RadioShack is not doing so well as it faces getting delisted from the NYSE due to not fulfilling the NYSE standards. Over the years, RadioShack seems to have slipped more and more into the pool of forgotten names. Familiar when said out loud, but foggy when you picture the last time you stopped by. They still have a customer base, but they lost the shine they used to have when it comes to being that electronics part store everyone used to rely on.
I know that sounds a little harsh, but before coming to such a conclusion, we put two teams together to visit stores both in NV and CA areas to see how well they stand up to what they used to stand up for. Basically, our own (temporary) secret shopper program.
Upon making our runs (as well as phone calls), we found that a majority of the stores were not able to answer simple technical questions. One of the most troubling, was if they had “HDMI 2.0” cables in stock. We were met mostly with answers like “yes, we have HDMI cables”, missing the 2.0 variable in the request. Upon discussing the difference between the previous 1.4 standard and the new move to 2.0 for 4K devices, we were met with confusion mostly.
The correct answer would be that there are no “2.0” certified cables as of yet until such a thing is licensed by the creating organization of HDMI. The cables that support 2.0 are considered “high speed” HDMI cables that are capable of handling the required bandwidth that is “HDMI 2.0” (up to 18Gbps).
Another scenario involved differences in speaker wire gauges. A few staff members thought the higher the number was better because the wire could bet “better hidden”.
We could go on forever, but the point of this piece isn’t to bury RadioShack with a negative spotlight, but quickly point out how they lost their spark. Their ability to be that place where AV, RC and other hobbyists/enthusiasts can visit for specialized parts and discussion.
All they need to do is bring that back. Places like Fry’s may have be pressing hard on their tail, but they can still bring a 180 to the table and come back with style. They just need to focus on what they used to be best at. Knowledge, advice and parts!
