I have a feeling that arcades would be pretty popular now, with younger generations watching Stranger Things and all retro 80s stuff. I would definitely go arcades in malls
This really took me back. I loved Fry’s electronics. I used to get all my computer parts there for my personal builds. We still have Microcenter in Richardson, which is actually where I bought my last gaming computer and a few upgrade pieces. I’m glad we have at least one store left where I can just go and be a nerd- but it’s always PACKED. Makes me think they could use another electronics store.
I worked at a Radio Shack in the early ‘80s that was next to a Mountain Bell store (the “Baby Bell” in the west) .. we sold a ton of telephones (pre-cell phone).
To my knowledge, electronic boutique is now know as EB Games and while (again to my knowledge) is no longer in the US, I know it’s in Canada and Australia as they (again to my knowledge) they we’re bought by gamestop so they could get marketshere easily in Canada and Australia and just renamed and US EB games to GameStop (again to my knowledge)
You trying to say you enjoy that classic #1 combo meal from taco bell?
Lmao
But alas!
FUCK i miss RadioShack man,not only was that where i was first introduced to hex bugs and all kinds of wacky Gameboy advance accessories,but finding out that RadioShack would’ve LITERALLY been everything i want it to be now since I’m big into DIY electronic projects and stuff,makes me sad as hell it’s gone
Regarding video games, I’m finding a retro video game store in nearly every city I’ve visited, this decade and last. Some stores have closed since then, yet they’re still popular. I still kick myself for not raiding the Sega Genesis $1-52 bin 5 years ago, when I spotted it at a store in Pigeon Forge, TN. I guarantee nearly every game in that bin has tripled/quadrupled in price since the late 90s.
This video is enlightening for the fact I wondered the same things. Although I’d rather order online, it’s better to view products on shelves than guess what it may be like.
Sears especially broke my heart since it was the place (where I lived at the time) to preview the latest iMacs/eMacs despite knowing nothing about Macs then. My dad purchased two camcorders for me, both from Sears. Their prices and item selection continued to dwindle, along with every electronics store.
I went to Comp USA to get a new OS. I wanted DOS and they had a copy but the guy there told me I was better off getting something like Windows. I can’t recall which one, maybe "Me", but I think it was XP. That was in the early 2000’s. I just started getting into PC building, first I bought one from a guy I knew or his company and later started building my own by searching online but I bought a bit of stuff in the stores, mainly the computer stores when I needed something special or quickly. Now days, no dice.
There is though, the desire to actually go to a store to shop.
Interact with people.
And for the higher end stores, with fantastic customer service, people will pay for that.
And if I have to explain why they are willing to do that, then, well, you really won’t understand why they do it.
When I turned 13 in the late 80s I was given 100 dollars for my birthday and dropped off at the mall with a friend. Spent all day pouring over electronics, watched movie, ate in the food court, and played in the arcade. I remember buying one of those clear land line phones with all the neon inside for my bedroom. Best day ever!! Surely a bygone era.
There’s actually a radio shack in a small town I live near. It’s half of a townhouse that was converted and built on to. It’s never changed since I was a kid. Looks like the old stores, super basic lots of cables, batteries, speakers and other electronics. They even sell used stuff like stereo heads.
what you said about the culture is spot on. I miss this time more than anything and it absolutely sucks we can’t get it back. I miss hanging out at the mall, checking out all the cool new stuff in stores. being able to see everything and inspect the quality in person is still important. thank god for microcenter!
A good point of sale display,set up nicely, can also increase sales. Stores set up differently, depending on who is arranging things. Why allow the competition to steal a picture of your setup.
There is a Microcenter in northeast Dallas (SW corner of US-75@Spring Valley, near Richardson). It kind of reminds me of the computer section of Incredible Universe / Fry’s Electronics from twenty years ago, with a huge selection of computers and relevant parts, a large staffed checkout, and an always full parking lot.
Actually, and this is nothing against 8-Bit, but if you are in a mall, or a shopping center, you pay a PERCENT RENT.
Percent Rent is a percentage of your sales.
It varies from location to location.
But it use to be 10%.
This was on top of your rent.
If you have a cart or kiosk you paid to rent those. And the Percent Rent was tacked on.
The anchor stores owned their buildings.
They may a common area fee, which is understandable.
You know. Take the trash out, mop the floors, et al.
