I know it is not news, but Radio Shack is dead. My local store did not shutter when they went bankrupt. It has now been remodeled to bring in a cell phone store in a good 1/4 of the store. This has forced the store to drop merchandise. And what did they drop? Most of the hobbyist stuff.
What they dropped floors me. They no longer have project boxes, and prototype boards. But they do still have the rub on decals for etching your own circuit boards. What is the sense in that? Who ever was in charge of selecting merchandise for the hobby area obviously never held a soldering iron.
So my goal now, is to never step foot in the store. I will start to stock up on basic supplies from DigiKey and Mouser. Stuff like switches, a few transistors, and wire. I already have a start on being independent. It will not take much to divorce myself completely from them.
It is a sad day. I remember as a kid going to the store to browse the parts and imagine having the knowledge to use them. I then remember going to the store to buy parts I did know how to use. Now I go to the store, and wonder who might really be still using rub on stickers to make a PCB.
Sad but true, same happened to my local RS. The internet explosion and a poor management and ability to reinvent itself killed RS. I think their hobby area alone could have been greatly successful if it had stepped up to the internet competition and have an educational model to promote the electronics/projects they sell. Now they are just another cheap plastic product anonymous strip mall store, who cares. Honestly it is easier these days to order everything online knowing it’s always in stock somewhere and it will arrive at a predictable delay.