Walthers & Wal-Mart

[pj1775]

I would caution the Walther's family in this potentially devastating move. Beyond the great deals and the carnival-like atmosphere of these Wal-Mart stores, the truth is their corporate offices chew up their suppliers and spit them out. I could name you countless suppliers that they have strung out until they cave.

I say this as the third generation of a milti-million dollar company. I have to believe Sam Walton would spin in his grave if he saw his company's discraceful approach to marketing today.

Sorry for the soap-box session. As far as I'm concerned I will continue to buy such railroad items from my local hobby shop. Even if their price is a few bucks more, they aren't loosing my business. When I walk in, they still know my name, know the scale I model, and they do business in an ethical way.

Sorry again. Had to get it off my chest.

PJ

[Darth Santa Fe]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

If If walther's affiliates with Wal-mart will they become....

Wally-Others?

More like, Walther-Mart, or, Wallythers, or, Wal-Thers.[:D][:D]

I've got it!! How many names can we come up with for a combonation of the names Walthers and Wal-Mart!?[:D][:p][:D][:p][:D]

[Darth Santa Fe]

If Walthers only sells the cheapy stuff to Wal-Mart, than I don't think that the hobby shops will be affected. Life-Like has actually been selling trains to K's Merchandise for a while now, and I don't see my LHS being affected by it. It probably helps get more kids into Model Railroading by selling to large companies like, Wal-Mart and K's and Meijer.(coming soon to a lot right behind Wal-Mart [:)])

[palallin]

I've seen years when the local Walmart carried a dozen different train sets, mostly Bachmann HO. They also hadd some extra EZ-Track and several building kits. The stock was depleted well before Christmas except for the two or three varieties of battery-powered, New Brite Large Scale sets.

[Anonymous]

I have yet to even see a cheap train set at Walmart, even after looking specifically for one. It was just before Christmas last year, and it was only in one store, but I did not find even one set. At the Toys R Us store next to Walmart, they only had about eight boxes of a single type of Life Like train set at the same time. Needless to say, the selection (if you can call it that) was pathetic. I was thinking to myself at the time, that if I had wanted to get a kid (or kids) interested in the hobby without spending much money, I didn't have many choices without going to the LHS (which would cost 2 to 3 times as much as the set at Toys R Us). When I was growing up, Toys R Us carried sets from Life Like, Bachmann and Tyco. They also carried accessories like extra track and snap together structures. If it weren't for these things, I probably would not have ever become interested in the hobby. This cheap stuff was fairly short lived, but it did get me into this hobby. I then discovered a few LHSs and found out that there was a model railroad club at my dad's workplace. It was because of the influences from these sources that I learned of the better products out there.

What I think Walthers should do for the benefit of all parties involved is to include a condensed version of their catalog (similar to their sales flyers) in each of their "toy" train sets, offering low cost accessories to the purchasers of these sets. They could make a selection of these accessories available through the big box retailers and offer other items through mail order or special order at the LHS. They could also include a coupon for $5.00 off the purchase of their full catalog. In the full catalog, they could include a coupon for $10.00 off any Walthers special order through the local hobby shop(s), which could be listed on an enclosed page supplied with the catalog, specific to the purchaser's location. That way, Walthers could cater to the low end, low priced market by mass producing products to be sold by the big box stores, but could also influence consumers to get more involved in the hobby and promoting the LHS in the process. I see something like that as a win-win for all concerned.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by actionplant

QUOTE: Originally posted by grayfox1119
Will it hurt the LHS's? To a small degree, they will lose out on the small, cheap train sets for birthdays and Christmas. The serious modelers will still go to LHS for someone who KNOWS what they are selling, not a person MY age handing out smiley faces

ZZZIIIINNNG

at Wallyworld.
I am waiting for some smart young man to open a new brand of stores called HOBBY-MART, where they will carry all the leading brands, have everything that you need for MRR'g as well as other hobbies, and be INTERNATIONAL with stores everywhere. Sort of like BestBuy, but strictly all hobby and supplies. DREAM ON YOU SILLY BOY !!

LHS's seeing gains from an increase of people in the hobby due to cheaper starter sets at WalMart? Couldn't possibly see it. Maybe one or two people out of a town of 50,000. The kid that gets a WalMart trainset for the holidays from his folks is being raised in a society for ttelling him to shop he best deal. And come on, these are kids we're talking about. If they want to get further into the hobby the LHS is the last place they'll go. This is a generation of kids being raised on the internet, and that's where they'll wind up doing their shopping down the road. If they don't have any sort of loyalty to their LHS to begin with, why should they start over-paying now?

