The future of 'Zombie' RadioShack

[ff]

This downturn in their business really started around 2000 or so when they focused all of their attention on wireless phones. This is a service based industry where you ultimately have no control on profit/hardware subsidity, and revenue by giving most control to 3rd party business partners. (Verizon, ATT, Sprint, etc.) If you are not agile enough, it will put any large or small business into a downward spiral....

Amen.  The first few years of any craze are profitable to be in to but after wireless phones became commoditized, the margins vanished, which is what ALWAYS happens at that part of the cycle.  The people running RS are either as blind as bats, or bats**t crazy to think that they could re-invent basic economics.  The last remaining component that I regularly bought at Radio Shack is now apparently discontinued, judging by its disappearance from their website. The dual IC breakout board (276-159B) has been a marvelously handy item to have around.  I will now be buying them up whenever I see them...  So long RS...