Just and FYI.
I remember my dad taking me to Fry’s. It was always super exciting. Went in one about 4 years ago. Was so sad. All the shelves were empty and no one was there
I was born in the early 90’s and still remember Radioshack especially back when they had tons of remote controlled cars (some of which I was lucky to get as gifts when I was a kid)
I miss Fry’s so much. I like to shop in person. I like reading everything on the packaging and playing around with demos and open box items. Online shopping is cheap but I don’t find it to be as convenient, efficient, or enjoyable as in store shopping.
With regard to "why wouldn’t the store let me take pictures inside the store?"…stores are protective of the WAY things are displayed in their stores. There can be a lot of science, research, and design that goes into how a store is laid out. For example, what kind of shelves are used, what products are displayed at the end of an aisle, etc.
What if some Fry’s Electronics Stores found new life as Costco Wholesale stores, since most of the large Frys stores are literally the SAME SIZE as a Costco? But I will always miss the themed Fry’s Electronics stores for years to come!! I always truly loved seeing the inside of them!! 😭😭😭😭
Babbage’s and electronic boutique brought back memories all the cool game systems, kmart and target all had decent electronics departments also. Physical media was better for me.
I remember those days as well, the smells, the layout of those stores!
Unfortunately, the best thing about technology is also the worst thing, nowadays.
Great video by the way on the speak and spell. I have a special request, can you do a similar video on the game Simon? Like the speak and spell, they have versions that are available today, as well as the original retro versions still lingering around.
The real reason is control. They have to have total and complete control over you while inside or they feel inadequate. Whether they admit it or not doesn’t matter, truth is there.
I believe many electronic stores died in part also due to unknowledgeable staff and bad customer service. I remember that even 10 years ago when I went to Radio Shack to try to pick up some capacitors to fix my monitor’s built in power supply, none of the staff knew what a capacitor is let alone what Farad or uF meant. I did find the electronic components myself eventually as they all were tucked into a tiny area back corner of the store hidden inside drawers. As I grew up, I watched Radio Shack turn from a hobbyist electronics store into another consumer electronics store.
I also watch Frys die over the years. I never missed the pushy floor salespeople that would always bother me if I am just looking around. They are more keen to sell stuff that I don’t want than to help me. In fact, they are probably not knowledgeable enough to help me anyways. The customer service people are more interested in chit chatting around with their own colleagues than to help me even if I am waiting minutes in front of them. Also, the Fry’s inventory were often times not up to date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI7768Sdu8M i found a 1980’s ad for a at&t store, you can see part of it for a few seconds. I wish someone could find a full image of it tho
The last electronics store in Dallas that I’m aware of was the family owned Tanner Electronics in Carrolton. It was a wonderful store with all sorts of small electronics parts
Nice people and it is sorely missed
i can tell you why they didn’t allow cameras cause i myself dug up pretty enough on the subject , stores of big franchises buy selling techniques from researcher companies which costs ridiculous amount of money and that includes decor and prices , things that change thru the day and they simply dont want competitors to get them as quick as from pics and videos rather than slowly sending people to document that in human memory and notes .
kinda similar to changing the password every few hours which makes spying on the password evey 24 hours useless .
Were so used to it but it’s mind-blowing how technology has advanced. I asked someone the other day if when they were a kid they would have ever imagined a smartphone. Nobody did.
The real reason is just like people today they see something that they think or feel is wrong and so they just assume it is.
Like a single man going to a park where there just so happens to be children around, if he’s not hurting anyone or touching anyone or even really talking to anyone then why do we always assume the worst?
The unintelligent masses typically operate more on feeling than logic.
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The best electronic store in my city is the thrift store on the other side of the street
100% spot on!
I have a feeling that arcades would be pretty popular now, with younger generations watching Stranger Things and all retro 80s stuff. I would definitely go arcades in malls
Does this count? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI7768Sdu8M at&t ad from 1984, looks like it shows the inside of a store.
they didnt want you filming inside the store, because they thought you might me casing the place to rob it
First Amendment violation!
Babbages was actually the original game stop location
In Chicago we still have Best Buy and MicroCenter …
This really took me back. I loved Fry’s electronics. I used to get all my computer parts there for my personal builds. We still have Microcenter in Richardson, which is actually where I bought my last gaming computer and a few upgrade pieces. I’m glad we have at least one store left where I can just go and be a nerd- but it’s always PACKED. Makes me think they could use another electronics store.
