Moderate Buy"
:lol:
Filed for bankruptcy today. Everyone's shocked, I'm sure. :sleep:
Quote from: Caliga on February 05, 2015, 07:35:15 PM
Filed for bankruptcy today. Everyone's shocked, I'm sure. :sleep:
Yep. Been following this. My first question tomorrow is going to be: is Sprint buying the employees or just the stores?
Oh no, where will people go to be sad?
Oh dear.
And CdM is right, Americans are too polite to say no; but Brits fall into the same trap, iirc the few times I went in to get something I too ended up filling in information each time at the till. And indeed that probably acted as a disincentive to use them.
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2015, 07:39:57 PM
Oh no, where will people go to be sad?
Walmart, where everybody will eventually be in 100 years.
I went to Wally's today with my mom to buy yarn.
The lady at the register looked like she was going to keel over any second.
I like how when I go to Walmart there are 20 registers, and only like two or three of them are open at any given time.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on February 05, 2015, 07:45:30 PM
I went to Wally's today with my mom to buy yarn.
The lady at the register looked like she was going to keel over any second.
Yi spins a good yarn. :)
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 05, 2015, 07:43:06 PM
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2015, 07:39:57 PM
Oh no, where will people go to be sad?
Walmart, where everybody will eventually be in 100 years.
I don't know. I mean I hate that Walmart but every time I visit I'm like:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.perezhilton.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F01%2Fmacklemore-ryan-lewis-win-best-rap-performance-2014-grammys.gif&hash=802d15b084bd69bae1753cc17a85bfba3dff38ff)
and
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.quickmeme.com%2Fimg%2F96%2F96101262b4e3feecfe6c0c6bfaa7b7030740bb4eb8f3e610d88420c1e0866f32.jpg&hash=af909013bdee426bb6e862045092b4f81605b4d9)
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2015, 08:08:21 PM
I don't know. I mean I hate that Walmart but every time I visit I'm like:
I can appreciate that, but the end game of the predatory American capitalist model is the Wal-Mart end game. Everybody will work there as temp contractors with no benefits. Everybody will shop there, as there will be no choice.
Remember
Demolition Man and how there was only one restaurant in the future, and it was Taco Bell? It's not as unrealistic as you think. Just be glad you'll be too dead to see it.
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2015, 08:08:21 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.perezhilton.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F01%2Fmacklemore-ryan-lewis-win-best-rap-performance-2014-grammys.gif&hash=802d15b084bd69bae1753cc17a85bfba3dff38ff)
Do you only go to the thrift shop?
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 05, 2015, 08:13:29 PM
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2015, 08:08:21 PM
I don't know. I mean I hate that Walmart but every time I visit I'm like:
I can appreciate that, but the end game of the predatory American capitalist model is the Wal-Mart end game. Everybody will work there as temp contractors with no benefits. Everybody will shop there, as there will be no choice.
Remember Demolition Man and how there was only one restaurant in the future, and it was Taco Bell? It's not as unrealistic as you think. Just be glad you'll be too dead to see it.
I don't hate corporations though. I'm already willing to sell a firstborn to Amazon.
Quote from: fhdz on March 06, 2014, 11:47:13 PM
Quote from: Caliga on March 06, 2014, 10:59:44 AM
They could, but then they'd have to shrink the scope of their business drastically. :hmm:
They're already doing that by closing 1100 stores. You might make the argument that the n-1100 stores left could actually post some small successes, rather than just slowly and inevitably closing themselves.
"We lost $400 million last year. If we close down all our stores but the best performing one, we will almost inevitably be successful in reducing the magnitude of our losses."
Quote from: Valmy on February 05, 2015, 08:14:34 PM
Do you only go to the thrift shop?
Though they were a great boon when I was in college, I haven't shopped at a thrift store in ages. Actually I may have bought a really cheap print at one in Palm Springs.
I do get some kick out of going to Walmart and getting to browse so much shit I can actually afford, unlike in most stores. Which means I end up overspending ultimately but on tons of different (crappy) things.
I buy Wally world TP
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 05, 2015, 08:13:29 PM
Remember Demolition Man and how there was only one restaurant in the future, and it was Taco Bell? It's not as unrealistic as you think. Just be glad you'll be too dead to see it.
