from Hacker News

A Surefire Way to Save RadioShack

by BinaryAcid on 9/12/14, 6:04 PM with 8 comments

• by Someone1234 on 9/12/14, 6:15 PM

  Uhh, there are two places with 3D printers locally, aside from a demo I've never seen them be used. I'm not even sure how I myself would utilise them as I'd need to know first off that something I needed was available as a 3D printer plan and then assuming that it is that it is cheaper than the mass produced alternative (hint: it almost always isn't, 3D printing is super expensive for simple plastic components).

  Plus you're renting retail space and hiring staff but competing with companies like i.materialise, sculpteo, and so on, who can operate out of more inexpensive real estate and get the economies of scale, see Amazon. They also manage to bring together both the manufacturing and helping you find the things you wish to manufacture to begin with (which is a big problem with just setting up a 3D printer and hoping people will use it for "something").

  It is a tiny market that is difficult to leverage. Far from a "surefire" anything, more likely to just accelerate their likely inevitable demise.

  Let's not even talk about the huge limitations of 3D printing. It has come a long way, but realistically a lot of plastic items cannot be produced via a 3D printer because the resulting products are too fragile.

• by tombrossman on 9/12/14, 7:55 PM

  My last visit to RadioShack was to try and purchase an overpriced plug adaptor from a sleazy salesman. I was in a hurry and knew I was paying too much, but it was for my parents and I was just wanting to grab one to get them sorted out and move on.

  He had some lengthy offer of 'free batteries' that he incorrectly assumed I was willing to listen to, then refused to complete the sale when I refused to give my telephone number. Total scumbag. This was in Florida but I had nearly the same experience 2 years earlier at one in California.

  This is representative of their culture for a while now and I know I'm not the only one they have alienated. New 3D gadgets or not, I'm not likely to ever set foot in the place again. If they are 'pivoting', they need to pivot that name, too, to disassociate the new venture from the toxic sales culture that they exhibit today.

• by georgeecollins on 9/12/14, 7:09 PM

  This is cool, but super naive for all the problems already mentioned and then some.

  Warren Buffet said that some companies are already bankrupt, they just haven't run out of money yet. Sadly, this is true of Radio Shack.

• by mindcrime on 9/12/14, 7:15 PM

  I'm not sure this would work, especially given the lack of funds that RS currently holds. But I think it could work, or could have worked. Radio Shack did start a marked move towards re-embracing the DIY/Maker community a while back, but it was hardly a wholesale pivot... I think it was just a case of "too little, too late".

  Still, I wish this could, and would, happen. Ordering parts online is cool and all, but having a physical retail location nearby with a great selection of parts, supplies, books, tools, etc., would definitely draw me in.

• by mtVessel on 9/12/14, 9:03 PM

  Sure, and Borders should have pivoted from selling books that have already been published, to becoming an outlet for people who want to self-publish. I mean, hey, there's loads of people like that on the internet! It must be a viable business model. /s