On 10/17/2017 10:46 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 10/17/17 8:17 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/17/2017 7:51 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 10/17/17 7:12 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/16/2017 11:55 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:04:39 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:
... is causing the brick and mortar stores to close their doors.
I needed a HDMI coupler to extend a HDMI cable.* Went on Amazon
and they
had several, some for under $2.* I opted for one that was a little
more
expensive at $3.45 because it had gold plated contacts.* Submitted
the
order and it will be here in two days.
Then, I happened to be out running an errand and stopped in at a Best
Buy, deciding that since the couplers are so cheap, I'll pick one up
there so I could finish the project I am working on today rather than
having to wait for two days.
Found the coupler but the package had no price on it.* Took it up
to the
register thinking it was probably 5 or 6 bucks, tops.
Girl scans it and the price was $29.09.
I told her that must be a mistake, so she manually entered the
number on
the package.* Yup.* $29.09.
Told her I changed my mind.* I'll wait until Wednesday.* That's
absurd.
Those electronics stores are all living on life support. Ebay has
become the new Radio Shack except much better, even when Radio Shack
actually sold electronics parts.
If you want small lots of components (anything from resistors to ICs)
check out Ebay. They are buying this stuff in big lots and breaking it
up into small lots. Since most of this stuff will ship with a 1st
class stamp, shipping is free and fast.
Before they finally closed their doors for good I occasionally
visited Radio Shack to pick up some electronic components for a
guitar amp or something I was repairing.* The selection of
components rated for vacuum tube devices was pretty bare and what
they had you could tell had been there for a long time.* Hard to
even find a resistor in anything more than an eighth watt.
What? The RS on Crown Street in New Haven is closed?** 
I used to get all my little electronics kits and parts there, out of
the bins.
I just looked up the list of remaining Radio Shack stores that are
open. **As of May 31, 2017 only 70 company owned stores remain.* None
listed as open in CT although there may be some that are privately
owned franchises that are still open.
They do have an online sales only that remains in operation.
At one time there were over 7300 stores nationwide.* The founders
started it to support Ham Radio enthusiasts in the 20's.* The original
Radio Shack was in downtown Boston and I visited that store with my
dad back in the 1950's when "HiFi" was beginning to become popular.
The two founders (brothers) eventually sold Radio Shack to the Tandy
Corporation but is now owned by General Wireless.
We have a local franchise store that is still open, but it has never
been what I would call a really successful retail operation. The old
Radio Shack in downtown New Haven was a real magnet for kids fooling
around with building stuff from scratch and from kits. I bought an amp
to take to college, and a pair of speaker kits in the early 1960s.
We have a place on the north shore (Needham) called “You-Do-It”
Electronics Center. As Radio Shack declined, it became the go-to place
for electronic components for both hobbyists and for businesses. It's a
bit of a drive for me from the south shore and I haven't been there for
a long time.
As a kid you could usually find me at Radio Shack in New Haven or at
Lafayette Radio. There was a Lafayette on the north side of the West
Rock Tunnel on the Wilbur Cross Parkway. I recently heard that the
tunnel was renamed, "Hero's Tunnel" a few years ago.