That would be a grim future indeed. I had a Taco Bell chicken quesadilla for dinner tonight. It was DEEPLY UNSATISFYING.
BRING BACK THE CHICKEN ENCHILADA GRILLED SUFFT BURRITO
They had a burrito for a while that had chicken and rice in it with some herbs like cilantro. It was surprisingly good. Then they got rid of it, of course... since Taco Bell is owned by Yum! a.k.a. Great Destroyer of Restaurants.
I loathe Yum brands.
Quote from: Caliga on February 05, 2015, 10:00:54 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 05, 2015, 08:13:29 PM
Remember Demolition Man and how there was only one restaurant in the future, and it was Taco Bell? It's not as unrealistic as you think. Just be glad you'll be too dead to see it.
That would be a grim future indeed. I had a Taco Bell chicken quesadilla for dinner tonight. It was DEEPLY UNSATISFYING.
Is making a quesadilla at home very time consuming? :unsure:
No, but I lacked tortillas, cheese, and chicken so it wouldn't have been that easy tonight.
Quote from: Ed Anger on February 05, 2015, 10:11:17 PM
I loathe Yum brands.
As well you should. It was helmed for years by the stupid fucker that created Crystal Pepsi. HEY DOUCHEBAG THAT RAN CRYSTAL PEPSI INTO THE GROUND, WHY NOT COME OVER HERE AND RUN ALL THESE FAST FOOD CHAINS INTO THE GROUND TOO NOW
Quote from: Caliga on February 05, 2015, 10:14:09 PM
No, but I lacked tortillas, cheese, and chicken so it wouldn't have been that easy tonight.
I don't understand. You maintain a household but don't have those items on hand?
:hmm: I probably have some canned chicken. Would you have me used canned chicken to make a quesadilla though? :x
I have a block of manchego but I don't think I have any shredded cheddar or jack.
No tortillas right now, no.
Quote from: Caliga on February 05, 2015, 10:20:22 PM
:hmm: I probably have some canned chicken. Would you have me used canned chicken to make a quesadilla though? :x
I have a block of manchego but I don't think I have any shredded cheddar or jack.
No tortillas right now, no.
All of this is very confusing. I don't even know why a person would own canned chicken nor why a person wouldn't have cheddar on hand. I could almost understand the lack of tortillas (understandable if one is in a heathenish country -_-) as I'm currently out but then I've instead ordered in food with tortillas the last few days. -_-
Tortillas get kind of stiff if you have them sitting around too long.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on February 05, 2015, 11:38:53 PM
Tortillas get kind of stiff if you have them sitting around too long.
I'm not a tortilla, but at my age I get kind of stiff if I sit around too long.
Quote from: alfred russel on February 05, 2015, 08:22:26 PM
"We lost $400 million last year. If we close down all our stores but the best performing one, we will almost inevitably be successful in reducing the magnitude of our losses."
I'm curious where in America the best-performing RadioShack is. It must be in some retirement community, since only dumb old people seem to like RadioShack anymore.
Quote from: alfred russel on February 05, 2015, 08:22:26 PM
"We lost $400 million last year. If we close down all our stores but the best performing one, we will almost inevitably be successful in reducing the magnitude of our losses."
That's the kind of math that works in that world.
QuoteIBM redefines failure as 'success,' gives underachieving CEO huge raise
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-ibm-redefines-20150202-column.html
QuoteHP gave CEO Meg Whitman a $1.9M raise in 2014 as revenues fell and employees' heads rolled
http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/02/hp-gave-ceo-meg-whitman-a-1-9m-raise-in-2014-as-revenues-fell-and-employees-heads-rolled/
Obviously CdM is opposed to equalizing pay for women. :(
Isn't it refreshing to see that they can be just as morally bankrupt as men?
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 07:14:07 AM
Isn't it refreshing to see that they can be just as morally bankrupt as men?
Like you didn't already have that figured out from your high school years.
Quote from: derspiess on February 06, 2015, 09:59:25 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 07:14:07 AM
Isn't it refreshing to see that they can be just as morally bankrupt as men?
Like you didn't already have that figured out from your high school years.
