Supporting the local train store

[maxman]

BRAKIE

Shoot! I forgot to mention I had to ride my Schwinn bike uphill in pouring down rain to get to my favorite LHS .Smile, Wink & Grin

Was that uphill both ways, or just in one direction?

[maxman]

richhotrain

BTW, I wish that I had a local train store to support.

Yes, but now that you lost your 20% discount you'll have to pay msrp.

[BRAKIE]

maxman

And yes, I know that I don't have to visit this thread, so the first one who types that does not get to pass go, does not collect their 20% discount, and does not have a bicycle tire tube repair kit.

Shoot! I forgot to mention I had to ride my Schwinn bike uphill in pouring down rain to get to  my favorite LHS .

[richhotrain]

maxman

This is more of the same old same old.  And that other thread now going on at the same time (the one about how Scale Trains is doing this or that) is morphing into more of the same old.

And yes, I know that I don't have to visit this thread, so the first one who types that does not get to pass go, does not collect their 20% discount, and does not have a bicycle tire tube repair kit.

 

Ya know, you don't have to visit this thread.  

I can't help wondering, though, is the hobby dying?   

Or, just getting more expensive?   

Hmm, now that I think about it, this is more of the same old same old.  

BTW, I wish that I had a local train store to support.

Rich

[maxman]

This is more of the same old same old.  And that other thread now going on at the same time (the one about how Scale Trains is doing this or that) is morphing into more of the same old.

And yes, I know that I don't have to visit this thread, so the first one who types that does not get to pass go, does not collect their 20% discount, and does not have a bicycle tire tube repair kit.

[BRAKIE]

maxman

It's been at least a week, so it must be time for one of these threads again.

 

A lot of us grew up in the golden age of the LHS and miss those wonderful Saturday morning visits to look over new stock and buy more goodies.

Modelers in general was friendly folk and clubs held open houses and was far from today's cold and faceless hobby..

[RR_Mel]

slammin

I would ride my bike every couple weeks to the closest LHS, Dayton Model Railways, about an 8 mile round trip. This was in the mid 60's. It was a full service family run shop with a working layout, tons of REAL kits, detail parts and a good sized case of brass steam, the stuff of dreams.

 

My feelings too.   My ride to the hobby shop was about a mile and a half but I went there several times every week.  In my case it was H&H Hobbies on Pershing Drive in El Paso Texas.  John Henderson was the owner along with his wife Janet.  He had a large HO layout in the back of the store.

 

Because I was a hopeless model railroader at the ripe old age of 14 and me bugging him constantly he finally hired me to keep the store clean, I worked a full day every Saturday.  I didn’t want money I took my pay in HO goodies.  I had a paper route and earned a whopping 75¢ per week that I spent on trains.

 

I really liked those days back then, that’s why I model the early 1950s.  The Southern Pacific articulateds ruled the tracks in El Paso in the late 40s and early 50s so that’s why I model the Southern Pacific.

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[slammin]

I guess I'll take a couple swings at the "dead horse"! In another age, I would ride my bike every couple weeks to the closest LHS, Dayton Model Railways, about an 8 mile round trip. This was in the mid 60's. It was a full service family run shop with a working layout, tons of REAL kits, detail parts and a good sized case of brass steam, the stuff of dreams. The chance to see and handle the inventory helped get we young guys hooked, something sorely missing both young and old today. 

[PennCentral99]

maxman

It's been at least a week, so it must be time for one of these threads again.

 

Yeah, no kidding. Just when you thought you couldn't beat a dead horse anymore, along comes another one......

[maxman]

It's been at least a week, so it must be time for one of these threads again.

[BRAKIE]

olson185

Is there a reason a train store would not automize their ordering system for quick delivery of customer orders? Do free in-house 'how-to' workshops not have a positive impact? Is it too much to ask for a train store to have well-labelled display samples? Maybe.

There was at one time you see, some of the bigger and better off shops did just that-except you called ahead and placed your.

A monthly clinic was common and once or twice a year there was model contest.

Then came the newer style of hobby shop owner that ended a lot of LHS traditions.

[olson185]

There are three proper train stores within 50 miles of my home; 1 @ 3 miles, 1 @ 30 miles, 1 @ 39 miles. 

I've shopped "3" and "39" many times but since "30" has such a strong online and print media presence (they advert. in MRR) I haven't had cause to shop in-person yet.  "39" is terribly expensive (I think they take MSRP and add 50%) and there's no point of going there with less than $50.

Obviously, I go to "3" for my impulse shopping but they make it so hard for me to find a reason to part with my money and, when I'm looking to drop a few $20's, you'd think it would be easy to find something to buy when one wants to spend money.

I want to help them stay in business but for lack of selection, lack of labelling, lack of variety, lack of customer engagement, lack of computerized...anything, they make it hard for me to part with my money.  In an era of 'from home' online purchases, it seems, they're trying to be irrelevant.

Is there a reason a train store would not automize their ordering system for quick delivery of customer orders?  Do free in-house 'how-to' workshops not have a positive impact?  Is it too much to ask for a train store to have well-labelled display samples?  Maybe.

I hope, when they go out of business, I'm able to buy their glass display case.  It's small enough to fit most anywhere in my home.