Radio Shack Won't Say if Mid-Columbia Stores Part of 1,100 Closures

After taking a financial tumble, and steadily losing market share, Radio Shack has announced some 1,100 under-performing stores will be closed.

According to consumerist.com, the chain originally said 500 would be shuttered out of some 4,300 in the U.S. and 950 overseas.

You may remember the recent Super Bowl ad that jokingly poked fun at the chain's aging image. Using music from the 80s legendary band Loverboy, the ad showed numerous icons of that era "raiding" the store and stealing everything in sight. It began with the two workers answering the phone, and one says afterwards, "The 80s called -- they want their store back."
Then the "looting" begins.

Consumerist and the Wall Street Journal reported as recently as Tuesday Radio Shack has struggled to update its image. Once a strong staple in the American electronic, gadget and "gizmo" market, Radio Shack has been perceived as being less cool or hip than competitors such as Best Buy. It has faced competition from Walmart, Target and others that have upped their technology and electronic offerings.

Company officials reportedly told Consumerist there is no "list" as to which 1,100 stores will close, but they will use the following criteria:

the company has said it’s shuttering stores based on location, area demographics, lease duration and financial performance."

The company operates stores in the Tri-Cities on George Washington Way Richland, 135 Ely in Kennewick (in the shopping plaza along Highway 395 near Starbucks) and in Columbia Center Mall.

Here is the Super Bowl ad: