Constantin:
I apologize for the tangent but the issue had to do with the physical infrastructure of hardware supplies and assembly having moved to China and hence there being no viable infrastructure in the US to supply budding electronic wunderkinds. Along with the assertion that US-made iPads have to cost multiples of what they cost being made in China.I do think that we are at a disadvantage in the US re: a good electronic component supply base. However, I'll also assert that part of the problem is the lack of demand - ie if rat shack and similar companies can't make money stocking 15 cent regulators and selling them for $2, then it's only logical for them to stick to selling cell phones, toys, etc.
IMO the problem is deeper, ie no or little positive reinforcement for kids to have a good role model re the benefits of science and engineering. In most schools, the geeks are marginalized, not put on a pedestal like jocks. Until that changes, I imagine you'll continue to see a drought in the engineering fields. That, and the discrepancy in pay re: finance-related work vs. engineering.
So, to bring this back around, there are few electronic shops because there are few people that would actually be interested in purchasing from them. Everyone here likes online stores like Digikey (they can compete better on price), but to a student, or someone new to hardware, that can be a little overwhelming. If you try to look up "5v linear regulator" on digikey, you get over 22,000 results.