OG Gen-X computer guy here. It's good to see you back. Really enjoyed the video.
Johnnie Houston Photography5 minuuttia sitten
I really miss being able to "physically" seeing what Im going to buy! I used to go to a store at Tyrone Mall in Florida called "Olsons Electronics" which had a myriad of speakers and componentry. I miss the 80's!
J Tay37 minuuttia sitten
The Frys in Arlington TX is closing on April 8. I used to get all of my parts from there. I went there for a HDD a few weeks ago and the person working the counter didn't even know what a hard drive was. Sad times... 😥
RichardTunti sitten
Kinda sucks for a new tinkerer like me. Online shopping for small bits and pieces in small numbers online sucks, to be honest. I really wish there were a RadioShack or a Micro Center near me.
Jimmy SotoTunti sitten
Nothing like to hear 4 or 5 different speakers before choose one. How can be that replaced by any online shopping? From the description? " The sound of this model is soft but strong, the bass are deep nad the highs are crispy and clear"...well, all the speakers are described ib the same way😂. The sound is something you need to hear to feel the diffences. Same with the tv sets.
Polo GameroTunti sitten
i have a feeling that in twenty years time, as the population explodes, we'll see a return of shops.
Jacob BarrowTunti sitten
Yeah but taco bell removed my Grilled Stuffed Steak Burrito!!
Wrex's Game FilesTunti sitten
Love your channel David. So much nostalgia, education and fun. Appreciate you man. Every single store you mentioned I fondly remember.. even the oddball ones like Best. Not gonna lie.. this one hit me hard in the feels man.
robertd19652 tuntia sitten
Frys never got with the times. They did ok in some areas, but never seem to have decent hardware always seemed to be behind the game with what they have in stock. Whereas Microcenter rocks this aspect. They generally have what you are looking for. Frys should of consolidated into just an electronics store, i think trying to do appliances hurt them and most likely best buy too, like just be a good electronics store and stay up to date. Notice microcenter doesn't sell non-nerd stuff. You can get parts and pre-builds and a small area for TVs, etc. That's it and it's all up to date. That's why microcenter works. Plus Microcenter pricing is decent and price matches amazon. Frys did this too, but again, you have to stay up to date with what you are selling. I think the store being massive also hurt frys, i mean if I need a cpu and ram it was a 2 mile walk.
bBrain2 tuntia sitten
I know what happened to all the American electronic stores, Amazon is taking over everything. We live in a advanced digital age that everybody is shopping online from the comforts of their own home.
Chris Bailey2 tuntia sitten
I lived in Dallas starting 1989 to 2012, so I remember a lot of those malls and stores. I got into PCs about early 1992. My favorite stores where I'd spend at least some time every weekend were CompUSA and Fry Electronics. CompUSA I was at the giant street party they had to launch Windows 95. Drinks, food, music. Then the doors opened at midnight and there was a mad rush to get the first copies of Win 95 and Office 95. I remember being so happy when I walked out with my copies. Fry Electronics had a huge selection of computer parts as well as pre-builts. Pretty much anything you needed if you wanted to build or upgrade a PC, and you had a chance to check out most things before buying. Spent tons of money there. Fry's, I remember the first Plasma TV I'd ever seen was there and it was impressive, for over $14000. But within 6 years there were very few tube TVs available in the rapid changeover to flat-screens, and it was where I bought my first LCD TV and monitor. Great memories, but as much as I liked it, Newegg and Amazon became increasingly competitive, and often has as larger or larger selection of computer parts, monitors, TVs, etc., and their return policy was generally great if you got bad parts, wrong parts, or decided to go with something else. Plus, you didn't have to scout for a parking place and then be confronted by crowds. By about 2006 I was doing most shopping online for everything, and it's probably been at least 20 years since I stepped inside a mall.
John Bales2 tuntia sitten
Don't forget about the HeathKit store in Dallas. I believe it was on Ross Ave. Back in the 60's & 70's, I was a young electronic nerd and was into building my electronics. It was OK to see their products offered in the catalog. But in the store, you could actually see and touch the finished products. HeathKit had all kinds of test equipment & consumer electronics. I built and used an oscilloscope, bar-dot generator (used for TV alignment), digital voltmeter, tube tester (remember vacuum tubes). I always wanted to build their Hero-1 Robot kit, but never had to dollars to buy it. My pride & joy was the 24" Color TV kit that I built in the late 70's. It had an ultrasonic remote with not just channel change & volume controls, but you could adjust the color & tint as well. I used that TV for over 15 years. Back in the day, Radio Shack was the place to purchase electronic components and vacuum tubes. Oh, and forget their "Battery of the Month Club".
R K2 tuntia sitten
Bud, that background has to go. No...no no
The-Mike_D2 tuntia sitten
Clocks, Televisions, Calculators in my opinion are still relevant. It that people's way of life change in a way that many companies didn't realize. Cool vid tho!
Panagiotis Gavras2 tuntia sitten
Same story in Europe. Lots of shopping centres and malls are gone or only have clothing stores left. All the electronic stores and bigger toy stores with consoles and modeltrains are gone. It's sad :(
metro20022 tuntia sitten
The magic of being a teen in the 80s, going to the mall with friends, hanging out at Aladdin's Castle arcade and just wandering the mall... my kids never got to experience that... and my kids were pretty much the last kids that got to stroll the aisles of Toys R Us as kids... at least they got that.
