Editing RadioShack (section)

== History ==
=== The first 40 years ===
The company was started as Radio Shack in 1921 by two brothers, Theodore and Milton Deutschmann, who wanted to provide equipment for the new field of [[amateur radio]] (also known as [[Etymology of ham radio|ham radio]]). The brothers opened a one-store retail and mail-order operation in the heart of downtown [[Boston]] at 46 [[Brattle Street (Boston)|Brattle Street]]. They chose the name "[[Radio shack|Radio Shack]]", which was the term for a small, wooden structure that housed a ship's radio equipment. The Deutschmanns thought the name was appropriate for a store that would supply the needs of radio officers aboard ships, as well as hams (amateur radio operators).  The idea for the name came from an employee, Bill Halligan,{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} who went on to form the [[Hallicrafters]] company.  The term was already in use&nbsp;— and is to this day&nbsp;— by hams when referring to the location of their stations.<ref>{{cite book|last=Silver|first=H. Ward|date=August 2013|title=Ham Radio For Dummies|publisher=Wiley Publishing|isbn=9780764559877}}</ref>

The company issued its first catalog in 1939<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/|title=Radio Shack Catalogs|website=Radioshackcatalogs.com|access-date=May 23, 2016}}</ref> as it entered the [[high fidelity|high-fidelity]] music market. In 1954, Radio Shack began selling its own [[private-label]] products under the brand name Realist, changing the brand name to [[Realistic (brand)|Realistic]] after being sued by [[Stereo Realist]].

During the period the chain was based in Boston, it was commonly referred to disparagingly by its customers as "Nagasaki Hardware",<ref>{{Cite book|last=Farman|first=Irvin|url=https://archive.org/details/Tandys_Money_Machine_1992_Mobium_Press|title=Tandy's money machine : how Charles Tandy built Radio Shack into the world's largest electronics chain|date=1992|publisher=Chicago : Mobium Press|isbn=9780916371128}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://qrp.kd4ab.org/1996/961225/0013.html|title=QRP-L 961225: Re: QRP-L digest 585|website=qrp.kd4ab.org|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://forums.radioreference.com/threads/has-anyone-used-one-of-those-j-pole-antennas-on-a-pro-96-handheld-scannner.125625/|title=Has Anyone Used One Of Those J-pole Antennas On A Pro 96 Handheld Scannner?|website=RadioReference.com Forums|date=November 23, 2008 |language=en-US|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> as much of the merchandise was sourced from Japan, then perceived as a source of low-quality, inexpensive parts.

In 1959, the store moved its headquarters to 730 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston (across the street from Boston University's [[Marsh Chapel]]), with ambitious plans for further expansion.<ref name="RSCat1959">{{cite web |title=1959 Radio Shack Catalog |url=https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/flipbook/1959_radioshack_catalog.html?fb3d-page=228 |website=www.radioshackcatalogs.com |access-date=2023-03-08}}</ref>{{rp|234}} After expanding to nine stores plus an extensive mail-order business,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Popular Mechanics]]|date=November 1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2NsDAAAAMBAJ&q=leisurama+now&pg=PA231|title=Radio Shack Corporation 1963 Electronics Catalog advertisement|page=235}}</ref> the company fell on hard times in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Value Proposition: How Radio Shack lost its way by losing sight of its ideal customer |url=https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/how-radio-shack-lost-sight-of-its-ideal-customer |website=MarketingExperiments |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=March 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Value Prop: How Radio Shack lost its way by losing sight of its ideal customer, Pt. 2 |url=https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/radio-shack-value-prop-part-2 |website=MarketingExperiments |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=March 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Value Prop: How Radio Shack lost its way by losing sight of its ideal customer, Pt. 3 |url=https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/radio-shack-value-prop-part |website=MarketingExperiments |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=March 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RadioShack through the ages: 8 adorable images from the fallen giant's vault |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2460168/these-old-timey-radio-shack-photos-prove-techies-have-been-nerding-out-since-1931.html |website=PCWorld |access-date=March 8, 2021 |language=en |date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>

=== Tandy Corporation ===
{{Main|Tandy Corporation}}
{{plain image with caption|Radio Shack 1974 logo.svg|Former RadioShack logo (1972–1995)}}
Tandy Corporation, a [[leather]] goods corporation, was looking for other hobbyist-related businesses into which it could expand. [[Charles D. Tandy]] saw the potential of Radio Shack and retail consumer electronics, purchasing the company in 1962 for US$300,000.<ref name="RSHistory">{{cite web|title=RadioShack History |url=http://radioshackcorporation.com/company/history.php |website=RadioShack Corp |access-date=August 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012185240/http://www.radioshackcorporation.com/company/history.php |archive-date=October 12, 2011 }}</ref>
At the time of the ''Tandy Radio Shack & Leather'' 1962 acquisition,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2015/02/05/radioshack-cuts-the-cord-after-90-years-files-for-bankruptcy/#3ce88a194d6d|title=RadioShack Cuts The Cord After 94 Years, Files For Bankruptcy|last=Gara|first=Antoine|work=Forbes|access-date=October 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref> the Radio Shack chain was nearly bankrupt.<ref name=NYTimes>{{Cite news|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/for-radioshack-a-history-of-misses/|title=A History of Misses for RadioShack|last=Solomon|first=Steven Davidoff|work=DealBook|date=September 16, 2014 |access-date=October 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

Tandy's strategy was to appeal to hobbyists. It created small stores that were staffed by people who knew electronics, and sold mainly private brands.<ref name="Financial Post">{{Cite news|url=https://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/inside-radioshacks-slow-motion-collapse-why-the-fall-of-the-94-year-old-electronics-chain-didnt-have-to-be-this-way|title=Inside RadioShack's slow-motion collapse: Why the fall of the 94-year-old electronics chain didn't have to be this way|date=February 6, 2015|work=Financial Post|access-date=October 16, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Tandy closed Radio Shack's unprofitable mail-order business, ended credit purchases and eliminated many top management positions, keeping the salespeople, merchandisers and advertisers. The number of items carried was cut from 40,000 to 2,500, as Tandy sought to "identify the 20% that represents 80% of the sales" and replace Radio Shack's handful of large stores with many "little holes in the wall", large numbers of rented locations which were easier to close and re-open elsewhere if one location didn't work out. Private-label brands from lower-cost manufacturers displaced name brands to raise Radio Shack profit margins;{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} non-electronic lines from go-carts to musical instruments were abandoned entirely.<ref name=newsinvestors>{{cite web|url=http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/071210-540013-charles-tandy-the-spark-behind-radioshack.htm?p=full |title=Charles Tandy, The Spark Behind RadioShack |author=Seitz, Patrick |work=Investor's Business Daily |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209193559/http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/071210-540013-charles-tandy-the-spark-behind-radioshack.htm?p=full |archive-date=February 9, 2015 }}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

Customer data from the former RadioShack mail-order business determined where Tandy would locate new stores. As an incentive for them to work long hours and remain profitable, store managers were required to take an ownership stake in their stores.<ref name="newsinvestors" /> In markets too small to support a company-owned Radio Shack store, the chain relied on independent dealers who carried the products as a sideline.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/05/news/companies/radioshack-franchises/index.html|title=My RadioShack franchise store will be fine|author=Ben Rooney|date=February 5, 2015|work=CNNMoney}}</ref> [[Charles D. Tandy]] said "We're not looking for the guy who wants to spend his entire paycheck on a sound system", instead seeking customers "looking to save money by buying cheaper goods and improving them through modifications and accessorizing", making it common among "nerds" and "kids aiming to excel at their science fairs".<ref name="Financial Post"/>

[[Charles D. Tandy]], who had guided the firm through a period of growth in the 1960s and 1970s, died of a heart attack at age 60 in November 1978.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/06/archives/charles-tandy-60-industrialist-started-work-at-12-400-radio-shacks.html|title=Charles Tandy, 60, Industrialist|work=The New York Times |date=November 6, 1978 |access-date=October 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

In 1982, the [[breakup of the Bell System]] encouraged subscribers to own their own telephones instead of renting them from local phone companies; Radio Shack offered twenty models of home phones.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19821018&id=dmRNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6582,1056994|title=Advantages, disadvantages of owning your telephone |work=page C1, Life/Style, Lakeland (Florida) Ledger - October 18, 1982 }}</ref>

Much of the Radio Shack line was manufactured in the company's own factories. By 1990/1991, Tandy was the world's biggest manufacturer of personal computers; its [[original equipment manufacturer|OEM manufacturing]] capacity was building hardware for Digital Equipment Corporation, GRiD, Olivetti, AST Computer, Panasonic, and others. The company manufactured everything from store fixtures to computer software to wire and cable, TV antennas, audio and videotape.<ref name=lonestar>{{cite web |url=http://nemesis.lonestar.org/tandy/radio_shack_farewell.html |title=Goodbye, Radio Shack |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209194615/http://nemesis.lonestar.org/tandy/radio_shack_farewell.html |archivedate=February 9, 2015}}, 2015, Frank Durda IV, former Senior Project Software Engineer with the Tandy Electronics System Software division</ref> At one point, Radio Shack was the world's largest electronics chain.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tandy's Money Machine: How Charles Tandy Built Radio Shack into the World's Largest Electronics Chain |date=1992 |first=Irvin |last=Farman |location=Chicago |publisher=Mobium Press |isbn=978-0-916371-12-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tandysmoneymachi00farm }}</ref>

In June 1991, Tandy closed or restructured its 200 Radio Shack Computer Centers,<ref>{{cite news |author=Marianne Taylor |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/06/30/superstore-idea-taking-hold-for-pcs/ |title=Superstore Idea Taking Hold For PCs |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=June 30, 1991 |access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref> acquired [[Computer City]], and attempted to shift its emphasis away from components and cables, toward mainstream consumer electronics.<ref>{{cite news |author=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-01-27/business/9201050531_1_radio-shack-consumer-electronics-transistor-radios |title=Tandy's Radio Shack Retooling Image |newspaper=Sun Sentinel |date=January 27, 1992 |access-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212003930/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-01-27/business/9201050531_1_radio-shack-consumer-electronics-transistor-radios |url-status=dead }}</ref> Tandy sold its computer manufacturing to [[AST Research]] in 1993,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-19-fi-47364-story.html |title=Tandy to Sell Its Memtek Division for $65 Million: Electronics: The sale is in line with the company's plans to divest its non-retail businesses. |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 19, 1993 |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> including the laptop computer [[Grid Systems Corporation]] which it had purchased in 1988.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/17/business/tandy-to-buy-grid-systems.html |title=Tandy to Buy Grid Systems |newspaper=NY Times |date=March 17, 1988 |access-date=February 14, 2015}}</ref> It sold the [[Memorex]] consumer recording trademarks to a Hong Kong firm,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/12/business/company-news-tandy-to-sell-memorex-name-to-hong-kong-company.html |title=Tandy To Sell Memorex Name To Hong Kong Company |newspaper=NY Times |date=November 12, 1993 |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> and divested most of its manufacturing divisions. House-brand products, which Radio Shack had long marked up heavily, were replaced with third-party brands already readily available from competitors. This reduced profit margins.<ref name=lonestar/>

