Nine Reasons RadioShack Shouldn’t Change Its Name

By  |  Monday, August 3, 2009 at 1:03 am

Radio Shack Catalog[UPDATE: RadioShack has released a press release about all this, and I still can’t tell if it’s changing its name or not.]

Funny thing about RadioShack: I’m not sure if I’ve been inside its stores more than a dozen times over the past seven or eight years…and yet I still feel proprietary about it. The company’s TRS-80 microcomputers were what got me interested in technology in the first place. In college, I was a frequent customer of the location on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the oldest remaining store in the chain. I live about a mile from a RadioShack, and as I think about it, I believe I’ve either worked or lived within a mile of a RadioShack for the majority of my life. Which is nothing exceptional; the company is as omnipresent as any business that doesn’t sell hamburgers, chicken, donuts, or coffee.

Tonight, rumor has it that RadioShack is planning to change its branding to The Shack. I dunno if it’s true–the scuttlebutt that Pizza Hut was going to become The Hut turned out to be overblown–but there’s already a page on RadioShack.com with the slogan “Our friends call us The Shack.” If the 88-year-old electronics retailer is indeed dumping its name, I think it’s a bad idea, and I’m pretty sure I’m not just being resistant to change. After the jump, nine arguments against the new identity.

1. Names people know are better than names they don’t. RadioShack is among the most familiar names in the country–it’s not only not a liability, but one of the company’s greatest assets. Name recognition beats name accuracy every time: Southwest Airlines is a national carrier, GQ stands for Gentleman’s Quarterly but is a monthly, and AT&T hasn’t lost its second T even though it stands for the obsolete “Telegraph.” I’ve always admired the Boston-area chain Newbury Comics for keeping that name even though it’s been primarily a music retailer for most of its history. Then there’s my former employer, PC World, which has been smart enough to keep the “PC” in its name and has outlived all of its principal print competitors.

2. They’re changing it now? I get that radio isn’t exactly a hip concept in 2009, or a word that accurately reflects what RadioShack does. But radio stopped being trendy sixty years ago–which was so early in the history of RadioShack that it was still a small Boston retailer. If having the word radio in the name was a liability, RadioShack would never have become a nationwide retailing phenom in the first place.

3. The Shack is a lousy name. It describes the chain even more poorly than “RadioShack” does. I’m not sure if it has any connotations of any sort, but if it does, I don’t think they’re positive–it sounds kind of…ramshackle. To say it’s kind of blah would be paying it a compliment it probably doesn’t deserve.

4. RadioShack has problems beyond any issues with its name. Lots of them. Its stores are tiny by the standards of the past few decades of American retailing, and therefore can’t compete with the product selection at rivals. (It barely has room to sell HDTVs at all–the TV section at my nearest Costco is larger than my local RadioShack.)  When I’ve been inside RadioShacks in recent years, I’m usually surprised by high the prices are. They have a reputation for iffy customer service. If the signage outside the stores changes but the experience inside doesn’t, it’s not going to be any more competitive than it is right now.

Radio Shack Logos5. The stores already changed their name, and it didn’t seem to help. A few years ago, the tried-and-true “Radio Shack” became the slightly-more-modern-sounding “RadioShack,” necessitating lots of pricey new signag.e Did you spend any more time or money at its stores after it lost the space? (Side note: A couple of years ago when I was at PC World, we briefly considered changing the name of the publication to PCWorld, in part because a meaningful percentage of our readers thought the name was spelled that way. I’m proud to say we thought better of the idea.)

6. I’m afraid the 2-for-1 coupon for 8-track tape I’ve been saving won’t be honored at The Shack. It clearly says it’s good only at Radio Shack.

Coupons

Circuit City7. The always-useful example of Circuit City. It had a name that was in some ways more archaic-sounding than RadioShack–how much time do you spend thinking about the circuitry inside your gadgets? In recent years, it shrunk the “Circuit” on its signs, and at some locations eliminated it altogether, dubbing itself “The City.” (Sound familiar?) The energy the company devoted to fretting about its moniker didn’t do a thing to help keep it solvent.

