People Are Surprisingly Nostalgic For RadioShack: Here's Why

Can’t get enough of 1980s nostalgia? Well, take a spin on Twitter TWTR and drink in the glory of yesteryear’s technology with a giddy celebration of all things RadioShack.

Old School Cool: The trending fun began courtesy of writer Kenneth Palermo, who posted what appeared to be a photo from 1987 of a movie marquee highlighting four box office hits playing at a multiplex in the “Chatsworth Mall.” On top of the marquee was a banner for RadioShack, the reigning electronics retailer of the day.

It’s 1987 ... which one do you go to? pic.twitter.com/l1nclmOoxj

— Kenneth Palermo (@kennypalermo) May 20, 2021

Oddly enough, there never was a Chatsworth Mall. The photograph is from the Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, Georgia, which was dressed for the location shooting on the new film “Secret Headquarters” starring Owen Wilson.

Palermo’s tweet asked which of the four films on the marquee would be of most interest to the social media crowd. But many responses ignored the movie titles and included a mix of nostalgic memories of late-1980s RadioShack specialties including Tandy computers, Atari consoles, VCR head cleaners and the company’s Battery of the Month Club.

Added to the trending response was the obligatory parade of comic memes regarding the unlikely ascension of RadioShack to Twitter trending status.

Y’all are missing the lead. I’m heading to Radio Shack for the best deals on electronics!!! pic.twitter.com/M5TPsWYHrZ

— Gabe Smith @🚑 (@I_be_Gabe) May 20, 2021

Still Rocking: A few members of the Twitter crowd expressed surprise that RadioShack was still in business.

Not only is Radio Shack still around, but it's celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. While the beloved retail stores went the way of the Walkman and the daisy wheel printer, the company maintains an e-commerce site that sells contemporary technology as well as apparel bearing the 1980s-era RadioShack logo.

And RadioShack maintains a sense of humor about its role in the 1980s pop culture: On April 1, it pranked its 170,000-plus Twitter followers with an alleged sale of a solar-powered Betamax player.

New! 4k Solar Powered Betamax VCR while supplies last #radioshack #theshackisback #vcr #4k #April1st pic.twitter.com/A5ebFmJuKu

— RadioShack (@RadioShack) April 2, 2021

(Photo of a 2014 Radio Shack retail store by Nicholas Eckhart / Flickr Creative Commons.)