An Ode to the RadioShack of Yesteryear.
I had the itch to buy a shortwave radio years before I finally did; I just never had the scratch to itch said scratch…or so I thought. You see, my local RadioShack (dis)service representative had me convinced that throwing down two century notes for the latest, greatest Grundig was the only way to gain entry to the illustrious world of shortwave, and I believed her.
Not to disparage RadioShack–I used to practically live there every payday. As a punk kid, I even worked (and strangely enough enjoyed working) at my local Shack. It’s just that I had hoped for some truthful, knowledgeable advice about radios, but instead ended up feeling like I was purchasing a used-car. Perhaps Would-you-like-to-change-your-mobile-phone-service-provider-Shack would be a more fitting moniker nowadays. OK, that was a bit harsh.
The anger arises from this shameful sense of waste surrounding the whole sad situation. What once constituted a haven for nerds, geeks, and audiophiles of all ages, races, and creeds, has slowly become one of those accosting, mall-borne mobile phone stands. One local RadioShack even stopped stocking their parts bins, planning to do away with them altogether.
Farewell sweet nerddom of my youth.
-mixtape
Tags: Shortwave, Radio, RadioShack, Nerd, Opinion
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