Mithrennon of Aegwynn3 tuntia sitten
Wow talking about trolling down memory lane. I remember growing up in Tyler Tx Back then we had Service Merchandise, Montgomery Wards and I would always bolt to the electronics section. We also had both Circuit City & Bestbuy.
MoeJae864 tuntia sitten
hi I Just found your interesting video. Im in Uk, we used to have a Electronics Parts Store Called Tandy in the UK, where they Part of Radioshack thanks ?
Mr B4 tuntia sitten
Thanks for making this video. I was born 85, so I remember the mall. Nowadays you can still find electronics in drug stores, walmart, Barnes and nobles, etc, and best buy is still around, but its definitely not the same. Thrift stores and garage sales, mostly for that nostalgic shopping experience, lol! There are some stubborn ppl tho, who still prefer to use calculators or wrist watches. The worst thing now is that there's no place to go locally to get electrical components to FIX the old stuff anymore, with places like radioshack gone.
Dank Line4 tuntia sitten
I worked at a Radio Shack in Aberdeen Wa in the 70's and my favorite store is Frys Electronics , it is truly sad that they are out of business
Duane Parker4 tuntia sitten
this video is sort of a coverup to cover moving chip manufacturing factories to china, bigest american mistake ever made in history, not being able to keep the prices low and production up compared to the chinese for electronics, and failing to support local business owners by the americans themselves, otherwise in a local electronics store in 2021 you could find smartwatches, tablets, smartphones, smarthouse technology, smartclothing, digital music instruments, cameras, and vintage unsold electronics for enthusiasts alongside electronic components to repair the 2021 technology. i got 2 such shops in my city from the 90's. It also hides the laziness of people to go to a local electronic store but order the parts online, laziness and globalisation at its best.complete lack of care for american trademarks and companies = bancrupcy and failure
8 bit Romania4 tuntia sitten
Well done
rudolfo gorgod5 tuntia sitten
Ironically, Taco Bell has begun to shrink their menu! :/ at least in my area.
Robert Powell5 tuntia sitten
This should be like 5 seconds long " the internet " lol
win one soon5 tuntia sitten
i am quiet happy that i grew up in the 80s, so many good memories, and i still can handle my life without my cellphone in my hand 24/7 (but i have to admid it gets more and more difficult)
breakshot745 tuntia sitten
instead of browsing the store we browse the Internet. The upside is the selection is incredible, the downside is that for most of us, except in a very select number of cities in Japan and China that I know of where you can go to upscale swapmeets and buy anything you need by the bucket. When I want to build something now, I have to order and wait at least several days for deliveries before I can start prototyping.
Douglas Goodall6 tuntia sitten
Back in the days when the world was not divided between only a few multinational corporations. This is the living proof that capitalism doesn't mean diversity. Today every shopping zone in every western country looks the same.
SxSxG6 tuntia sitten
12:54 I have a plasma TV and i would not buy it if i didnt have it. I mean look at the pixels.
Mr.Fox81 der Youtuber6 tuntia sitten
Such a walk into the past...I remember going to all those places as a child...I'm only 100 miles south, so we always headed to Dallas to shop!!! Couldn't agree more about the smartphone killing all other devices...I hadn't built a gaming PC for anyone in years before Covid, nobody needed them at home and didn't have the time to game...at least we got that back for a short time to offset the misery incurred.
1st World Problems SOLVED6 tuntia sitten
Really great video, really interesting, I always watch your stuff, keep up the good work.
Mac Flex7 tuntia sitten
Think you about nailed the 3 points of reason for failure. Great video altogether.
Datriax Sondor8 tuntia sitten
Omg it's true even my malls here no electronic stores. Also looking at that mall brochure i was around in the 90s still remember Mervyn's, Waldenbooks...RIP. I remember going to Fry's during the last months, super empty, I asked the guy if they're going to close the store, he said no at that time. (Then we got the news months later). I don't think I know any other electronic stores in my area tbh fry's was it.
emptyspotlight9 tuntia sitten
Hi, you commented on my dads yt channel Now I’m speechless that my dad is more famous than meeeee
___Bøba Tëa___10 tuntia sitten
I really like that your channel does not ask people to subscribe, like and share at the end of each video. People who like watching your videos will surely do that even if you don't tell them to do so.
ilikemtrain10 tuntia sitten
That experience you are talking about David, is a reason I love the vinyl revival.
Azza Johnson10 tuntia sitten
Great video. I'm in the same boat. Today's youth won't know what they've missed. I'm glad I grew up in the 70s and 80s.
cybersoil10010 tuntia sitten
I remember Radio Shack had Tandy green screen or amber screen computers and I would go and drool at them in the early 80's. As a 10-15-year-old.
Mark Scheck10 tuntia sitten
I loved to go to a department store in the 80s as a kid and see what games they had.