I worked at a Radio Shack in the early ‘80s that was next to a Mountain Bell store (the “Baby Bell” in the west) .. we sold a ton of telephones (pre-cell phone).
To my knowledge, electronic boutique is now know as EB Games and while (again to my knowledge) is no longer in the US, I know it’s in Canada and Australia as they (again to my knowledge) they we’re bought by gamestop so they could get marketshere easily in Canada and Australia and just renamed and US EB games to GameStop (again to my knowledge)
12:27
You trying to say you enjoy that classic #1 combo meal from taco bell?
Lmao
But alas!
FUCK i miss RadioShack man,not only was that where i was first introduced to hex bugs and all kinds of wacky Gameboy advance accessories,but finding out that RadioShack would’ve LITERALLY been everything i want it to be now since I’m big into DIY electronic projects and stuff,makes me sad as hell it’s gone
Even sadder now that fry’s recently went under
Regarding video games, I’m finding a retro video game store in nearly every city I’ve visited, this decade and last. Some stores have closed since then, yet they’re still popular. I still kick myself for not raiding the Sega Genesis $1-52 bin 5 years ago, when I spotted it at a store in Pigeon Forge, TN. I guarantee nearly every game in that bin has tripled/quadrupled in price since the late 90s.
This video is enlightening for the fact I wondered the same things. Although I’d rather order online, it’s better to view products on shelves than guess what it may be like.
Sears especially broke my heart since it was the place (where I lived at the time) to preview the latest iMacs/eMacs despite knowing nothing about Macs then. My dad purchased two camcorders for me, both from Sears. Their prices and item selection continued to dwindle, along with every electronics store.
I went to Comp USA to get a new OS. I wanted DOS and they had a copy but the guy there told me I was better off getting something like Windows. I can’t recall which one, maybe "Me", but I think it was XP. That was in the early 2000’s. I just started getting into PC building, first I bought one from a guy I knew or his company and later started building my own by searching online but I bought a bit of stuff in the stores, mainly the computer stores when I needed something special or quickly. Now days, no dice.
The Radio Shack in my area actually managed to stay in business until the chain itself closed.
There is though, the desire to actually go to a store to shop.
Interact with people.
And for the higher end stores, with fantastic customer service, people will pay for that.
And if I have to explain why they are willing to do that, then, well, you really won’t understand why they do it.
When I turned 13 in the late 80s I was given 100 dollars for my birthday and dropped off at the mall with a friend. Spent all day pouring over electronics, watched movie, ate in the food court, and played in the arcade. I remember buying one of those clear land line phones with all the neon inside for my bedroom. Best day ever!! Surely a bygone era.
Don’t forget "Federated"!
Another great video! Absolutely loved it. Nostalgia galore! Miss those days of catalogs and radio shacks and ……
There’s actually a radio shack in a small town I live near. It’s half of a townhouse that was converted and built on to. It’s never changed since I was a kid. Looks like the old stores, super basic lots of cables, batteries, speakers and other electronics. They even sell used stuff like stereo heads.
what you said about the culture is spot on. I miss this time more than anything and it absolutely sucks we can’t get it back. I miss hanging out at the mall, checking out all the cool new stuff in stores. being able to see everything and inspect the quality in person is still important. thank god for microcenter!
A good point of sale display,set up nicely, can also increase sales. Stores set up differently, depending on who is arranging things. Why allow the competition to steal a picture of your setup.
There’s the remains of a Radio Shack in Seguin
By remains I mean just the sign is still there on the building
8:54 CompUSA going out of business was depressing, I got so many great games from there including StarCraft on PC 🙁
The tilt arcade at my mall(Temple Mall) closed down around a year ago. Shame, I loved it.
There is a Microcenter in northeast Dallas (SW corner of US-75@Spring Valley, near Richardson). It kind of reminds me of the computer section of Incredible Universe / Fry’s Electronics from twenty years ago, with a huge selection of computers and relevant parts, a large staffed checkout, and an always full parking lot.
Actually, and this is nothing against 8-Bit, but if you are in a mall, or a shopping center, you pay a PERCENT RENT.
Percent Rent is a percentage of your sales.
It varies from location to location.
But it use to be 10%.
