Details are a bit light on this one, but thanks to a tipster and some chatter we picked up on the interblogs, it looks like Radio Shack may be about to undergo a pretty noticeable rebranding. The above image was taken from a terminal within a store, and while it's not completely clear if this is a short-term promotional push or long-term strategy (apparently the company will remain Radio Shack on the corporate side), our tipster says that in-store signs will reflect the change this week, and storefront signage will begin to be reworked as "The Shack" sometime later this year. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense -- radios aren't exactly considered cutting edge these days, and from the sounds of things, the store is about to launch a full assault on the mobile space, bringing T-Mobile into the fold this month, and attempting to cover the gamut on cellphone reselling. Still, we're not sure "The Shack" is the right direction... unless they
wanted us to immediately picture a remote location where very, very bad things happen.
Update: Apparently we're not the only ones talking about this -- someone has added
detailed info on the rebranding to the company's Wikipedia page. According to the writeup, the switch will kick off with celebrations "in San Francisco and New York featuring '14 foot tall laptops' streaming the images from their webcams from one city to the other, live music in both locations, as well as television coverage of the event." Uh, okay!
Update 2: Guess they weren't kidding.
Here's the promo page on Radio Shack's site. Thanks Ellis D.!
posted August 2nd 2009 9:15PM
Shack Fu?
I bet the only people working there are interns.. I dont see how anyone with 1 brain cell would pump money into said shite store...
"Weird Batteries, Etc." would be better. That's all I buy there.
They used to be a very good company. I learned Basic programming language on their legendary TRS-80. I wish they can come back like apple.
It's a rebranding. And yeah, it's true.
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7067/photo1rci.jpg
That's a tshirt that was given to sales associates. We'll be wearing them on the weekends in august.
The idea of "The Shack" is that it's friendly, helpful, and with the latest electronics and solutions. The same thing we've been doing the whole time, but now, we have a name for it.
It's all KFC's fault. That took off, so now everyone with a name older than 20 years will be doing it. Be prepared for soon you will be getting your tacos from The Bell, getting car parts from The Boys, picking up your hamburgers at The King and getting your new computer from The Buy.
Don't you go blamin' KFC and the Colonel. This started with those punks at IHOP.
In Canada, all the Radio Shacks were re-branded "The Source" after they were bought by Circuit City. But now they are bankrupt, so "The Source" was bought out by Bell.
more like get your computer from THE BEST
There is only one true shack: Shake Shack
THE SHACK? well given that I keep all my junk in the shack at the end of my garden.... sounds about right!
They should take a cue from Prince and just have a little symbol.
Then everyone will call it "The Store Formerly Know As Radio Shack"
Please, don't remind me of Shaq Fu. That was the worst game I have ever played. If you have never played it, here is the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaq_Fu
Why would anyone care about a name? If it has great prices, technology and service you can call it "poop depot" for all i care. (I dont buy eggs at "newegg")
Come on guys, when's the last time you bought something from International Business Machines? Names deserve updating. Radio shack really doesn't have very much in the "radio" department anymore, and basically hawk directTV and cell phones. The rest is mostly overpriced dongles and adapter cables. Dunno how long a business model like that can really persist, whatever the name.
LOL. Good one.
The Shack is rad!
This can go right next to The Hut
I was gonna say... what's with these marketing gurus and their bad ideas?
Yea you beat me to it.
I can go to The Hut then The Shack, or The Shack then The Hut. But then I'd have to carry what I get from The Shack into The Hut...that might be inconvenient.
So I guess it's The Hut first.
Does anyone else think that "shack" and "hut" were not two positive terms to rebrand to? I mean, I understand dropping "Pizza" and "Radio" to add pizazz, but come on, shack and hut? My dog craps in the back yard next to The Shack.
The Hut sounds like a place I'd go to eat if I didn't care about the insect content of my food.
Whats wrong with Radio Shack? Thats an awesome name. Do people even call it The Shack? It doesn't even make sense. Whats a shack sell? Chewbacca is a wookie from Kashyyk
The Shack sounds like a dump. Same with The Hut. I guess soon I'll be living in The Cave, and going to The Farm to get my groceries, with my car from The Lot, wearing my clothes from The Store. If anything breaks I'll go the Shack and pick up food from the Hut.
Yeah, I heard Linens and Things is changing their name to just "Things". A bit vague but accurate nonetheless.
this is all very appropriate considering that in the future we will all be living in shacks and huts. Welcome to idiocracy!
I'm confused. If I go to "The Hut", am I going to get pizza or sunglasses?
iirc, Circuit City had a concept store called "The City" - not sure if they actually planned to rebrand to that name or if it was just a codename for that model.
I think their focus groups were toying with them.
"Why yes I would totally go check out a store called 'The Shack' for shopping purposes!"
Maybe it's just me, but "The Shack" somehow makes me think of hillbillies and Deliverance. Not somewhere I'd voluntarily go... Perhaps Circuit City had it right in Canada when they rebranded them to "The Source (by Circuit City)".
@TuxBobble
OMFG you made my day with your first comment here. I couldnt stop laughing.
They should have gone with Hack Shack
Haq a Shaq
Attaq of the Iraq Haq Shaq! Taq a Maq to his Baq and you'll say he doesn't Laq!
Or from the cover of 2600, Rad Hack.
Why??
In honor of Ted Kaczynski's legendary rural home and his unwavering love of technology.
Engadget, you are really lacking on your blogs. Get it together.
It's the weekend
Leave Engadget alone! Go to gizmodo and leave some invisible comments or something.
I love Engadget.
Actually they already have t-mobile, and the t-mobile website is recognizing radio-shacks as preferred sellers or whatever it was.
"Cellphone Accessory Shack" didn't have a good ring to it, I take it.
Between Best Buy, Walmart and the 99c stores selling electronics and components, its a miracle Radio Shack is still open.
They don't sell anything worth buying and what they do have is overly expensive.
Very true, but they do have some of those little hidden exclusives, and their black friday deals aren't something to snatch at.
I haven't found a cheaper source of decent copper clad perfboard.
"I haven't found a cheaper source of decent copper clad perfboard."
Well then you obviously have never gone to Copper Clad Perfboard Hut.
They have these awesome $20 headphones I keep going through after breaking them with fits of nerd rage. They're the only ones I can stand wearing and are relatively cheap.
Actually Radio Shack has a lot of things I couldnt' find anywhere else (Not a bestbuy/walmart/circuit city/etc)
I have nothing negative to say about Radio Shack, ive always enjoyed getting random things there. I hope they get bigger and compete with Best Buy (Since you can already buy laptops/consoles/tv's at radio shack, just not a big selection)
I drove all over town a few months ago looking for speaker wire. Each store had little to offer and then I drove by a radio shack and thought, wow, I should give them a shot since I haven't shopped there in years. Sure enough, the only store to have multiple kinds in stock. So, I have to give them the credit of having what I needed when nobody else did.
Not only copper clad perfboard, but other misc. resistors, capacitors, connectors, fuses, etc. (although their selection is FAR worse than what it was, say, 5 years ago). You just can't find that stuff at best buy/wal mart
you see a painted sign on the side of the road that says "15 miles to theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee SHACK!"
That's my favorite song!!
Yeah, because taking away "radio" leaves that graceful "shack" front and center, greattttttttttttttt idea.