8. “The Shack” might get confused with this guy.

Shaq

9 Name changes just don’t work. Can you give me one example of a troubled business in any field whose health was improved by a new name, ever? Most often, it’s a sign that the company in question has real problems but its unwilling to confront them. It’s more likely to presage death–not that I think RadioShack is going anywhere, whatever its name–than a turnaround.

Side note: I stole some of the images in this post from an amazing site I just discovered called Radio Shack Catalogs. If you’ve ever had any emotional attachment to RadioShack Radio Shack at any point in your life, you’ll find it profoundly evocative of all the things that made the company appealing once upon a time…

[UPDATE: I’m feeling so nostalgic about the name Radio Shack that I assembled a collection of entertaining old TV ads in tribute to the company’s rich history.]

 
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70 Comments For This Post

  1. joe c Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 12:57 am

    Really? I HATE that Newbury Comics still has the word "comics" in its name when it's such a small part of their business now. Bleh!

    I agree that people will never stop calling it Radio Shack, but the chain is still associated with the past rather than the future. For me I'm afraid it's always going to be the place where the high school geeks hung out, "Trash"-80s, and where they asked for your address even when you only wanted to buy batteries.

  2. Russell Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 1:24 am

    I agree it shouldn’t be changed. “The shack” is cool as a colloquial name but it would be a lousy company name.

  3. ScottGFX Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 1:30 am

    I always liked having a Radio Shack around, but I always thought that they had an ugly logo and ugly looking products. No mater what you think of the TRS-80 computers, they always looked like props from a B-Grade motion picture like “Plan 9 From Outer Space”. (This from a kid that had an Atari 800)

    I had many gifts and things from Radio Shack over the years. Nothing was exceptional. Everything was from Taiwan. Everything was made from a low grade styrene. Everything had an instruction book that looked like someone had taken 5 minutes to create.

    I hate to be down on the company, but they haven’t helped their image in the least. I agree that a name change probably won’t help.

  4. Pascal Cuoq Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 1:50 am

    Regarding point 9, JAVA as a NASDAQ symbol became available again, so Radio Shack might want to try that.

  5. Mearcanj Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 1:59 am

    Hoho i’m french and i know radioshack it’s a legend in m’y city and if i can go in us i surely visit a store
    (excuse m’y poor english)

  6. no Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 am

    Why is Radio Shack even still in business? Who has shopped there in the last decade? No matter what you’re looking for, you can find it cheaper somewhere else nearby. The only thing Radio Shack is good for is buying cheap knock-off crap or the odd electrical or electronic component for something for a lot more money than you’d pay elsewhere — and then being forced to give them your personal information on everything short of your blood type and being hassled by the guy behind the register to sign up for a cell plan every **** time.

  7. DaveZatz Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 3:31 am

    And iTunes should be rechristened as ‘i’, given all the non-musical items they offer.

  8. Macsmarts Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 4:00 am

    They could call it The ShakeDown. Or the Shaft. For the pricing policies.

  9. Thomas Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 4:06 am

    Your reading to much into this. Just like Coke-cola is called Coke, Chevrolet is known as Chevy, RadioShack is marking it’s already used nick name that people have used for years.

    The company will still be RadioShack, it’s just trying to get people to to use the nickname. Trying to get people to see “The Shack” in a different way.

    Thats it, plain & simple. It’s just a nickname. Don’t worry, it will be alright.

  10. Paul Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 4:20 am

    The Shack?! Never! A bit of misguided rebranding can really hurt companies; if it’s an image thing, surely it’d be better to keep the name and run some new ads?

  11. Charlie Anzman Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 6:36 am

    Like you, I garnered my first computer experience actually selling TRS-80 s. I know I’m not resistant to change. Agree totally. This is outright crazy!

  12. anne Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 am

    And what will that do to the sponsorship of Lance Armstrong’s new cycling team partnership? 😉 Will that confuse cycling fans if it changes from RadioShack to the Shack (which sounds like a “hovel” to me… like most of their “mall stores”.

