Radio Shack: Where’s The Flavoradio?

Dear Radio Shack

So business stinks. But when we go by to the store closest to our house, we can’t tell the difference between a Radio Shack and the Sprint store at the other end of the shopping center. We got a great comment on BrandlandUSA today about one of our posts on private brands at Radio Shack.

Phil Macarthur at oswegoradio.com writes to us and says:

The Flavoradio (model 12-166) (and the only pocket radio made in Korea for Radio Shack) was the longest running production radio ever built, 15 years (1972 – 1986). It made the cover of the March 2008 Antique Radio Classified.

So what’s the point? Radio Shack is missing a big part of its old business model when it doesn’t make its own proprietary products. Below, a few recent posts on Radio Shack.

Author

  • Garland Pollard

    J. Garland Pollard IV is editor/publisher of BrandlandUSA. Since 2006, the website BrandlandUSA.com has chronicled the history and business of America’s great brands.

3 Comments

  1. All I have to say is Charles Tandy must be rolling over in his grave. How this company could get away from all of its established brands, Realistic, Archer, Micronta, Science Fair, And Optimus I just don’t know.
    I knew that first year when they abandoned the catalog I said to myself its over.
    Every year I couldn’t wait to get my copy of the catalog and see what was new in it.
    Like the other commentor stated they simply lost their way and became a phone store.
    Well nothing left to do now but wait for them to go belly up. 🙁

  2. If you want to reminise about the old days at Radio Shack, check out http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com.

    You can view the old Radio Shack catalogs from 1939-2005 .

    If you look around, you can also view “books” of old store photos, memorabilia, trademarks, advertisements, commercial videos, a forum, and yes, even the old RadioShack Free Battery of the Month Club Cards!!!

  3. Garland,

    Sometime you have to let me tell you the story about the Radio Shack that was being used as a front by a pimp who had his girls sitting on the merchandise all day like it was a showroom.

    I’m constantly amazed HOW LONG this chain has lingered on for. The sad thing is it would be so easy for them to make money right now showing people how to fix things themselves in order to save money, but they won’t. They’re gonna keep trying to push cell phone contracts and overpriced iPod accessories because it doesn’t require any IQ points on the part of the staff.

    They should bring back the battery club too, probably one of the greatest American promotions of all time.

    – Sam

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