I never thought of it as being unique, but now that you mention it I suppose it is.
I guess today's hangout is the internet, so forums like this one are where the newbies can come for help and just chat model railroading. Time will tell if that works to bring in newcomers.
Enjoy
Paul
csmith9474 wrote: Here in Colorado Springs, there are two train shops that seem to be doing very well. The one that I shop at is always very well stocked, and if he doesn't have what you want, he will go out of his way to get it for you if need be. I asked, and was told that business is good, and there are no plans of shutting down. Caboose Hobbies up in Denver seems to be doing OK as well.
Here in Colorado Springs, there are two train shops that seem to be doing very well. The one that I shop at is always very well stocked, and if he doesn't have what you want, he will go out of his way to get it for you if need be. I asked, and was told that business is good, and there are no plans of shutting down.
Caboose Hobbies up in Denver seems to be doing OK as well.
I have done some business with a shop in Colo Springs called Sunbird Train Mart. They seem like they are well stocked and have decent prices. Are they one you visit or do you recommend others. I am mainly into HO and O 3 rail.
All Lionel all the time.
Okiechoochoo
Midnight Railroader wrote: Discount sales over the internet make most brick-and-mortars a tough proposition to sustain.The major selling point store owners offer is when they say, "If it stops working, how are you going to get it fixed on the internet?"Okay, but in 25+ years of model railroading, I have yet to take something to a hobby shop for service, and I'll bet there are a lot of people like me. Don't get me wrong, I love hobby shops, and I'm glad Caboose Hobbies is in my town. But they're having troubles too, and they do a good mail-order business. The average retired guy who just "wanted a little shop" isn't going to be able to survive much longer.
Discount sales over the internet make most brick-and-mortars a tough proposition to sustain.
The major selling point store owners offer is when they say, "If it stops working, how are you going to get it fixed on the internet?"Okay, but in 25+ years of model railroading, I have yet to take something to a hobby shop for service, and I'll bet there are a lot of people like me.
Don't get me wrong, I love hobby shops, and I'm glad Caboose Hobbies is in my town. But they're having troubles too, and they do a good mail-order business. The average retired guy who just "wanted a little shop" isn't going to be able to survive much longer.
We lost our best stocked LHS here after the owner retired after 33 years. I really hate to hear Caboose in Denver is having trouble because they have become my mail order hobby shop. Hopefully, they will stay in business.
CNJ:Commercial, maybe, but does that matter? The first exposure, period, probably matters more. Most of us got into this because we got a choochoo for Christmas. That's how I got in.What kept me going in the hobby wasn't the LHS. The LHS was the place I went maybe 4-6 times a year with $20 and big plans, and left with $0 and a small bag. The local train show and the hardware, craft, and variety stores kept me going with equipment and materials. Books like HOW TO RUN A RAILROAD and Raymond F. Yates' books, and others the library had, and MR magazine kept me going with ideas. Encouragement from my parents and other people helped too. The model shop didn't enter into it much at all.Passing into history, eh. I wouldn't mind seeing the Greek chorus of dismal internet wailings pass into history.
Hi AP....I bet the great majority of us all would have to say that the loop of track under the tree or someother Holiday display was the lynchpin of our model empires.
That being said, over the last 4 pages of notes, there is quite a discussion as to whether the local merchant as a collective group, has an ongoing value to the market. As I indicated previously, I believe there are dramatic parallels in the supply chain of a number of markets...each of which we could count up, take some polls and find that a great number of folks think that the local hardware store has no value to them.
So, acknowledging that this is not a slim minority view, what does that tell us about the market. It seems that the manufacturers are making and supplying more of everything than at any point in our hobby history. Quality is way higher, volume must be pretty good, and I would have to think the manufacturers are making some good margins, or they would cease to be in the market place.
Further, it seems that suppliers have gotten strong...look at Allied, Walthers, Horizon...etc. Additionally, there is a very large chain of hobby (not just MRR) stores where a franchise is available to anyone who can pony up the coin to get started. The good ones survive, the bad ones fall from their rolls, as has been previously documented here.