In 1992, Tandy attempted to launch big-box electronics retailer [[Incredible Universe]];<ref name="nytimes_tandy">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/27/business/tandy-ventures-into-the-unknown.html?pagewanted=all |title=Tandy Ventures Into the Unknown |work=The New York Times |date=October 27, 1992 |access-date=July 26, 2015 |author=Hayes, Thomas C. |quote=Unlike the small, 2,500-square-foot Radio Shacks, where fat gross profit margins and slow inventory turnovers are the norm, Tandy's two new Incredible Universe stores stress volume. They sell a dizzying breadth of branded products, from video games to washing machines, for low prices in 160,000-square-foot warehouse settings. .... "This is the most aggressive thing that this company has done; the most innovative thing since Radio Shack," said Eugene G. Glazer, a technology analyst at Dean Witter in New York. "It's very clear that the formula that worked for Tandy in the 1970s did not work well in the 1980s and will be radically changed in the 1990s."}}</ref> most of the seventeen stores never turned a profit. Its six profitable stores were sold to [[Fry's Electronics]] in 1996; the others were closed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lubbockonline.com/news/123196/tandy.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970526052351/http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/123196/tandy.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 26, 1997|title=Tandy decides to sell or close the Incredible Universe stores |work=lubbockonline.com}}</ref> Other rebranding attempts included the launch or acquisition of chains including McDuff, Video Concepts and the Edge in Electronics;<ref name=nytimes_tandy /> these were larger stores which carried TVs, appliances and other lines.<ref>{{cite news|author=Christine Winter |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/12/01/tandy-dandy-after-long-slump/ |title=Tandy Dandy After Long Slump |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=December 1, 1985 |access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref>

Tandy closed the McDuff stores and abandoned Incredible Universe in 1996, but continued to add new RadioShack stores.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19970125&id=gE5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CP0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7008,1983274|title=Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search|website=News.google.com|access-date=March 25, 2022}}</ref> By 1996, industrial parts suppliers were deploying [[e-commerce]] to sell a wide range of components online;<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kumagai |first=Jean |url=https://blog.adafruit.com/2014/02/04/slideshow-a-day-in-the-life-of-digi-key/ |title=Slideshow: A Day in the Life of Digi-Key |publisher=Adafruit |date=February 4, 2014 |access-date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> it would be another decade before RadioShack would sell parts from its website,<ref name="mistakes5">{{cite news|author=Aimée Picchi |url=https://cbsnews.com/news/5-mistakes-that-doomed-radioshack/ |title=5 mistakes that doomed RadioShack |work=CBS News |date=February 3, 2015 |access-date=February 10, 2015}}</ref> with a selection so limited that it was no rival to established industrial vendors with million-item specialised, centralised inventories.

In 1994, the company introduced a service known as "The Repair Shop at Radio Shack",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Kathryn |date=August 23, 1994|title=Fix-It Service Remodels Radio Shack|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/23/business/fix-it-service-remodels-radio-shack.html|access-date=May 24, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> through which it provided inexpensive out-of-warranty repairs for more than 45 different brands of electronic equipment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/08/11/tandy-adding-repair-service-for-electronics/|title=Tandy Adding Repair Service For Electronics|work=Chicago Tribune | date=August 11, 1994}}</ref> The company already had over one million parts in its extensive parts warehouses and 128 service centers throughout the US and Canada;<ref name="10K1994">{{cite web|url=http://www.secinfo.com/d2U1e.a5.htm |title=Radioshack Corp - '10-K' for 12/31/94 |publisher=SEC Info |access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> it hoped to leverage these to build customer relationships and increase store traffic. Len Roberts, president of the Radio Shack division since 1993, estimated that the new repair business could generate $500 million per year by 1999.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/23/business/fix-it-service-remodels-radio-shack.html |author = Kathryn Jones |title = Fix-It Service Remodels Radio Shack |access-date = May 25, 2009 |work=The New York Times |date=August 23, 1994}}</ref>

"America's technology store" was abandoned for the "you've got questions, we've got answers" slogan in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19940519&id=IIpaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dEsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5614,3990028|title=The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search|website=News.google.com|access-date=March 25, 2022}}</ref> In early summer 1995, the company changed its logo; "Radio Shack" was spelled in [[camel case]] as "RadioShack". In 1996, RadioShack successfully petitioned the US [[Federal Communications Commission]] to allocate frequencies for the [[Family Radio Service]], a short-range [[walkie-talkie]] system that proved popular.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19970310&id=CgBRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L-sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4260,2603775 The Big Picture], Gainesville Sun, "WorkLife" page 12, March 10, 1997</ref>

==== Battery of the Month ====
From the 1960s until the early 1990s, Radio Shack promoted a "battery of the month" club; a free [[wallet]]-sized [[cardboard]] card offered one free [[Enercell]] per month in-store.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19691124&id=N94jAAAAIBAJ&pg=1292,2214851|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal|title=full-page Radio Shack advertisement|page=15|date=November 24, 1969}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Like the free [[vacuum tube]] testing offered in-store in the early 1970s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19730118&id=DMhdAAAAIBAJ&pg=4048,2396113 |title=Advertisement for local Radio Shack store opening |publisher=Observer-Reporter, Washington, Pennsylvania |page=B5|date=January 18, 1973}}</ref> this small [[loss leader]] drew [[foot traffic]]. The cards also served as generic [[business cards]] for the salespeople.

==== Allied Radio ====
In 1970, Tandy Corporation bought Allied Radio Corporation (both retail and industrial divisions), merging the brands into Allied Radio Shack and closing duplicate locations. After a 1973 federal government review, the company sold off the few remaining Allied retail stores and resumed using the Radio Shack name.  [[Allied Electronics]], the firm's industrial component operation, continued as a Tandy division until it was sold to Spartan Manufacturing in 1981.<ref name="AEHist">{{Cite web|title=Allied History|url=http://www.alliedelec.com/alliedhistory.aspx|publisher=Allied Electronics|access-date=August 3, 2010|archive-date=June 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612200920/http://www.alliedelec.com/alliedhistory.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

==== Flavoradio ====
[[File:Realistic 12-166 Flavoradio (9389739500).jpg|thumb|right|Realistic Flavoradio]]
The longest-running product for Radio Shack was the AM-only Realistic Flavoradio, sold from 1972 to 2000, 28 good years in three designs. This also made the Flavoradio the longest production run in radio history.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} It was originally released in five colors in the 1972 catalog: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, avocado, and plum. For 1973, vanilla and chocolate were dropped (and thus are rare today{{when|date=January 2023}}) and replaced by lemon and orange. At some point two-tone models with white backs were offered but never appeared in catalogs; these are extremely rare today.

The original design had five transistors (model 166). A sixth was added in 1980 (model 166a). The case was redesigned for 1987, making it taller and thinner, and it came in red, blue, and black. The final model, 201a, came in 1996 and was designed around an integrated circuit. They were first made in Korea then Hong Kong and finally the Philippines. The Flavoradio carried the Realistic name until about 1996, when it switched to "Radio Shack", then finally "Optimus". When the Flavoradio was dropped from the catalog in 2001, it was the last AM-only radio on the market.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blahut |first1=Bohus |title=Radio Shack's Classic Flavoradio |url=http://www.retrothing.com/2010/04/radio-shacks-classic-flavoradio.html |website=Retro thing |publisher=Grahame & Blahut |access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>

==== CB radio ====
[[File:Realistic and RadioShack TRC-222.jpg|thumb|right|(From left to right) Realistic and RadioShack model TRC-222, both CB with 40 channels]]
The chain profited from the mass popularity of [[citizens band radio]] in the mid-1970s which, at its peak, represented nearly 30% of the chain's revenue.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bartimo|first1=John|title=Radio Shack Polishes its Image|journal=InfoWorld|date=August 20, 1984 |volume=6 |issue=34 |page=48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HS8EAAAAMBAJ&q=CB+radios |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref>

==== Home computers ====
In 1977, two years after the MITS [[Altair 8800]], Radio Shack introduced the [[TRS-80]], one of the first mass-produced [[personal computer]]s.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=McCracken |first=Harry |url=https://techland.time.com/2012/08/03/trs-80/ |title=Please Don't Call It Trash-80: A 35th Anniversary Salute to Radio Shack's TRS-80 |magazine=TIME |date=August 3, 2012 |access-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref> This was a complete pre-assembled system at a time when many microcomputers were built from kits, backed by a nationwide retail chain when computer stores were in their infancy. Sales of the initial, primitive US$600 (equal to ${{Inflation|US|600|1977|fmt=c}} today) TRS-80 exceeded all expectations despite its limited capabilities and high price.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Welsh |first1=Theresa |last2=Welsh |first2=David |title=Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution|date=2007 |publisher=The Seeker Books |isbn=978-0-9793468-1-1 |pages=2–4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-yjr5lAji1wC&pg=PT4 |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref> This was followed by the [[TRS-80 Color Computer]] in 1980, designed to attach to a television. Tandy also inspired the ''Tandy Computer Whiz Kids'' (1982–1991), a comic-book duo of teen calculator enthusiasts who teamed up with the likes of Archie and Superman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/whiz_kids_comics.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102210139/http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/whiz_kids_comics.html |title=Radio Shack Comic Books: Tandy Computer Whiz Kids|archive-date=January 2, 2015|work=radioshackcatalogs.com}}</ref> Radio Shack's computer stores offered lessons to pre-teens as "Radio Shack Computer Camp" in the early 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/10/technology/radioshack-computer-camp/index.html |title=My week at RadioShack Computer Camp in 1983 |publisher=CNN Money |date=February 10, 2015 |access-date=February 14, 2015 |first=Andrew |last=Bergmann}}</ref>

By September 1982, the company had more than 4,300 stores, and more than 2,000 independent franchises in towns not large enough for a company-owned store. The latter also sold third-party hardware and software for Tandy computers, but company-owned stores did not sell or even acknowledge the existence of non-Tandy products.<ref name="shea19820913">{{Cite magazine |last=Shea |first=Tom |date=September 13, 1982 |title=All others sell at list price; we deal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EDAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11 |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |page=11 |access-date=March 17, 2019 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In the mid-1980s, Radio Shack began a transition from its proprietary [[8-bit]] computers to its proprietary [[IBM PC compatible]] [[Tandy 1000|Tandy computers]], removing the "Radio Shack" name from the product in an attempt to shake off the long-running nicknames "Radio Scrap"<ref name="deathbed">{{cite journal|last=Lendino |first=Jamie |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2476216,00.asp |title=RadioShack Is On its Deathbed |journal=PCMag |date=February 3, 2015 |access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref> and "Trash 80"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tylerpaper.com/TP-My+Generation/213481/remembering-the-trash80 |title=Remembering the Trash-80 |newspaper=Tyler Morning Telegraph |date=February 10, 2015 |access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref> to make the product appeal to business users. Poor compatibility, shrinking margins and a lack of economies of scale led Radio Shack to exit the computer-manufacturing market in the 1990s after losing much of the desktop PC market to newer, price-competitive rivals like [[Dell]].<ref name=nytimes_tandy /> Tandy acquired the [[Computer City]] chain in 1991, and sold the stores to [[CompUSA]] in 1998.

