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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 brocksampson on Thursday February 05 2015, @01:13PM
When I read your post I started thinking about the stores I was familiar with as a kid (also in the 80's), and so many of them are indeed either bankrupt, nearly-bankrupt, or have merged or been bought out. I only see the inside of a mall once a year or so these days, and I don't recognize the majority of the stores. My kids have never seen a JC Penny, K-Mart, or Sears. I wonder how that worked for my parents' generation? Did the Internet alone devastate the brick-and-mortar retail business model or is it part of the natural ebb and flow of businesses? It seems like there were two waves, first the big-box stores killed off the local businesses and then the Internet went after chain retail stores and department stores and both of those things are specific to the late 20th Century. Off the top of my head, most of the places I can really remember from my childhood that still exist are restaurants, diners, and bakeries and most of those were around when my parents were kids. The few local grocers that still exist converted to high-end places for people who think Whole Foods is too cheap. Even the amusement parks are gone--video games? And now it is coming full circle, with Amazon buying up old Radio Shacks. Will my grandchildren be pondering the demise of Google and Apple when the next disruption comes down the pike, or will they become the General Electric of the future?