  13. fjpoblam Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 8:41 am

    The name Radio Shack may have become “cheap” to some. But I’ve always found the stores to be a reliable source of reasonably priced supplies, and where I live, fairly knowledgeable folks. In fact, I’m usually disappointed when I *forget* to go there first.

    I have a Radio Shack programmer’s (decimal/hex) calculator, purchased in the 1980s. Its battery is still going: always on (to run the clock though not display it); the date/time went smooth as silk through 2000! Utterly amazing.

    I’ve been in Radio Shack stores since the 60s. To have it renamed “The Shack” would be very trashy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see their merchandise and service to go down the same Walmart path.

  14. Dave McClure Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:06 am

    i think #9 was actually the reason… they *want* to be confused with http://twitter.com/THE_REAL_SHAQ

    (tip: lose the phoenix jersey shot — the Big Philosopher is in Cleveland now)

  15. mbennett Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:09 am

    My image is of a bar in a bad neiborhood that’s not too fastidious about checking IDs.
    By the way, “radio shack” originally referred to the radio officer’s compatrment on merchant ships. Radio officers are an extinct species.

  16. Mubashar Abrar Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:28 am

    I agree with all. Radio Shack has a name and has been a legend and shouldn’t be changed.

  17. Bob Jacobsen Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:30 am

    I really liked their old marketing slogan, back when they were trying to push how technically competent and helpful they were: “You’ve got questions? We’ve got blank stares!”

  18. Steve Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am

    Great post!! It’s really a shame, I’ve also watched Radio Shack go through its decline wistfully. I used to really enjoy going there. It needs a re-energized store concept and focus. They could probably do that with the same name. I hope the name is the least of what they’re worried about. And I really don’t like “The Shack”. Except the one in the B-52’s song. Tin roof…rusted!

  19. HarukaHavok Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:51 am

    “The Shack” sounds beachy and non-technological. No-one can look at that name and know what the store actually sells. It makes the store sound more like a teen hangout than a place to buy tech accessories.

  20. Jeffree K Lassitter Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 am

    The management needs Electro Shack Therapy to prevent them from going through with this mindbogglingly airheaded idea. What they need to do is close some unnecessary stores (in bigger cities) and lower prices. They might also consider their own standalone stores, just like the major drugstores, instead of paying high rents to owners of malls and strip shopping centers.

  21. Zyggy Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:01 am

    As a former Radio Shack employee (fairly recent), I can attest to the fact that “The Shack” is what long-time employees call the stores when talking amongst themselves. However, if I ever referred to it by that name outside the company, people would look at me like I was speaking a foreign language. (Geek-speak?)

  22. Nardo Polo Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 am

    They will always be “gadget city” to me. I sure bought a lot of 555’s to make high frequency audio oscillators. And, of course, bread boards to try out all those experiments. Do kids even still do that today?

  23. Richard Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 am

    “The Shack” sounds like the title of a horror film.

    It is also the name of a book doing the evangelical circuit at the moment, which has negative connotations for me and possibly unusual connotations for people who know the book.

  24. Theodore Boley Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 am

    Yes, The name change will not work. I mean, Look at the player formally known as Chad Johnson (OchoCinco).

    One word sums that up… TOOL.

  25. Fred Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 am

    I have never understood while companies change their names and logos, guess it’s something only Marketing types understand. Besides Radio Shacks real problem is how to compete with Walmart and Best Buy and still keep those of us happy who need cables and adapters because the big box stores don’t carry them.

  26. lindsaybrown Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am

    Stupid idiots, does that mean in another eight decades they will be re-branded Sha? I live in Scotland and love the fact that you have ‘neighbourhood’ stores that still retain a name synonymous with Radio, which to me means hardware, antennae, all things copper and the wonder of this invisible thing called electromagnetism. RadioShack is homely and familiar, a family of enthusiasts that communicate globally with home-made technology, digital or otherwise. Who wants to be cool with the Shack? Not me, I’m too busy twiddling dials and listening…

  27. Tektrix Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:52 am

    The first Radio Shack catalog I ever saw was little more than a mimeographed hand-stapled flyer. Typewritten, and lots of ham gear. I still shop there if I have to.