It seems to me a few years ago (well, more than a few) there was great angst and moaning amongst the local stores, and those who wrote in to MR, as to the "mail order places". I seem to remember that for a long while MR wouldn't publish their 800#s. Now its internet and EBAY. Have the Charlatans simply changed costumes? Isn't it still the same? I know that a way long back, it was those darned Toy Stores that didn't provide the service.
Is there any culpability on the part of the distribution industry? Manufacturers? Wholesalers? Or is lassez faire the best way to go and let the strong survive, and the weak be eaten by those darned little fish with legs I see on the back of so many cars...
It is my opinion that the industry owes the distribution channel some new suppor that isn't there to encourage local merchants to achieve greater plateaus. It can only be good for the activity, good for the channels top to bottom...and ultimately good for everyones customers.
CNJ831 wrote:I think if a poll were instituted here as to what influenced, guided and kept the flame alive most in newbies when they first started out, a decided majority would answer it was their LHS...as well as being the place the public had their first commercial exposure to the hobby.
IRONROOSTER wrote: The idea that the hobby shop is the way new people learn about the hobby is not accurate. I was in the hobby for over a year before I even saw a hobby shop. MR on the newstand at the PX in Germany got me started. I bought Tyco trains from the toy department of the PX and mail ordered the rest.
The idea that the hobby shop is the way new people learn about the hobby is not accurate. I was in the hobby for over a year before I even saw a hobby shop. MR on the newstand at the PX in Germany got me started. I bought Tyco trains from the toy department of the PX and mail ordered the rest.
Paul, I'd have to say that by your own admission as to how you began in the hobby - being outside the country, in the service and buying your first trains at the PX - is not just unusual but little short of unique compared to the rest of us. I think if a poll were instituted here as to what influenced, guided and kept the flame alive most in newbies when they first started out, a decided majority would answer it was their LHS...as well as being the place the public had their first commercial exposure to the hobby.
Likewise, I live in the NY metropolitan area and I haven't even heard of a mall train show in years (after the mid 90's the malls here mostly demanded huge insurance coverages by the clubs and electrical codes prohibited the wiring arrangements in the displays). There may still be some going on but they are certainly few and far between these days.
CNJ831
The idea that the hobby shop is the way new people learn about the hobby is not accurate. I was in the hobby for over a year before I even saw a hobby shop. MR on the newstand at the PX in Germany got me started. I bought Tyco trains from the toy department of the PX and mail ordered the rest. Along the way that first year I subscribed to RMC and joined the NMRA.
Train shows and mall displays probaby reach more people than a hobby shop tucked away in the back corner of a shopping center where the rent is cheap. I don't say hobby shops aren't helpful, but they are not the only way and the hobby won't die for lack of them. That said, I do enjoy a well stocked hobby store and hate to see them disappear.
I think we all agree that the market is changing, as are some of the dynamics of the hobby. Hobby shops who make adjustments to accomodate the changing market will be successful into the future; those that don't adjust, won't be successful.
There are examples of those changes throughout this thread. One that comes to mind is that even 10 years ago a one-week wait for a special order was acceptable, not so anymore (30 years ago, many ads in MR said "allow 2-3 weeks for delivery." Would we tolerate that today?). As consumers, our expectations have changed and 2 business days is about all we'll wait. A shop owner who places special orders once per week is probably not satisfying his/her customers.
I'm pretty sure that clinging to the past is a formula for business failure. Shop owners will be wise to look to the future and be making plans so they can exceed the expectatations of that market.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
CNJ831 said: In the not very distant future, the economy is going to sound the death knell for a great many of the smaller shops that still exist. And when they are gone, whether you consider them dinosaurs or not, in more ways than one a large and important portion of the hobby will pass into history.
------------
Indeed...The old school shops where the faithful gathers every Saturday morning is fast becoming a relic of the past as us old farts die off or those shops close due to the owner retiring or passing.
Food for thought..Hobby shops are now in the hands of the "younger" generation of modelers and shop owners..
How will they handle the hobby shop legacy that has been past to them?
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
CNJ831 wrote: To go the Internet route himself, to any considerable degree, would make the store a profit drain and he'd probably close it.
To go the Internet route himself, to any considerable degree, would make the store a profit drain and he'd probably close it.
