[Elecraft] Radio Shack Inc

[Mark J. Dulcey]

Phil Wheeler wrote:
> 
> I'm not sure how useful the catalogs will be.  My five local RS stores 
> are all running out of components and apparently not restocking.  OTOH 
> they are now selling such things as Olympus digital cameras.

Around here (Boston), they're shifting over to a system where the 
components are stored in drawers in a big cabinet, rather than on hooks 
on the wall. They take up less space that way, allowing the store to 
sell more stuff. Alas, the change also makes the parts less visible, 
which might eventually lead to them being discontinued altogether. But 
then again, it might not.

Stores seem to let their parts inventory dwindle pre-switch, and get new 
stocks of parts shortly after installing their new drawers. Partly it's 
so they'll have less stuff to move around; partly it's because the new 
parts coming in (the ones intended for the drawer system) come in 
smaller packaging so that they will fit better in the drawers, but the 
new packages are too small for effective display on the hooks, so stores 
don't want to receive them until they set up their drawers.

It's been happening one store at a time, not all at once. So some stores 
still have well-stocked wall hooks, some have mostly bare walls, and 
some have well-stocked cabinets. If you can't find the parts you're 
looking for at your nearest store, try another one.