Unfortunately, "inventory shrinkage" is a problem in retail stores. So, store owners can't afford to totally ignore the problem, but, I'll agree that making everyone feel like a thief is a poor way to maintain a business relationship.
Not everyone is suited to a career in retail sales. The staff at my LHS, and another hobby shop I go to when I'm in that area, is very knowledgeable and friendly, even to people they've never seen before. Good business practices are important, but knowing who to hire and how to treat your customers is another big reason why some shops survive and others fail.
Support the good shops, and don't mourn the poor ones when they shutter their doors.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
john galt I AGREE. Its so sad at the LHS they are barely hanging on, here in st L we have lost 3 in the past year and they were pretty decent places to shop and BS about all things trains. My best experience was Henzes Hobby, i needed( which means wanted) a 6 axel engine..didnt matter what kind, but was unsure if it would run on my radius. i had only been in the store 2 times . i addressed my concern and desire to the owner, allen and he took an engine from the case and sent me home to test it. it ran great and pulled all my rolling stock( 50 or so cars) I had it for almost 3 days when I reurned it I told allen I would like to buy it he informed me it was from his own collection and had been super detailed and re-engined and was worth about $250 (this was 1994=95 i think) It was out of my price range at that time I asked him why he let me use that engine and he said I looked trustworthy and that he had no doubt I would return needless to say I spent all my free time and money there on most all my HO needs. Allen would close on friday nights and about 5 to 10 regulars would hang out and work on his layout or run trains it was a great time before the economy died and took all of our money with it. i would spend $100 easy. Also i traded wire, phone line cables and blue board( the foam insulation) 1" to 3" for supplies, track, engines and rolling stock. now im waiting to see if Im going to be in this house after april 2010 before i start building my next layout thank god for the queeny park show... i always get good deals there and still have 1 decent LHS that treats me ok remember a is a and 1 is 1 and they cannot be what they are not value for value is the only value worth valuing
I AGREE. Its so sad at the LHS they are barely hanging on, here in st L we have lost 3 in the past year and they were pretty decent places to shop and BS about all things trains.
My best experience was Henzes Hobby, i needed( which means wanted) a 6 axel engine..didnt matter what kind, but was unsure if it would run on my radius. i had only been in the store 2 times .
i addressed my concern and desire to the owner, allen and he took an engine from the case and sent me home to test it.
it ran great and pulled all my rolling stock( 50 or so cars)
I had it for almost 3 days
when I reurned it I told allen I would like to buy it
he informed me it was from his own collection and had been super detailed and re-engined and was worth about $250 (this was 1994=95 i think) It was out of my price range at that time
I asked him why he let me use that engine and he said I looked trustworthy and that he had no doubt I would return
needless to say I spent all my free time and money there on most all my HO needs. Allen would close on friday nights and about 5 to 10 regulars would hang out and work on his layout or run trains it was a great time before the economy died and took all of our money with it.
i would spend $100 easy. Also i traded wire, phone line cables and blue board( the foam insulation) 1" to 3" for supplies, track, engines and rolling stock.
now im waiting to see if Im going to be in this house after april 2010 before i start building my next layout
thank god for the queeny park show... i always get good deals there and still have 1 decent LHS that treats me ok
remember a is a and 1 is 1 and they cannot be what they are not
value for value is the only value worth valuing
Wow! I remember Henzes! Loved to go there anytime I was nearby. You were always treated like family.
A great place to visit is K-10's Hobby store in Maryville, IL. It's a small but amazingly well stocked store with a warehouse layout in the back of the building. Quite impressive. Here's the website link: http://www.k-10smodeltrains.com/
Well worth your time to visit, expecially on operating nights and Sunday public op sessions. See the ops schedule on the website.
Boy if this doesn't sound like a train store on Rt. 35 just the other side of the Navasink river I don't know who it could be...........lol Am I remotely close? You are spot on about The guys up at The Model Railroad Store, It takes me an a little over an hour to get there and I can't afford the gas to just drive there on a whim so my visits are not as frequent as I would like. Whihc may be a good thing because I save money this way..........lol
Unfortunately where I live we only have one local hobby shop who specializes more in RC then anything else and his prices aren't competitive at all but if I need some paint or some little do dad it's not worth the gas to drive the hour north. I hear you on how some of these people treat paying customers and I experienced it first hand at a train store that is no longer in business where the guy was asking a couple of se a bunch of questions regarding garden railroading and was prepared to spend some good money. He wasn't a tire kicker. I sw him get out of a new Benz and the Rolex on his wrist was worth more then I had in the bank. He was very pleasant and even asked if we would be willing to come give him a hand setting this up for his grandson who he just loved to spoil and was willing to pay us for our time. We told him that wouldn't be necessary jsut buy lunch. Well the guy working the counter was just a gigantic jerk the guy just looked at him and shook his head and turned to us and said sorry fellas but I'll spend my money else where.