  28. Ted Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 am

    I heard they’re changing to The Shack cause they’re moving into the robot chicken business. It’s the culinary wave of the future.

  29. Anonymous_ForMyOwnSafety Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 am

    I am an actual, honest-to-god RadioShack employee.

    And having said that, 95% of the people who were reading my comment have just decided to move on to the next one without reading any more. Trust me, I’m used to such treatment considering RadioShack’s overall image.

    For the two or three people who are still reading my comment, I am going to share my opinion on this change, along with some info that I know about it.

    First off…I agree, it’s stupid. This name change won’t help at all. I predict that it’ll only last a year, maybe two years tops, then they’ll change back.

    Now…with that said, here is what I have been told about the upcoming change:

    This is not going to be an official name change. The company and stores are still going to be officially called “RadioShack”. This whole “The Shack” thing they’re pulling out of their butts is just a sort of slang they’ve decided to tack on their branding to make the franchise look fresh, hip and energetic. Compare this to KFC. Everyone calls them KFC, but their official legal business name is still “Kentucky Fried Chicken”. So, yes, they’re gonna try to shove “The Shack” down everyone’s throats, but the company and stores are still going to be officially called “RadioShack”. The employees aren’t being required to get new uniforms or name tags that say “The Shack”, and stores aren’t being required to get new outdoor signs that say “The Shack”. It’s not an official name change…just something, as mentioned, they simply decided to tack on to shake things up.

  30. Steven Fisher Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:06 am

    For complicated reasons, RadioShack became The Source by Circuit City a few years ago in Canada. The result (and this is strictly anecdotal, based on local stores I’ve seen) is that previously quiet stores have turned completely dead.

    Oh, sure, part of this is just the increasing lack of relevance of the stores themselves. But if the name change didn’t cause an extra blow, it at least correlated with one.

  31. SteveP Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 am

    I couldn’t agree more. RadioShack should invest in research to figure out what they do well, and do more of it.

  32. Mad Tante Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 am

    #6:

    !

  33. truthseeker1234 Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 am

    HORRIBLE decision hands down no question about it. This is worse than Rubio’s mexican chain deciding to do All-American HAMBURGER BEEF tacos! Let the “juge the book by it’s cover” hollow minded blinded sheep CEO’s take their companies to the grave so that our start ups with real substance can take their place. As the 2008 bailout 2009 recession has shown – THE TIME FOR B*LLSHIT IS OVER!!!

    I don’t know why I care so much about other people’s failure sometimes. I guess only because when it trickles down it affets me. Everything in this world is interconnected now – no doubt about that. a small rock splashed in the pond sends ripples towards infinity.

    I guess I should wrap up my rant. horrible decision – will bring down the company further. This reminds me of the housing crisis – NOBODY FELT SORRY for the people who lost their homes because they claim they knew what they were getting into. Excluding the many who were genuinely scammed by the loan companies I too do not feel any pity for companies which go down. And this is a sad reality for me since we have assets over 50% underwater in housing! And NOBODY will feel sorry for us. And maybe that’s how it shuld be – it wasn’t my decision but somehow I share in the karma for it. Back to interconnectedness unfortunately – the mistakes of a few will destroy the many. Improve yourself and improve the world.

    http://3rddimension.wordpress.com/

  34. John Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Problem Solved:

    Digital Radio Shack

  35. Wizard Prang Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am

    In my mind, corporate name changes conjure up the image of a board meeting. in which the CFO say “We’re screwed and we don’t know why”, to which the Marketing guy says “OK, let’s change our name and hope that nobody notices that it is the same cruddy company that has served them so poorly in the past”

    A former employer changed their name three times in two years. Didn’t make a damned bit of difference to their bottom line…

    It would be interesting to see what would happen if corporations who changed their names had to public-domain the old name. I suspect that name-changes would be rare.

