The Shack? Really?

Now, I haven’t been into a Radio Shack in years, and when I did, it was only because I was wandering at the mall and wanted to look at some electronics while my wife was dragging me to every store that smelled of teenagers and too much cologne/perfume. They are apparently running an promo of sorts with a name change around some deals and a big event being held in San Francisco and New York simultaneously. I’m not sure what to think though, take a look for yourself. The Shack Summer Netogether

All I can think is that this is their attempt at trying to appear young and hip, to bring in some fresh blood to their stores, though, I don’t think of electronics at great prices when I hear ‘The Shack’. I think of the old, falling apart 40 year old construction that holds my grandpa’s dusty yard tools that we joke about. No offense to RadioShack, but that’s the image they would get from me with this name change.

Honestly, I was surprised that they are still in business and seem to be operating fairly well. Every time I see one at any mall it is void of customers, and if I do go in, I’ve always found customer service lacking to me as I wander around and pick up stuff and put them back on the shelf. The only time I’ve actually bought something from them was a box of batteries, and only because I remembered on a whim and didn’t want to forget to buy them somewhere else. They must have a very good niche market somewhere, and are doing something right to be riding out this recession that has already claimed Circuit City, a much larger, better promoted, and in my opinion more well known enterprise. Whatever it is that RadioShack is doing to stay in business, they should be selling it to struggling companies and be cashing in on that cow.

I’ll try to keep this updated as I get the news, as they’ve got me intrigued about this, which I guess is the point of the whole change.

What are your experiences with Radio Shack, and what do you think about the name change? Let us know!