I think Fry's might have been what did them in. The Fry's in south Arlington, Texas is like a RS gone wild and, more to the point, they have stuff in stock.

I think the death of do it yourself electronics had a lot to do with it as well. Just like autos moved into the realm of 'you can no longer work on them yourself' so did electronics.

Is Heathkit still around? When they dropped out of sight it was a sure bet RS was not far behind.

But that being said... I had better get over there and pick up some alligator clips while I still can.