It's no difference then any other business I guess some individuals just lack the people skills needed.
Hi!
Like any other kind of stores, "there are all kinds" when it comes to hobby shops. I'm 65, and have done a fair amount of traveling over the last 30 years or so, spending significant time in Illinois, Texas, New York, Virginia, Nevada, California, Florida, and a few other states. Most all of them - to the best of my recollection - were pretty nice, and met or exceeded my expectations.
Of course there were a few that I didn't fully appreciate the experience. One relates to a very well known major hobby shop northwest of Chicago in the suburbs. I've probably been there 20 times or so, and a few of those times I felt like I was looked upon as a potential shoplifter. Given that I was a grown adult, dressed, looked, and acted decently, I felt very uncomfortable there. And of course, while the "regulars" were given lots of "proprietor time", I was otherwise ignored.
Another "quirkly" hobby shop that I have visited many times is located "between Houston and Dallas". While the store is a goldmine of stuff, most of it resides in "piles", and checking out is always a major slow task. I found myself feeling badly when I left the store, and eventually quit going there.
Of course any store or business you can think of would have similar examples, and I must repeat that the vast majority of "train stores" I have patronized have been terrific!!!
For what its worth.......
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
rjake4454but every time I walk in, I get eye balled like I am going to steal something. And I am a paying customer, I've bought several things there, some worth several hundred dollars.
This sounds like what I was experiencing when I first visited the LHS here. After a few purchases they kind of chilled out and started to be nice to me. I've since stopped going there because I find that behavior hypocritical, treat someone like a potential thief when they browse but as soon as the wallet opens, "how are you today, sir?" I can get better deals online (even with the shipping price) and I don't need to worry about fake smiles or uneasy feelings. Sorry to hear that you're going through the same, if you do go back, hopefully things change to your liking.
TONY
"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)
I'm beginning to really dislike some of them. There is one in particular, I won't mention the name, but every time I walk in, I get eye balled like I am going to steal something. And I am a paying customer, I've bought several things there, some worth several hundred dollars. The "help" has never been helpful to say the least, the owner is nice, not the friendliest, but not that bad. The associate that works there though is to put it plainly a jerk. I don't think he owns the store, or even half of it, but he sure acts like he does or at least wishes he did. Very arrogant, rude, and pushy. He always stares at me and when you ask him a question about an item you would like to buy, he gives you the most condescending response.
This is basically a toy train store that doesn't specialize in HO or N scale. They stock some stuff of these scales, but its really old left over junk, the rolling stock all have plastic wheels, most of the engines are pretty bad.
They carry mostly American Flyer, Lionel, MTH, and a good number of G scale trains. One thing I have noticed, and yes it may very well be an unfair generalization, but that the 'toy train' stores tend to have owners or workers that are not people friendly, whereas the small old shops that specialize mainly in HO and N scale are home to some of the nicest hobbyists out there.
An example being the Model Railroad Shop in Piscataway, NJ. These guys bend over backwards to make the customer feel welcome. I live over an hour away and although I don't like the drive, the shop is a real gem. They specialize in HO and N and really know how to treat people nicely. Sattlers Trains in Westmont NJ is another great place.
I'm beginning to throw in the towel when it comes to toy train shops however. I just can't stand the attitude. If I want something in O gauge, I think I'd rather drive all the way out to York, PA than have to deal with some of these people.
I feel more at home at the small model railroad stores, these are places where expert modelers congregate and I can ask them questions being a novice without feeling like a being treated as a burden or a pest.
At the toy train stores I feel like I'm treated like either a criminal or a complete idiot, even after I purchase something. Thats not good business practice.
Another example is even in the larger scales, the modelers tend to be more down to earth. I recently went to a 2 rail scale open house, and the guys that run the trains there are extremely friendly and helpful. They are happy to answer any questions you have and they take great pride in their work, happily showing it off to newbies like myself.
Yeah, there are much more important things in life than worrying about your feelings, much less in a train store or show, I'm thankful for my health, and for all the veterans out there who put there lives on the line for my freedom to enjoy this great hobby, just thought I would vent a little.