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I recently returned to the hobby after a 25+ year absence and the first place I went was to the local Hobby Shops. I had fond memories of Cherry St Station (St. Catharines, Ont) where the owner put up with endless questions and window shopping from a young teen with little money. What I found was somewhat different than my expectations. One shop, recommended to me as having one of the best inventories around, had a decent stock of HO but a serious shortage of service. They didn't stock what I wanted (Atlas Code 83 track) but would be willing to order it for me... at full MSRP. At another shop they were more interested in complaining about how poor business was to be helpful. They, too, would order the track (again, for full MSRP). The third shop, some miles farther away, was the best of the lot. They had a decent stock of code 83 track but would have to order some pieces I needed. Oh, did I mention full MSRP? I also went to each shop with a willingness to buy rolling stock on impulse if I saw the righit bits. I almost bought a couple of items but none of the shops really had what I was looking for. Now that's partly my fault because my intention is to model RR's that are not overly common in the Northern VA area, but a little more interest in my busiiness probably would have given them opportunities to show me nifty stuff that I'd suddenly decide I must have immediately. Sadly, the one shop offered zero service, the second offered little beyond complaints, and the third was only moderately helpful. The end result is that I will likely stop by the LHS from time to time I am much more likely to order what I want over the internet... at about 15-20% less than MSRP after shipping costs are added in. All that local expertise that was lacking in the local shops to some degree or other is at my fingertips via the web. I already ordered the track and some accessories I need online. When I find that perfect steam loco I'll likely order that online as well, and I've already located a few choice pieces of freight stock to keep me busy. Now, if I can only decide which passenger service I want to model, I'm all set. That, too, will likely be ordered online. It seems the local shops don't stock much of that. All of this long-winded blather is really intended to get across one point. While I would dearly love to find a LHS that will become my model railroading home-away-from-home I've yet to find one that really meets my needs. I can get the same dininterested customer service online without wasting my time trying to be pleasant, and save money that I can then spend on additional accessories. John
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