If he doesn't WANT to get into mail-order, that's his decision. But to claim it would be "profit drain" is simply untrue. On the contrary, it would be a new revenue stream for his store.
Some points worthy of consideration in this discussion include the following.
While RR hobby shop owners are of every stripe, from good to bad, the existence of such shops has always been the foremost point of exposure of the hobby to the general public. Their disappearance, which seems inevitable, is going to seriously reduce the number of future hobbyists. In no way does the Internet replace the hobby shop as a method of hobby exposure to the general public.
Likewise, without RR hobby shops one looses the opportunity to see, touch and try out some new item, as well as to gain some immediate practical advice and insight as to its suitability for the individual's potential application and/or layout. While many are agog over what they see as the vast wealth of advice available over the Internet, few consider the fact that they have no way of knowing the adviser's credentials and knowledge. I've seen just as much bad information/advice offered on forums as sound and practical advice.
While the seasoned hobbyist has no difficulties in being creative, the newbie faces so many pitfalls and hurdles, while burdened with so many questions, only a lengthy face-to-face exchange with someone knowledgable in the hobby is likely to get them through those difficult first years. The traditional approach to this problem has been for the newbie to spend time with the hobby shop owner, or to acquire from him the name of a local club, or someone known to the shop owner to be an experienced hobbyist willing to assist. Again, once this avenues is gone, it seriously curtails the potential for future hobbyists and in the longer term, the hobby itself.
In my immediate area there used to be 5 RR shops, most of which had a long history, including one of the largest in the nation. Today their is only one left...run by a knowledgable, very helpful owner. While he offers discounts, he freely admits he can not compete for much longer with Internet sales and that walk-in traffic is declining. To go the Internet route himself, to any considerable degree, would make the store a profit drain and he'd probably close it.
In the not very distant future, the economy is going to sound the death knell for a great many of the smaller shops that still exist. And when they are gone, whether you consider them dinosaurs or not, in more ways than one a large and important portion of the hobby will pass into history.
With the substantial competition for online sellers, hobby shop owners need to be doing it better overall.
Better customer service, better inventory control, and better prices are just the start. We should not be hearing stories about surly shop owners or inconvenient hours.
While I don't necessarily agree that the customer is 'always right," today's LHS owners need to be learning heavily toward acting like that if they wish to stay in business.
One Track Mind wrote: Well I suppose I could take the time to go through every point again, along withsome other comments about train shops on this thread, but frankly there is no pointin preaching to a member of the other church's choir.Some see the benefits of a LHS, some don't. I think it is fair, however, that on themany threads such as this one (with no offense intended to the OP) that a personnew to the hobby also needs to hear that there are still good train shops open.I wish there was some way to offer an answer to some points on this thread, but as always I am typing with one hand tied behind my back because to fully explainthe benefits of a LHS, I would be taking the chance of stepping over the "noadvertising" rule... and I think the moderators have already been lenient on this issue.
Well I suppose I could take the time to go through every point again, along withsome other comments about train shops on this thread, but frankly there is no pointin preaching to a member of the other church's choir.
Some see the benefits of a LHS, some don't. I think it is fair, however, that on themany threads such as this one (with no offense intended to the OP) that a personnew to the hobby also needs to hear that there are still good train shops open.
I wish there was some way to offer an answer to some points on this thread, but as always I am typing with one hand tied behind my back because to fully explainthe benefits of a LHS, I would be taking the chance of stepping over the "noadvertising" rule... and I think the moderators have already been lenient on this issue.
I been in many hobby shops over the last 50 years and they come in all stripes from the friendly to a Scrooge type owner.I made friends with several of the owners and no doubt made enemies out of some because I would pay above MRSP and was frank enough to tell them..I been in shops that reek of stale cigar smoke and been greeted by a dog that would jump up and look you in your eye while leaning on you and to make sure you knew you was welcome will give you a rather wet lick with his/her tongue.
I drove for miles to buy a kit only to find "my wife sold it yesterday"..I called why didn't he lay it back?
Another problem I can across was highly arrogant owners that also modelers.Then there was the other ignorant owners as well that knew very little about the very products he sold.
Some times those benefits of a LHS of which you speak means nothing especially if the shop is full MSRP and poorly stock or worst-stock with Bachmann as a after thought.
