Years before computers were commonplace, and when they were a niche, hobbyist pastime, RadioShack was the place to go for parts and components, as well as a popular stop for inexpensive, consumer-level electronic gadgets and appliances, like headphones, radio-controlled cars, telephones, and stereo speakers. At one point, more than 7,400 RadioShacks were operational, according to Twice. But that was in 2004, by which point big box stores like Best Buy and Target (and online merchants, particularly Amazon) could sell everything RadioShack did, but for less, and with more variety.
It's kind of surprising that RadioShack lasted as long as it did, which is the comic through-line of a 2007 article that ran in The Onion, positing that newly appointed RadioShack CEO Julian Day couldn't fathom how the company was still kicking. "You wouldn't think that people still buy enough strobe lights and extension cords to support an entire nationwide chain, but I guess they must, or I wouldn't have this desk to sit behind all day," the fake newspaper fake-quoted Day, adding that the sales figures failed to "add up."
The writing was on the wall, according to The Onion, and in 2015, the prediction came true. That's when RadioShack filed for bankruptcy after nearly 100 years in business, according to Forbes. By 2020, the chain of many thousands had shrunk to about 400 outlets and an e-commerce site, per ABC News.
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