In 1994, RadioShack began selling [[IBM]]'s [[IBM Aptiva|Aptiva]] line of home computers.<ref>{{cite press release|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714021322/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Radio+Shack+adds+hot+new+IBM+Aptiva+MPC+to+name-brand+computer+line.-a015914929|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Radio+Shack+adds+hot+new+IBM+Aptiva+MPC+to+name-brand+computer+line.-a015914929|archive-date=July 14, 2018|access-date=September 17, 2019|date=November 9, 1994|via=Business Wire|title=Radio Shack adds hot new IBM Aptiva MPC to name-brand computer line. }}</ref>  This partnership would last until 1998, when RadioShack partnered with [[Compaq]] and created 'The Creative Learning Center' as a store-within-a-store to promote desktop PCs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://corpinfo.radioshack.com/investor/annualreports/97/ops_computers.htm |title=RadioShack Computers – 1997 Annual Report |publisher=RadioShack.com |date=1997 |access-date=February 12, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212025433/http://corpinfo.radioshack.com/investor/annualreports/97/ops_computers.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> Similar promotions were tried with 'The Sprint Store at RadioShack' (mobile telephones), '[[RCA]] Digital Entertainment Center' (home audio and video products), and 'PowerZone' (RadioShack's line of battery products, power supplies, and surge protectors).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lippincott.com/en/news/radioshack-and-compaq-form-brand-alliance-with-the-creative-learning-center |title=RadioShack and Compaq form Brand Alliance with 'The Creative Learning Center' |publisher=Lippincott |date=August 31, 1998 |access-date=February 12, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224215259/http://www.lippincott.com/en/news/radioshack-and-compaq-form-brand-alliance-with-the-creative-learning-center/ |archive-date=February 24, 2016}}</ref>

=== RadioShack Corporation ===
[[File:RadioShack 1200587 (9386877759).jpg|thumb|250px|RadioShack transistor radio]]
[[File:RadioShack logo.svg|thumb|250px|1996–2013 logo, still used in many of the locations that were RadioShack before they closed. This logo is similar to the logo they used from 2013 to 2017.]]
In the mid-1990s, the company attempted to move out of small components and into more mainstream consumer markets, focusing on marketing wireless phones. This placed the chain, long accustomed to charging wide margins on specialized products not readily available from other local retailers, into direct competition against vendors such as [[Best Buy]] and [[Walmart]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2015/02/05/who-killed-radioshack/ |title=Who Killed RadioShack? |author=Panos Mourdoukoutas |date=February 5, 2015|work=Forbes}}</ref>

In May 2000, the company dropped the Tandy name altogether, becoming RadioShack Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tandy changes name to Radio Shack|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/tandy-changes-name-to-radio-shack/|website=Zdnet.com|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2020}}</ref> The leather operating assets were sold to [[Tandy Leather Factory|The Leather Factory]] on November 30, 2000;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Jeff|title=Wholly Cow Too|date=2009|publisher=Summit Press|page=31}}</ref> that business remains profitable.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jim Douglas |url=http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/tarrant-county/2014/12/05/leather-success-has-tandy-happy-to-be-free-of-radioshack/19973229/ |title=The ironic tale of Tandy Leather and RadioShack |publisher=[[WFAA]] TV |date=December 5, 2014 |access-date=February 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212071955/http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/tarrant-county/2014/12/05/leather-success-has-tandy-happy-to-be-free-of-radioshack/19973229/ |archive-date=February 12, 2015 }}</ref>

House brands [[Realistic (brand)|Realistic]] and Optimus were discontinued. In 1999, the company agreed to carry [[RCA]] products in a five-year agreement for a "RCA Digital Entertainment Center" store-within-a-store.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twice.com/news/news/rca-goes-retail-radioshack/23540 |title=RCA Goes Retail With RadioShack |publisher=Twice |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radioshack-and-rca-bringing-digital-technology-to-millions-with-exclusive-in-store-digital-entertainment-centers-73465737.html |title=RadioShack and RCA Bringing Digital Technology to Millions With Exclusive In-Store Digital... |publisher=PR newswire |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> When the RCA contract ended, RadioShack introduced its own Presidian and Accurian brands, reviving the Optimus brand in 2005 for some low-end products. [[Enercell]], a house brand for dry cell batteries, remained in use until approximately 2014.

[[File:RadioShack-ctr-119.jpg|thumb|RadioShack tape recorder]]
Most of the RadioShack house brands had been dropped when Tandy divested its manufacturing facilities in the early 1990s; the original list included: ''Realistic'' (stereo, hi-fi and radio), ''Archer'' (antenna rotors and boosters), ''Micronta'' (test equipment), ''Tandy'' (computers), ''TRS-80'' (proprietary computer), ''ScienceFair'' (kits), ''DuoFone'' (landline telephony), ''Concertmate'' (music synthesizer), ''Enercell'' (cells and batteries), ''Road Patrol'' (radar detectors, bicycle radios), ''Patrolman'' (Realistic [[radio scanner]]), ''Deskmate'' (software), ''KitchenMate'', ''Stereo Shack'', ''Supertape'' (recording tape), ''Mach One'', ''Optimus'' (speakers and turntables), ''Flavoradio'' (pocket AM radios in various colours), ''Weatheradio'', ''Portavision'' (small televisions) and ''Minimus'' (speakers).

In 2000, RadioShack was one of multiple backers of the [[CueCat]] barcode reader, which soon turned out to be a marketing failure. The company had invested US$35 million in the concept,<ref name=WSJ>{{cite news | last = Meyer | first = Katherine | title = The Best of the Worst: CueCat Falls Flat | newspaper = [[Wall Street Journal]] | date = May 3, 2006
| url = http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114424637699117715-OO16F7Ov3DMZcs1xpbu5ksPDTl0_20070503.html | access-date = November 10, 2011}}</ref> including printing the barcodes throughout its catalogs, and distributing CueCat devices to customers at no charge.<ref name=Rosenberg>{{cite news | author = Rosenberg, Scott| author-link = Scott Rosenberg (journalist) | title = CueCatastrophe: Next to the company that tried to wire Web users to bar-code scanners, money-burning dot-coms like Webvan don't look quite so bad. | newspaper = [[Salon.com]] | date = July 11, 2001 | url = http://www.salon.com/2001/07/11/cue_cat/ | access-date = November 10, 2011}}</ref><ref name="A eulogy for RadioShack">{{cite web|last1=Bois|first1=Jon|title=A eulogy for RadioShack|url=https://www.sbnation.com/2014/11/26/7281129/radioshack-eulogy-stories|website=SB Nation|access-date=May 18, 2017|date=December 2, 2015|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The last annual RadioShack printed catalogs were distributed to the public in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3042121/the-recommender/look-how-awesome-radioshack-was-in-the-1980s|title=Look How Awesome RadioShack Was In The 1980s|work=Fast Company|date=February 6, 2015}}</ref>

Until 2004, RadioShack routinely asked for the name and address of purchasers so they could be added to mailing lists. Name and mailing address were requested for special orders (RadioShack Unlimited parts and accessories, Direc2U items not stocked locally), returns, check payments, RadioShack Answers Plus credit card applications, service plan purchases and carrier activations of cellular telephones.

On December 20, 2005, RadioShack announced the sale of its newly built riverfront Fort Worth, Texas headquarters building to German-based KanAm Grund; the property was leased back to RadioShack for 20 years. In 2008, RadioShack assigned this lease to the Tarrant County College District (TCC), remaining in {{convert|400,000|sqft}} of the space as its headquarters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.franchising.com/news/20080625_radioshack_corporation_agrees_to_assign_fort_worth.html |title=RadioShack Corporation Agrees to Assign Fort Worth Headquarters Lease From KanAm Grund to Tarrant County College District |date=June 25, 2008 |publisher=Franchising.com |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref>

In 2005, RadioShack parted with Verizon for a 10-year agreement with [[Cingular]] (later AT&T) and renegotiated its 11-year agreement with Sprint.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geek.com/mobile/radioshack-to-dump-verizon-wireless-557712/ |title=RadioShack to dump Verizon Wireless {{pipe}} Mobile |publisher=Geek.com |first=Brian |last=Osborne |date=August 2, 2005 |access-date=February 14, 2015 |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214034758/http://www.geek.com/mobile/radioshack-to-dump-verizon-wireless-557712/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In July 2011, RadioShack ended its wireless partnership with [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]], replacing it with the "Verizon Wireless Store" within a store.<ref>{{cite news |last=Skariachan |first=Dhanya |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-radioshack-idUSTRE76P2KX20110726 |title=RadioShack shuns T-Mobile for Verizon |work=Reuters |date=July 26, 2011 |access-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-date=February 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212024044/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/us-radioshack-idUSTRE76P2KX20110726 |url-status=live }}</ref>  2005 under the leadership of Jim Hamilton, marked a banner year for wireless.  RadioShack sold more mobile phones than Walmart, Circuit City and Best Buy combined.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

RadioShack had not made products under the Realistic name since the early 1990s. Support for many of Radio Shack's traditional product lines, including amateur radio, had ended by 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.repeater-builder.com/radio-shack/radio-shack-intro-stuff.html|title=Radio Shack, Archer, and Realistic Introductory Information|work=repeater-builder.com}}</ref> A handful of small-town [[Franchising|franchise]] dealers used their ability to carry non-RadioShack merchandise to bring in parts from outside sources; however, these stores were a minority.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Jon Mooallem |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/04/ff_radioshack/all/ |title=The Lost Tribes of RadioShack: Tinkerers Search for New Spiritual Home |magazine=Wired |date=February 5, 2015 |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref>

==== PointMobl and "The Shack" ====
In mid-December 2008, RadioShack opened three concept stores under the name "PointMobl" to sell wireless phones and service, [[netbook]]s, [[iPod]] and [[GPS navigation device]]s. The three Texas stores ([[Dallas]], [[Highland Village, Texas|Highland Village]] and [[Allen, Texas|Allen]]) were furnished with white fixtures like those in the remodelled wireless departments of individual RadioShack stores, but there was no communicated relationship to RadioShack itself. Had the test proved successful, RadioShack could have moved to convert existing RadioShack locations into PointMobl stores in certain markets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-RadioShack_15bus.ART.State.Edition1.4c52532.html |title=RadioShack tests Point Mobl concept in Dallas area |date=February 15, 2009 |publisher=Dallasnews.com |access-date=May 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816001054/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-RadioShack_15bus.ART.State.Edition1.4c52532.html |archive-date=August 16, 2010}}</ref>

While some PointMobl products, such as car power adapters and phone cases, were carried as store-brand products in RadioShack stores, the stand-alone PointMobl stores were closed and the concept abandoned in March 2011.