  36. Dan Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    All very good reasons! They should not change the name.

  37. jackofspades83 Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Radical name changes are really best for the inverse of why Radio Shack is thinking of implementing it. Name changes are best for when you need people to NOT associate you for your earlier failures. Excellent examples are AIG becoming AIU, and ValuJet becoming AirTran after the crash of flight 2600. Radio Shack is at best making a change that will have little negative impact on its sales. Dumb, dumb, dumb…

  38. Mike D. Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    First of all, THANK YOU for acknowledging my website, http://www.RadioShackCatalogs.com. I started my website because of my fond childhood-to-adulthood memories of Radio Shack – especially their catalogs!

    I’ve got to place my vote for another thumbs-down to the new name change. I believe that 80+ years of brand recognition (not to mention millions of dollars in advertising) will be lost.

    For what it’s worth, I will always refer to the company as “Radio Shack”.

  39. Steven Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    I agree RadioShack should not change their name. When I was growing up I would by replacement parts, electronics hobby kits, PCB kits, etc. ‘Radio Shack’ was a staple in my youth, it was a great hobby shop. I have not enjoyed the mini-mall commercialization of RadioShack over the years and do not believe the name change would do much for their image.

  40. John Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm

    Ah, good old Allied…

  41. A random dude Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 3:17 pm

    > Can you give me one example of a troubled business in any field whose health was improved by a new name, ever?

    Marlboro -> Altria

    ValuJet Airlines -> AirTran Airways (after the airplane crash incident)

    Ameritech -> SBC

  42. Spike Page Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 5:56 pm

    This all reminds me of Kmart (or as some know it, K-Mart), who in the past decade was so pleased to announce the creation of “Big Kmart”…which only leaves me with the impression that I used to shop at “Little Kmart”.

    Then not so very long ago the sages in their marketing dept. got the bright idea to remove the “Mart” in white letters from the centre of their red “K” on all their bags and sales circulars. So now they’re just a big red “K”….rather like Big-K drug stores of the late 1970s

    And what did it do for them. Not a darn thing except give their marketing guys something to pat themselves on the back for while the company swirls down the crapper.

    The Shack indeeed! Why not follow the example of KFC and shorten down to “TS” 😀

  43. javimsan Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 pm

    In Canada, Radio Shack changed it’s name a while ago. I think it’s because Circuit City bought them here. It’s now called The Source, which totally sucks. We still call it Radio Shack though and it hasn’t impacted how often we buy things there, we still never do! hehe

  44. A.Alaalas Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 1:18 am

    If Shea Stadium is now Citi Field, why can’t City Hall re-brand itself to Circuit City Hall to cut their deficit? But I digress. Radio Shack should integrate horizontially into: Radio Sugar Shack? Radio Apple Crate? Radio Pizza Shack? Radio Taco iPhone?

  45. Anna Brakoniecka alias Störungsquelle Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 1:33 am

    Name changes just don’t work.
    It depends when you make it…

  46. George Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 2:16 am

    There have been a large number of brand relaunches this past year that have been questionable. Pepsi logo, Tropicana packaging, and even Electrasol changed its name to… to… See the problem?

    If they want to have a tag line that says their friends call them the Shack, cool. But I’m not that close to them, so I prefer to call them by their proper name. Mr. Radio Shack, Esq.

  47. Thomas Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 4:02 am

    As I posted earlier, not sure why so many gave my comment a thumbs down, but the simple truth is still the following:

    Your reading to much into this. Just like Coke-cola is called Coke, Chevrolet is known as Chevy, RadioShack is marking it’s already used nick name that people have used for years.

    The company will still be RadioShack, it’s just trying to get people to to use the nickname. Trying to get people to see “The Shack” in a different way.

    Thats it, plain & simple. It’s just a nickname. Don’t worry, it will be alright.