Stephan Schmidt11 tuntia sitten
Wow this is alot to digest. I remember the Christmas morning when I unwrapped the Commodore Vic 20. Suncoast was where you could buy all the anime movies and posters. Walden's what was a better book store then B.Dalton. Also waiting for the next issue of MicroTimes. In the back was all the adverts where you could find small "Mom and Pop" computer stores. Where you could buy a Pentium 166 mmx motherboard combo for $50. It was all back room deals. OEM, or course. Then pick up a Sound Blaster 16 card for $10.
Anthony Ramirez11 tuntia sitten
Between the time of 1998 till 2001. I built every computer I used for around $200. There used to even be a whole warehouse dedicated to Computer cases. You could get a ATX. Baby ATX. AT.. I was in heaven when I found it.
Anthony Ramirez11 tuntia sitten
Short answer: Walmart happened
Beng.12 tuntia sitten
I haven’t watched the video yet. My vote is analysts. Analysts happened.
J J13 tuntia sitten
What a wonderful trip down memory lane.
ShermanMR213 tuntia sitten
Wait, CB radios and talking clocks still have their place. Love your analysis.
TheAnimeist13 tuntia sitten
computer city was awesome.. right at the corner of cooper and 20.. .i still live in that area ;)
Raz Black13 tuntia sitten
Electronics Boutique later changed their name to EB Games and they later merged with Game Stop. So technically they're still around. Also Federated Department stores is still around and bigger than ever as Macy's.
cvvvvvvvvc14 tuntia sitten
My go-to store back in the day was Media Play! Now the only Brick and Mortar stores you can buy electronics at are Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Gamestop.
Mark Volpe14 tuntia sitten
When privacy was so valued that even the companies that benefit for the lack of it now-a-days still wanted it. I would give everything to go back to a private world.
Nkrlz14 tuntia sitten
Its a shame that there are not anymore this type of electronics Shopping experince. And its the same about all over the world.. I was born in 1978 and i remember how exciting it was as a child to look out for allkind of Computer stuff and fiddle gadgets in the stores. The best time to be a nerdy child, definately 😃.
vsammy _poet14 tuntia sitten
Without radio shack and other shops I've almost fallen out of love with soldering and building circuits. I just can't get used to buying everything online.
chistine lane14 tuntia sitten
I'd add a fourth death reason: the general public has less of an ability to comprehend details, and the suppliers are more vague about them too. Ordering online is simple because you get what you see. Looking at all of those options for calculators and video equipment, the competition required people to understand the nitty details. Now, it's a matter if you prefer Amazon, Google, or Apple when picking a streaming dongle. Or look up reviews.
Sam Hammond14 tuntia sitten
Maybe they didn't want to give away their merchandising techniques or sponsored retail space?
Imran Sheikh15 tuntia sitten
I still remember Sears when they sold rifles, still have one my dad bought for me.
ssjwes15 tuntia sitten
Fry's died? There are tons of them where I live
Atomicmasterz leet15 tuntia sitten
I didn't even realise my local Frys closed my friend told me it closed months ago :(
ssjwes15 tuntia sitten
I seriously miss flipping through vinal. Aaaaahhhh. That nirvana is gone gone gone.
Scott15 tuntia sitten
I grew up in Canada in the 80's and 90's and I didn't encounter an Electronics Boutique until I was nearly done high school. Before then, my stores for video games and whatnot were RadioShack, Canadian Tire, and Zellers. In fact, I remember my mom letting me pick out a red box Atari 2600 game, and I found out a few years ago that those were bootleg copies being sold by what was essentially the Canadian version of K-Mart. I remember loving RadioShack in the mid 90's, since they had a pretty nice selection of PC games. It wasn't the biggest selection, but the options were just more interesting.
Joseph Hooper15 tuntia sitten
Red biRd Mall was exactly like 'Parks' was, just better appearance. O-o 'Best Products' gold
immaculate woRks16 tuntia sitten
Mall layout, priceless.. as Camelot was.
immaculate woRks16 tuntia sitten
Oh, with regards to reason #3... I prefer to go to brick and mortar stores and be able to see and buy the physical item, not having to worry as much about poor quality, bait and switch, returns where you pay shipping, etc.
tieran200916 tuntia sitten
What a nostalgia wave 🌊
b5czarnowski16 tuntia sitten
Cables, connectors, and batteries... More things that I LOVED Radio Shack for. Oh, I still believe in having a landline, an answering machine (if not part of the cordless landline), and an alarm clock. NOTE: My vision without glasses sucks, so I loved the fact that Radio Shack sold Alarm Clocks with large displays.
tieran200916 tuntia sitten
OMG COMPUTE!'s Gazette!
rillloudmother16 tuntia sitten
Great video! I miss the old days when we could just walk in to one of those stores and stare at all the electronics, wondering how much money my parents would need to buy all the cool devices.