In August 2009, RadioShack rebranded itself as "The Shack".<ref>{{cite web|last=Biggs|first=John|title=Radio Shack rebranding: Why? Why!?|url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/08/03/radio-shack-rebranding-why-why/ |work=TechCrunch |date=August 3, 2009 |access-date=February 4, 2014}}</ref> The campaign increased sales of mobile products, but at the expense of its core components business.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zmuda |first=Natalie |title=RadioShack's Journey to Bring Back a Forgotten Customer |url=http://adage.com/article/special-report-ana-annual-meeting/radioshack-s-journey-bring-back-a-forgotten-customer/230602/ |work=AdvertisingAge |date=October 23, 2011 |access-date=February 4, 2014}}</ref>

RadioShack aggressively promoted [[Dish Network]] subscriptions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42361997 |title=RadioShack owner will continue gun giveaways |work=NBC News |date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kpax.com/news/radio-shack-owner-promises-shot-gun-for-satellite-service/ |title=Radio Shack owner promises shot gun for satellite service |publisher=[[KPAX-TV]] [[Missoula, Montana]] |date=April 4, 2011 |access-date=February 15, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215111644/http://www.kpax.com/news/radio-shack-owner-promises-shot-gun-for-satellite-service/ |archive-date=February 15, 2015 }}</ref>

In November 2012, RadioShack introduced [[Amazon Locker]] parcel pick-up services at its stores, only to dump the program in September 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Townsend |first=Matt |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021854688_amazonstaplesxml.html |title=Staples, RadioShack boot Amazon lockers from stores |newspaper=The Seattle Times |date=September 19, 2013 |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> In 2013, the chain made token attempts to regain the [[do it yourself]] market, including a new "Do It Together" slogan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theweek.com/articles/462886/radioshack-save-itself-diy-makeover |title=Can RadioShack save itself with a DIY makeover? |publisher=Theweek.com |date=June 25, 2013 |access-date=March 18, 2016|last=Heller|first=Laura}}</ref>

Long-time staff observed a slow and gradual shift away from electronic parts and customer service and toward promotion of wireless sales and add-ons; the pressure to sell gradually increased, while the focus on training and product knowledge decreased. Morale was abysmal; longtime employees who were paid bonus and retirement in stock options saw the value of these instruments fade away.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://buffalonews.com/business/local/customers-former-workers-recall-the-faded-glories-of-radioshack/article_6547a69e-6d60-5bc8-a300-998730dd6db1.html |last=Christmann |first=Samantha |title=Customers, former workers recall the faded glories of RadioShack |work=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=February 6, 2015 |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref>

==== Financial decline ====
In 1998, RadioShack called itself the single largest seller of consumer telecommunications products in the world; its stock reached its peak a year later.<ref name="startribune.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/business/159235825.html?page=all |title=Schafer: Schulze's baby could turn into RadioShack |work=startribune.com |date=June 17, 2012 |access-date=March 18, 2016}}</ref>

[[InterTAN]], a former Tandy subsidiary, sold the Tandy UK stores in 1999 and the [[Australia]]n stores in 2001. InterTAN was sold (with its [[Canada|Canadian]] stores) to rival [[Circuit City]] in 2004. The RadioShack brand remained in use in the [[United States]], but the 21st century proved a period of long decline for the chain, which was slow to respond to key trends— such as [[e-commerce]], the entry of competitors like [[Best Buy]] and [[Amazon.com]], and the growth of the [[maker movement]].<ref name="mistakes5"/>

By 2011, smartphone sales, rather than general electronics, accounted for half of the chain's revenue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radio-shack-money-bankruptcy-holidays,news-49583.html|title=Radio Shack May Be Filing For Bankruptcy|author=Kevin Parrish|work=Tom's Hardware|date=January 15, 2015|access-date=March 18, 2016|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205821/http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radio-shack-money-bankruptcy-holidays,news-49583.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The traditional RadioShack clientele of do-it-yourself tinkerers were increasingly sidelined. Electronic parts formerly stocked in stores were now mostly only available through on-line special order. Store employees concentrated efforts selling profitable mobile contracts, while other customers seeking assistance were neglected and left the stores in frustration.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://business.financialpost.com/2015/02/06/inside-radioshacks-slow-motion-collapse-why-the-fall-of-the-94-year-old-electronics-chain-didnt-have-to-be-this-way/ |title=Inside RadioShack's slow-motion collapse: Why the fall of the 94-year-old electronics chain didn't have to be this way - Financial Post |author1=Joshua Brustein |author2=Bloomberg News |date=February 6, 2015 |work=Financial Post}}</ref>

Demand for consumer electronics was also increasingly being weakened by consumers buying the items [[e-commerce|online]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/06/07/radioshack-to-open-small-stores-in-china-joint-venture/|title=RadioShack to Open Small Stores in China Joint Venture |work=Fox Business |date=June 7, 2012 |access-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045258/http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/06/07/radioshack-to-open-small-stores-in-china-joint-venture/ |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref>

==== 2004: "Fix 1500" initiative ====
In early 2004, RadioShack introduced ''Fix 1500'', a sweeping program to "correct" inventory and profitability issues company-wide.  The program put the 1,500 lowest-graded store managers, of over 5,000, on notice of the need to improve.  Managers were graded not on tangible store and personnel data but on one-on-one interviews with district management.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ceridian.com/www/content/10/12453/13839/lindseycase.pdf |title=Lindsey Case |date=September 22, 2006 |access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref>

Typically, a 90-day period was given for the manager to improve (thus causing another manager to then be selected for ''Fix 1500''). A total of 1,734 store managers were reassigned as sales associates or terminated in a 6-month period.<ref name="startribune.com"/> Also, during this period, RadioShack cancelled the [[employee stock purchase plan]]. By the first quarter of 2005, the metrics of skill assessment used during ''Fix 1500'' had already been discarded; the corporate officer who created the program had also resigned.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

In 2004, RadioShack was the target of a class-action lawsuit in which more than 3,300 current or former RadioShack managers alleged the company required them to work long hours without overtime pay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=1531|title=FWWeekly: Metropolis: Suing to Silence?|work=fwweekly.com|date=January 28, 2004|access-date=March 18, 2016|last=Malone|first=Dan|archive-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004043422/http://archive.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=1531|url-status=dead}}</ref> In an attempt to suppress the news, the company launched a successful [[strategic lawsuit against public participation]] against Bradley D. Jones, the webmaster of RadioShackSucks.com and a former RadioShack dealer for 17 years.<ref name="A eulogy for RadioShack"/>

==== 2006: Management problems ====
On February 20, 2006, CEO [[David Edmondson]] admitted to "misstatements" on his [[curriculum vitae]] and resigned<ref>{{cite news|author=CBSNews |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/21/ap/business/mainD8FTEJ480.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024122847/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/21/ap/business/mainD8FTEJ480.shtml |archive-date=October 24, 2007 |title=CBS News |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref> after the [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] debunked his claim to degrees in theology and psychology from [[Heartland Baptist Bible College]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11354888 |title=RadioShack CEO's resume is questioned - U.S. business- NBC News |work=NBC News |date=February 14, 2006 |access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref>

Chief operating officer Claire Babrowski briefly took over as CEO and president. A 31-year veteran of [[McDonald's|McDonald's Corporation]], where she had been vice president and Chief Restaurant Operations Officer, Babrowski had joined RadioShack several months prior. She left the company in August 2006, later becoming CEO and Executive Vice President of [[Toys "R" Us]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = 50 Most Powerful Women - Claire Babrowski (40) - FORTUNE |url = https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0809/gallery.women_mostpowerful.fortune/40.html|website = archive.fortune.com|access-date = October 19, 2015}}</ref>

RadioShack's board of directors appointed [[Julian C. Day]] as chairman and chief executive officer on July 7, 2006. Day had financial experience and had played a key role in revitalizing such companies as [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]], [[Sears]] and [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] but lacked any practical front-line sales experience needed to run a retail company. ''[[Consumerist|The Consumerist]]'' named him one of the "10 Crappiest CEOs" of 2009 (among consumer-facing companies, according to their own employees).<ref>{{cite web|last=Popken|first=Ben|url=http://consumerist.com/2009/10/27/top-10-crappiest-ceos-according-to-their-employees/ |title=Top 10 Crappiest CEOs (According To Their Employees) – Consumerist |publisher=Consumerist.com |date=October 27, 2009 |access-date=February 5, 2014}}</ref> He resigned in May 2011.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2011/04/26/radioshacks-julian-day-another-superstar-ceo-doesnt-measure-up/ |title=Radioshack's Julian Day: Another Superstar CEO Doesn't Measure Up |magazine=Forbes |date=April 26, 2011 |access-date=February 5, 2014 |first=Steve |last=Schaefer}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2011/04/25/julian-days-radioshack-turnaround-has-been-a-failure/ |title=Julian Day's RadioShack Turnaround Has Been A Failure |magazine=Forbes |date=April 25, 2011 |access-date=February 5, 2014 |first=Nathan |last=Vardi}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kosman |first=Josh |url=https://nypost.com/2010/06/01/radioshack-bids-in/ |title=Radioshack bids in |publisher=NYpost.com |date=June 1, 2010 |access-date=February 5, 2014}}</ref>

RadioShack Chief Financial Officer James Gooch succeeded Day as CEO in 2011, but "agreed to step down" 16 months later following a 73% plunge in the price of the stock.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Leslie Patton  |author2=Chris Burritt  |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Bloomberg |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-26/radioshack-ceo-gooch-steps-down-cfo-lively-named-interim |title=RadioShack CEO Gooch Leaves as Lively Named Interim Chief |date=September 26, 2012 |access-date=August 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808044613/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-26/radioshack-ceo-gooch-steps-down-cfo-lively-named-interim |archive-date=August 8, 2014 }}</ref> On February 11, 2013, RadioShack Corp. hired Joseph C. Magnacca from [[Walgreens]], because he had experience in retail.<ref>{{cite news|last=Burritt |first=Chris |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-07/radioshack-names-walgreen-s-magnacca-as-ceo-after-falling-sales.html |title=RadioShack's New CEO Faces Challenge as Profit Slides |publisher=Bloomberg |date=February 7, 2013 |access-date=February 5, 2014}}</ref>

==== 2006: Corporate layoffs and new strategy ====
In the spring of 2006, RadioShack announced a strategy to increase average unit volume, lower overhead costs, and grow profitable square footage. In early to mid-2006, RadioShack closed nearly 500 locations. It was determined that some stores were too close to each other, causing them to compete with one another for the same customers. Most of the stores closed in 2006 brought in less than US$350,000 in revenue each year.

