I was just wondering. Unfortunately, I am an impulse shopper. That is why I mostly buy things online. It keeps me out of trouble.
What do you all do?
Will
Well, unlike going to the grocery store on an empty stomach, I go to the LHS with a list to keep those urges at bay...:)
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
step 1 = go to the lhs with a definate idea of what i want.
step 2 = look at what i might see that catches my eye.
step 3 = learn that they have nothing i want.
step 4 = come home and get on the computer.
no doubt if i lived near a place like caboose hobbies in denver or des plaines hobbies in chicago, i would not get on the computer very often.
now i have learned to call them first to check stock and the go directly to step 4.
grizlump
Both, depending on the mood and situation.
Bob
I'm a bit of both---
I'll go in with a list then find something that I want---and leave having paid out double---
BUT!!!
At least I got it!!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Mostly impulse.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
The days of impulse buying at the LHS are essentially dead, at least from what I can see.
There was a time when the average joe would come away from every hobby shop visit carrying at least several items bought simply because they caught his eye, but that was before the latest freight cars cost $30-$40 each and passenger cars $60+. Personal income for most hobbyists has fallen woefully behind the escalating prices of new model railroad equipment and has made most model railroaders far more selective regarding their purchases. Today's average hobbyist is much more likely to search high and low on the Internet for the absolute best possible deal on an item, rather then walk into the LHS and impulsively buy something he spots at full retail price.
CNJ831
Since my LHS doesn't carry S scale, I don't shop there except for basic items like paint brushes. Most of my purchases are online and I get the best deal I can for what I want. I also go to the Great Scale Train Show in Timonium MD 3-4 times a year. For that I take a couple of hundred dollars or so and wander the show buying things that interest me and fit my scheme. Since I don't spend more than I brought it's controlled impulse buying and frequently I don't spend it all.
One of the "advantages" of a minority scale is that there isn't as much to tempt me into impulse buying.
An advantage of modeling a particular road in a particular era (Ma&Pa early 50's) is that it helps me keep my buying focused. With a few exceptions, everything I buy now fits this scheme.
An advantage of modeling a short line like the Ma&Pa is that they didn't have much. For example, in the early 50's they had 4 diesel switchers, 8 steam locomotives, and 2 gas electrics. 14 pieces if you get them all.
Enjoy
Paul
Some times..You see when I do go to a LHS its to fill my parts and paint needs and if something catches my eye I look it over and if needed I may buy the item...
CNJ831 The days of impulse buying at the LHS are essentially dead, at least from what I can see. There was a time when the average joe would come away from every hobby shop visit carrying at least several items bought simply because they caught his eye, but that was before the latest freight cars cost $30-$40 each and passenger cars $60+. Personal income for most hobbyists has fallen woefully behind the escalating prices of new model railroad equipment and has made most model railroaders far more selective regarding their purchases. Today's average hobbyist is much more likely to search high and low on the Internet for the absolute best possible deal on an item, rather then walk into the LHS and impulsively buy something he spots at full retail price. CNJ831
Actually I fully believe impulse buying is still alive and doing well for the low end(less then $20.00) RTR cars..After all these are the cars the average Joe modeler buys that isn't into worrying about the minute detail of the higher end cars.
I have picked up 2 or 3 new release N Scale cars that way since last October
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Hi!
I'm building a new layout, but have most everything I need at hand. However, when I do need something, that need (list) will send me to the LHS. When I get there, the list items get selected first, and then I do a "store browse", and often find something I just have to have. Thinking more about this, its always been that way - that a specific need will send me to the LHS, and then I'll find something else to get.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Since my local shop is 200 km away, I make a point of buying something every visit, and scenic supplies or detail items will often be the target, since most of the stock seems to geared towards more recent era modelling than my selected period.
I include any MRR purchase as 'on target' therefore, and an impulse buy would be something from the store's extensive armor or ship model section. The trains section is fully half of the store, so I should be able to find something useful on every visit.
For road and era specific items I usually need to go to some fairly specialized internet suppliers, and of course for common hardware store items there are 3 stores in town.
Certainly I am as average as most when buying. I buy from the mail orders, two in particular, I buy my covered hoppers these days direct from Tangent and Exactrail, I even buy a diesel or two mail order, but I visit the LHS I go to in KC, who has a great selection, once a week. This week for example, I walked in to buy some paint and some misc. items, he had some Exactrail covered hoppers on the shelf, I grabbed them at retail. They will be renumbered. Same is true with the IM MTC reefers. If I want it bad enough, I will pay retail. But my list is usually short, my impulse adds to it at the store.