High school? Try 4th grade. :D
Quote from: Caliga on February 06, 2015, 06:01:21 AM
I'm curious where in America the best-performing RadioShack is. It must be in some retirement community, since only dumb old people seem to like RadioShack anymore.
Caveat: I really only get direct info on the eastern region, but..
There probably isn't a clear and distinct best performer in the company. We tend to jockey for position, at least at the district level, and there can be some wild fluctuations between the top three one day and the top three the next. The most consist performers seem to sit around the 75th-80th percentile range, and they're usually city stores sitting near state borders where people might go to engage in a little mild sales tax fraud on consumer electronics, (especially Jersey City in my district).
Another bit of typical retail wisdom is that stores nearer the corporate headquarters tend to be better-performing due to extra discipline and/or bones being thrown by corporate, but I doubt that's the case with RadioShack, since our headquarters is in Fort Worth, which is pretty deep into Fry's territory
Quote from: Caliga on February 05, 2015, 10:15:17 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on February 05, 2015, 10:11:17 PM
I loathe Yum brands.
As well you should. It was helmed for years by the stupid fucker that created Crystal Pepsi. HEY DOUCHEBAG THAT RAN CRYSTAL PEPSI INTO THE GROUND, WHY NOT COME OVER HERE AND RUN ALL THESE FAST FOOD CHAINS INTO THE GROUND TOO NOW
I liked Crystal Pepsi. :unsure:
Quote from: Barrister on February 06, 2015, 11:51:02 AM
Quote from: Caliga on February 05, 2015, 10:15:17 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on February 05, 2015, 10:11:17 PM
I loathe Yum brands.
As well you should. It was helmed for years by the stupid fucker that created Crystal Pepsi. HEY DOUCHEBAG THAT RAN CRYSTAL PEPSI INTO THE GROUND, WHY NOT COME OVER HERE AND RUN ALL THESE FAST FOOD CHAINS INTO THE GROUND TOO NOW
I liked Crystal Pepsi. :unsure:
Weirdo
Quote from: DontSayBanana on February 06, 2015, 11:43:05 AM
Another bit of typical retail wisdom is that stores nearer the corporate headquarters tend to be better-performing due to extra discipline and/or bones being thrown by corporate, but I doubt that's the case with RadioShack, since our headquarters is in Fort Worth, which is pretty deep into Fry's territory
Every time I have passed a RadioShack in the past several years it has been dead in there. I have been inside once in the past decade, and that was only because I needed earbud cushions of a particular type and they were the only brick-and-mortar store that had them.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 05, 2015, 08:13:29 PM
Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2015, 08:08:21 PM
I don't know. I mean I hate that Walmart but every time I visit I'm like:
I can appreciate that, but the end game of the predatory American capitalist model is the Wal-Mart end game. Everybody will work there as temp contractors with no benefits. Everybody will shop there, as there will be no choice.
Remember Demolition Man and how there was only one restaurant in the future, and it was Taco Bell? It's not as unrealistic as you think. Just be glad you'll be too dead to see it.
Dead? Not necesarily.
If Greta Garbon survive the next 30 years he might be immortal.
Or at least have a long and boring indefinite lifespam, which is the term researchers are using.
Radio Shack suffers from an outmoded retail model, the same way other consumer electronics retail models have suffered. There's a reason Hi Fi stereo stores and record stores aren't around anymore, either. The Big Box shot them down, and the internet killed them off.
Back in the 70s and the 80s when The Mall ruled retail, Radio Shack was where it was at for certain things, but nobody needs to go to The Mall for toggle switches or speaker wires anymore.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 12:24:52 PM
Radio Shack suffers from an outmoded retail model, the same way other consumer electronics retail models have suffered. There's a reason Hi Fi stereo stores and record stores aren't around anymore, either. The Big Box shot them down, and the internet killed them off.
Back in the 70s and the 80s when The Mall ruled retail, Radio Shack was where it was at for certain things, but nobody needs to go to The Mall for toggle switches or speaker wires anymore.