Now then..If a shop will offer me a fair discount or cut me some slack on large purchases then I would be happy to buy from his/her shop.
If I can save $30.00-35.00 per locomotive isn't that money worth more in my pocket instead of a LHS whose owner wouldn't cut me some slack on a purchase of 2 locomotives? Think about it..A savings of $30.00-$35.00 on each engine equals $60.00 - $70.00..See how it mounts up? Shipping? I didn't subtract that because that will be cover by gas it takes to drive 26 miles(56 miles RT) to get to my not so local hobby shop.
I do appreciate your LHS flag waving with good words and thoughts..Its a good cause especially for the better hobby shops that offers a modest discount and fully understands the importance of his customers..After all that old school thought of us needing them is long dead.
As a interesting side note.The few bottles of paint I bought from on line shops is fresher then the paint I buy at my not so local hobby shop IF he has the color I need in stock.
These days I actually buy very few MR mags... saturation point being one of the reasons... but there used to be a note in the dealer directories which said "support your local hobby shop" and then Kalmbach do almost exactly the opposite.
One of my dealers here in Australia was paying US Cover price for MR then being undercut by the conglomerate distributor, you cannot access subscriber content if you do "support your hobby shop" which I don't claim to subscribe via the shop anyway, and MR's attitude seems to be anything but helpful. The previous dealer stopped dealing with Kalmbach for not really good service. The proprietor changed for the shop and resumed MR sales.
I do get magazines from the shop as my own purchases of models reflect a bit of saturation and it is the odds and sods that I want to do my bit to keep him (and her... its a husband and wife team) in business. Kalmbachs retailing strategy does not seem to reflect this support for the dealer for the hobby as a whole.
This is not a flame for Kalmbach but I can understand if anyone reading this might feel that. I wish Kalmbach might at least recognise there has been a problem partly of their making and that while they are in the position they occupy, perhaps some balance is required in their further form of positive promotion of the hobby as a whole rather than just ensuring the company's own position which the "subscriber content" seems to push.
We are seeing hobby shops go out of business... I have witnessed about 15 or so in this country over the years I've been in the hobby in small populated areas ... and others take their place as well as the discount dealers. I feel Kalmbachs place in general should be more supportive to promote the hobby more widely and benefit us all in the long term.
I moved to Atlanta, GA from Columbia, SC in 1993, with one of the main reasons being the number of hobby shops in the area. For the record, the new job was the #1 reason for moving Anyway, most of the stores from that era are no longer around, but the few new ones that took their place are much, much better. The net effect to me is that there is actually much better selection, supply and pricing today than there was 13 years ago. Jamie
CLICK HERE FOR THE CSX DIXIE LINE BLOG
I dont know anything about Margins.
All I know is when I hunt for a item, I either get it at the Store or online at a price I can stand to pay for it. Birdie gets the early worm occasionally if you look around hard enough.
I remember buying a full train of Walthers Heavyweight cars at the store. One car would arrive a month or several months apart. It took me about 2 to 3 years to get all the cars in. At times I thought about selling off the cars on ebay and trying again with someone else's cars that are already availible.
Im into Rapdio cars now at another store for one every... 3-6 months. At this rate I will have a full train sometime within the next 5 years. Im just glad I dont have to buy em all at once on my allowance.
Last Chance wrote: Rent? Utilties? Basic consumables? Everyone has to deal with that.The internet aint a haven from billing either. Bandwidth, manhours supporting the webpage and sorting orders and following up on problems all cost money.Dont count the people in the store. Take a look behind the counter and see the mountain of stuff on layaway. THAT is where the real business is LOL.
Rent? Utilties? Basic consumables? Everyone has to deal with that.
The internet aint a haven from billing either. Bandwidth, manhours supporting the webpage and sorting orders and following up on problems all cost money.
Dont count the people in the store. Take a look behind the counter and see the mountain of stuff on layaway. THAT is where the real business is LOL.
But what the internet has changed is the margin. In the good old days, a hobby shop could count on a 30 to 40 percent margin. A hobby shop could afford to carry a large, varied inventory. That margin has shrunk to 20 percent or less today. The modern business model is all about inventory turns.