Despite these actions, stock prices plummeted within what was otherwise a booming market. On August 10, 2006, RadioShack announced plans to eliminate a fifth of its company headquarters workforce to reduce overhead expense, improving its long-term competitive position while supporting a significantly smaller number of stores.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2006/09/radioshack-streamlines-layoff-process-emails-pinkslips-400-workers|title=RadioShack Streamlines the Layoff Process, Emails Pinkslips to 400 Workers|first= Elizabeth|last=Gettelman|work=Mother Jones|date=September 7, 2006|access-date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> On Tuesday, August 29, the affected workers received an e-mail: "The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/27.html|title=101 Dumbest Moments in Business |publisher=CNN|date=2007|access-date=May 18, 2017 |first1=Adam |last1=Horowitz |first2=David |last2=Jacobson |first3=Tom |last3=McNichol |first4=Owen |last4=Thomas}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/business/article/You-ve-got-mail-about-your-layoff-1902185.php |title=You've got mail, about your layoff |work=Houston Chronicle|via=Associated Press|date=August 31, 2006|access-date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> Four hundred and three workers were given 30 minutes to collect their personal effects, say their goodbyes to co-workers and then attend a meeting with their senior supervisors. Instead of issuing severance payments immediately, the company withheld them to ensure that company-issued BlackBerrys, laptops and cellphones were returned.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/08/31/leadership-radio-shack-management-cx_tw_0831layoffs.html|title=You've Got Mail: You're Fired|author=Tara Weiss|date=August 31, 2006|access-date=March 18, 2016|work=Forbes}}</ref> This move drew immediate widespread public criticism for its lack of sensitivity.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.courant.com/2006/09/01/re-radioshack-layoffs-this-1s-4u/ | title=Re: Radioshack Layoffs -- This 1's 4u :-( | work=Hartford Courant |date=September 1, 2006 |access-date=July 26, 2015 |author=Podsada, Janice |quote=Hey, at least it saved on trees and managers' time. On Tuesday, RadioShack laid off 403 employees, from vice presidents to rank-and-file workers, by sending them notices through e-mail. "It's the first e-mail layoff I've heard of," said Mary Willoughby, an instructor in the human resource development program at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., and an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management. "It's demoralizing. We still have to have that human touch," Willoughby said. As she and many others see it, there's no substitute for personal contact -- even when it comes to giving employees the ax. RadioShack's decision to send layoff notices by e-mail has touched off debate over whether the company's method was ethical and innovative, or cowardly and callous, or perhaps just another milestone in the advent of the electronic office. Many experts were unmoved by the fact that it was a large-scale layoff, and wondered whether the move would spark a trend.}}</ref>

==== 2009: Customer relations problems ====
RadioShack and the [[Better Business Bureau]] of [[Fort Worth, Texas]], met on April 23, 2009, to discuss unanswered and unresolved complaints. The company implemented a plan of action to address existing and future customer service issues. Stores were directed to post a sign with the district manager's name, the question "How Are We Doing?" and a direct toll-free number to the individual district office for their area.  RadioShackHelp.com was created as another portal for customers to resolve their issues through the Internet.  {{As of|2012}}, the BBB had upgraded RadioShack from an "F" to an "A" rating; this was changed to "no rating" after the 2015 bankruptcy filing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbb.org/fort-worth/business-reviews/electronic-equipment-and-suppliers-service-and-repair/radio-shack-corporation-in-fort-worth-tx-52110001#reasonrating|title=BBB at Fort Worth: BBB Reliability Report |publisher=FortWorth.BBB.org |access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref>

According to an experience ratings report published by Temkin Group, an independent research firm, RadioShack was ranked as the retailer with the worst overall customer experience; it maintained this position for six consecutive years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/retailer-best-customer-experience-is |title=The retailer with the best customer experience is... |access-date=May 25, 2016 |date=May 24, 2016 |first=Dan |last=Berthiaume |website=Chainstoreage.com |quote="...RadioShack was at the bottom of the list for the sixth straight year, earning a rating of 55% and an overall rank of 199th." |archive-date=May 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526000303/http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/retailer-best-customer-experience-is |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== 2012–2014: Financial distress ====
From 2000 to 2011, RadioShack spent US$2.6 [[billion]] repurchasing its own stock in an attempt to prop up a share price which fell from US$24.33 to US$2.53; the buyback and the stock dividend were suspended in 2012 to conserve cash and reduce debt as the company continued to lose money.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minyanville.com/trading-and-investing/earnings/articles/buyback-stock-repurchase-travelzoo-radioshack-cbs/7/27/2012/id/42783 |title=Stock Buyback Blitz |author=Bristol Voss |work=Minyanville |date=July 27, 2012 |access-date=March 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092642/http://www.minyanville.com/trading-and-investing/earnings/articles/buyback-stock-repurchase-travelzoo-radioshack-cbs/7/27/2012/id/42783 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Company stock had declined 81 percent since 2010 and was trading well below book value.<ref name="startribune.com" /> The stock reached an all-time low on April 14, 2012.<ref name="MSNMONEY04142012">{{cite news|last=Peterson |first=Kim |url=http://money.msn.com/stock-broker-guided/latest.aspx?post=7b27e36b-9688-403d-a8f4-159805f06b93 |title=Why does RadioShack still exist? The chain says that sales are falling and that profit this year will be lower than in 2011 |work=[[MSN Money]] |date=April 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426224021/http://money.msn.com/stock-broker-guided/latest.aspx?post=7b27e36b-9688-403d-a8f4-159805f06b93 |archive-date=April 26, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="WSJ04142012">{{cite news|last1=Talley |first1=Karen |last2=Tadena |first2=Nathalie |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120424-713631.html |title=3rd UPDATE: RadioShack Posts 1Q Loss As Product Demand Wanes |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=April 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427095859/http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120424-713631.html |archive-date=April 27, 2012 }}</ref>  In September 2012, RadioShack's head office laid off 130 workers after a US$21 million quarterly loss.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2012/09/06/radioshack-starts-layoffs-at-fort.html |title=Radio Shack layoffs in Fort Worth - Dallas Business Journal |date=September 6, 2012 |work=Dallas Business Journal |first=Steven R.|last=Thompson|access-date=April 26, 2016}}</ref> Layoffs continued in August 2013; headquarters employment dropped from more than 2,000 before the 2006 layoffs to slightly fewer than 1,000 in late 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.star-telegram.com/dfwjobs/2013/08/more-layoffs-at-radioshack.html|title=More layoffs at RadioShack? - Tarrant Business|work=star-telegram.com|date=August 15, 2013|access-date=April 26, 2016 |first1=Barry |last1=Shlachter |first2=Steve |last2=Kaskovich |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008205536/http://blogs.star-telegram.com/dfwjobs/2013/08/more-layoffs-at-radioshack.html |archive-date=October 8, 2013 }}</ref> At the end of 2013, the chain owned 4,297 US stores.<ref name="rshc-businessweek">{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot_article.asp?ticker=RSHC |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150210064318/http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot_article.asp?ticker=RSHC |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 10, 2015 |title=RADIOSHACK CORP (RSHC:OTC US): Company Description |work=Businessweek }}</ref>

The company had received a {{currency|250 million}} cash infusion in 2013 from Salus Capital Partners and [[Cerberus Capital Management]].<ref name="coleman2014" /> This debt carried onerous conditions, preventing RadioShack from gaining control over costs by limiting store closures to 200 per year<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inquisitr.com/1821718/radioshack-the-case-of-poor-financial-and-entrepreneurial-planning/|title=RadioShack: The Case Of Poor Financial And Entrepreneurial Planning|work=The Inquisitr News|author=Alap Naik Desai|date=February 7, 2015|access-date=April 26, 2016}}</ref> and restricting the company's refinancing efforts. With too many underperforming stores remaining open, the chain continued to spiral toward bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/01/20/was-bringing-radioshack-to-the-brink-this-hedge-fu.aspx|title=Was RadioShack Corp.'s Bankruptcy This Hedge Fund's End Game All Along?|work=fool.com|last=Duprey|first=Rich|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=April 26, 2016}}</ref>

On March 4, 2014, the company announced a net trading loss for 2013 of US$400.2 million, well above the 2012 loss of US$139.4 million,<ref>{{cite news |title=RadioShack Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter 2013|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radioshack-reports-financial-results-for-fourth-quarter-2013-248343511.html |work=PR Newswire|access-date=April 26, 2016|date=March 4, 2014}}</ref> and proposed a restructuring<ref name="RadioShackRestructure">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthasharf/2014/05/09/radioshack-reneges-on-1100-store-closure-plan/|title=RadioShack Reneges On 1,100 Store Closure Plan, Stock Drops |access-date=April 26, 2016|date=March 9, 2014|magazine=Forbes|first=Samantha|last=Sharf}}</ref> which would close 1,100 lower-performing stores,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/radioshack-close-1100-stores-layoffs-not-immediately-announced-1559327|title=RadioShack To Close 1,100 Stores; Layoffs Not Immediately Announced|date=March 4, 2014|work=International Business Times}}</ref> almost 20% of its US locations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Isidore |first=Chris |url=https://money.cnn.com/2014/03/04/news/companies/radioshack-store-closings/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |title=Radio Shack closing 1,100 stores - Mar. 4, 2014 |work=[[CNN]] |date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2014}}</ref> On May 9, 2014, the company reported that creditors had prevented it from carrying out those closures,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Turner|first1=Nick |title=RadioShack to Close Fewer Stores as It Contends With Lenders |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-08/radioshack-is-closing-fewer-stores-as-it-negotiates-with-lenders.html |access-date=June 1, 2014 |date=May 9, 2014 |work=Bloomberg}}</ref> with one lender presuming fewer stores would mean fewer assets to secure the loan and reduce any recovery it would get in a bankruptcy reorganization.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-08/behind-radioshack-s-collapse-is-a-tiny-lender-that-found-trouble|title=Behind RadioShack's Collapse Is a Tiny Distressed Lender|author=Jodi Xu Klein|work=Bloomberg.com|date=February 8, 2015}}</ref>

