# Radioshack, why?



## thewaker43 (Apr 19, 2006)

Hey folks
Excuse me if this has been discussed before. I searched the forum but did not find anything. Also I do not follow pro-cycling too closely, but was curious about the Radio Shack team. It just strikes me as odd that they would have such a great team. I was kind of under the impression that Radio Shack (the store) was floundering. At least where I live, Atlanta, GA, most stores have gone out of business. I understand Lance had a lot to do with this but was just wondering how this team came about. Thanks
casey


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

Radio Shack formed a cycling squad to gain a better market presence in Europe. Lance told corporate leadership there is an insatiable need for batteries, remote controlled cars and wireless doorbells across the pound. 

Hence the team was born.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

I've never seen a RadioShack store in any place in Europe.

Starbucks on the other hand are poping up like mushrooms.

Kinda silly, we have the best coffe houses and tradition here, no need for mass production Cofeeshops.


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

You also have much better food, yet you get McDonald's... We live in a strange world.

Radio Shack is not doing so good, when things are not going well, a company can make better stuff, change it's market or just throw some money in publicity, marketing and sponsoring Lance. It may work, before the team came about, I thought Radio Shack had gone bankrupt long ago.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

Dan Gerous said:


> You also have much better food, yet you get McDonald's... We live in a strange world.
> 
> Radio Shack is not doing so good, when things are not going well, a company can make better stuff, change it's market or just throw some money in publicity, marketing and sponsoring Lance. It may work, before the team came about, I thought Radio Shack had gone bankrupt long ago.



And even though the McDonalds here is not cheap and not that bad as in other places because we have strong sanitary regultions, the food still sucks, but it is kinda popular among children because of the toys on the happy meal, the clown and the big kids plagrounds they have in it. So they drag the whole family in sometimes...

I find hard to believe an adult actually would want to go eat there, but there you see them


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## mustang1 (Feb 7, 2008)

Salsa_Lover said:


> I've never seen a RadioShack store in any place in Europe.
> 
> Starbucks on the other hand are poping up like mushrooms.
> 
> Kinda silly, we have the best coffe houses and tradition here, no need for mass production Cofeeshops.


Where I work, there are FOUR starbucks within THIRTY SECONDS walk (not exageratting) and one that's 2 minutes walk away.

Wrt Radio Shack, there are no Shacks in England, do they go under a different brand name, like Maplins for example? Whenever I walk into a Maplins store, it reminds me of Radio Shack in America.

I also wonder why it took someone like Lance to convince managers to expand in Europe (if that's they're plan, don't they have the gumption to make up their own minds or is corporate boredom a reality?


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## Spanky_88007 (Aug 28, 2008)

Just finished my short lived career at the Shack, and I can honestly say that if not for cell phones, the company would go kaput. The house brand batteries are horrible. Everything else is overpriced. Service Plans are also overpriced and the service center is halfa$$ at best. I'd like to say the customer service is great, but I'd be lying. I had a difficult time standing behind not only the products, but also the way things are done there (which is a different soap box all together). I wonder how much longer The Shack will exist. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like in sponsoring the team, The Shack is a drowning victim coming up for a desperate breath.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Does Tandy make good bikes?


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

A from Il said:


> Does Tandy make good bikes?


Don't know, but they sure do make ugly jerseys!


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## Comer (Jan 13, 2009)

Seeing as though you career @ The Shack was short-lived you may not have the most objective viewpoint of the company.

Radio Shack contacted LA, it was a surprise to him. Instead of people ripping it, they should celebrate the fact that a new to cycling company is pumping this much money into the sport.

I use an HTC phone and support any companies that support cycling when I can, whether road, mtb or triathlon. Just enjoy it.







Spanky_88007 said:


> Just finished my short lived career at the Shack, and I can honestly say that if not for cell phones, the company would go kaput. The house brand batteries are horrible. Everything else is overpriced. Service Plans are also overpriced and the service center is halfa$$ at best. I'd like to say the customer service is great, but I'd be lying. I had a difficult time standing behind not only the products, but also the way things are done there (which is a different soap box all together). I wonder how much longer The Shack will exist. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like in sponsoring the team, The Shack is a drowning victim coming up for a desperate breath.


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## Big-foot (Dec 14, 2002)

*The jersey...*

...looks kinda cool.


