Earlier today, RadioShack stumbled one step closer to death with the news that the NYSE is trying to delist its stock — basically, the company is fucked. And according to Bloomberg, Amazon — which is, let's be honest, the number one RadioShack murder suspect — might buy up some of their retail stores.
Bloomberg's report (which comes from those ever-reliable "people with knowledge of the matter") claims that Amazon is looking at buying up some of the RadioShack space, and using it as Amazon showrooms/collection locations. Tenuous though the plans may be, it's a move that would make a lot of sense for Bezos & Co.
Physical locations kill two of the most oft-quoted problems with online shopping: no way to see products in the flesh before hitting buy, and the necessity of being home to receive packages. Brick-and-mortar stores would solve some of those problems, and RadioShack has a ready-made selection of retail space, plus employees who *might* know something about electronics (one of the top-selling Amazon categories).
It's still early days, of course, and there are other players to consider: Sprint is apparently also in talks to co-brand some of RadioShack's stores (there's one place I would LITERALLY NEVER GO INSIDE). Whichever way it ends, though, you're still going to have to find somewhere else to get quality advice about your HDMI cables. [Bloomberg]