Russ says:

Floundering, yes. Not long after Charles Tandy died, the company was enamored enough of the “Radio Shack” name to rename the entire company (from Tandy Corporation to RadioShack Corporation)– now they want to get away from that??

Tandy himself explained the name once. It’s taken from the nautical term (the room on a ship where the radios and radio operators were stationed), and so evokes images of knowledgeable techies working late at night amidst glowing tubes, coils of wire, and racks of spare parts.

I remember those good old days of waiting for that new catalog to come out in September– among the regular stereo systems, televisions, portable gadgets and parts there’d always be a bunch of great new gizmos you just couldn’t find anywhere else. They were the first to introduce X10 home automation to the masses (as “Plug ‘n’ Power”), had several of the best portable computers ever made, including a pocket computer with a 4-color plotter, introduced consumers to CB radio and satellite television.

The folks who worked there were just as excited about the new stuff as the customers were, and knew all the details about every item in the store.

Now, “The Shack” carries nothing that you can’t find elsewhere either better or cheaper. They’ve been forced out of most of their original lines of business (home entertainment, portable electronics, and computers), have failed to pick up on new innovations, made poor business alliances (Sprint? Really?) and let their hobbyist business languish to the point where maybe there’s one rack of parts in most stores. They’ve become the “convenience store” of electronics– the place you’d only go if you’re in a hurry and don’t mind paying too much.

Fleeing the name “Radio Shack” won’t help. A better choice would have been to invest in training, R&D, and get some products in stores that few people have seen yet.