For the longest time, through the 1980s, the electronics industry represented an industry to be in. Virtually every town in the developed world, from Europe to North America, to Australia used with an electronics store that sold all forms of electronic components. From major chains like Radio Shack to small mom and pop stores, it was previously a pretty safe market to be in. However, a lot of it has changed in recent decades, given that the production of finished electronic products has become so inexpensive that few people want to do their own electronics work.
Further, the rise of the Internet, Internet business, and reliable global shipping has also utterly redefined the industry. The old way of buying components off the shelf or having them specially ordered by the local retailer is virtually gone today. Instead, anyone needing any type of electronic component can quickly and easily find it online and own it shipped directly with their home buy Ic. The old brick and mortar businesses really cannot compete at all since few physical stores can definitely maintain the stock and selection that the online business can. The Internet has almost single-handedly destroyed the idea of the offline electronic component retailer.
The result has been that many companies that after specialized in selling electronic components have now changed their business model and frequently emphasize selling finished electronic goods as opposed to separate parts, though they might still provide the service of ordering components for customers upon request. The offline retailers of electronic components that have survived until now are now in a desperate race to try to maintain changing trends, so it's no longer the safe and popular industry it once was. It would seem, at first glance that the times of the offline retail seller of electronic components are now numbered.