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## Kaleo (Jun 15, 2008)

^^ hahaha... It's been a while since I've been to a Radio Shack, but everytime I've had a need or desire to go into one and do, it's been a dissapointment. Being the advertising and marketing business, I understand how good marketing can keep a bad company going even after the brand sabotages itself. RS has been riding on a old brand name for a very long time, it is remarkable how long they've lasted. I'm glad they're promoting in cycling, give a few racers a job.


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## Wborgers (Oct 6, 2008)

Actually several private equity funds are rumorred to be in negotiations to take the Shack private- kinda auctioning the co. to the highest bid- the awareness LA brings could be very prudent move by management to create a bit of buzz and drive bids higher-


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## fontarin (Mar 28, 2009)

My wife actually stopped in at a RS to get a phone battery/charger when she normally wouldn't have, due to the team.

...Unfortunately, they didn't have the battery we were looking for and we had to go somewhere else.


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## neilg1 (Sep 23, 2009)

thewaker43 said:


> Hey folks
> Excuse me if this has been discussed before. I searched the forum but did not find anything. Also I do not follow pro-cycling too closely, but was curious about the Radio Shack team. It just strikes me as odd that they would have such a great team. I was kind of under the impression that Radio Shack (the store) was floundering. At least where I live, Atlanta, GA, most stores have gone out of business. I understand Lance had a lot to do with this but was just wondering how this team came about. Thanks
> casey


I think the riders wanted Bruyneel's special sauce....


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## cpark (Oct 13, 2004)

Salsa_Lover said:


> I've never seen a RadioShack store in any place in Europe.
> 
> Starbucks on the other hand are poping up like mushrooms.
> 
> ...


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## makeitso (Sep 20, 2008)

Eh, Radio Shack is about the only place, short of specialty electronics stores, that will have a decently wide range of resistors, relays and other small electronic stuff. For stuff you can pick up @ Walmart or similar I don't go to Radio Shack though.


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## zoikz (Sep 5, 2003)

Does make you wonder about the sponsors of American based teams who do Pro-Tour events. There never were any 7-11's in europe. Likewise not sure how much it was worth to the USPS to get a big euro presence. No radio-shacks. Can you even buy Columbia sportswear? Chipolte restaurants?
My guess is that Continental teams get basically no coverage outside of cycling specific press in the US, at least with a Pro-tour or Pro-Cont team they will get some press and TV. Plus the teams are super cheap when compared to NASCAR etc...
Lance is a marketing icon. One thing that struck me at tour of cali was how many people who had absolutely no idea about bike racing, would show up for a glimpse of Lance. Not a bad idea for Radio-Shack to give it a shot. 
They may not be so happy about it though with all the brew haha.


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## Spanky_88007 (Aug 28, 2008)

1 year was plenty of time to get a feel for the goings on there.



Comer said:


> Seeing as though you career @ The Shack was short-lived you may not have the most objective viewpoint of the company.
> 
> Radio Shack contacted LA, it was a surprise to him. Instead of people ripping it, they should celebrate the fact that a new to cycling company is pumping this much money into the sport.
> 
> I use an HTC phone and support any companies that support cycling when I can, whether road, mtb or triathlon. Just enjoy it.


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## johnlh (Sep 12, 2008)

Spanky_88007 said:


> Just finished my short lived career at the Shack, and I can honestly say that if not for cell phones, the company would go kaput. The house brand batteries are horrible. Everything else is overpriced. Service Plans are also overpriced and the service center is halfa$$ at best. I'd like to say the customer service is great, but I'd be lying. I had a difficult time standing behind not only the products, but also the way things are done there (which is a different soap box all together). I wonder how much longer The Shack will exist. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like in sponsoring the team, The Shack is a drowning victim coming up for a desperate breath.


Well, maybe The Shack felt as though they had a common thread with Armstrong's comeback.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

My impressions of Radio Shack were formed as a kid and always getting chased out by the manager for looking at the R/C cars that could only turn left. They never wanted kids to come in and take a look at the stuff for kids. Otherwise it was that place for those weird HAM radio guys. 

Radio Shack is owned by the great Tandy corporation, which was famous for selling the crappiest computers in an era when all computers were pretty crappy. 

Now, after all these years, Radio (The Shack) Shack has decided it needs Lance Armstrong to save the company with a little branding help. If he can survive cancer, become a World Champion, win the Tour, make water into wine... there is an outside chance he can save Radio Shack.


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## SBH1973 (Nov 21, 2002)

Radio Shack, I think, still works, because when you need that little metal electronic bit on a Sunday at 1 pm to hook up that new TV to watch a game, and you don't have it, you can run down to the local mall or wherever your Shack is and get it. I don't know who would buy radios and other such consumer electronics there, but when you need some co-ax and splices of something, they usually have what you're looking for.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

Their B&B is phone contracts.


