Things that make you go hhhmmmm.

[cwclark]

you just can't get ahead!...it's a plot I tell ya!...and even if you gripe about it..they always have an answer...well we know our prices went up..but have you seen the cost of fuel these days to ship our product??..or ...we must keep our prices in line with our competitors...somebodies gett'in mighty rich and it sure isn't me....you got a 5% raise this year?..must be nice!...they gave me a 3% and the year before that we got a 0%....(except for the really cheap plastic cup they gave out that had the company logo on it)..I think i'm using it now for cleaning my paint brushes....the only "light at the end of the tunnel" is my SP GP9 going into my layout's hidden staging yard area...

[Fergmiester]

Hmmmmmm 5% eh!

I could get political here but I won't. bottom line is inflation is based on what the market is willing to withstand. Nothing is linear nor proportional within economic growth of a "capitalist" system. Eventually the market will realize nothing is selling so that should in turn bring prices down.

Try 1 to 2% every year for the last 10. Hmmmmmmmm!

[Anonymous]

I WAS about to start a new poject and thought about purchasing some Athearn GP9's but here is what I found. On average if you work hard when it gets around to raise time you may get 5% on a good year keep this in mind.

I purchase the Walthers catalog every two years and went to use it to price 4 GP9 dummies and 2 powered from Athearn. About 5 minutes into the research I noticed that I was reading the 2002 catalog. I put it down and grabbed the 2004 (both are red) and went to start my pricing. Wham what a difference. Here are some reults:

All Athearn products:
F7 Super 2002: $33.50 2004: $39.50 Price increase 18%
GP9 w/fly 2002: $34.50 2004: $44.50 Price increase 29%
GP40-2 2002: $41.50 2004: $47.50 Price increase 15%
SW7Cow 2002: $32.50 2004: $39.50 Price increase 21%
FP45 2002: $36.50 2004: $49.50 Price increase 35%

If I get a 10% increase in pay over 2 years there is a bigger price increase over the same time period. Athearn has put out the same F7 and GP9 for years! Unless I am reading the catalogs wrong and I know they are list prices someone is gouging someone here. People can talk about production cost etc. etc. but when production cost increases greatly over the cost of living raises of the buying public then something has got to give and it will be finding another hobby.

The World's Greatest Hobby that no one can afford!

RMax