Douglas17 tuntia sitten
Have been watching electronic stores die longer than The 8-BIt guy... I'm BC (Before Consoles). Anyway there is a preceding driver... a big one in my opinion. The advance of integrated circuits. In the days of early electronics everything used components... and a heck of a lot of equipment could be opened up and repaired. Form much electronics you could by parts at Radio Shack, Lafayette Radio Electronics, and of course the wonderful independents. A lot of failures were really basic stuff that did not more than basic electronics. Heck, a lot was just solder joint failures. After WW-II a lot of "boys", and yes some notable “gals”, came home knowing electronics and companies like Heathkit capitalized on it, big time. The war driven advances in electronics gave a huge surge to business and personal use of electronics across many products and industries. All this needed technicians, engineers, and more. All with GI benefits. While the GI Benefits would not pay of radios, TVs, oscilloscopes, capacitor checkers, and such for personal use it did pay for electronic education. And if that course used Heathkits to give you a truly educational look the insides and workings of a radio set some of the cost would be paid for by the GI bill (so I've been told). I think this really drove the early before-my-time geek culture. A heck of a lot of electronic gadgets could be made from parts if not already available commercially. You friendly geek could even draw out a diagram for you. Transistors didn't hurt much as they mostly were just smaller, easier, to handle vacuum tubes. Safer and lower heat levels. But transistors lead to ICs. At first the ICs were just replacing a few parts and could be soldered and soldered by a reasonably handy person with hobbyist tools. Heck, I now the company computer repair people at companies I worked for often went to Radio Shack and the like to get a number of simpler components especially after flying into a customer site as you couldn't take a parts store with you. But more was crammed into those ICs. More and more and the components kept getting more difficult for hand work. They also failed less as the prices kept going down making replacement less of an obstacle while making it harder to repair at the same time. Guess what? Especially as more and more equipment became impossible to repair without really exotic factory-level equipment. So, predating smart-phones and home computers the growth of integrated circuits started shrinking the home electronics. Especially as fewer and fewer people seem to be "makers" these days. While I'm happy to see the rise of "maker culture" today it will never bring back the component electronics. But then some other forms are rising, like Raspberry Pi and the like..
bit-tuber17 tuntia sitten
Remember when Blockbuster bought turtle records and opened up “Blockbuster Music”? They would actually let you open up the CD in the store and listen to it before you bought it.
gurgy317 tuntia sitten
Do you ever plan to bring back your Awesomeairguns channel?
Darko17 tuntia sitten
I'm so sad about this....
Red Pill Panda17 tuntia sitten
Because they didn't want people casing their inventory before a break in.
Brian T18 tuntia sitten
Sad really. I'd spend Saturday mornings looking in record and electronic hifi stores.
AussieTV18 tuntia sitten
I remember blockbuster music was once a thing. But Suncoast was my favorite store.
Bonnie Russell18 tuntia sitten
Ultimate Electronics came to NYS right after Circuit City closed. The store I worked at opened and closed within a year.
SportSciencePT18 tuntia sitten
I went to frys a while ago and all the shelves were empty, except for a few sketchy brands I had never heard of. entire sections were just closed off. they sure had a lot of this one model of tv though. they sold a lot of absolete hardware including a cassete to aux adapter/
Charles Edwards18 tuntia sitten
here in germany also many of that electronic stores died out, we still have the big ones like "Saturn" and "Media Markt". Im sure more of them will die during the pandemic lockdown.
Flipidus X19 tuntia sitten
4:22 I still have that backgammon game on the left page.
Randy Stegemann19 tuntia sitten
Ever heard of Aliexpress and Amazon, that happened... :D :D :D
Guds77719 tuntia sitten
@11:02 *I LOVE A GOOD CLOCK-RADIO* (C. Crane for me now) and I miss CATALOGS! Fun to page thru over a big breakfast
ForbinColossus19 tuntia sitten
this video is suicide fuel!
Cris20xx19 tuntia sitten
I always had a love/hate relationship with Radio Shack. On one hand I loved that they carried discrete components like resistors and capacitors. On the other hand, their budget audio components (which were all I could afford in the late 70s) were unadulterated trash.
MisterLumpkin19 tuntia sitten
Toy's R Us still exists. Just not in the U.S. You can thank a Hedge Fund for that.
Kip Anderson19 tuntia sitten
FRYs Electronics treated you like CRIMINAL if you wanted to return or exchange anything
ForbinColossus19 tuntia sitten
In 2005 I was harassed by McDonald's employees in Germany for photographing menu. Go figure...
Nikolay Klimchuk20 tuntia sitten
11.15 i have that very exact calculator very top left, right in front of me on my desk at this moment. i use it every single day :)
sellingon20 tuntia sitten
Anyone remember Media Play?
zudemaster20 tuntia sitten
Old electronics: *exist* 8-Bit Guy: “Oh look!”
