Apparently to reflect its broadening inventory and mission, electronics retailer RadioShack is going to rebrand as “The Shack” (cue the Issac Hayes music).
The question is: would you shop there?
What the stores need more than a name change is a makeover. They need to be nicer environments with more helpful sales people. I dislike the name “RadioShack” but “The Shack” feels equally cheap, suggestive of something flimsy or insubstantial.
And now the theme from Shaft: “He’s a complicated man and no one understands him but his woman.” (Hey this is what you get when I’ve had three hours sleep.)
Screenwerk 
August 3, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Um…NO. Name is awful, and they are not stocking the stuff that made them different, like specialty cables, adapters, do-it-yourself stuff. It’s a small inadequate version of Best Buy now.
August 3, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Deprivation – touchstone of one’s soul?
August 3, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I see a great opportunity for a celebrity spokesperson with (you guessed it) – Shaq! There could be lots of commercials about who is the Real Shack/Shaq, etc.
August 3, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Brilliant Joel.
August 3, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I see why they wanted to change it, but it seems like the best move would be to replace “radio” not eliminate it… e.g., GearShack, eShack, etc…
They must have considered this option, but I suspect they couldn’t reach consensus on a replacement, i.e., dropping “radio” was the only thing they could reach consensus on. And you know what they say about “management by consensus”…
August 3, 2009 at 9:14 pm
But, a radio shack is a real thing. I believe this term was once used to describe the part of a boat with the controls in it, though I have not seen any modern references to this usage. I imagine that’s where Radio Shack originally got their name. Understanding the meaning of this term actually made me think the company name was fairly clever and good.
A ‘shack’, on the other hand, has a rather cheap connotation. Less clever, less good.