There is a world of difference in rent, too. A retail storefront is going to be much more expensive than a warehouse/office set up for internet sales. Or possibly a garage or a storage unit; I know of at least two internet hobby shops running out of residential garages that way.
One Track Mind wrote: Midnight Railroader wrote: One Track Mind wrote: But I do order from Walthers at least once a week, with a near 90% fill rate.Why should I wait for you to call in your order a week from now, when I can order it myself from Walthers right now, over the internet? Or, if I go elsewhere, I can get it even cheaper.How is that a viable business model? Easy...1. If I order from Walthers before cut-off time, I can have it in my store in less than 48 hours.Do you get your items that fast?2. Maybe I sell for a lower price than Walthers, maybe not, since answering your question is definately bordering on advertising.3. If it's not in stock at Walthers, perhaps, depending on the item, I can get from a number of other suppliers.4. I don't charge you shipping. On the other hand, I do have to charge sales tax, which isgenerally less than shipping charges.5. If your item comes in and it's not what you expected, I keep it. Or try to send it back.6. If your item comes in broken, I take care of it.7. Very little chance of any fraud occurring when you order from me. 8. You don't have to worry about damage by the shipping companies or anything being stolenoff of your porch.9. If you get something and don't understand how it works, I might be able to help you withit. If I can't, perhaps a customer in the store can help with an answer.10. I can almost guarantee that you are going to get a pre-order as long as the order is placed before the ordering date. I hear a lot of complaints about internet places that don't alwaysfill their orders.You want me to keep going? I might be able to think of some other reasons. And that doesn'tjust apply to my store, that applies to a lot of good train shops.It's a viable business model because it's been working for over 50 years.
Midnight Railroader wrote: One Track Mind wrote: But I do order from Walthers at least once a week, with a near 90% fill rate.Why should I wait for you to call in your order a week from now, when I can order it myself from Walthers right now, over the internet? Or, if I go elsewhere, I can get it even cheaper.How is that a viable business model?
One Track Mind wrote: But I do order from Walthers at least once a week, with a near 90% fill rate.
But I do order from Walthers at least once a week, with a near 90% fill rate.
How is that a viable business model?
Easy...
1. If I order from Walthers before cut-off time, I can have it in my store in less than 48 hours.Do you get your items that fast?
2. Maybe I sell for a lower price than Walthers, maybe not, since answering your question is definately bordering on advertising.
3. If it's not in stock at Walthers, perhaps, depending on the item, I can get from a number of other suppliers.
4. I don't charge you shipping. On the other hand, I do have to charge sales tax, which isgenerally less than shipping charges.
5. If your item comes in and it's not what you expected, I keep it. Or try to send it back.
6. If your item comes in broken, I take care of it.
7. Very little chance of any fraud occurring when you order from me.
8. You don't have to worry about damage by the shipping companies or anything being stolenoff of your porch.
9. If you get something and don't understand how it works, I might be able to help you withit. If I can't, perhaps a customer in the store can help with an answer.
10. I can almost guarantee that you are going to get a pre-order as long as the order is placed before the ordering date. I hear a lot of complaints about internet places that don't alwaysfill their orders.
You want me to keep going? I might be able to think of some other reasons. And that doesn'tjust apply to my store, that applies to a lot of good train shops.
It's a viable business model because it's been working for over 50 years.
2. But do you sell for a lower price than internet-based discounters? I doubt that.
3. Good. So can I.
4. That may be a push. Hard to say.
5. Never have experienced this problem, so I guess you win this point.
6. So does the mail-order place.
7. I deal with reliable online retailers. Same chance of fraud.
8. True, but I have never had this happen to me.
9. Never have had this problem in 30+ years of model railroading. I've said that the "Yeah, but will the mail-order people fix your product or help you with it" argument does not always apply to everyone.
10. "Almost" guarantee? Those two words are mutally exclusive. Either you can guarantee it or you can't.
I am addressing primarily the multiple hobby shops that are NOT yours, that I've dealt with overr the years, that charge the full Walthers' price, make up a list and place the order once a week (or less frequently!), and have no good reply when my item does not arrive in the Walther's shipment (how do you deal with that by the way?)