Before some of the "I build everything because I am an old time modeler" folks chime in, I think I do pretty good at age 73, with arthritis in my hands and wrists. I still do a lot of pulpit supply, I still work on the computer, I still do my yard work, etc. But I do not build kits anymore and I don't appologize to anyone because I buy RTR now. I would rather spend my remaining time on earth working on the layout itself and having op sessions. I spent my years scratchbuilding and etc. but no more. So spare me the superiority stufff.
mobilman44.......(list) will send me to the LHS. When I get there, the list items get selected first, and then I do a "store browse", and often find something I just have to have. .........a specific need will send me to the LHS, and then I'll find something else to get.
Sounds just like me. At least the way I intend on doing it. And sometimes it has worked that way. Most times, however, I usually forget the list because I combine my trips to town and my trips to the FLHS are usually "hey, while I'm on this side of town....". Then I try to remember what I had on the list by looking over all the stuff in the shop. Loosing my concentration on what it was I needed and not being able to regain that thought completely as I wander around. I meander through the shop looking at all the goodies being distracted as I uncontrolably try to figure a use for the things I see that like. Looking for that certain "thing" that I'll just know when I see I could use and generally seeing what's there for future reference. I'll get some of the list items and usually end up buying somethings impulse and then get home to find I forgot something I needed, thereby starting the next list immediately so I can forget it again. I love it!!!
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
Impulse.
But with a List.
With two very well stocked full-line model railroad hobby shops within a fourteen mile radius of where I live, I have to be EXTREMELY careful when I go shopping. At least I tell myself so when I get into the car.
Of course, when I get to either of these very well stocked full-line model railroad hobby shops, all bets are off.
My most famous 'impulse' incident was when I went over to one of the hobby shops for a Cal-Scale brass casting. I think it was a front-hung locomotive bell. Walked past the brass consignment case. Stopped cold. Someone had put three Rio Grande brass steamers in on consignment. A Westside L-105 4-6-6-4, and a Key K-59 2-8-2 and M-75 4-8-2. I left drool on the display case. Walked out with all three steamers (and a Visa that was panting from exhaustion). Had to turn around and go back in because I forgot the bell casting.
It's dangerous for me to go MR shopping, even WITH a List, around here.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
wholemanI was just wondering. Unfortunately, I am an impulse shopper. That is why I mostly buy things online. It keeps me out of trouble. What do you all do?
Step 1. Drive
Step 2. Drive
Step 3. Drive
Step 4. Drive
Step 5. Drive (Where was it we were going again?)
Step 6. Drive
Step 7. Drive (I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.)
Step 8. Drive
Step 9. Give up. No hobby shops in sight. (Nor could I afford to buy anything there anyway since I now have to fill up the tank with gas...)
I'm a list buyer. I only go to the LHS when I absolutely need something now, otherwise, I shop online. The LHS rarely stocks what I need and charges MSRP so its back to the computer to go shopping online.
What CNJ forgets is that there are orders of magnitude greater selection in all scales than there was even 20 years ago, let alone 50 when some of the current scales didn't even exist.
I could pull out the handy dandy inflation calculator, but since the author of the above doesn't have the slightest clue as to the price relationship between things bought with discretionary income and the price of necessities, etc., it would do little good.
He also seems to forget that there are a number of LHS's that do sell at a substantial discount to MSRP. Some of these also are on the Internet, although certainly not all.
Andre
I usually go there to order something, or to get code 80 track or scenery materials, so I'd say a loose lsit buyer. I always go browse in the model railroad aisle though.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
CNJ831 the latest freight cars cost $30-$40 each and passenger cars $60+. Personal income for most hobbyists has fallen woefully behind the escalating prices of new model railroad equipment and has made most model railroaders far more selective regarding their purchases.
the latest freight cars cost $30-$40 each and passenger cars $60+. Personal income for most hobbyists has fallen woefully behind the escalating prices of new model railroad equipment and has made most model railroaders far more selective regarding their purchases.
I believe that the kind of models offered at that price are a good value. They are well-built and detailed and cost the equivalent of $3 to $6 1950s dollars (based on my "hamburger pricing index"). And most hobbyists might be better off if they weren't so impulsive their layouts don't represent the Cosmopolitan Central.
