Ham radio operators have joked about this irony for decades. You used to be able to buy Amateur Radio gear at the Radio Shack store – hence it’s use of the Ham radio term “radio shack” in the title. But these days you can not buy Ham gear at the national retail chain. They sell a few CB radios and a couple of scanners, but that’s it. You are more likely to get harassed by a salesman who wants to sell you a phone than direct you to the hidden drawers where the resisters are now stored.
Back in the day, Radio Shack was the electronics hobby headquarters where you could always find bubble packs of electronic components and the boxes to house your project.
I think it’s a reflection of the dumbing down of America. Nobody wants to play around with technical hobbies anymore. They would rather chat on their cell phones and play video games on their PCs and High Definition TVs. Sad.