Travis20 tuntia sitten
My family still uses an answering machine.
flarn200620 tuntia sitten
Why did you let them steal the film from your camera?
flarn200621 tunti sitten
Kids born in the early 00s remember Radio Shack. The stuff from 80s Radio Shack is even cooler, though
Flamebird2221 tunti sitten
This video is depressing.
deepblue15321 tunti sitten
Man. I have very specific memories about 95% of what you mentioned today. I grew up a tech nerd in that large city down I45 south from you, so I shopped at all the same regional stores both small and large. I did the same thing with the radio shack and sears catalog with my grandparents, and since my grandma worked at sears in the returns department I got a LOT of "broken" electronics. And remember how every BEST store had the weird broken bricks facade at the door, each slightly different? Rather than over-comment, I will simply say that for so much of your content, we are all the 8-Bit Guy. Also, I love the voronoi geometry behind you so I will dissent with the voices complaining about it. 💁🏻♂️
C M22 tuntia sitten
Can you release your games on steam?
pera23 tuntia sitten
good to see you're back in business! hope all is well and repairs are going smoothly!
billybob884Päivä sitten
I’m nostalgic for those days too, though more for the 90s than 80s (I’m about 4 years younger than David). While I miss Blockbuster, I don’t miss calling to put my name on Super Mario Bros 3 to see on arrival the rental place hand over the only copy (Japanese version + NES adapter) to some other kid who just walked in. In reality the next-gen game console in five years will likely be digital only, no optical drive, and entirely integrated (essentially a Nintendo-branded cube Raspberry Pi). And that will kill GameStop, ending the last brick and mortar electronics store holdout.
Samuel StinsonPäivä sitten
Is Tandy the same as Radio Shack? Which I don't think we ever had over here in the UK.
Garry GriersonPäivä sitten
Building bridges killed the ferrymen... Economics 101.
BaerchenizationPäivä sitten
where i live electronic stores are still booming like crazy, mainly because my country is being a bitch to Amazon rightfully so to not blob out and buy out all the local delivery companys. Also small store shopping is still quite common here, we don't have those huge box stores and mall in my country only a handfull.
Jasper PlukPäivä sitten
A very nice employee at the Arlington, Texas Fry's sold my credit card info on the dark web. It took six weeks for the police to figure out he'd been stealing cc info for months. I had to keep sending the police tips/evidence that I found online...
John DaughertyPäivä sitten
Oh cool! Neat stuff
Luis SantiagoPäivä sitten
I went back to a film camera, Im a rebel lol
Retro ReviewsPäivä sitten
I remember getting out of many places just documenting daily life back in the 90s on tape.
2009G8GxpPäivä sitten
you can still see remnants of this in foreign countries like japan.
OG Gen-X computer guy here. It's good to see you back. Really enjoyed the video.
I really miss being able to "physically" seeing what Im going to buy! I used to go to a store at Tyrone Mall in Florida called "Olsons Electronics" which had a myriad of speakers and componentry. I miss the 80's!
The Frys in Arlington TX is closing on April 8. I used to get all of my parts from there. I went there for a HDD a few weeks ago and the person working the counter didn't even know what a hard drive was. Sad times... 😥
Kinda sucks for a new tinkerer like me. Online shopping for small bits and pieces in small numbers online sucks, to be honest. I really wish there were a RadioShack or a Micro Center near me.
Nothing like to hear 4 or 5 different speakers before choose one. How can be that replaced by any online shopping? From the description? " The sound of this model is soft but strong, the bass are deep nad the highs are crispy and clear"...well, all the speakers are described ib the same way😂. The sound is something you need to hear to feel the diffences. Same with the tv sets.
i have a feeling that in twenty years time, as the population explodes, we'll see a return of shops.
Yeah but taco bell removed my Grilled Stuffed Steak Burrito!!
Love your channel David. So much nostalgia, education and fun. Appreciate you man. Every single store you mentioned I fondly remember.. even the oddball ones like Best. Not gonna lie.. this one hit me hard in the feels man.
Frys never got with the times. They did ok in some areas, but never seem to have decent hardware always seemed to be behind the game with what they have in stock. Whereas Microcenter rocks this aspect. They generally have what you are looking for. Frys should of consolidated into just an electronics store, i think trying to do appliances hurt them and most likely best buy too, like just be a good electronics store and stay up to date. Notice microcenter doesn't sell non-nerd stuff. You can get parts and pre-builds and a small area for TVs, etc. That's it and it's all up to date. That's why microcenter works. Plus Microcenter pricing is decent and price matches amazon. Frys did this too, but again, you have to stay up to date with what you are selling. I think the store being massive also hurt frys, i mean if I need a cpu and ram it was a 2 mile walk.
I know what happened to all the American electronic stores, Amazon is taking over everything. We live in a advanced digital age that everybody is shopping online from the comforts of their own home.
I lived in Dallas starting 1989 to 2012, so I remember a lot of those malls and stores. I got into PCs about early 1992. My favorite stores where I'd spend at least some time every weekend were CompUSA and Fry Electronics. CompUSA I was at the giant street party they had to launch Windows 95. Drinks, food, music. Then the doors opened at midnight and there was a mad rush to get the first copies of Win 95 and Office 95. I remember being so happy when I walked out with my copies. Fry Electronics had a huge selection of computer parts as well as pre-builts. Pretty much anything you needed if you wanted to build or upgrade a PC, and you had a chance to check out most things before buying. Spent tons of money there. Fry's, I remember the first Plasma TV I'd ever seen was there and it was impressive, for over $14000. But within 6 years there were very few tube TVs available in the rapid changeover to flat-screens, and it was where I bought my first LCD TV and monitor. Great memories, but as much as I liked it, Newegg and Amazon became increasingly competitive, and often has as larger or larger selection of computer parts, monitors, TVs, etc., and their return policy was generally great if you got bad parts, wrong parts, or decided to go with something else. Plus, you didn't have to scout for a parking place and then be confronted by crowds. By about 2006 I was doing most shopping online for everything, and it's probably been at least 20 years since I stepped inside a mall.