That's why this is really a failure of branding more than anything else. My store 's inventory is 40% wireless phones and associated accessories; most of the more esoteric stuff, while not discontinued, was moved to the website... all while running commercials with Weird Al showing off quadcopters (only three models in my store, less than 10 units overall, none over $100), kit robots with all kinds of exposed wiring (literally relegated to the back corner, by the stockroom- they expanded the section around Thanksgiving, but I have yet to move a unit from that area), and "BATTERIES!" (Batteries is a four-letter word where we work. The batteries are hard to sell at their current price point on their own, yet the company expects us to attach a pack of batteries to each sale. Even with inflation, $6/pack is a lot for a universal impulse attach)
The Sprint sale really just flips around the current store-in-store model more than actually changes things- right now, the entire section of the floor forward of the sales counter is dedicated to no-contract wireless phones (of which, 3 of the brands we carry are Sprint or Sprint-operated). So it's already close to a store-in-store model- just that after the sale, the store will be Sprint, and the featured area will be RadioShack.
I didn't realise you worked at RadioShack. Sorry dude.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on February 06, 2015, 12:57:14 PM
That's why this is really a failure of branding more than anything else. My store 's inventory is 40% wireless phones and associated accessories; most of the more esoteric stuff, while not discontinued, was moved to the website... all while running commercials with Weird Al showing off quadcopters (only three models in my store, less than 10 units overall, none over $100), kit robots with all kinds of exposed wiring (literally relegated to the back corner, by the stockroom- they expanded the section around Thanksgiving, but I have yet to move a unit from that area), and "BATTERIES!" (Batteries is a four-letter word where we work. The batteries are hard to sell at their current price point on their own, yet the company expects us to attach a pack of batteries to each sale. Even with inflation, $6/pack is a lot for a universal impulse attach)
The Sprint sale really just flips around the current store-in-store model more than actually changes things- right now, the entire section of the floor forward of the sales counter is dedicated to no-contract wireless phones (of which, 3 of the brands we carry are Sprint or Sprint-operated). So it's already close to a store-in-store model- just that after the sale, the store will be Sprint, and the featured area will be RadioShack.
Honestly, I really don't know what else Radio Shack could've done for their long-term survivability the last 25 years, short of expanding heavier into computers and video games in the late 80s and early 90s, despite the market pressures.
Shit, my junior high school's computer lab's first purchase were a dozen TSR-80 model 3s. I remember going to Computer Camp at the local Radio Shack for the Color Computer II, and not the batteries and stereo wires store in The Mall, but the fancier, classier "PC" store at a strip mall. Our first home computers were Tandys.
Maybe home appliances? But that wouldn't have been able to compete with the Big Box stores, either.
I think the death of imagination of today's young people had a lot to do with it as well. Nobody wants to build AM radios, circuit boards or their own bombs anymore.
I used to build pipe bombs with some friends of mine in high school. :) We stopped that when one of the other dudes accidentally set one off while hammering it shut and destroyed his right eye. :blush:
Heh, now that I think about it, one of the other guys is now my hometown's fire chief. :hmm:
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 01:09:33 PM
Quote from: DontSayBanana on February 06, 2015, 12:57:14 PM
That's why this is really a failure of branding more than anything else. My store 's inventory is 40% wireless phones and associated accessories; most of the more esoteric stuff, while not discontinued, was moved to the website... all while running commercials with Weird Al showing off quadcopters (only three models in my store, less than 10 units overall, none over $100), kit robots with all kinds of exposed wiring (literally relegated to the back corner, by the stockroom- they expanded the section around Thanksgiving, but I have yet to move a unit from that area), and "BATTERIES!" (Batteries is a four-letter word where we work. The batteries are hard to sell at their current price point on their own, yet the company expects us to attach a pack of batteries to each sale. Even with inflation, $6/pack is a lot for a universal impulse attach)
The Sprint sale really just flips around the current store-in-store model more than actually changes things- right now, the entire section of the floor forward of the sales counter is dedicated to no-contract wireless phones (of which, 3 of the brands we carry are Sprint or Sprint-operated). So it's already close to a store-in-store model- just that after the sale, the store will be Sprint, and the featured area will be RadioShack.
I remember going to Computer Camp at the local Radio Shack
You :nerd:
I didn't do anything in '82.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 01:19:46 PM
Quote from: 11B4V on February 06, 2015, 01:15:39 PM
You :nerd:
IT WAS 1982
ITS WHAT WE DID
Doing anything with computers in 1982 was a thousand times nerdier then than it is now.
