This article reads like a note from a parallel universe. I&#x27;ve been tinkering with electronics since the &#x27;80s but have never before heard of any such thing as an &quot;electronics surplus store&quot;. On the other hand, I was utterly unsurprised to learn that these originated with military surplus, since &quot;military surplus store&quot; is an ubiquitous business category in my experience, a convenient place to buy camping gear, work clothes, parachutes, ammo boxes, etc. It is amusingly weird to imagine a world where giant warehouses full of electronic parts are normal, but shops full of cheap durable army gear are unknown.