Mark
grizlump9 step 1 = go to the lhs with a definate idea of what i want. step 2 = look at what i might see that catches my eye. step 3 = learn that they have nothing i want. step 4 = come home and get on the computer. no doubt if i lived near a place like caboose hobbies in denver or des plaines hobbies in chicago, i would not get on the computer very often. now i have learned to call them first to check stock and the go directly to step 4. grizlump
Just about sums me up to, but lately I have been taking a list to help better insure I don't forget something.
One of my biggest problems is I have a hard time pulling the trigger on spending more money than I should. I am sure I am not the only one.
John
I buy some of my stuff over the internet. I also buy directly from manufacturers too. They are typically one-person or husband/wife businesses. I still purchase from my LHS (Just Trains in Concord, CA) which fortunately is only a five-minute drive away. I always enjoy visiting to look at train stuff, and the owner and her staff add a pleasant personal element. As often as not, I walk away with purchasers I hadn't planned on. (Gee, I could use some of that fencing material, and just remembered my supply of scale 1by2s is low.) I don't resent people making a profit/living off my purchases. That's what makes the system work. Having everyone work as "volunteers" with the government providing for us wouldn't work for me. If you disagree, join a commune; just don't make me join.
markpierce I don't resent people making a profit/living off my purchases. That's what makes the system work. Having everyone work as "volunteers" with the government providing for us wouldn't work for me. If you disagree, join a commune; just don't make me join.
I don't want to get too political here, but I totally agree. I am a list shopper, but if there some figures that would look good or a vehicle that fits my modern theme, then I can't resist and purchase it. Since I don't have a layout, I buy things preparing for the future. Just like the famous line from the TV show The A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together."
Since I have a rather rigid idea of what I'm trying to build (scale and prototype) I go into a LHS with a pretty good idea of what I can (and can't) use. These days, most of my hobby purchases are raw materials, tools and paint.
One thing that burned my bearings about a (Deliberately nameless) LHS in a city I once inhabited was the proprietor's insistance that I, "Just HAVE to get," the latest and greatest N-scale whatever decorated for the railroad down the street. It never got through that I model a prototype on the far side of a rather wide ocean, to twice-N (aka 1:80) scale. After the third time, I started taking my business elsewhere.
Chuck (Still modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Speaking strictly for myself. I tend to be an impulse buyer. I do have a list of things that I need ALSO with me when I visit my LHS. AND, the owner doesn not charge MSRP, he gives very competitive prices to online prices considering that I have sales tax here in MA, but, I get savings on shipping cost. So I prefer to give my LHS 90% of my business. Each time I come to his store, he shows me the new items that have arrived, and any good sales or even consignment items at great prices.
For others to make comments concerning impulse buying being dead or dying, there are far too many factors to consider when making that judgment call, such as, but not limited to, ones free cash to spend on the hobby, buying personality ( spend free or tightwad or somewhere in between ), layout needs and size, etc. etc.
markpierce And most hobbyists might be better off if they weren't so impulsive their layouts don't represent the Cosmopolitan Central. Mark
And most hobbyists might be better off if they weren't so impulsive their layouts don't represent the Cosmopolitan Central.
Ya know, Mark, as one whose 'impulsive' buying for a while actually started RESEMBLING the "Cosmopolitan Central", I am in complete agreement with you.
These days, I've learned to focus my 'impulses' toward the two railroads that I actually model, while thinning out my former"C-C" purchases.
Feels better.
But I still have trouble passing up those reefers.
