The store has survived because it has generated a large and loyal customer base over the years, according to Gary Brewer, the store’s manager.
“We’re probably one of the best customer service stores that there is,” said Brewer, a Radio Shack employee of 43 years who has managed the West Chester location for the past decade. “There’s a lot of repeat business.”
Customers keep returning because of the store’s attention to detail, he said, whether that’s selling and installing watch batteries, fixing cordless phones or making minor cellphone repairs.
“We’re showing people how to hook up things correctly, what the right connections are,” he said.
Business started to decline at many Radio Shacks nationwide in the past decade because the company put too much of a focus on product lines like cellphones and other areas that were not as profitable, according to Brewer. In addition, too much fraudulent activity was occurring, which caused significant product losses, he said.
Now Radio Shack has new owners, General Wireless, which purchased the company when it was sold by its previous owners, who filed for bankruptcy.
What has emerged is an entirely new company, Brewer said, one that is focusing more on customer service and products that are profitable, such as accessories, instead of end products.
Such accessories includes home audio and video products like HDMI cables, power adapters and video cables, plus power adapters and cables for cellphone use in one’s home or vehicle, Brewer said.
While customers that once patronized locations that closed in Hamilton, Middletown, Fairfield, Oxford, Springboro, Lebanon and Mason now shop the West Chester store to get what they need, they may soon have more choices, he said.
That’s because Radio Shack’s new owners are considering expanding operations to areas where the former company once had stores.
“I don’t know a time frame or anything on that, but they did mention that there was talk of spreading back up to more locations,” Brewer said.
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