Don't forget about the HeathKit store in Dallas. I believe it was on Ross Ave. Back in the 60's & 70's, I was a young electronic nerd and was into building my electronics. It was OK to see their products offered in the catalog. But in the store, you could actually see and touch the finished products. HeathKit had all kinds of test equipment & consumer electronics. I built and used an oscilloscope, bar-dot generator (used for TV alignment), digital voltmeter, tube tester (remember vacuum tubes). I always wanted to build their Hero-1 Robot kit, but never had to dollars to buy it. My pride & joy was the 24" Color TV kit that I built in the late 70's. It had an ultrasonic remote with not just channel change & volume controls, but you could adjust the color & tint as well. I used that TV for over 15 years. Back in the day, Radio Shack was the place to purchase electronic components and vacuum tubes. Oh, and forget their "Battery of the Month Club".
Bud, that background has to go. No...no no
Clocks, Televisions, Calculators in my opinion are still relevant. It that people's way of life change in a way that many companies didn't realize. Cool vid tho!
Same story in Europe. Lots of shopping centres and malls are gone or only have clothing stores left. All the electronic stores and bigger toy stores with consoles and modeltrains are gone. It's sad :(
The magic of being a teen in the 80s, going to the mall with friends, hanging out at Aladdin's Castle arcade and just wandering the mall... my kids never got to experience that... and my kids were pretty much the last kids that got to stroll the aisles of Toys R Us as kids... at least they got that.
Wow talking about trolling down memory lane. I remember growing up in Tyler Tx Back then we had Service Merchandise, Montgomery Wards and I would always bolt to the electronics section. We also had both Circuit City & Bestbuy.
hi I Just found your interesting video. Im in Uk, we used to have a Electronics Parts Store Called Tandy in the UK, where they Part of Radioshack thanks ?
Thanks for making this video. I was born 85, so I remember the mall. Nowadays you can still find electronics in drug stores, walmart, Barnes and nobles, etc, and best buy is still around, but its definitely not the same. Thrift stores and garage sales, mostly for that nostalgic shopping experience, lol! There are some stubborn ppl tho, who still prefer to use calculators or wrist watches. The worst thing now is that there's no place to go locally to get electrical components to FIX the old stuff anymore, with places like radioshack gone.
I worked at a Radio Shack in Aberdeen Wa in the 70's and my favorite store is Frys Electronics , it is truly sad that they are out of business
this video is sort of a coverup to cover moving chip manufacturing factories to china, bigest american mistake ever made in history, not being able to keep the prices low and production up compared to the chinese for electronics, and failing to support local business owners by the americans themselves, otherwise in a local electronics store in 2021 you could find smartwatches, tablets, smartphones, smarthouse technology, smartclothing, digital music instruments, cameras, and vintage unsold electronics for enthusiasts alongside electronic components to repair the 2021 technology. i got 2 such shops in my city from the 90's. It also hides the laziness of people to go to a local electronic store but order the parts online, laziness and globalisation at its best.complete lack of care for american trademarks and companies = bancrupcy and failure
Well done
Ironically, Taco Bell has begun to shrink their menu! :/ at least in my area.
This should be like 5 seconds long " the internet " lol
i am quiet happy that i grew up in the 80s, so many good memories, and i still can handle my life without my cellphone in my hand 24/7 (but i have to admid it gets more and more difficult)
instead of browsing the store we browse the Internet. The upside is the selection is incredible, the downside is that for most of us, except in a very select number of cities in Japan and China that I know of where you can go to upscale swapmeets and buy anything you need by the bucket. When I want to build something now, I have to order and wait at least several days for deliveries before I can start prototyping.
Back in the days when the world was not divided between only a few multinational corporations. This is the living proof that capitalism doesn't mean diversity. Today every shopping zone in every western country looks the same.
12:54 I have a plasma TV and i would not buy it if i didnt have it. I mean look at the pixels.
Such a walk into the past...I remember going to all those places as a child...I'm only 100 miles south, so we always headed to Dallas to shop!!! Couldn't agree more about the smartphone killing all other devices...I hadn't built a gaming PC for anyone in years before Covid, nobody needed them at home and didn't have the time to game...at least we got that back for a short time to offset the misery incurred.
Really great video, really interesting, I always watch your stuff, keep up the good work.
Think you about nailed the 3 points of reason for failure. Great video altogether.
Omg it's true even my malls here no electronic stores. Also looking at that mall brochure i was around in the 90s still remember Mervyn's, Waldenbooks...RIP. I remember going to Fry's during the last months, super empty, I asked the guy if they're going to close the store, he said no at that time. (Then we got the news months later). I don't think I know any other electronic stores in my area tbh fry's was it.
Hi, you commented on my dads yt channel Now I’m speechless that my dad is more famous than meeeee
I really like that your channel does not ask people to subscribe, like and share at the end of each video. People who like watching your videos will surely do that even if you don't tell them to do so.