On June 10, 2014, RadioShack said that it had enough cash to last 12 months, but that lasting a year depended on sales growing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Drew |last2=Michael |first2=Calia|title=RadioShack Draws on Credit Line as Losses Deepen |url=http://online.wsj.com/articles/radioshacks-loss-widens-as-turnaround-effort-continues-1402399401 |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=June 10, 2014 |date=June 10, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Sales had fallen for nine straight quarters,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lopez |first1=Ricardo |title=RadioShack's quarterly loss more than triples to $98.3 million |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-radioshack-earnings-20140610-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 10, 2014 |format=June 10, 2014 |date=June 10, 2014}}</ref> and by year's end the company realized a loss in "each of its 10 latest quarters".<ref name="coleman2014">{{cite news |author=Coleman-Lochner, Lauren |date=December 6, 2014 |title=RadioShack to End 401(K) Plan Matching to Reduce Costs |agency=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-04/radioshack-to-end-401-k-retirement-matching-plans-to-cut-costs.html }}</ref>  On June 20, 2014, RadioShack's stock price fell below US$1,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wasserman |first1=Todd |title=RadioShack Trading for Under $1, Could Be Delisted From NYSEn|url=http://mashable.com/2014/06/20/radio-shack-1-dollar-nyse/ |website=Mashable |access-date=June 20, 2014 |date=June 20, 2014}}</ref> triggering a July 25 warning from the [[New York Stock Exchange]] that it could be [[Listing (finance)#Delisting|delisted]] for failure to maintain a stock price above $1.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Halkias|first1=Maria|title=RadioShack has received notice that it may be delisted from the NYSE |url=http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2014/07/radioshack-has-received-notice-that-it-may-be-delisted-from-the-nyse.html/ |website=The Dallas Morning News |access-date=July 25, 2014 |date=July 25, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727223108/http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2014/07/radioshack-has-received-notice-that-it-may-be-delisted-from-the-nyse.html/ |archive-date=July 27, 2014 }}</ref> On July 28, 2014, [[Mergermarket]]'s Debtwire reported RadioShack was discussing [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] protection as an option.<ref>{{cite web|title=RadioShack cost of pre-holiday inventory poses potential restructuring trigger |url=http://www.debtwire.com/info/2014/07/28/radioshack-cost-pre-holiday-inventory-poses-potential-restructuring-trigger/ |first=Reshmi |last=Basu |website=Debtwire |publisher=Mergermarket |access-date=August 15, 2014 |date=July 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811112205/http://www.debtwire.com/info/2014/07/28/radioshack-cost-pre-holiday-inventory-poses-potential-restructuring-trigger/ |archive-date=August 11, 2014 }}</ref>

On September 11, 2014, RadioShack admitted it might have to file for bankruptcy, and would be unable to finance its operations "beyond the very near term" unless the company was sold, restructured, or received a major cash infusion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alden |first1=William |title=RadioShack Says It May Have to File for Bankruptcy |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/radioshack-says-it-may-have-to-file-for-bankruptcy/ |website=The New York Times |access-date=September 11, 2014|date=September 11, 2014}}</ref> On September 15, 2014, RadioShack replaced its [[chief financial officer|CFO]] with a bankruptcy specialist.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Michelle |title=RadioShack Corporation Hires Bankruptcy Expert As CFO|url=http://www.valuewalk.com/2014/09/radioshack-hires-bankruptcy-expert-cfo/ |website=ValueWalk |access-date=September 15, 2014|date=September 15, 2014}}</ref> On October 3, RadioShack announced an [[debt restructuring|out-of-court restructuring]], a 4:1 [[stock dilution|dilution of shares]], and a [[rights issue]] priced at 40 cents a share.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.radioshackcorporation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=84525&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1974083 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141005212457/http://ir.radioshackcorporation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=84525&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1974083 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 5, 2014 |title=Radioshack Announces Milestone In Recapitalization Process|website=RadioShack |access-date=October 5, 2014 |date=October 3, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Priore|first1=Matt|title=RadioShack: 'Lifeline' Just A Risk Free Cash Advance On 4:1 Dilution For Shareholders |url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/2540035-radioshack-lifeline-just-a-risk-free-cash-advance-on-4-1-dilution-for-shareholders|website=Seeking Alpha|access-date=October 5, 2014|date=October 4, 2014}}</ref> RadioShack's stock ({{New York Stock Exchange|RSH}}) [[trading halt|was halted]] on the New York exchange for the entire day.<ref>{{cite web|title=RadioShack Historical Prices: October 3, 2014 |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=RSH&a=09&b=3&c=2014&d=09&e=3&f=2014 |website=Yahoo! Finance |access-date=October 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006133815/https://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=RSH&a=09&b=3&c=2014&d=09&e=3&f=2014 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Drew Fitzgerald|author2=Matt Jarzemsky|title=RadioShack Lifeline Only Buys a Little Time|url=http://online.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-lifeline-only-buys-a-little-time-1412548853|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 5, 2014|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Despite the debt restructuring proposal, in December Salus and [[Cerberus Capital Management|Cerberus]] informed RadioShack that it was in default of the {{currency|250 million}} they had provided as a cash infusion in 2013.<ref name="coleman2014" />

At the end of October 2014, quarterly figures indicated RadioShack was losing US$1.1 million per day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/96289/000009628914000045/c289-20141101x10q.htm |title=RSH_20141101_Q3: Radio Shack third quarter 1994 earnings filing |publisher=US Securities and Exchange Commission |access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> A November 2014 attempt to keep the stores open from 8AM to midnight on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] Day drew a sharp backlash from employees and a few resignations;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/12/radioshack-thanksgiving-hours-pushback_n_6147614.html |title=RadioShack Reverses Plan To Stay Open All Day On Thanksgiving |work=The Huffington Post |date=November 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-12/radioshack-backtracks-on-thanksgiving-hours-after-worker-outcry|title=RadioShack Backtracks on Thanksgiving Hours After Worker Outcry|author=Lauren Coleman-Lochner |work=Bloomberg.com |date=November 12, 2014}}</ref> comparable store sales for the three days (Thursday-Saturday) were 1% lower than the prior year, when the stores were open for two of the days.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/2760955-last-one-out-of-radioshack-turn-out-the-lights-if-the-power-company-hasnt-done-so-already |title=Last One Out Of RadioShack Turn Out The Lights (If The Power Company Hasn't Done So Already) - RadioShack Corporation (NYSE:RSH) |work=Seeking Alpha |date=December 16, 2014 |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref> The company's problems maintaining inventories of big-ticket items, such as Apple's [[iPhone 6]], further cut into sales.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/2723815-iphone-shortages-at-radioshack-sales-down-30-percent-at-one-store |title=iPhone Shortages At RadioShack, Sales Down 30% At One Store - RadioShack Corporation (NYSE:RSH) |work=Seeking Alpha |date=December 2, 2014 |access-date=February 14, 2015 |last1=Nolen |first1=Mitch }}</ref>

By December 2014, RadioShack was being sued by former employees for having encouraged them to invest 401(k) retirement savings in company stock, alleging a breach of fiduciary duties to "prudently" handle the retirement fund which caused "devastating losses" in the retirement plans as the stock dropped from US$13 in 2011 to 38 cents at the end of 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/shlachter-baker-kaskovich/article5043555.html |title=Lawsuits allege RadioShack acted imprudently on 401(k) plans |work=star-telegram |date=December 27, 2014 |access-date=April 26, 2016}}</ref> These claims were dismissed by the [[Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/radioshack-decision/radioshack-officials-not-liable-for-employees-401-stock-losses-idUSL2N1PX2GS |title=RadioShack officials not liable for employees' 401(k) stock losses |last=Stempel |first=Jonathan |work=Reuters |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2018}}{{registration required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1010200/workers-paid-fair-price-for-radioshack-stock-5th-circ-says |title=Workers Paid Fair Price For RadioShack Stock, 5th Circ. Says |first=Braden |last=Campbell |publisher=Law360 |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2018}}{{registration required}}</ref>

==== 2015 bankruptcy ====
{|class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 90%; background:#e8f5f4; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
|style="text-align: left"|"RadioShack died years ago; we're only now holding the funeral. Good active managers have avoided RadioShack for a long time."
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| - Gershon Distenfeld, Director, [[AllianceBernstein]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-radioshacks-bankruptcy-imminent/|title=Is RadioShack's bankruptcy imminent?|date=February 5, 2015|website=cbsnews.com|first=Aimee|last=Picchi}}</ref>
|}
On January 15, 2015, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported RadioShack had delayed rent payments to some commercial landlords<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-delays-some-rent-payments-amid-restructuring-1421365058|title=RadioShack Delays Some Rent Payments Amid Restructuring |first1=Matt|last1=Jarzemsky |first2=Drew|last2=FitzGerald|date=January 15, 2015|work=WSJ|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and was preparing a bankruptcy filing that could come as early as February. Officials of the company declined to comment on the report.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lobosco |first1=Katie |title=RadioShack may be near bankruptcy|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/01/14/news/companies/radioshack-bankruptcy/index.html |access-date=January 15, 2015 |work=CNN |date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> A separate report by Bloomberg claimed the company might sell leases to as many as half its stores to [[Sprint Corporation|Sprint]].<ref>{{cite news |title=RadioShack in talks to sell leases on stores to Sprint: Bloomberg |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-radioshack-divestiture-sprint-corp-idUSKBN0KO2QV20150115 |access-date=January 15, 2015 |work=Reuters |date=January 15, 2015 |archive-date=January 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116074258/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/15/us-radioshack-divestiture-sprint-corp-idUSKBN0KO2QV20150115 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On February 2, 2015, the company was delisted from the [[New York Stock Exchange]] after its average market capitalization remained below US$50 million for longer than thirty consecutive days.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-radioshack-delisting-idUSKBN0KV2U820150122 |title=RadioShack gets another delisting warning from the NYSE |access-date=January 28, 2015 |work=Reuters |date=January 22, 2015 |archive-date=January 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127201026/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/22/us-radioshack-delisting-idUSKBN0KV2U820150122 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://ir.theice.com/press-and-publications/press-releases/nyse-regulation/2015/suspensionrelease_rsh_020215.aspx|title=NYSE TO SUSPEND TRADING IMMEDIATELY IN RADIOSHACK CORPORATION AND COMMENCE DELISTING PROCEEDINGS|date=February 2, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203060427/http://ir.theice.com/press-and-publications/press-releases/nyse-regulation/2015/suspensionrelease_rsh_020215.aspx |archive-date= February 3, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> That same day, ''[[Bloomberg News]]'' reported RadioShack was in talks to sell half of its stores to Sprint and close the rest, which would effectively render RadioShack no longer a stand-alone retailer.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-02/radioshack-is-said-to-discuss-liquidation-as-part-of-sprint-deal|title=RadioShack in Talks to Sell Half Its Stores to Sprint, Shutter the Rest|access-date=February 2, 2015|work=Bloomberg|date=February 2, 2015|first=Lauren|last=Coleman-Lochner}}</ref> [[Amazon.com]] and [[Brookstone]] were also mentioned to be potential bidders, the former having at the time been wanting to establish a [[brick and mortar]] presence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-03/amazon-said-to-mull-buying-radioshack-stores-in-retail-expansion |work=Bloomberg |date=February 2, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2015|title=Amazon in Talks to Buy Some of RadioShack's Stores|first=Katie|last=Benner}}</ref> On February 3, RadioShack [[Default (finance)|defaulted]] on its loan from Salus Capital.<ref>{{cite news|work=CNN Money|title=RadioShack defaults on financial lifeline |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/02/news/companies/radioshack-trading-suspended/index.html|date=February 3, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2015 |first1=Katie |last1=Lobosco |first2=Chris |last2=Isidore}}</ref>