This was on top of your rent.
If you have a cart or kiosk you paid to rent those. And the Percent Rent was tacked on.
The anchor stores owned their buildings.
They may a common area fee, which is understandable.
You know. Take the trash out, mop the floors, et al.
Just and FYI.
4. Too less time. People work much longer as before.
I remember my dad taking me to Fry’s. It was always super exciting. Went in one about 4 years ago. Was so sad. All the shelves were empty and no one was there
I was born in the early 90’s and still remember Radioshack especially back when they had tons of remote controlled cars (some of which I was lucky to get as gifts when I was a kid)
I miss Fry’s so much. I like to shop in person. I like reading everything on the packaging and playing around with demos and open box items. Online shopping is cheap but I don’t find it to be as convenient, efficient, or enjoyable as in store shopping.
With regard to "why wouldn’t the store let me take pictures inside the store?"…stores are protective of the WAY things are displayed in their stores. There can be a lot of science, research, and design that goes into how a store is laid out. For example, what kind of shelves are used, what products are displayed at the end of an aisle, etc.
What if some Fry’s Electronics Stores found new life as Costco Wholesale stores, since most of the large Frys stores are literally the SAME SIZE as a Costco? But I will always miss the themed Fry’s Electronics stores for years to come!! I always truly loved seeing the inside of them!! 😭😭😭😭
#togetherinelectricdreams
Babbage’s and electronic boutique brought back memories all the cool game systems, kmart and target all had decent electronics departments also. Physical media was better for me.
I remember those days as well, the smells, the layout of those stores!
Unfortunately, the best thing about technology is also the worst thing, nowadays.
Great video by the way on the speak and spell. I have a special request, can you do a similar video on the game Simon? Like the speak and spell, they have versions that are available today, as well as the original retro versions still lingering around.
Anyway, thanks for the videos. Keep them coming!
Mike from New York City
4:18 lol I remember doing this with the Toys Я us catalog!
The real reason is control. They have to have total and complete control over you while inside or they feel inadequate. Whether they admit it or not doesn’t matter, truth is there.
I believe many electronic stores died in part also due to unknowledgeable staff and bad customer service. I remember that even 10 years ago when I went to Radio Shack to try to pick up some capacitors to fix my monitor’s built in power supply, none of the staff knew what a capacitor is let alone what Farad or uF meant. I did find the electronic components myself eventually as they all were tucked into a tiny area back corner of the store hidden inside drawers. As I grew up, I watched Radio Shack turn from a hobbyist electronics store into another consumer electronics store.
I also watch Frys die over the years. I never missed the pushy floor salespeople that would always bother me if I am just looking around. They are more keen to sell stuff that I don’t want than to help me. In fact, they are probably not knowledgeable enough to help me anyways. The customer service people are more interested in chit chatting around with their own colleagues than to help me even if I am waiting minutes in front of them. Also, the Fry’s inventory were often times not up to date.
Google Maps archives the insides of malls now.
Actually toysrus still exists in China with quite a lot of locations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI7768Sdu8M i found a 1980’s ad for a at&t store, you can see part of it for a few seconds. I wish someone could find a full image of it tho
I miss Radio Shack, CompUsa and Circuit City! Sears, as well!
The last electronics store in Dallas that I’m aware of was the family owned Tanner Electronics in Carrolton. It was a wonderful store with all sorts of small electronics parts
Nice people and it is sorely missed
The PT Cruiser toy!
i can tell you why they didn’t allow cameras cause i myself dug up pretty enough on the subject , stores of big franchises buy selling techniques from researcher companies which costs ridiculous amount of money and that includes decor and prices , things that change thru the day and they simply dont want competitors to get them as quick as from pics and videos rather than slowly sending people to document that in human memory and notes .
kinda similar to changing the password every few hours which makes spying on the password evey 24 hours useless .
Arlingon
*MIRROR’S EDGE*
I love shopping malls.
Were so used to it but it’s mind-blowing how technology has advanced. I asked someone the other day if when they were a kid they would have ever imagined a smartphone. Nobody did.
The real reason is just like people today they see something that they think or feel is wrong and so they just assume it is.
Like a single man going to a park where there just so happens to be children around, if he’s not hurting anyone or touching anyone or even really talking to anyone then why do we always assume the worst?
The unintelligent masses typically operate more on feeling than logic.