[PLUG-TALK] 1983 Radio Shack Computer Catalog

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Sun, Dec 09, 2012 at 01:46:33PM -0800, Paul Mullen wrote:
> I have fond memories of both the early days of home computing, and
> the store that Radio Shack used to be:
> 
>   http://archive.org/stream/radio-shack-catalog-rsc-09-computer-catalog-1983/radio_shack_catalog_rsc-09_computer_catalog.1983

IIRC, Radio Shack had a computer or two at some retail stores, and
some disks and cables, but most stores carried little of this stuff. 
I don't remember any "Full Line In Stock" "Radio Shack Computer
Centers" around Portland, but there may have been some.  The
local retail stores would order computer stuff for you, back in
the pre-online-inventory days when orders took weeks to show up.

That Radio Shack catalog offered a computer desk on page 41 for
$70 ($163 in 2012 dollars).  The equivalent today sells online
at Walmart for $115, and in-store at Ikea for $100:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40111124/

BTW, Ikea earns 17 times the net income on 7 times the revenue with
3.5 times the employees in 5% of the locations of Radio Shack.  

Moral 1: sell tables, not computers (though both sell batteries). 

Moral 2:  If you are the world's biggest megastore retailer, you
get far less flack if you are headquartered in the Netherlands
and manufacture in eastern Europe, than if you are headquartered
in Dallas or Bentonville, and manufacture in China.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993