[[File:Radio Shack in West Miami, Florida.jpg|thumb|right|225px|The effects of a liquidation sale at this typical RadioShack outlet in Miami, Florida (2016)]]
On the days following these reports, some employees were instructed to reduce prices and transfer inventory out of stores designated for closing to those that would remain open during the presumed upcoming bankruptcy proceedings,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2878815/radioshack-is-gearing-up-to-sell-or-shutter-its-stores-report-says.html|title=RadioShack is gearing up to sell or shutter its stores, report says|work=PC World|date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref> while the rest remained "in the dark" as to the company's future.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/03/news/companies/radioshack-employees/index.html |title=RadioShack employees wonder: What's next?|work=CNN Money|date=February 3, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2015|first1=Chris|last1=Isidore|first2=Gregory |last2=Wallace}}</ref> Many stores had already closed abruptly on Sunday, February 1, 2015, the first day of the company's [[fiscal year]], with employees only given a few hours advance notice. Some had been open with a skeleton crew, little inventory and reduced hours only because the Salus Capital loan terms limited the chain to 200 store closures a year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/05/news/companies/radioshack-stores/index.html|title=RadioShack employees: Tales from the walking dead|work=CNN Money|date=February 5, 2015 |access-date=February 5, 2015|first=Chris|last=Isidore}}</ref> A creditor group alleged the chain had remained on life support instead of shutting down earlier and cutting its losses merely so that Standard General could avoid paying on [[credit default swap]]s which expired on December 20, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Creditors say RadioShack's bankruptcy doesn't add up|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/creditors-say-radioshacks-bankruptcy-doesnt-add-up/ |first=Kim|last=Peterson|work=CBS MoneyWatch|date=February 19, 2015|access-date=February 24, 2015}}</ref>

On February 5, 2015, RadioShack announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.<ref name="WSJFeb2015">{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/strategic-confusion-put-radioshack-at-the-mercy-of-lenders-1423164004|title=Strategic Confusion Put RadioShack at Mercy of Lenders |date=February 6, 2015|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|last2=Jarzemsky|first2=Matt|access-date=February 6, 2015|first1=Drew|last1=FitzGerald|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Using bankruptcy to end contractual restrictions that had required it keep unprofitable stores open, the company immediately published a list of 1784 stores which it intended to close,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://radioshackcorporation.com/pdfs/RS-Store-Closure-List_020415.pdf |title=Radio Shack store closure list |publisher=RadioShack Corporation |date=February 4, 2015 |access-date=February 10, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209025023/http://radioshackcorporation.com/pdfs/RS-Store-Closure-List_020415.pdf |archive-date=February 9, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 11 Petition |url=http://www.pacermonitor.com/view/AKIMBNI/RadioShack_Corporation__debke-15-10197__0001.0.pdf |publisher=PacerMonitor}}</ref> a process it wished to complete by the month's end to avoid an estimated US$7 million in March rent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/radioshack-plans-to-close-more-than-stores-by-end-of/article_d0b262c6-ba0e-52a2-986b-de93552398cc.html |title=RadioShack plans to close more than 1,700 stores by end of month|publisher=Lee Enterprises|work=stltoday.com|date=February 7, 2015 }}</ref>

Customers had initially been given until March 6, 2015, to return merchandise or redeem unused gift cards.<ref name=hbj-11feb2015>{{cite news |url=http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20150211/NEWS01/150219980/ct-prods-radioshack-patrons-to-act |title=CT prods RadioShack patrons to act |date=February 11, 2015 |newspaper=Hartford Business Journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref><ref name=bi-02mar2015>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/radioshack-gift-cards-deadline-2015-3 |title=You have less than a week to use your RadioShack gift card |website=[[Business Insider]] |first=Hayley |last=Peterson |date=March 2, 2015}}</ref><ref name=kip-02mar2015>{{cite news |url=http://www.kiplinger.com/article/spending/T050-C011-S001-what-to-buy-at-radioshack-while-supplies-last.html |title=What to Buy at RadioShack While Supplies Last |magazine=[[Kiplinger]] |first=Cameron |last=Huddleston |date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> However, after legal pressure from the Attorneys General of several states,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://abc27.com/2015/10/02/judge-oks-refunds-for-radioshack-gift-cards/ |date=October 2, 2015 |access-date=October 14, 2015 |title=Judge OKs refunds for RadioShack gift cards |archive-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013092431/http://abc27.com/2015/10/02/judge-oks-refunds-for-radioshack-gift-cards/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.readingeagle.com/money/article/radioshack-gift-card-refunds-available/ |date=October 12, 2015|access-date=October 14, 2015 |title=RadioShack gift card refunds available |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126071738/http://www.readingeagle.com/money/article/radioshack-gift-card-refunds-available|archive-date=November 26, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> RadioShack ultimately agreed to reimburse customers for the value of unused gift cards.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/08/26/news/companies/radio-shack-gift-card-bankruptcy-debt/index.html|title=RadioShack agrees to refund gift cards for cash |date=August 27, 2015<!--: 9:35 AM ET-->|access-date=October 14, 2015}}</ref>

RadioShack was criticized for including the [[personally identifying information]] of 67 million of its customers as part of its assets for sale during the proceedings, despite its long-standing policy and a promise to customers that data would never be sold for any reason at any time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/legacy-radioshack-bankruptcy-and-importance-pii |work=National Law Review|title=The Legacy of the RadioShack Bankruptcy and the Importance of PII |date=October 4, 2015 |access-date=October 14, 2015}}</ref> The [[Federal Trade Commission]] and the [[State Attorney General|Attorneys General]] of 38 states fought against this proposal.  The sale of this data was ultimately approved, albeit greatly reduced from what was initially proposed.

===General Wireless Operations, Inc.===
On March 31, 2015, the bankruptcy court approved a US$160 million offer by the Standard General affiliate General Wireless Operations, Inc., gaining ownership of 1,743 RadioShack locations. As part of the deal, the company entered into a partnership with [[Sprint Corporation|Sprint]], in which the company would become a co-tenant at 1,435 RadioShack locations and establish [[store within a store]] areas devoted to selling its wireless brands, including Sprint, [[Boost Mobile]] and [[Virgin Mobile (USA)|Virgin Mobile]]. The stores would collect commissions on the sale of Sprint products, and Sprint would assist in promotion. Sprint stated that this arrangement would increase the company's retail footprint by more than double; the company previously had around 1,100 company-owned retail outlets, in comparison to the over 2,000 run by [[AT&T Mobility]]. Although they would be treated as a co-tenant, a mockup showed Sprint branding being more prominent in promotion and exterior signage than that of RadioShack. The acquisition did not include rights to RadioShack's [[intellectual property]] (such as its [[trademark]]s), rights to RadioShack's franchised locations, and customer records, which were to be sold separately.<ref name="cw-sprintrs">{{cite web |date=April 9, 2015 |title=Sprint opens stores within 1,435 RadioShack locations |url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/2908130/sprint-opens-stores-within-1435-radioshack-locations.html |access-date=April 10, 2015 |website=Computerworld}}</ref><ref name="wsj-bankruptcyover">{{cite news |last=Brickley |first=Peg |date=March 31, 2015 |title=RadioShack Rescue Deal Clears Bankruptcy Court |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-rescue-deal-clears-bankruptcy-court-1427830159 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 10, 2015 |website=Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref name="fw-sprintrs">{{cite web |title=Sprint set to open 1,435 co-branded locations with RadioShack tomorrow |url=http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-set-open-1435-co-branded-locations-radioshack-tomorrow/2015-04-09 |access-date=April 10, 2015 |website=FierceWireless}}</ref><ref name="wsj-tmsale">{{cite news |last=Brickley |first=Peg |date=April 13, 2015 |title=RadioShack Trademarks, Customers, Dealer Network Up for Sale |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/radioshack-trademarks-customers-dealer-network-up-for-sale-1428944335 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 13, 2015 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

Re-branded stores [[soft launch]]ed on April 10, 2015, with a preliminary conversion of the stores' existing wireless departments to exclusively house Sprint brands, with all stores eventually to be renovated in waves to allocate larger spaces for Sprint.<ref name=fw-sprintrs/><ref name=sprint-storeconcept>{{cite web |title=Sprint RadioShack re-branding concept |url=https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/sprintstoreplan.pdf |publisher=Sprint Corporation |access-date=April 10, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419021001/https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/sprintstoreplan.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In May 2015, the acquisition of the "RadioShack" name and its assets by General Wireless for US$26.2 million was finalized.<ref name=NYT0520>{{cite news|title=Bankruptcy Judge Approves Sale of RadioShack Name and Data |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/business/bankruptcy-judge-approves-sale-of-radioshack-name-and-data.html |work=[[New York Times]] |date=May 20, 2015 |access-date=July 8, 2015}}</ref><ref name=bloomberg-standardip>{{cite news |title=RadioShack Name Goes to Standard General for $26.2 Million |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-13/standard-general-bid-of-26-5-million-wins-radioshack-brand |website=Bloomberg |access-date=May 14, 2015 |first=Dawn |last=McCarty|date=May 13, 2015}}</ref>  [[Chief marketing officer]] Michael Tatelman emphasized that the company that emerged from the 2015 proceedings is an entirely new company, and went on to affirm that the old RadioShack did not re-emerge from bankruptcy, calling it "defunct".<ref>{{Cite news |url = http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2015/12/10/year-in-review-three-things-that-have-changed.html|title = Year in review: Three things that have changed since RadioShack's bankruptcy|last = Kezar|first = Korri|date = December 10, 2015|work = Dallas Business Journal|access-date = December 10, 2015}}</ref>

Less than one year after the bankruptcy events of 2015, Ron Garriques and Marty Amschler stepped down from their respective [[chief executive officer]] and [[chief financial officer]] positions; Garriques had held his position for nine months.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://consumerist.com/2016/01/21/radioshacks-new-ceo-quits-after-less-than-1-year/|title=RadioShack's New CEO Quits After Less Than 1 Year|first=Laura|last=Northrup|date=January 21, 2016|access-date=January 15, 2016 |work=Consumerist}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/radioshack-looking-new-ceoagain|title=RadioShack looking for a new CEO—again|first=Marianne|last=Wilson|date=January 22, 2016|work=Chain Store Age|access-date=January 25, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124213944/http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/radioshack-looking-new-ceoagain|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article55646755.html|title=New RadioShack CEO departs after less than a year on the job |first=Steve |last=Kaskovich |work=Star-Telegram |access-date=January 25, 2016| date=January 20, 2016}}</ref>

==== 2017 bankruptcy ====
It was speculated on March 2, 2017, that General Wireless was preparing to take RadioShack through its second bankruptcy in two years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-03/radioshack-s-successor-said-to-be-preparing-bankruptcy-filing|title=RadioShack's Successor Preparing to File for Bankruptcy, Sources Say|date=March 2, 2017|access-date=March 3, 2017|publisher=Bloomberg|first1=Lauren|last1=Coleman-Lochner|first2=Jodi Xu |last2=Klein |first3=Scott |last3=Moritz |website=Bloomberg.com }}</ref> This was evidenced when dozens of corporate office employees were laid off and two hundred stores were planned to be shuttered,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article136754153.html|title=Changes underway at RadioShack as Sprint pulls out of some stores |date=March 6, 2017|access-date=March 7, 2017|publisher=Star-Telegram|first=Steve |last=Kaskovich}}</ref> and further evidenced when the RadioShack website began displaying "all sales final" banners for in-store purchases at all locations.