pastorbob CNJ831 The days of impulse buying at the LHS are essentially dead, at least from what I can see. There was a time when the average joe would come away from every hobby shop visit carrying at least several items bought simply because they caught his eye, but that was before the latest freight cars cost $30-$40 each and passenger cars $60+. Personal income for most hobbyists has fallen woefully behind the escalating prices of new model railroad equipment and has made most model railroaders far more selective regarding their purchases. Today's average hobbyist is much more likely to search high and low on the Internet for the absolute best possible deal on an item, rather then walk into the LHS and impulsively buy something he spots at full retail price. CNJ831 Certainly I am as average as most when buying. I buy from the mail orders, two in particular, I buy my covered hoppers these days direct from Tangent and Exactrail, I even buy a diesel or two mail order, but I visit the LHS I go to in KC, who has a great selection, once a week. This week for example, I walked in to buy some paint and some misc. items, he had some Exactrail covered hoppers on the shelf, I grabbed them at retail. They will be renumbered. Same is true with the IM MTC reefers. If I want it bad enough, I will pay retail. But my list is usually short, my impulse adds to it at the store. Before some of the "I build everything because I am an old time modeler" folks chime in, I think I do pretty good at age 73, with arthritis in my hands and wrists. I still do a lot of pulpit supply, I still work on the computer, I still do my yard work, etc. But I do not build kits anymore and I don't appologize to anyone because I buy RTR now. I would rather spend my remaining time on earth working on the layout itself and having op sessions. I spent my years scratchbuilding and etc. but no more. So spare me the superiority stufff. Bob
?? From your response I think you miss the point. He's talking about impulse buying and how its affected by the higher $$ not the "kit builder vs RTR " stuff
twhite Ya know, Mark, as one whose 'impulsive' buying for a while actually started RESEMBLING the "Cosmopolitan Central", I am in complete agreement with you. These days, I've learned to focus my 'impulses' toward the two railroads that I actually model, while thinning out my former"C-C" purchases. Feels better. But I still have trouble passing up those reefers.
Tom, I will tell you true. Once I atypically "playfully" bid (what was I thinking?) on ebay and ended up with a beautiful, painted and lettered, Union Pacific 2-8-8-0. Being an SP modeler, I have to thank John Signor's book on SP's Salt Lake Division showing that SP leased these same locomotives during the post-WWII years. My guardian angel knows I appreciate him. I'm starting to lose count on how many times he has looked out for me.
nw2 pastorbob CNJ831 The days of impulse buying at the LHS are essentially dead, at least from what I can see. There was a time when the average joe would come away from every hobby shop visit carrying at least several items bought simply because they caught his eye, but that was before the latest freight cars cost $30-$40 each and passenger cars $60+. Personal income for most hobbyists has fallen woefully behind the escalating prices of new model railroad equipment and has made most model railroaders far more selective regarding their purchases. Today's average hobbyist is much more likely to search high and low on the Internet for the absolute best possible deal on an item, rather then walk into the LHS and impulsively buy something he spots at full retail price. CNJ831 Certainly I am as average as most when buying. I buy from the mail orders, two in particular, I buy my covered hoppers these days direct from Tangent and Exactrail, I even buy a diesel or two mail order, but I visit the LHS I go to in KC, who has a great selection, once a week. This week for example, I walked in to buy some paint and some misc. items, he had some Exactrail covered hoppers on the shelf, I grabbed them at retail. They will be renumbered. Same is true with the IM MTC reefers. If I want it bad enough, I will pay retail. But my list is usually short, my impulse adds to it at the store. Before some of the "I build everything because I am an old time modeler" folks chime in, I think I do pretty good at age 73, with arthritis in my hands and wrists. I still do a lot of pulpit supply, I still work on the computer, I still do my yard work, etc. But I do not build kits anymore and I don't appologize to anyone because I buy RTR now. I would rather spend my remaining time on earth working on the layout itself and having op sessions. I spent my years scratchbuilding and etc. but no more. So spare me the superiority stufff. Bob ?? From your response I think you miss the point. He's talking about impulse buying and how its affected by the higher $$ not the "kit builder vs RTR " stuff
Maybe you are missing Bob's point?
There are RTR and kit cars that cost less then the $30.00-40.00 quoted by CNJ..These are the cars that falls into "impulse buying" of the average joe modeler..Of course some impulse buying of the higher end cars happens as well especially with today's limited production runs..
There is a new saying...Buy now or lament later.
A lession I have learn more then a few times since the begining of limited runs.
BRAKIE There are RTR and kit cars that cost less then the $30.00-40.00 quoted by CNJ..These are the cars that falls into "impulse buying" of the average joe modeler..Of course some impulse buying of the higher end cars happens as well especially with today's limited production runs.. There is a new saying...Buy now or lament later.
That has become an issue right across the board here. Buy now or lament later is the new battlecry of the beleagured hobbyist who is no longer in the center of the hobby market. That fellow is now the marginalized one. If you are looking for small steam--be thankful Bachmann is still around. If you are looking for ALCO's S series --good luck finding them. But if you're looking for UP Big Boys, challengers, 4-12-2's and such---hey, You got 'em!!
Great for the collector--not so much if your impulses tend towards the small switchers etc----