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## rydbyk (Feb 17, 2010)

*Puzzled too..*

I don't care how cool their ads or marketing tactics are....STILL there is NO NEED to go to a Radio Shack. A shack where radios are sold....essentially this what the name/branding implies. Maybe back in the 70's when RADIOS were all the rage??

The store/concept has ALWAYS been puzzling to me. Goofy low end brands and products.... 

Seems like a hobby store perhaps??

It must appeal to some people...afterall, I think they have been around since I was a kid..


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## loudog (Jul 22, 2008)

rydbyk said:


> I don't care how cool their ads or marketing tactics are....STILL there is NO NEED to go to a Radio Shack. A shack where radios are sold....essentially this what the name/branding implies. Maybe back in the 70's when RADIOS were all the rage??
> 
> The store/concept has ALWAYS been puzzling to me. Goofy low end brands and products....
> 
> ...



radioshack is much improved. they carry most of the same less expensive cameras, phones, and computers that best buy does. their stock price has risen steadily over the last year and they now sell the iphone. radioshack does well in places where a big box store cant survive. go in one, you'd be surprised at the products they sell now - way more mainstream than at any time over the last 25 years.


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## culdeus (May 5, 2005)

Maximus_XXIV said:


> Their B&B is phone contracts.



This.Alot. RS made ridiculous money when I believe Sprint decided they couldn't open their own stores like cingular/ATT did. They paid huge fees and override on every phone sold at RS. It was the deal of the millennium. Now it's not nearly as lucrative to have their real estate storefronts. 

The battery and resistor market is still just a tiny fraction of their revenue.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

loudog said:


> radioshack is much improved. they carry most of the same less expensive cameras, phones, and computers that best buy does. their stock price has risen steadily over the last year and they now sell the iphone. radioshack does well in places where a big box store cant survive. go in one, you'd be surprised at the products they sell now - way more mainstream than at any time over the last 25 years.


and where else can you get a Realistic 10 band graphic equalizer, a HDMI to VGA adapter with a female to female connector, and a 1000 foot roll of speaker wire under the same roof?


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Somebody mentioned NASCAR, and therein lies the answer.

RS discovered that NASCAR fans are incredibly loyal to NASCAR brands... so they are active in NASCAR. 

Then they discovered Lance, and figured, hey you think bikers are brand loyal to Lance like NASCAR fans are to Dale or Jeff or Jimmy? 

I guess the answer remains to be seen... but it only takes a tiny % of people to stop in who otherwise would not have, to pay for the team.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

I think this explains it all...

http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/


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## BobH (Jul 6, 2006)

Salsa_Lover said:


> And even though the McDonalds here is not cheap and not that bad as in other places because we have strong sanitary regultions, the food still sucks, but it is kinda popular among children because of the toys on the happy meal, the clown and the big kids plagrounds they have in it. So they drag the whole family in sometimes...
> 
> I find hard to believe an adult actually would want to go eat there, but there you see them


Where else can you take the kids for a happy meal and have a couple *BEERS *for yourself. :thumbsup:


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

What's wrong with McDonalds?


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## babylou (Jul 13, 2008)

What a bunch of negative nannies. Radio Shack makes more than USD1,000,000 pretax profit per day.


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## george_da_trog (Feb 12, 2004)

Radio Shack still fills a niche for my cable and connector needs. It's also easier than going to some mega store, fighting for parking and standing in long lines for something simple.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Radio Shack is rising from the ashes. Nothing wrong with that. And they're doing it with cell phones.

Do I like them more just because they support cycling? Yes, a wee bit.

fc


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

If the thermofuse goes out in your coffee maker do you buy a new coffee maker?



rydbyk said:


> I don't care how cool their ads or marketing tactics are....STILL there is NO NEED to go to a Radio Shack. A shack where radios are sold....essentially this what the name/branding implies. Maybe back in the 70's when RADIOS were all the rage??
> 
> The store/concept has ALWAYS been puzzling to me. Goofy low end brands and products....
> 
> ...


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

How many here know what a thermofuse is?


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

*If the thermofuse goes out in your coffee maker do you buy a new coffee maker?*

Nope, I bypass it like a true *******.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

I didn't... until it happened to me. Then you'll be glad there's a Radioshack. Or you can bypass it and see if your house burns down


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