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Unread 20-03-2006, 16:36
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ChuckDickerson ChuckDickerson is offline
Mentor / Bayou & CMP Division LRI
FRC #0456 (Siege Robotics)
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Re: Radio Shack to discontinue VEX?

My opinion is that Radio Shack was never the right place to market the VEX Robotics system in the first place. While I applaud Radio Shack for the attempt and thank them for their major support of FIRST and the FVC I just didn't see Radio Shack as the appropriate vendor of VEX from the start. Radio Shack caters to customers looking for cell phones, batteries, cheap remote control cars, and the cables you need to hook up your stereo and TV. VEX is a great product and should do just as well in the mainstream market as Lego's Mindstorms. The problem is that outside of FIRST not many people know what it is. A small section of plain white boxes in the back of a Radio Shack store isn't exactly a media blitz. For VEX to really be successful it needs to be marketed in the mass retailers like Wal-Mart and Toy-R-Us right next to the Lego's and Erector Sets. Parents are always eager to buy the next great product that will give their kids an advantage. Look at the whole Leap-Frog/Leap-Pad craze a couple of years ago. That stuff was expensive but lots of people bought it because it was everywhere and they want to give their kid an advantage. Obviously, there is at least a 50% markup on the whole VEX line at Radio Shack or they wouldn't be able to sell it all at 50% off right now. The makers of VEX need to market the whole VEX line in snazzy boxes (look at the Lego and Erector Set boxes compared to the VEX boxes) and put those boxes on the shelves of the mass marketers right next to the other mainstream builder type kits like Lego's and Erector Sets, etc. and price them competitively. Parents are not only willing but EAGER to buy products to encourage creativity in their kids provided they are realistically priced. Look at the Lego MindStorms. They have been quite a success. Why? Because parents see that not only can their kids build something static but they can make it dynamic and make it move and program it and if that doesn't encourace creativity what will? The problem is that most parents going to Toy-R-Us to buy their younger child some Lego's and Erector Sets to develop their creativity don't even know that the VEX Robotics system even exists for their older children much less that is what is in those non-descript white boxes in the back of the Radio Shack.

For what it's worth, I talked to the manager of our local Radio Shack today and he said that (I quote) "the VEX line is not on the endangered species list" but that Radio Shack is going to limit the number of stores that carry the line and focus mostly on online sales. He said all of the Radio Shack stores are shipping their inventory to a few stores in the state near universities. His store shipped everything they had in stock last week to the stores near MSU and USM.

With the success of the FVC this year, I hope this is possibly a sign of good things to come. Maybe Radio Shack is limiting their sales to online only or maybe they will discontinue sales of VEX altogether but maybe they will see that if they lower the price by half they will sell 10x the volume and continue to sell VEX at a new lower price point. The more VEX systems are out there after this sale the more kids will spread the word to their friends about "this cool new robotics system" and we will all see VEX in the major stores by this or maybe next Christmas.

I know that it is not a simple matter to put product on the mass marketers shelves, however, if the makers of VEX really want to succeed they need to not take the loss of Radio Shack as a failure, but rather think BIG! 20 years from now I bet a whole host of really wonderful build it yourself robotics kits are going to be available just like Lego's, Erector Sets, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Log, etc. were when they came out and continue to be. With the success of the FIRST programs (FLL, FVC, FRC), and all the kits that are starting to popup in the last few years (BOE-Bot, MindStorms, VEX, the IFI KitBOT, etc., etc. etc.) I think we are just getting started. This is not the end of VEX, it is the beginning of the next great revolution. Just like kids today can't remember when there was no such thing as remote control cars kids 20 years from now will think it strange if they can't program their construction sets to do whatever they want. To all you FIRST students out there, I beg you, PLEASE make this vision a reality for my grand kids!
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