Quote from: Caliga on February 06, 2015, 01:03:12 PM
I didn't realise you worked at RadioShack. Sorry dude.
Don't be. They treat us well enough, but the pay is crap. From my point of view, either:
1) I lose my job. This is actually a net positive. Since it's been more than 3 years since the last time I used a WDP grant, I can apply leverage that I'm close to my bachelor's to get an additional $4,000 grant for school, and then I can coast on unemployment, focus on school, and seriously cut down on my work-related expenses.
2) Through some miracle, I become a Sprint employee as part of the buyout. Better pay, which softens the blow to my dignity of finally becoming primarily a wireless salesman, and possibly even jumps enough to justify the expense of commuting to work and having to frequently eat at work (brown-bagging is a lot more difficult when you're stuck at school 7 hours a day before ever getting to the work fridge).
3) I find a job closer to my school- I currently have a 40-minute drive between work and school. There are RadioShacks closer to here, but given the uncertainty, I was reluctant to ask for a transfer (glad I didn't, since the local mall RadioShack closed about a week ago); on the other hand, the job has been comfortable enough that I didn't feel a huge urge to jump companies.
Quote from: Caliga on February 06, 2015, 01:14:37 PM
Heh, now that I think about it, one of the other guys is now my hometown's fire chief. :hmm:
Not surprising at all, actually.
Quote from: Valmy on February 06, 2015, 01:24:04 PM
Doing anything with computers in 1982 was a thousand times nerdier then than it is now.
Shut up. :glare: I could write in BASIC off the cuff. Used to program my own "stories" using just graphics and sounds.
If I had stuck with it, I'd have been in the first wave of the PC revolutionaries of the early '90s. But nooooo...POLITICAL SCIENCE WAS MORE FUNNER :bleeding:
Quote from: 11B4V on February 06, 2015, 01:26:41 PM
:blink: I didnt own my first computer until '98
You missed the joy of exploring the wire frame depths of the Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 01:30:27 PM
If I had stuck with it, I'd have been in the first wave of the PC revolutionaries of the early '90s. But nooooo...POLITICAL SCIENCE WAS MORE FUNNER :bleeding:
Imagine that alternative universe CdM brilliantly maximizing shareholder value for his Silicon Valley megacorp.
Quote from: Valmy on February 06, 2015, 01:33:35 PM
Imagine that alternative universe CdM explaining how he brilliantly maximizes shareholder value for his Silicon Valley megacorp.
Don't worry, my mother imagines it for me. Every. Fucking. Day. :frusty:
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 01:30:27 PM
Quote from: Valmy on February 06, 2015, 01:24:04 PM
Doing anything with computers in 1982 was a thousand times nerdier then than it is now.
Shut up. :glare: I could write in BASIC off the cuff. Used to program my own "stories" using just graphics and sounds.
If I had stuck with it, I'd have been in the first wave of the PC revolutionaries of the early '90s. But nooooo...POLITICAL SCIENCE WAS MORE FUNNER :bleeding:
You sound just like me! I was welded to my mighty Apple II, was writing a bunch of different programs in basic.
But I didn't want my whole life to be a gigantic :nerd: so rather than go with computer science (like many of my friends did) I went into geology, and then law.
But of course no matter what I'm still a pretty big nerd. I met someone the other day, said what I did and she was surprised - she was sure I must work in IT. <_<
You betrayed THE GEOLOGY!!!
Quote from: CountDeMoney on February 06, 2015, 01:36:05 PM
Quote from: Valmy on February 06, 2015, 01:33:35 PM
Imagine that alternative universe CdM explaining how he brilliantly maximizes shareholder value for his Silicon Valley megacorp.
Don't worry, my mother imagines it for me. Every. Fucking. Day. :frusty:
It's not too late. :)
Quote from: Barrister on February 06, 2015, 02:03:22 PM
But of course no matter what I'm still a pretty big nerd. I met someone the other day, said what I did and she was surprised - she was sure I must work in IT. <_<
:D
Welp, looks like the unemployment route is going to be the way to go. Just found out Standard General already filed a motion to close all corporate RadioShacks in the US.