RadioShack

I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for the anachronism that is Radio Shack, even though I don’t think you can sound more dated than the words «radio» and «shack» if you tried. Having worked at Radio Shack back in college, I was paid minimum wage OR commission, whichever was more. So, when you get the attempted upsell for things like batteries, there’s an economic reason behind it.
Falling on hard times has meant liquidation of hundreds of stores across the U.S. in recent years, as the electronics retailer has struggled to stay relevant in an increasingly online world. Still, I have to say I’m glad there’s a place to buy power adapters, batteries, Arduino gear and MakerBot supplies, even if I’m not currently an aficionado of such projects in my advanced age.
While this location is about par what you’d expect, I do hope it sticks around, maybe even in a more forward-​looking iteration, or a with a revamped product line and a dynamic marketing campaign. It would leave a Radio Shack-​shaped hole in my heart if it were gone.

I dropped my trusty iPad on my stone kitchen floor and busted the screen. I thought I’d take it to radio shack for a fix, as it was cheaper than taking it to apple and the store is right up the street from where I live.
I wish I hadn’t. RS advertises «quick» screen repair and when I first brought it in they told me it’d take 2 – 3 days. But it ended up taking SIXTEEN (16) days. It took them a few days to realize they couldn’t fix at the store so they had to send it out to the «master tech» — then they didn’t send it out when they first told me they were going to, then when they finally did it took forever to get back and nobody knew where it was. It was just a comedy of errors. Plus, my frustration was compounded by customer service that was beyond apathetic — when I would call to check the status, generally nobody knew nothing and I’d be told to call back, really just trying to get me off the phone.
And the iPad is «fixed» and generally functional, but it’s not the same. It uses battery probably 3x faster, sometimes the screen doesn’t respond to a touch they way it should, and in one corner it’s a little thicker and it makes a clicking noise when squeezed.
If I had to do it over, I’d spend $ 500 or whatever on a new iPad rather than the $ 200 I spent for a crappy experience and an imperfect old iPad. It was a big mistake taking it to Radio Shack and I’m not the least bit surprised the company is bankrupt.