[GreenKeys] Radio Shack Catalogs on-line

[Bill]

I was a store manager for Radio Shack back in Falls Church, VA. when 
they bought Allied Radio. They spent tons and tons of money converting 
all their stores and brand names to "Allied Radio Shack", changing the 
names on all the store fronts and in advertising. Very little of their 
electronics kept the "Realistic" brand name. Most everything was renamed 
"Allied Radio Shack" or ARS (that was what replaced the Realistic logo 
on the gear.)
Most of the stores were not allowed to carry any of the Allied inventory 
but they all had a catalog order desk for the Allied line. As a store 
manager, you could go to the regional warehouse and pick up customers 
orders. A lot of us even picked up some of the Allied gear for stock in 
our stores much to the dislike of our district managers.
It was not too long after all the money and time spent to do the 
conversion that the fair trade commission stepped in and said that 
"Number one cannot buy number two" because it was unfair. At the time 
Radio Shack was the number one in home electronics and Allied was number 
two. It would have been OK had Allied bought Radio Shack tho.
So, tons and tons of money later, all was converted back to plain old 
Radio Shack and Realistic and the Allied line was removed for good.
I still have an old Allied Radio Shack catalog somewhere in my 
collection of "dumb stuff to keep". Even had a few ARS receivers at one 
time. Wish I still did.
I don't think Radio Shack would rank very high in the top100+ 
electronics stores any more. I don't like going into some of them 
because of the IQ of the people they hire.
They used to be the place to go if you needed parts. They had 1000's of 
small parts you could not find anywhere else. Not any more!
There used to be a Tandy Leather store next door to almost all the 
Shacks. I don't think Tandy Leather exists anymore. Great little hobby 
store.
I think it started out as a privately owned store that catered to the 
Ham world in Long Beach, Ca. Could be wrong here but that was the first 
Radio Shack I remember going in to and I do remember that it was not a 
"company" store of any kind.
How times have changed...sometimes for the worse.

Bill Cain

On 3/3/2013 11:12 AM, Don Robert House wrote:
> Too bad they do not include Allied Radio and their Knight-Kits...
> TANDY, a hobby company, bought Allied and then converted the stores to 
> Radio Shack.
> However Allied Electronics is now a competitor to Mouser, so things 
> get complicated.
>
> Don, K9TTY
> Ringwood, Illinois
>
>
> http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/
>
>
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