Now, imagine somehow they get help from a fairy
that they don't need to re-invest for the 70s remake and magically they transformed just in a night with these :
= Company's image re-building, no more crap phone or headphone stores.
= New wave of inventory that makes Digikey to a shame ![Roll Eyes ::)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif.pagespeed.ce.XcUK202Yqt.gif)
= New internal supporting infrastructure, systems & procedures and etc
= New staffs improvements, this is important as you want the shop keeper knows what they're selling like in the old days, right ? ![Cool 8)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xcool.gif.pagespeed.ic.cOxV6sPNRd.png)
= Did I miss anything else ?
All of these happened in over night, now, with selling stuffs "ONLY" to walk-in customers in their stores throughout US like in the old days, instead of through online like Digikey does, do you still believe they can survive ? ![Wink ;)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xwink.gif.pagespeed.ic.cldandycH0.png)
Okay, let's brainstorm. If I was the CEO of Radio Shack, and suddenly had a lot of cash on hand (say, from having been acquired by Google), and complete freedom as to what to do with the brand...
Let's move the obvious out of the way. RS never has been a competitor of Digikey, and trying to be one is kind of self-destructive.
What IS it that RS was? Basically, a hobbyist's haunt, tech-related novelties and toys for the kids, components available readily but at a premium, and knowledgeable personnel.
So, my secret master plan to turn RS around as a maker's haunt:
- Visit university job faires, build on the "retro cool factor" of the brand, and pull in as many engineering students as I can with flexible time and part-time job offers.
- Go talk to the guys behind the UP! 3d printer, and stock my shops with them. Develop a RS exclusive supercheap, supersmall UP!, preferrably the cheapest ready built 3d printer on the market.
- Go talk to Makerbot, and offer them a nationwide reach via physical stores. This way, if it goes well, I now have two brands of 3d printer.
- Get stocked with Arduino boards and shields, and Raspberry Pi's. Offer a huge selection of enclosures and other paraphernalia related to Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
- Offer 3d printing services in store. You bring an stl on a flashdrive, we print it for you. Also, offer a recycling service, if people bring in 3d printed objects, we buy them up for the price of granulated PLA / ABS, with the credits spendable in store.
- In select stores, offer a rapid PCB prototyping service, at a premium.
- Offer kits, children's experimentation boxes, etc.
EDIT: Also, step into the open hardware movement. Create a branded online resource and community portal. Stock kits from popular open hardware devices. Become a name in the community, so people appreciate and like the brand.
Innovate (or rather, have the community innovate for us), and get the students I hired to contribute when they are just daddling around in the shop. Get into stuff that screams "future", like brain-computer interfaces - have kits of bluetooth-enabled EEG and GSR sensors, with a set of software to experiment and build upon - yes it's mostly toys, but there's nothing wrong with toys. And so on...I'm sure this would turn out pretty well for all, and become a profitable business. But kicking it off wouldn't be trivial.
![Wink ;)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xwink.gif.pagespeed.ic.cldandycH0.png)