That experience you are talking about David, is a reason I love the vinyl revival.
Great video. I'm in the same boat. Today's youth won't know what they've missed. I'm glad I grew up in the 70s and 80s.
I remember Radio Shack had Tandy green screen or amber screen computers and I would go and drool at them in the early 80's. As a 10-15-year-old.
I loved to go to a department store in the 80s as a kid and see what games they had.
Wow this is alot to digest. I remember the Christmas morning when I unwrapped the Commodore Vic 20. Suncoast was where you could buy all the anime movies and posters. Walden's what was a better book store then B.Dalton. Also waiting for the next issue of MicroTimes. In the back was all the adverts where you could find small "Mom and Pop" computer stores. Where you could buy a Pentium 166 mmx motherboard combo for $50. It was all back room deals. OEM, or course. Then pick up a Sound Blaster 16 card for $10.
Between the time of 1998 till 2001. I built every computer I used for around $200. There used to even be a whole warehouse dedicated to Computer cases. You could get a ATX. Baby ATX. AT.. I was in heaven when I found it.
Short answer: Walmart happened
I haven’t watched the video yet. My vote is analysts. Analysts happened.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane.
Wait, CB radios and talking clocks still have their place. Love your analysis.
computer city was awesome.. right at the corner of cooper and 20.. .i still live in that area ;)
Electronics Boutique later changed their name to EB Games and they later merged with Game Stop. So technically they're still around. Also Federated Department stores is still around and bigger than ever as Macy's.
My go-to store back in the day was Media Play! Now the only Brick and Mortar stores you can buy electronics at are Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Gamestop.
When privacy was so valued that even the companies that benefit for the lack of it now-a-days still wanted it. I would give everything to go back to a private world.
Its a shame that there are not anymore this type of electronics Shopping experince. And its the same about all over the world.. I was born in 1978 and i remember how exciting it was as a child to look out for allkind of Computer stuff and fiddle gadgets in the stores. The best time to be a nerdy child, definately 😃.
Without radio shack and other shops I've almost fallen out of love with soldering and building circuits. I just can't get used to buying everything online.
I'd add a fourth death reason: the general public has less of an ability to comprehend details, and the suppliers are more vague about them too. Ordering online is simple because you get what you see. Looking at all of those options for calculators and video equipment, the competition required people to understand the nitty details. Now, it's a matter if you prefer Amazon, Google, or Apple when picking a streaming dongle. Or look up reviews.
Maybe they didn't want to give away their merchandising techniques or sponsored retail space?
I still remember Sears when they sold rifles, still have one my dad bought for me.
Fry's died? There are tons of them where I live
I didn't even realise my local Frys closed my friend told me it closed months ago :(
I seriously miss flipping through vinal. Aaaaahhhh. That nirvana is gone gone gone.
I grew up in Canada in the 80's and 90's and I didn't encounter an Electronics Boutique until I was nearly done high school. Before then, my stores for video games and whatnot were RadioShack, Canadian Tire, and Zellers. In fact, I remember my mom letting me pick out a red box Atari 2600 game, and I found out a few years ago that those were bootleg copies being sold by what was essentially the Canadian version of K-Mart. I remember loving RadioShack in the mid 90's, since they had a pretty nice selection of PC games. It wasn't the biggest selection, but the options were just more interesting.
Red biRd Mall was exactly like 'Parks' was, just better appearance. O-o 'Best Products' gold
Mall layout, priceless.. as Camelot was.
Oh, with regards to reason #3... I prefer to go to brick and mortar stores and be able to see and buy the physical item, not having to worry as much about poor quality, bait and switch, returns where you pay shipping, etc.
What a nostalgia wave 🌊
Cables, connectors, and batteries... More things that I LOVED Radio Shack for. Oh, I still believe in having a landline, an answering machine (if not part of the cordless landline), and an alarm clock. NOTE: My vision without glasses sucks, so I loved the fact that Radio Shack sold Alarm Clocks with large displays.
OMG COMPUTE!'s Gazette!
Great video! I miss the old days when we could just walk in to one of those stores and stare at all the electronics, wondering how much money my parents would need to buy all the cool devices.
