Should Amazon Buy RadioShack?

[Anabran]

"RadioShack is basically a cell phone store anyway."

..and a place where they sell mini to micro USB adapters at SIX times the price of everyone else ..Good riddance .. May their death be lingering and painful.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Anabran

..and a place where they sell mini to micro USB adapters at SIX times the price of everyone else ..Good riddance .. May their death be lingering and painful.

Really? Try pricing that adapter at a "local computer store."

Sure you can get four for a dollar if you can wait for them to be delivered from Hong Kong, but where beside RS can you GET that adapter your if client, or your class, or whatever, happens to need one NOW, the night before some deadline?
Be careful what you wish for.

[Anabran]

"Really? Try pricing that adapter at a "local computer store."

Sure you can get four for a dollar if you can wait for them to be delivered from Hong Kong, but where beside RS can you GET that adapter your client, or your class, or whatever, happens to need one NOW?
Be careful what you wish for."

Uhhh...Actually I got the Adapter( Full USB to Micro to be correct) from the little "electronics section" of my local family dollar store for 1.95 USD as opposed to the $14.95 that radio shack wanted for the same thing
Sure I bought Cheap Chinese product
but its a two ended plug with no moving parts that i only use to occasionally side load content my first gen kindle fire.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Anabran

Uhhh...Actually I got the Adapter( Full USB to Micro to be correct) from the little "electronics section" of my local family dollar store for 1.95 USD as opposed to the $14.95 that radio shack wanted for the same thing
Sure I bought Cheap Chinese product
but its a two ended plug with no moving parts that i only use to occasionally side load content my first gen kindle fire.

You were lucky to stumble on what you needed in a dollar store, and lucky that it worked at all, since cheap wires and connections aren't know for holding up too well.

But yes, $14.95 is nuts. I think that out-did even the computer store next door to my office that wanted $9.99 for a short micro usb cable.

The components I tend to buy at RS cost far less then that, and can usually not be had from any other local source.

[RHWright]

Originally Posted by Rizla

More importantly, they would have to pay TAX. Amazon has dodged a huge amount of taxes by being an online retailer. This tax avoidance in the tune of Billions has allowed them an advantage over other companies with bricks and mortar stores.

Second this. Personally, I think Amazon should be coughing up sales tax currently. They mostly get around this being online-only.

While B&N, for example, has to collect sales tax on your online purchases (including ebooks) if they have any kind of physical presence in your state. So in NC, I get taxed for bn.com purchases; I don't for Amazon purchases.

Amazon's strategy has been to exploit this advantage. Why open themselves to additional tax pressure/scrutiny?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by RHWright

Second this. Personally, I think Amazon should be coughing up sales tax currently.

Umm...you mean Amazon's CUSTOMERS should be coughing it up.

[RHWright]

Originally Posted by ApK

Umm...you mean Amazon's CUSTOMERS should be coughing it up.

Well, technically, in many states, Amazon's customers should be coughing it up when Amazon doesn't collect it. States are getting testy because (surprise, surprise) many otherwise honest citizens are failing to do so.

Haven't looked at NC's state income tax forms for this year yet, but I seem to remember last year they had added a spot for me to report untaxed online purchases and calculate what I owed. Since Amazon is the only online retailer that I deal with that didn't collect, figuring it out for 2011 was a simple matter of reviewing my account. Wonder how many other citizens managed to "forget" that step? I think it amounted to a whopping $8 for me.

(We can leave the intricacies of a taxation debate to another thread in the appropriate forum.)

Either way you see it, being able to offer customer a lower invoiced price due to not collecting sales tax in most states has advantages for Amazon.

[tubemonkey]

Amazon’s Love Note to Senate Backs Sales-Tax Proposal

Amazon sent a love letter to the U.S. Senate on Valentine’s Day, thanking senators for a proposal that could put to rest the company’s long-standing sales-tax issues.

The Marketplace Fairness Act was introduced to the Senate today, which would enable states to collect sales tax online, as long as they have simplified their tax laws.

In a letter, Paul Misener, Amazon’s VP for global public policy, said, “I am writing to thank you for your bill, which will allow states with simplified rules to require sales tax collection by out-of-state sellers who choose to make sales to in-state buyers.”

[frahse]

Originally Posted by RHWright

--

Amazon's strategy has been to exploit this advantage. Why open themselves to additional tax pressure/scrutiny?

You are exactly right, but that is the way they seem to be going.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by frahse

You are exactly right, but that is the way they seem to be going.

Uh-huh.
Because they are looking to exploit their far more valuable advantage in logistics and inventory management.

[tubemonkey]

If not Amazon, then how about Google?

Google's shares crossed the $800 mark last Tuesday, becoming the first tech company to ever do so. Even Apple never got that high; peaking at $705.07.

Google stock hits new record, closes above $800

The sky-high stock price comes amid rumors the search giant is planning to build retail stores.

Google's stock closed at an all-time high of $806.85 today, becoming the first tech firm to pass the $800 mark and signaling that Wall Street approves of the company's rumored move into retail stores.

[DreamWriter]

I would be thrilled if Amazon takes it over, especially if they would accept returns at their physical location for items purchased at Amazon online. Whether this acquisition would be a good financial decision for Amazon, I dunno. Perhaps they could sell electronic devices of all kinds; they already sell all kinds of cool stuff on their website.

By the way, Radio Shack does sell the 7" Kindle Fire HD and Basic Kindle.

[Laridae]

Radio Shack is known as The Source in Canada. They have small stores in all of our malls and provide a good local service. Best Buy, on the other hand, faced with bigger overhead in their massive big box stores are cutting back - closing stores and downsizing into smaller stores. So, here at least, Radio Shack seems to be doing OK and, if anything, seems to be ahead of their time in terms of offering smaller stores with localized service.

Amazon.ca offers great service and prices if you are willing to wait a few days. But as far as the Kindles themselves go, these are not very popular here since Amazon doesn't really support them in this country.

I can see advantages for Amazon in gaining a storefront exposure, but there would be disadvantages as well, as others have pointed out.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by camiller

RadioShack is basically a cell phone store anyway. I don't see it being a huge benefit for Amazon.

Radio Shack is, IIRC, one of the last brick & mortar places that one can get actual electronic parts for specialized projects. I would be sad to see it disappear completely. Of course if anyone knows another store that sells that kind of stuff, I'm all ears, as my son is now into making robots.

[Joykins]

Ah, just checked out Fry's, and I have to say that the nearest one MAY be within 1000 miles of me, so that won't work when you HAVE to have that particular wire, switch, LED, etc.