Nope, if you want me to patronize your shop, you need to have what I want in stock or I'll order it myself.
But that doesn't sound like a problem in your case anyway.
That is where Clubs, Modular Layouts at Shows etc come in.
Society as a large has a small percentage of "That strange train man" who actually participate in the hobby. Not exactly prime time TV material.
Have you enjoyed the recent DVD series Dream Plan Build? Did you think some of the shows presented in that series are a bit dry? Or perhaps crammed with so much information over a hour?
Look at the Satellite TV in my house. They like to broadcast a movie in 7 minute bits with a 4 minute commerical followed by another 7 minute bit.
You aint going to delve into the nitty gritty on something like DCC and destroy the viewer's train of thought with a OXYTRACK CLEANER Commerical BLARED at 60% increase in volume. You can not teach viewers this way about the hobby.
HOWEVER... if a local clubhouse broadcast a commerical in 2 minutes airtime or less of a upcoming trainshow or event... people WILL come.
I did visit one hobby shop somewhere on the east coast. It was a beautiful day, sunshine in the spring time. Traffic was light and I was ahead of schedule. The moment I opened that front door, the jingle of the bell was followed instantly by a roar issuing from the high counter... WHAT?! &^%$#$ ANOTHETR GAW*&%^$#$ Person why Must....
I spun on heel and took off in search of better stores in the area. Maybe that person was having a very bad issue that moment in 60 years service but there aint no how I plan to go back to that store. Too bad because the window revealed a place filled with good train things to buy.
I recall another store that was good and well done while there was good foot traffic. Later on in the next decade of TV games, computer video games etc there was nothing but aged people buying a hobby on social security. That store faded into a room with just a few boxes in a wide open space and eventually closed for good. I think the customers who supported the store was old and died off in the area and the younger children were not exposed to a train club, train shows and had no reason to take a moment to visit a store obviously staggering towards foreclosure or worse.
Here is something to think about, if hobby shops go away where will the hobbyist's of the future come from? Yes, just about any hobby you want to name can be serviced reliably by any number of online retailers. But how do you introduce a person to a hobby if they can't see, smell, and touch the hardware?
How many of us were introduced to, or at least confirmed our interest in, model railroading as a result of the display layout in a LHS? It gave you a real sense of the possibilities beyond that oval of track that comes in the box with your first train set. And, of course one could say the same about the shiny RC airplane hanging from the ceiling. Or that carefully detailed squad of PanzerGrenadiers picking their way through the rubble of Stalingrad, as depicted on the diorama in the display case.
Come to think of it, when's the last time you saw any activity promoted in a television ad that didn't have a joystick attached to it? I hope the demise of the LSH is greatly overstated, because I'm not sanguine about the future of pratically any hobby without them.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
I live in a town where the nearest retail business is 8 miles away. We don't even have a gas station. I presume that my fellow residents and I have adapted pretty well. Of course none of us work in town, so we do frequent the retail businesses of nearby larger towns. I estimate that 90% of my discretionary funds are spent online - between sales tax and the cost of gas, shipping costs are roughly a wash. I enjoy model railroading with great satisfaction even though the nearest hobby store is 45 miles away.
My point is that a hobby store is really optional to me as a model railroader. Sure, I'd like to have a retailer nearby, who provides the supplies that I need/want, and to keep as a friend. It would make things a little richer, but it's not worth 2.5 gallons of gas per trip
I won't drive 45 miles to shoot the breeze with the not so local hobby shop owner - as noted earlier in this thread, I have driven that distance to find him out of what I need (yes I should have called first, but I wouldn't call Walmart to ask if they have a stock of white glue; I was there hor a regular stock item - it is reasonable to assume that stock items are kept in stock). I would drive that distance if he offered services that I cannot get anywhere else. I listed some suggestions, earlier in this thread.
I feel that my case demonstrates that a hobby store is optional, so the traditional approach to the business may no longer be enough. It may be time to consider facets of the business that are of value, and currently under-provided.
I have had the joy of visiting many good stores in my life time.
Low Price, fast service AND Local Service exist in my area.
It does matter. The out of production limited runs forced by the Manufacters in the hobby has required changes in my hobby thinking to adapt and use resources including the internet to make purchases on wanted items.
