8mm Forum: So Long Radio Shack!

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Topic: So Long Radio Shack!

Joe Taffis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1592
From: United States
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 10, 2015 07:59 PM

Good thing us smart folks aren't addicted to technology. We just post here on the good old fashioned 8mm Forum [Wink]

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Joe Taffis

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Douglas Warren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Registered: Feb 2008

posted March 11, 2015 01:27 AM

I too remember the "glory days" of Radio Shack back in the 1970's and 1980's.I had several of the battery club cards over the years.As a teenager in the 70's I bought one of their "150 in One" Electronic Kits.Those things were a blast and I bought one of the modern equivalents a few years ago.The last time I was in a Radio Shack it was a very sad shadow of it's former self.If they survive another 2 years I'll be surprised.
On the topic of hobbies,I've been building plastic models off and on since age five (1967.) Growing up back then almost every boy you'd meet had built a few models in his spare time. Now,it's very much an adult's hobby with that demographic aging rapidly.I doubt few kids today would have much interest (or the patience) to sit down for a few hours and build a model kit.Mom and Pop hobby shops have been dying off for years.Changing times,for better or worse I suppose depending upon your viewpoint.One last word on Radio Shack,here's a link to a site that has a ton of their catalogs (1939-2005) for viewing online:
Radio Shack Catalogs

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Turn out the lights,the movie is starting!

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 11, 2015 07:59 AM

I was in our local Cracker Barrel recently for breakfast, and out in the store area they had some plastic Western cowboy scenic sets for sale. I was admiring them, nothing expensive but lots of plastic figures of cowboys on horses, wagons, jail houses, banks etc. The clerk saw me looking at them and came over, and I said how well done they were and how I would have loved such a play set as a child. He said "We can't give them away, there is just no interest by today's kids in toys of that kind, its all push button stuff". We talked for a while about how sad it is that things have changed that much for the worse, and what today's kids are really missing in being so absorbed in video games and find no joy playing with toy soldiers and cowboy sets.

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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
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Douglas Warren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Registered: Feb 2008

posted March 11, 2015 09:47 AM

Paul,
That is so sad to hear but again not surprising.One of my favorite toys as a young boy was the Marx Toys Play Sets.My Army one,Boot Camp provided many hours of fun playtime as did others.A few years ago I was in a upscale toy store with my wife (she was friends with one of the employees) and I spotted a bag of toy soldiers.It had dust on it and appeared to have been there for awhile.I wound up buying them as a nostalgic reminder of a more innocent time.
Douglas

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Turn out the lights,the movie is starting!

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 07, 2017 10:54 PM

Back from the Dead!

So we grabbed a little Saturday breakfast this morning. Unexpectedly we found the Radio Shack open for business a few doors down, where we thought there should be nothing but a vacant storefront. I'd heard they would all be gone by June!

We went in and the owner said we were standing on the only operating 'shack on Long Island, where there used to be easily a hundred. I asked him how long they intend to be thee and he said Radio Shack is coming out of bankruptcy and he plans on being there indefinitely.

The thing is they still have a lot of excess inventory to clear out from the other stores. I picked up a $75 HDMI cable for $21. If you have one of these now rare stores close by, you can find some nice goodies for cheap!

What's great for me is if I'm building something and I find out I need a part, maybe I can get it there and recover in hours, not days or weeks.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted October 08, 2017 12:50 AM

Steve,

Interesting news. I keep receiving email notices of their online items at blow-out prices.

I need tuner cleaner. Where's that location on L.I.? It looks like Franklin Sq.

I passed the Garden City Park Store location, and there's a yellow banner: SPRINT Phone Store covering the dirty shadowed outline of the once red colored radio shack store sign , and I'm reminiscing about the past because it's sad, Not FAIR!

Do they still sell the breadboards to tinker with electronics?

Can't wait for the come-back, the store is a favorite of mine.
[Smile]

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Isn't it great that we can all communicate about this great
hobby that we love!

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 08, 2017 03:46 AM

Hey Mike,

This sole survivor is on 25A in Northport.

It is fully stocked and all in order. It felt like some kind of time warp finding it there!

The electronic component section seems ready for business too: I'm sure I'll be exploring it some more!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Richard C Patchett
Master Film Handler

Posts: 424
From: Flint Mi 48506
Registered: Dec 2007

posted October 08, 2017 08:46 AM

Greetings
Anyone remember the batters that were red ?
I Have 2 D batteries still in the original wrapper
and still have my Radio shack Credit card.(last month)
I was informed that if i didn't use it within 30 days my account would be closed Well the stores closed in Michigan (USA) about 2 years ago

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RC’s Classic Collection
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Elmo, Eiki, Bell & Howell +
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Alan Rik
Film God

Posts: 2211
From: New York City, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 08, 2017 10:44 AM

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes! Well the same thing will happen if they keep doing the same thing which is hiring non technical customer service agents who do not know what they are selling and seem to have no desire to want to learn.
The last time I went in I was looking for an LED. I asked the 2 guys working, (one man and the other was a teen or in their 20's?) where they kept them. They both looked at me and said, "Yo whats an LBD?" I said "LED. The little bulbs? You know they are sometimes RED, White, etc?" The older guy said, "If we had them shits in, they might be over there near the cell phones". I went there just knowing they wouldn't be there...of course they weren't. Then they handed me their catalog and they said I could special order them. I said no I can do that for much cheaper on Ebay. So I walked around and found them. I showed it to them and the reply was: "Yo. Thats what you was looking for? Yeah..my bad..my bad..". Uggh. When I was a kid... they all new about the parts they were selling or at least tried. I haven't been back since and that was over 2 years ago.

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Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 08, 2017 01:28 PM

Steve, I hope you got in on any discout close-outs, including store paraphrenalia (acrylic displays and such) - That's what I did over at a recently-closed camera store - Found reels and cans in storage, splicetapes and display materials that come in handy - Alas, no film - Hobbies will always have a select market area nowadays; Hobby-Lobby brought back the model-kit making fun, even that is now relegated to shows like Chiller-Theatre - - We must press on - Shorty

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 08, 2017 01:47 PM

The prices are very good, but I think as they burn off their excess inventory they will recover to normal.

Right now I'm trying to get some usable length cables so I can have some flexibility setting up my VP.

I told the guy running the store what I was doing and he repeated in some kind of amazement:

"Video....PROJECTOR?"

-apparently even when I go modern, I'm still out on the fringe!

(I wouldn't begin to mention the small fleet of film projectors and miles of movie film!)

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted October 08, 2017 03:10 PM

Steve,

Thanks for the info.

I had the same experience about "fringe" topics.

I received an email for Radio Shack, asking where to find a location near you, and I entered our zip code and another location popped up in Yonkers, who knows what exists in that store?

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Isn't it great that we can all communicate about this great
hobby that we love!

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 08, 2017 03:22 PM

I'm thinking you will find what I did yesterday.

These searches never understand what life living on an island is like!

Someone near and dear is currently looking for a job and the job search keeps finding openings in Norwalk, Connecticut.

-sure it's only 20 miles as the crow flies, but there is salt water several hundred feet deep in-between!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 08, 2017 08:25 PM

The guy at the checkout at my local CVS store looks just like Steve. I almost asked him tonight about Cinesea! [Big Grin]

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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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