Radio Shack ad from 1991

[MrScorpio]

Look at all the stuff that you needed then to do what's possible with a single phone today.

Progress!

[NightWatcher]

1. we lived like Neanderthals. How did we survive?

Those were the Dark Ages.

[bluesbassman]

2. Yeah, but you can't get a cardio workout with a cellphone like you could with a 5lb camcorder!

Damn those things were a pain.

[Jenoch]

3. I actually had that cassette recorder

on the bottom right in the ad. It might still be in a box someplace.

Notice the "in ear stereo phones"? Apparently, the term earbuds had not yet been used.

[raven mad]

11. I still do, Jenoch!

Buried in the "miscellaneous electronics my Alaskan Packrat husband may find a use for someday" box!

[Tom Ripley]

13. I also still have that one

[Jenoch]

17. What is sort of interesting is that

I used it in a professional capacity as a radio news reporter. Then I switched to a DAT (digital audio tape) recorder, but the mic was so sensirive that it picked up way too much extraneous noise. I got out of the news business some time ago, but if I were in it now, I would use a 3rd generation iPod Touch. It has enough features without too much extra b.s.

[Boom Sound 416]

4. I asked a young clerk not long ago

If they still stocked cb radios.

He had know idea what I was talking about.

[hrmjustin]

5. I remember my comodore 128.

[kwassa]

6. the Radio Shack round the corner from me was cleaned out in the 1992 riots ...

back when I lived in Los Angeles. A desirable target, back then.

[jmowreader]

7. Keep the camcorder. I want a pair of those speakers!

[underpants]

8. Radio Shack has somehow survived

I go to one near us mainly for the geek expertise. I have noticed that they push batteries a lot - big mark up on those. The store is actually tiny (strip mall) that the rent might be low.

[hunter]

9. Ours mostly sells cell phones.

They don't know much else.

I'm always surprised when they have some electronic part I need right away and so are they!

[Locut0s]

14. How DO they survive?...

Here in Canada they were bought out some years back by Circuit City and renamed "The Source" but their business model stayed the same.

Every time I go in one I wonder how they manage to survive. They sell a few low end TVs, a few cell phones, and lots of other electronic junk and some children's toys. For almost everything in there I could name another store I'd rather go to get said product.

[Art_from_Ark]

10. The last time I went to Radio Shack, I wanted to buy a digital chess game

I balked at the price, because it was $100. Now I've got a digital chess game included in a 25-game PC software package that cost $15.99.

[Tom Ripley]

12. The guys at my Radio Shack think I'm some kind of wizard or something because I buy...

components for actually building circuits.
They are fascinated and always want to know about the latest project.

[Locut0s]

15. Is it still economical to buy parts there?...

I thought most people into project building now bought their stuff on-line at places like DigiKey

http://www.digikey.com/?curr=USD

[Tom Ripley]

16. It is more economical to go through digikey or mouser or smal bear, but sometimes I just...

get nostalgic for the Rat Shack experience.

[Yavin4]

18. Then again, you could go on vacation without your boss contacting you

Back in '91, we had "down-time".