What happened to Electronics Stores

[Basil]

This guy gives a good (and kinda sad) retrospective on electronics stores. One that surpprised me was Fry's - didn't realize they had gone under. I used to visit Fry's as a matter of course when I'd go to San Diego while working on various hush hush stuff as a contractor. I bought lots of hard drives as well as a really nice camera bag there.

Now: Frys

 

[DrEntropy]

I use Mouser now for most discreet parts.

 

[equiprx]

This guy gives a good (and kinda sad) retrospective on electronics stores. One that surpprised me was Fry's - didn't realize they had gone under. I used to visit Fry's as a matter of course when I'd go to San Diego while working on various hush hush stuff as a contractor. I bought lots of hard drives as well as a really nice camera bag there.

Now: Frys

Every experience I had a fry's was a mixture of ignorance, arrogance and just plain stupidity.
Good riddance.
I do miss having my local Radio Shack though.
Glad I stocked up on vitals when they were closing.

 

[Basil]

Every experience I had a fry's was a mixture of ignorance, arrogance and just plain stupidity.
Good riddance.
I do miss having my local Radio Shack though.
Glad I stocked up on vitals when they were closing.

I never had any bad experiences at Fry’s but then I only visited occasionally on business trips. Did get some good deals on some stuff

 

[Boink]

I use Mouser as well (for raw parts)... though rarely as it seems most things are designed to be tossed out. Sad.
With parts from Mouser I did manage to repair our DVD player (swapping out several electrolytic caps).
Loved Radio Shack in the day, but REALLY loved the small mom and pop shops in my youth... or the many surplus stores that existed prior to 1970 or so.
All gone.

 

[pdplot]

I have an old GE cathedral radio. Only gets one am station. Has SW also but it doesn't work. Anyone restore one of these?
AM station now does not come in without a squeal. Can you still get tubes & parts?

 

[GregW]

Can you still get tubes & parts?

Guitar amp tubes have made a big come back in the last decade or so. You might find the exact replacement now.

 

[Gliderman8]

Before the World Trade Center went up I used to take the train into Manhattan and go to “Radio Row”. Lot of stores and stands selling surplus electronics. Lot of WWII stuff. As a kid it was better than a candy store for me.

 

[equiprx]

Before the World Trade Center went up I used to take the train into Manhattan and go to “Radio Row”. Lot of stores and stands selling surplus electronics. Lot of WWII stuff. As a kid it was better than a candy store for me.

That would have been on Canal Street.
My dad brought me there once about 60 years ago.
I doubt if it is still there.

 

[PC]

This guy did a very good analysis of Fry's:

He also did one on Radio Shack, back when it was still on life support and they hadn't pulled the plug yet.

Always disliked the Shack. Didn't stop me from shopping there, which I did quite a lot. But it was always my last resort. I even worked there for a while (as a student, summer and winter break), which reinforced my dislike of the place. My store's manager and the other guys in our store were good guys, but corporate sucked.

There have been a couple of parts from RadioShack I actually liked better than similar ones from elsewhere. But I can get those from Allied (which was somehow corporately related to the Shack).

Every experience I had a fry's was a mixture of ignorance, arrogance and just plain stupidity.
Good riddance.....

I loved Fry's. But I'm the guy they were originally created for, the professional nerd. I never had to deal with their ignorance, arrogance or stupidity. I just wandered the isles and grabbed what I needed.

Sure, I get components from Mouser, Digi-Key, etc. But it was nice being able to waltz in and grab stuff, no waiting, no shipping charges.

 

[Gliderman8]

That would have been on Canal Street.
My dad brought me there once about 60 years ago.
I doubt if it is still there.

All of those places are long gone.

 

[Gliderman8]

I miss the “old days” of getting (begging ) my mom to drive me to Lafayette Electronics to buy components to build projects that would be in Popular Electronics.

 

[AngliaGT]

Eureka,Ca still has Redwood Electronics.Always enjoyed going in there
when I needed something.Place always seemed kind of ageless to me.
Up until some months ago,the Radio Shack signs were still there here
in Roanoke.Always meant to get a picture of it.

 

[AngliaGT]

This guy did a very good analysis of Fry's:

He also did one on Radio Shack, back when it was still on life support and they hadn't pulled the plug yet.

Always disliked the Shack. Didn't stop me from shopping there, which I did quite a lot. But it was always my last resort. I even worked there for a while (as a student, summer and winter break), which reinforced my dislike of the place. My store's manager and the other guys in our store were good guys, but corporate sucked.

There have been a couple of parts from RadioShack I actually liked better than similar ones from elsewhere. But I can get those from Allied (which was somehow corporately related to the Shack).

Was there a guy named Mickey working there?

I loved Fry's. But I'm the guy they were originally created for, the professional nerd. I never had to deal with their ignorance, arrogance or stupidity. I just wandered the isles and grabbed what I needed.

Sure, I get components from Mouser, Digi-Key, etc. But it was nice being able to waltz in and grab stuff, no waiting, no shipping charges.

 

[Madflyer]

When I was a kid in the late 50's early 60's there was a surplus store with boxes and bins of said radio tubes and a tester so you could buy a good tube. We had a tube TV the Hardwhere store had the tester and RCA tubes
When I was in aircraft school we were taught tube technology. Dam what a chip will do today. Remember that $10.00 transistor radio.

 

[Basil]

my mom to drive me to Lafayette Electronics

When I was in Junior High and High School I was heavily into CB radio. There was a "Lafayette Electronics" near Colfax and Sable in Aurora where me and several other nerd friends would get our gear, antennas, etc.

 

[Gliderman8]

When I was in Junior High and High School I was heavily into CB radio. There was a "Lafayette Electronics" near Colfax and Sable in Aurora where me and several other nerd friends would get our gear, antennas, etc.

Me too!... Bought my first CB, Shure Microphone, antenna, coax cable everything I needed for my rig. Those were fun times.... it was our Xbox

 

[Boink]

I was a ham (and still have my license, N7ALJ, though don't use it), and really got into radio gear (including linear amplifiers and HUGE antennas). Talked with people all over the world.

 

[Basil]

Me too!... Bought my first CB, Shure Microphone, antenna, coax cable everything I needed for my rig. Those were fun times.... it was our Xbox

Yep - it sure was (our Xbox). I have one wall in my bedroom that was covered with "Q" cards from all over the US and even some from overseas.

 

[Basil]

I was a ham (and still have my license, N7ALJ, though don't use it), and really got into radio gear (including linear amplifiers and HUGE antennas).

One of my old highschool chums who was into CB with me is still into Ham radio and has more gear than you can imagine! I sort of dropped out of the hobby when I joined the USAF (kinda hard to have a CB rig when you live in the barracks.). I just never ended up getting back into it.