Have been watching electronic stores die longer than The 8-BIt guy... I'm BC (Before Consoles). Anyway there is a preceding driver... a big one in my opinion. The advance of integrated circuits. In the days of early electronics everything used components... and a heck of a lot of equipment could be opened up and repaired. Form much electronics you could by parts at Radio Shack, Lafayette Radio Electronics, and of course the wonderful independents. A lot of failures were really basic stuff that did not more than basic electronics. Heck, a lot was just solder joint failures. After WW-II a lot of "boys", and yes some notable “gals”, came home knowing electronics and companies like Heathkit capitalized on it, big time. The war driven advances in electronics gave a huge surge to business and personal use of electronics across many products and industries. All this needed technicians, engineers, and more. All with GI benefits. While the GI Benefits would not pay of radios, TVs, oscilloscopes, capacitor checkers, and such for personal use it did pay for electronic education. And if that course used Heathkits to give you a truly educational look the insides and workings of a radio set some of the cost would be paid for by the GI bill (so I've been told). I think this really drove the early before-my-time geek culture. A heck of a lot of electronic gadgets could be made from parts if not already available commercially. You friendly geek could even draw out a diagram for you. Transistors didn't hurt much as they mostly were just smaller, easier, to handle vacuum tubes. Safer and lower heat levels. But transistors lead to ICs. At first the ICs were just replacing a few parts and could be soldered and soldered by a reasonably handy person with hobbyist tools. Heck, I now the company computer repair people at companies I worked for often went to Radio Shack and the like to get a number of simpler components especially after flying into a customer site as you couldn't take a parts store with you. But more was crammed into those ICs. More and more and the components kept getting more difficult for hand work. They also failed less as the prices kept going down making replacement less of an obstacle while making it harder to repair at the same time. Guess what? Especially as more and more equipment became impossible to repair without really exotic factory-level equipment. So, predating smart-phones and home computers the growth of integrated circuits started shrinking the home electronics. Especially as fewer and fewer people seem to be "makers" these days. While I'm happy to see the rise of "maker culture" today it will never bring back the component electronics. But then some other forms are rising, like Raspberry Pi and the like..
Remember when Blockbuster bought turtle records and opened up “Blockbuster Music”? They would actually let you open up the CD in the store and listen to it before you bought it.
Do you ever plan to bring back your Awesomeairguns channel?
I'm so sad about this....
Because they didn't want people casing their inventory before a break in.
Sad really. I'd spend Saturday mornings looking in record and electronic hifi stores.
I remember blockbuster music was once a thing. But Suncoast was my favorite store.
Ultimate Electronics came to NYS right after Circuit City closed. The store I worked at opened and closed within a year.
I went to frys a while ago and all the shelves were empty, except for a few sketchy brands I had never heard of. entire sections were just closed off. they sure had a lot of this one model of tv though. they sold a lot of absolete hardware including a cassete to aux adapter/
here in germany also many of that electronic stores died out, we still have the big ones like "Saturn" and "Media Markt". Im sure more of them will die during the pandemic lockdown.
4:22 I still have that backgammon game on the left page.
Ever heard of Aliexpress and Amazon, that happened... :D :D :D
@11:02 *I LOVE A GOOD CLOCK-RADIO* (C. Crane for me now) and I miss CATALOGS! Fun to page thru over a big breakfast
this video is suicide fuel!
I always had a love/hate relationship with Radio Shack. On one hand I loved that they carried discrete components like resistors and capacitors. On the other hand, their budget audio components (which were all I could afford in the late 70s) were unadulterated trash.
Toy's R Us still exists. Just not in the U.S. You can thank a Hedge Fund for that.
FRYs Electronics treated you like CRIMINAL if you wanted to return or exchange anything
In 2005 I was harassed by McDonald's employees in Germany for photographing menu. Go figure...
11.15 i have that very exact calculator very top left, right in front of me on my desk at this moment. i use it every single day :)
Anyone remember Media Play?
Old electronics: *exist* 8-Bit Guy: “Oh look!”
My family still uses an answering machine.
Why did you let them steal the film from your camera?
Kids born in the early 00s remember Radio Shack. The stuff from 80s Radio Shack is even cooler, though
This video is depressing.
Man. I have very specific memories about 95% of what you mentioned today. I grew up a tech nerd in that large city down I45 south from you, so I shopped at all the same regional stores both small and large. I did the same thing with the radio shack and sears catalog with my grandparents, and since my grandma worked at sears in the returns department I got a LOT of "broken" electronics. And remember how every BEST store had the weird broken bricks facade at the door, each slightly different? Rather than over-comment, I will simply say that for so much of your content, we are all the 8-Bit Guy. Also, I love the voronoi geometry behind you so I will dissent with the voices complaining about it. 💁🏻♂️
Can you release your games on steam?
good to see you're back in business! hope all is well and repairs are going smoothly!
I’m nostalgic for those days too, though more for the 90s than 80s (I’m about 4 years younger than David). While I miss Blockbuster, I don’t miss calling to put my name on Super Mario Bros 3 to see on arrival the rental place hand over the only copy (Japanese version + NES adapter) to some other kid who just walked in. In reality the next-gen game console in five years will likely be digital only, no optical drive, and entirely integrated (essentially a Nintendo-branded cube Raspberry Pi). And that will kill GameStop, ending the last brick and mortar electronics store holdout.
Is Tandy the same as Radio Shack? Which I don't think we ever had over here in the UK.
Building bridges killed the ferrymen... Economics 101.
where i live electronic stores are still booming like crazy, mainly because my country is being a bitch to Amazon rightfully so to not blob out and buy out all the local delivery companys. Also small store shopping is still quite common here, we don't have those huge box stores and mall in my country only a handfull.
A very nice employee at the Arlington, Texas Fry's sold my credit card info on the dark web. It took six weeks for the police to figure out he'd been stealing cc info for months. I had to keep sending the police tips/evidence that I found online...
Oh cool! Neat stuff
I went back to a film camera, Im a rebel lol
I remember getting out of many places just documenting daily life back in the 90s on tape.
you can still see remnants of this in foreign countries like japan.