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According to Bloomberg Amazon is in talks to buy some of RadioShack's stores:
Amazon has considered using the RadioShack stores as showcases for the Seattle-based company’s hardware, as well as potential pickup and drop-off centers for online customers, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the deliberations are private.
RadioShack is on the verge of declaring bankruptcy, and according to other reports, it has also been in talks with wireless carrier Sprint about selling some of its stores. The deal with Amazon may not happen, but nonetheless, it shows where Amazon is headed.
To head off competition from Wal-Mart—one of the few retailers that could pose a legitimate threat to Amazon—and to expand its operation, the company has adopted a new hybrid business model, combining e-commerce with offline services.
Originally spotted at Wired, and also linked at HackerNews.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Marand on Thursday February 05 2015, @03:10AM
after purchasing something from a register that is 10 feet from the exit door, and all I did was take said bagged purchase and immediately walk the 10 feet to the exit, I now have to have my bag searched and produce my proof of purchase to some "security" person. Fortunately it is easy to produce my receipt because I didn't even have time to put it in my pocket yet.
That crap is what makes me hate shopping. Shopping in physical stores is already a pain in the ass; whatever I get usually costs more than buying online, the employees are often obnoxious and make the experience worse, and then I have to wait in line for a ridiculously long time because only one or two of the 20+ registers are open. All that, and it gets topped off with being treated like a criminal for leaving the store with a bag of merchandise? No, fuck you, I'll shop elsewhere next time.