  48. joetheplumber Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 4:10 am

    OMG.Talk about a mountain out of a mole hill. If federal express can be called “fedex” or Burger King “BK” than why can’t “the Shack” be used. The company is NOT changing the name. They are simply going after the public to help fix the perception for what we do and offer. Its an AD campaign. Thier prices beat other retailers like Walmart or Best Buy in many areas like Cellphones, Networking and TV’s. Does anybody have another “BIG” idea for fixing the negative perception?

  49. Robert Lew Terrell Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 6:22 am

    How about this… Radio Shaq. Then Shaq could help ’em out with their marketing problems, if he’s interested. Or not.

  50. bobobobo Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 6:42 am

    radios have been around forever and they’re not going away any time soon… if they had called themselves “TapeDeck” or something like that when they first opened or something like that, I could see the need for a change

  51. Bill Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 8:09 am

    I dint think changing the name will help. they seem to forget where they came from. Way back when they were available, I actually built all of those P-box kits! It was great fun! Now, if I need a part, I have to mail order from another supplier as Radio Shack barley carries any of that stuff now. Even worked at one for six years (part time) and do not see them being able to compete with other big box stores….

  52. Brian Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 8:12 am

    They aren’t changing their name, the only thing going to change is signage, thats it. RadioShack posted an 18% profit increase in the second quarter, so they are taking that money and ‘revamping’ the look of the stores. They should really ‘revamp’ their idea of wireless being 75% of their business, but if they want to become a wireless provider than whatever. ‘The Shack’ still has cables and parts and components. Oh, and for you who say RadioShack employee’s dont know what they are talking about(I am one), well consider the fact that most of the employee’s are young and might not know what half the stuff your talking about is, because ‘The Shack’ trains us on the future and not the past, so if you ask us something and we give you a blank stare, explain what it is you need and we can probably find it for you. Most of us dont like working for ‘The Shack’, but it pays us money so were not gunna quit. As for the name change, most of the employees i know think its pretty comical, because people have been calling it ‘The Shack’ for years now, and the higher ups are just now catching on.

  53. RS Guy Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 9:22 am

    Hi. RadioShack is not changing its name, it is rebranding itself. The company will still be “RadioShack” but the branding thing. RadioShack has a great brand, but many people think of RadioShack as having CB Radios, Parts, Batteries, Connectors etc, but this rebranding is merely to reengergize it’s products. They want people to know that they carry laptops, and webcams, and wireless routers, mobile phones (At&t, Sprint, T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Tracfone, and Net10). RadioShack will still be RadioShack, just all the signs on the inside and the style points of the physical retail stores are changing!

    Same ol’ RadioShack, but with new products, and a new energy!

  54. bartender Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 10:00 am

    I always went (notice past-tense usage) to RadioShack only because they had items that I couldnt buy over-the-counter anywhere else. Now it just seems like a company that can’t decide what it wants to be. I have a feeling, though, that selling overpriced, mediocre home theater components and cellphone accessories isnt a recipe for success. The need to move away from their current “lets pressure grandpa into buying this TV” business model, to a more “at nerd-depot, we have what noone else does” model. Their stores’ small square-footage would be perfect for niche marketing. Besides, big-box stores will ALWAYS have the best prices/return policies for mass-market electronics.

  55. aaltman9 Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 10:46 am

    “the shack goes the way of the hut.” another interesting article on the same subject over at onthebutton, a naming and branding blog. thought it would be of general interest. http://onthebutton.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/the-shack/

  56. Thomas Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 5:04 pm

    Some of you use the ” oh, their prices are so high” statement, on some stuff, yea, but alot of other things are beating other stores.

    Staples , our HP ink is cheaper.

    I’ve seen 4 different employees of Walmart come in my store and purchase 32″ HD-TV’s at a sale price of 399. ( same size tv’s we were selling @ 1400 two years ago.)

    Their reasoning was, Walmart can’t do better price for that size and with better specs.

    There Soyo & Viore sets are horrible, big failure rates.

    Anytime we can beat Walmart & with their own employees, I’ll take those sales with a hugh smile.