RadioShack's Chapter 11 bankruptcy was formally filed on March 8, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/radioshack-files-for-bankruptcy/article_b35e5aa8-047b-11e7-8c07-2bba97de1808.html |title=RadioShack files for bankruptcy |author=J.B. Reed |date=March 8, 2017 |access-date=March 8, 2017 |publisher=Fort Worth Business Press |archive-date=March 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309052942/http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/news/radioshack-files-for-bankruptcy/article_b35e5aa8-047b-11e7-8c07-2bba97de1808.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Of the then 1,300 remaining stores, several hundred were converted into Sprint-only locations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://libn.com/2017/03/14/radioshack-closing-more-stores-some-on-li/ |title=RadioShack closing more stores, some on LI |first=David|last=Winzelberg|access-date=March 14, 2017|date=March 14, 2017|publisher=Long Island Business News |website=libn.com}}</ref>

Despite declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy (typically reserved for reorganization of debt) instead of [[Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 7]] (liquidation), the company engaged in liquidation of all inventory, supplies, and store fixtures, as well as auctioning off old memorabilia.<ref name="RS_LastChance"/><ref name="dmn-2017jul03">{{cite news |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2017/07/03/online-auction-radioshack-memorabilia-reminds-us-pasts |title=TRS-80, Duofone microprocessor and more: RadioShack auction items reboot the memory |newspaper=[[Dallas Morning News]] |date=July 3, 2017 |first=Maria |last=Halkias}}</ref>  On May 26, RadioShack announced plans to close all but 70 corporate stores and shift its business primarily to online.  These stores closed after Memorial Day Weekend of 2017.<ref name="RS_leaves70">{{cite news |last=Woodyard |first=Chris |date=May 31, 2017 |title=RadioShack, closing 1,000 stores, leaves only these 70 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2017/05/31/radioshack-closes-1000-stores-week-these-72-left/102372912/ |access-date=June 5, 2017 |website=USA Today}}</ref>  Of the remaining stores, 50 more closed by the end of June 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.informnny.com/news/local-news/out-of-hope-radioshack-in-watertown-to-close-up-for-good/738612069 |first=Christopher |last=Bucher|date=June 12, 2017 |access-date=June 12, 2017|title=Out of hope: RadioShack in Watertown to close up for good|website=InformNNY.com|publisher=Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/watertown-radioshack-to-close-this-month-20170610|title=Watertown RadioShack to close this month |date=June 10, 2017|access-date=June 12, 2017|newspaper=Watertown Daily Times}}</ref>

One particular store closing in April 2017 garnered widespread media attention when a [[Facebook]] account, calling itself "RadioShack - [[Reynoldsburg, Ohio]]", began posting aggressive messages alluding to the bankruptcy, such as "We closed. Fuck you all." RadioShack addressed these posts on their official Facebook page denying any involvement.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.inquisitr.com/4167637/rogue-radioshack-ohio-location-goes-flippant-on-facebook-after-closure/|title=Rogue RadioShack Ohio Location Goes Flippant on Facebook After Closure |website=Inquisitr.com|date=April 23, 2017 |language=en|access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-04-19 |title='Rogue' Radioshack Facebook page lashes out at customers |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39642249 |access-date=2024-08-06 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On June 29, 2017, RadioShack's creditors sued Sprint, claiming that it sabotaged its co-branded locations with newly built Sprint retail stores—which were constructed near well-performing RadioShack locations as determined by confidential sales information. The suit argued that Sprint's actions "destroyed nearly 6,000 RadioShack jobs".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/30/15904608/radioshack-creditors-sue-sprint|title=Sprint is getting sued for sabotaging RadioShack's comeback |last=Welch |first=Chris |date=June 30, 2017 |website=The Verge |access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>

General Wireless announced plans on June 12, 2017, to auction off the RadioShack name and [[Intellectual property|IP]],<ref name="RS_GWauction">{{cite news |url=http://newsismybusiness.com/radioshack-brand-auctioned/|title=RadioShack brand to be auctioned in July|date=June 12, 2017|access-date=June 12, 2017|via=News is my Business|website=newsismybusiness.com}}</ref> with bidding to begin on July 18.  Bidding concluded on July 19, 2017, when one of RadioShack's creditors, [[Kensington Capital Holdings]], obtained the RadioShack brand and other intellectual properties for US$15 million.<ref name="reuters-2017jul19">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-radioshack-kensingtoncapital-idUSKBN1A427F |title=RadioShack brand to survive under new owner: sources |newspaper=[[Reuters]] |date=July 19, 2017 |first=Jessica |last=DiNapoli}}</ref> Kensington was the sole bidder.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.retaildive.com/news/radioshack-receives-a-lifeline/447511/ |title=RadioShack receives a lifeline |date=July 20, 2017 |access-date=July 20, 2017 |first=Daphne |last=Howland |website=retaildive.com}}</ref>

In October 2017, General Wireless officially exited bankruptcy and was allowed to retain the company's warehouse, e-commerce site, dealer network operations, and up to 28 stores.<ref name="cnn-2017nov03">{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/11/03/news/companies/radioshack-survives-second-bankruptcy/index.html |title=RadioShack survives its second bankruptcy -- barely |website=[[CNN]] |date=November 3, 2017 |first=Chris |last=Isidore}}</ref><ref name="rd-2018jan08">{{cite news |url=https://www.retaildive.com/news/update-radioshack-exits-bankruptcy-again/508449/ |title=UPDATE: RadioShack exits bankruptcy, again |website=Retail Dive |date=January 8, 2018 |first=Ben |last=Unglesbee}}</ref>

==== Post-bankruptcy ====
RadioShack began shrinking its U.S. headquarters operation in 2017. By September of that year,
it had a staff of 50 and moved to RadioShack's distribution center on Terminal Road just north of the Fort Worth Stockyards.<ref>{{cite web |title=Radioshack leaving downtown Fort Worth HQ |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article175689051.html |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |last=Kaskovich |first=Steve |date=September 27, 2017 |access-date=July 7, 2022}}</ref>

In late July 2018, RadioShack partnered up with [[HobbyTown USA]] to open up around 100 RadioShack "Express" stores.<ref name=ENTRE>{{cite news |title=RadioShack Is Now Selling in Unexpected Places. Will Anyone Buy? |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/322966 |access-date=November 30, 2018 |magazine=[[Entrepreneur (magazine)|Entrepreneur]] |date=November 27, 2018 |first=Clint |last=Carter}}</ref><ref name="usatoday-2018jul26">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/07/26/radioshack-plans-open-100-express-locations/843010002/ |title=RadioShack plans to open 100 express locations |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=July 2, 2018 |first=Dalvin |last=Brown}}</ref> HobbyTown owners select which RadioShack products to carry.<ref name=PRAIRIE>{{cite news |title=RadioShack making a comeback with new 'express shops' in HobbyTown |url=https://www.opprairie.com/p/news-business/radioshack-making-comeback-new-%E2%80%98express-shops%E2%80%99-hobbytown |newspaper=[[The Orland Park Prairie]] |date=November 5, 2018 |first=Brianne |last=Dougherty |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308115805/https://www.opprairie.com/p/news-business/radioshack-making-comeback-new-%E2%80%98express-shops%E2%80%99-hobbytown |url-status=dead }}</ref>

RadioShack dealerships had re-opened around 500 stores by October 2018.<ref name=STAR>{{cite news |title=RadioShack Opens in Ashtabula Towne Square |url=http://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/radio-shack-opens-in-ashtabula-towne-square/article_07417f9d-839a-5b95-98e9-f153c41c1359.html |access-date=November 30, 2018 |newspaper=[[Star Beacon]] |date=October 6, 2018 |first=Shelley |last=Terry}}</ref> By November 2018, it had signed 77 of HobbyTown's 137 franchise stores.<ref name=ENTRE/>

=== Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV) ===
In November 2020, RadioShack's intellectual property and its remaining operations—about 400 independent authorized dealers, about 80 Hobbytown USA affiliate stores, and its online sales operation—were purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a Florida-based company that had previously purchased defunct retailers [[Pier 1 Imports]], [[Dress Barn]], [[Modell's Sporting Goods]], and [[Linens 'n Things]], along with [[The Franklin Mint]].<ref name=Halkias>{{cite news |last=Halkias |first=Maria |date=November 19, 2020 |title=RadioShack — yes, it still exists — continues on with new owners collecting up old brands |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2020/11/19/radioshack-yes-it-still-exists-continues-on-with-new-owners-collecting-up-old-brands/ |url-access=limited |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |location=Dallas, Texas |access-date=November 19, 2020 }}</ref>

In December 2021, REV announced they would use part of the brand name on a [[cryptocurrency]] platform called RadioShack DeFi (an abbreviation of [[decentralized finance]]). The platform would allow customers to exchange and freely swap existing cryptocurrency tokens for a token called $''RADIO'' through the new platform.<ref>{{cite news |last=Egan |first=John |url=https://fortworth.culturemap.com/news/city-life/12-28-21-radioshack-defi-cryptocurrency-retail-ecommerce-ventures/ |title=Former Fort Worth electronics giant RadioShack reboots as cryptocurrency company |work=Fort Worth Culture Map |publisher=CultureMap LLC |date=December 28, 2021 |access-date=December 29, 2021 }}</ref>

The [[Twitter]] account for RadioShack gained notoriety in June 2022 when it began posting tweets with [[not safe for work]] content in an effort to attract attention towards its cryptocurrency platform, then renamed RadioShack Swap.<ref name="WaPo - NSFW Twitter">{{cite news |last1=Lu |first1=Yiwen |title=Remember RadioShack? It's now a crypto company with wild tweets. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/07/01/radio-shack-tweets/ |access-date=March 23, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name="WSJ - NSFW Twitter">{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Megan |title=How NSFW Tweets Plug Into RadioShack's New Marketing Strategy |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-vulgar-tweets-plug-into-radioshacks-new-marketing-strategy-11657737879?mod=article_inline |access-date=March 23, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=July 13, 2022}}</ref> The strategy, directed by chief marketing officer Ábel Czupor,<ref name="WaPo - NSFW Twitter" /> received a mixed reaction among dealers; HobbyTown USA subsequently terminated its relationship with RadioShack in response to customer confusion surrounding the posts.<ref name="WSJ - NSFW Twitter" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Megan |title=Some RadioShack Dealers Aren't Happy as the Brand Leans on NSFW Tweets |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-radioshack-dealers-arent-happy-as-the-brand-leans-on-nsfw-tweets-11661940000 |access-date=March 23, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 31, 2022}}</ref>