However, I always try to give first consideration to the Hobby Shop. After all, they probably can get to it.
What does the supplier care? There are a number in the USA that ships orders on time within a week and I recieve them pronto at the store. They do thier jobs well enough.
Now there is one thing that did change. You probably can walk into a store and look over inventory on the shelf at any time. Kadee Couplers, paint etc...
The stuff I have purchased in the last three years or so never spent a moment on the shelf. It is either a internet webpage picture on a announcement, echo by MR's own announcement WEEKS later in the next issue (Ho hum, old news) and sold out and out of production before anyone NOT connected to the internet gets word or spots a new product either at the Clubhouse or running on a friend's railroad.
Sometimes does extra orders of a item I bought gets onto the shelf at the store. But you are not going to see too many 500 dollar engines with DCC and Sound sitting around on that shelf with certain companies blowing them out on internet sales less than half that price. Recently I did order some engines through the store and paid whatever they were. I like to do so once or twice a year and consider them high ticket, really big purchases at the store.
I say 50% of items in my train room were ordered months or weeks in advance and arrived off the UPS truck, sit behind the counter until I pay for it and take it right home in days or weeks.
Does the store order extras of the same items? Sometimes when there is a clamor from customers who likes the item. The recent 45 ton switcher from Bachmann is a fine example.
So this thread begs the question...
Is there a root cause? Has the expectation of low price, fast service, better selection trumped the need for personal care and service, and the value of the local relationship?
Or has the lack of loyalty and availability from other channels in the delivery chain chased good merchants from the marketplace, only to be now served by the myriad of dismal stories painted in this tread previously?
And lastly,
Does it matter? Does it matter enough to cause us all individually and collectively to alter our thoughts, habits and preferences?
And does the manufacturer/supplier level or the wholesale level care?
Rick
Serveral weeks back I had a conversation with the owner of our local HobbyTown outlet. The signs of impending closure were all there; dwindling stock, and a sale price on just about everything. I confirmed in a conversation with him that he was getting out of the business. He said he was looking for a regular job, with health benefits. As a small business owner he couldn't afford the cost of private health insurance for himself and his wife. (And a note to Senator McCain; the figure he quoted to me doesn't even come close to the $5,000 tax credit you are offering.)
Well today I dropped by to pick up some sheet brass for one of my son's school projects. I found the doors locked and a realtor's sign in the window. His operation never carried a good supply of MRR supplies. But his was the closest LHS to where I live, and it was convienient for other items like glue, tools, building supplies and paint. I will miss him.
I will put a oar into the water for OTM and several other stores in my area.
I know I can communicate a order to OTM or any store in my area or the east coast at any time of day or night with the information gathered from the wathers web page or any other source and the precise item will be present without damage or loss at the store within a week, if not days.
As a customer, I will say that I have experienced just about 100% success in order fills. I think one baggage car arrived that were missing a door but not a problem because extra doors were present on another baggage car. That was such a minor problem that was solved on the spot at the counter.
If these stores were to close today where I am, I probably will fall back on the old MB Klein because THEY too fill orders rapidly and with precision. Nothing like a hometown store that has survived 75+ years of trains and one store demolition/move to new quarters.
Im picky, Im demanding, Im hard to please and sometimes completely out of no where on a order for something that is totally like 5 years past the discontinued date. But the stores know all about that. I dont spend much, trains is the bottom of my budget. But when I do want to buy trains, they make it happen.... FAST.
The biggest problem is actually filling a gas hog to GET to the store LOL and that is just real life with work and wife needs for the vehicles. No biggie.
As luck would have it; these fine stores like OTM and R&S has kept me in the hobby for years without hassle with crummy UPS shipping damage in my area. Commerical customers get good service while residental customers get it thrown onto the porch with neglect and distain from a tired driver ready to go home past sunset.
The most memorable orders were those that came from suppliers that were probably operating out of a house basement somewhere and had very little or no exposure on the National level with Model Railroading or other sources of exposure such as ebay.
Oh yes, Ive had it good. How long can it last? Well... we'll find out wont we? =)
Call me a very happy customer and the future is bright.