<VV> Rat Shack (not much Covair but some)

[Padgett]

>It's sad that is the way things are going but hey, if I walk in a place and
>they don't have what I want and won't even order what I want, then I vote
>with my feet and my wallet.

"Think of it as evolution in action." The K-marts and Pep Boys and Radio 
Shacks and Home Depots grew out of a market that wanted the lowest possible 
price (possible with volume) for common parts. This meant that obscure and 
low demand parts were often not found. Logistics and storage factors became 
all-important.

Then the TV ads for "100 Country Hits" and a "100 volume set of Cats of the 
World" showed you could sell items you did not have, had made based on 
order, and deliver before peeople got too impatient eliminating the "Beer 
Truck Problem".

When I was growing up, mail order was not often used because delivery took 
so long. Today it is 3-5 days and companies like NetFlix deliver even faster.

The Internet changed everything and now "storefronts" are more 
"switchboards" connecting suppliers with a single location to the entire 
country. Instant ordering. Shipment tracking. Order-to-delivery in a few days.

I had forgotten about Mouser but can also recommend them though have not 
needed for a while.

Hovever the demise of Rat Shack (and I understand that CompUSA, another 
Tandy company, is not doing that well) is not surprising. The concept of 
many many small stores just does not work anymore, the cost is just too 
great. Anything people cannot find at the supercenters (Wal-Mart, Best Buy) 
is going to be ordered from Amazon or the new e-Bay stores.

This is good for the Corvair hobby (knew there was some tie) because it has 
permitted the growth of companies that were previously regional to national 
and international. CU, Clark's, Year-One, Eastwood to name a few and is 
reviving some traditional mail order companies like JCW that had not done 
too well.

So we are evolving. Life goes on.

Padgett