  57. Mike Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 7:43 am

    They should change the name to AWESOME SHACK.

  58. snarkydan Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    “The Shack” is just stupid. Losing one noun certainly didn’t help Circuit City (“TheCity”) or Pizza Hut (“TheHut”). I think stronger measures are in order….

    http://www.esarcasm.com/3042/frak-the-shack-25-better-ways-to-rebrand-radioshack/

  59. P Smith Says:
    August 7th, 2009 at 9:54 am

    When companies change their name, it’s done to _disassociate_ themselves from their past image, not build on it. A past example is Altira, but more recently Blackwater changing to Xe in response to the alleged (?) murders ordered by its CEO.

    Radio Shack should focus more on deciding what they want to sell and how to stock their stores, as the writer suggested.

  60. Thomas Says:
    August 7th, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    So, now days later, does everyone understand ? They were just trying to get people to see “The Shack” in a different way.

    Thats it, plain & simple. It was just a nickname.

    Told you all it will be alright.

    Did anyone check out http://www.radioshack.com/theshack/ ?

  61. no Says:
    August 8th, 2009 at 12:25 am

    Also, Thomas — yes, Radio shack may have a few random widgets and gizmos that are cheaper than at other stores… but I wouldn’t shop at those other stores either. Radio Shack, Best Buy, Staples, Circuit City, CompUSA, Walmart, Office Depot, OfficeMax — these are all stores you go to as a last resort. Say, you need a whatchamacallit and you need it NOW and can’t wait 24-48 hours for it to be shipped from a much cheaper online store that wont’ give you any of the Radio Shack (or Best Buy, etc) hassle.

    But “a place of hopeless last resort” isn’t really a prime endorsement.

  62. wil m Says:
    August 9th, 2009 at 4:55 pm

    The name change makes it official, Radio Shack has jumped the shark.

  63. QuantumIguana Says:
    August 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am

    Such renamings or rebrandings are a sign that a company isn’t quite sure what do with itself. Radio Shack’s name is an asset, everyone knows about it, and nearly everyone lives near one. Trying to be “hip” won’t work. Radio Shack’s biggest strength is that is for most people their neighborhood electronics store. I’ll often stop in at Radio Shack if I don’t feel like taking half an hour to get to a Best Buy.

    It’s also a good store a a do it yourselfer, although this has been downplayed over the years. I could do with less being constantly asked if I need help.

  64. xrilander Says:
    August 23rd, 2009 at 7:02 am

    BK, FEDEX, you get the picture. Everything has to be shortened. Seems people today are to dumb or lazy to spell out anything in it`s entirety. As for Radio Shack, I used to frequently shop there back in the 70`s and 80`s. Former member of the battery of the month club!
    I also purchased a few Realistic combo amplifier/equilizers for my cars. Remember the fm converter you hooked up to your cars am radio? Had one of those too. Little diodes and LED`s, electronic kits, CB radios, and my last purchase from them, an indiglo caller id box a few years ago. Ah, but their time has passed. They have been dying a slow and painful death for years, and calling themselves “the shack” will only accelerate the process. R.I.P. Radio Shack.

  65. meh Says:
    September 7th, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    glad someone else agrees. i kinda think the shack is a desperate attempt to reach out to (the super lame) hipster scene kind of people and draw in a new generation of customers.

  66. marc Says:
    October 27th, 2009 at 7:47 am

    reason # 10

    “the shack” is already the name of a store in Lompoc, CA

  67. Ron Says:
    February 21st, 2010 at 6:36 am

    hey, I went to Boston University from 1965-1971. So, I knew where that store was!!!

  68. Ron Says:
    February 21st, 2010 at 6:37 am

    Did you go to Boston University?

  69. getting rich Says:
    May 25th, 2011 at 5:11 pm

    I like your comments and sites. Great info and best wishes to all of you!

  70. Brandon Says:
    September 26th, 2011 at 3:41 am

    how about ElectroShack?

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