That just doesn't make sense. Maybe if a kids likes trains this would help get him started, besides if they really raised on the internet they will come here, and we will tell them to go to a Local Hobby Shop, for real models. Do you guys do this over every store that stocks a Christmas train set? Simmer down, people, if the end of the local hobby shop is nigh, this won't matter a hill of beans. It is better for a kid to get this and get him started in the hobby, than to get a computer game, which is guaranteed not to arouse interest in model railroading.

I got started in the hobby with a cheap train set, of my grandfather’s; his kids didn't like trains too much. Years later this trains set from the '70s was mine; the start of my empire. Next I got a new engine, and then I started on a real layout. My story must not be the only one of its kind. I would hardly call it the last place to go, if a kid is interested further he might stop into a hobby shop, or buy an issue of Model Railroader. I discovered Railroad hobbies in Middleton (a small town for you who don't know the area) just by driving by and seeing a sign on the building. So Dad and I stopped in, I have been a loyal customer ever since.

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dgwinup

I thought that was the premise behind the HobbyTown franchises. Big store, cater to ALL modeling efforts, carry big inventories.

The only problem with HobbyTown is that they won't sell a franchise in areas with a population LESS than 200,000! [:0] You won't find them competing with many LHS's because the LHS serves the smaller communities and/or city neighborhoods.[:)]

Darrell, quiet...for now

unfortunatly you can't have a big store with big inventory located in areas where the population just won't generate the sales needed to keep the store afloat . wal-mart sells things everybody needs so they can locate in smaller towns than a Hobby Town , Best Buy or Home Depot can . you still won't see a walmart in a town with a population of 200 that's 100 miles from anywhere else

[dgwinup]

QUOTE: Originally posted by grayfox1119


I am waiting for some smart young man to open a new brand of stores called HOBBY-MART, where they will carry all the leading brands, have everything that you need for MRR'g as well as other hobbies, and be INTERNATIONAL with stores everywhere. Sort of like BestBuy, but strictly all hobby and supplies. DREAM ON YOU SILLY BOY !!

I thought that was the premise behind the HobbyTown franchises. Big store, cater to ALL modeling efforts, carry big inventories.

The only problem with HobbyTown is that they won't sell a franchise in areas with a population LESS than 200,000! [:0] You won't find them competing with many LHS's because the LHS serves the smaller communities and/or city neighborhoods.[:)]

Darrell, quiet...for now

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by grayfox1119
Will it hurt the LHS's? To a small degree, they will lose out on the small, cheap train sets for birthdays and Christmas. The serious modelers will still go to LHS for someone who KNOWS what they are selling, not a person MY age handing out smiley faces

ZZZIIIINNNG

at Wallyworld.
I am waiting for some smart young man to open a new brand of stores called HOBBY-MART, where they will carry all the leading brands, have everything that you need for MRR'g as well as other hobbies, and be INTERNATIONAL with stores everywhere. Sort of like BestBuy, but strictly all hobby and supplies. DREAM ON YOU SILLY BOY !!

I like the hobbymart idea, however our hobby still doesn't have the momentum to make such a thing profitable. And contrary to what we'd all like to believe in our warm fuzzy happy places, if you build it they will NOT come.

LHS's seeing gains from an increase of people in the hobby due to cheaper starter sets at WalMart? Couldn't possibly see it. Maybe one or two people out of a town of 50,000. The kid that gets a WalMart trainset for the holidays from his folks is being raised in a society telling him to shop for the best deal. And come on, these are kids we're talking about. If they want to get further into the hobby the LHS is the last place they'll go. This is a generation of kids being raised on the internet, and that's where they'll wind up doing their shopping down the road. If they don't have any sort of loyalty to their LHS to begin with, why should they start over-paying now?

I'm not saying I begrudge the LHS, I still make an effort to go out of my way and spend a certain amount of my budget in there. But for what it's worth and despite not being what a lot of folks want to hear...the LHS is a dying breed. I do sadly believe its days are numbered.

[Catt]

For all the P&Ming going on in this thread would somebody explain to me what the LifeLike division of Walthers selling slotcar sets to Wally-World has to do with Walthers selling model train product to your LHS?

[grayfox1119]

Lets see now, are there any POSITIVES to this happening. Well, for one thing, if youngsters see a train set in Wal-Mart , maybe we will gain more MRR's in the hobby. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? A good thing of course. Will more people in the hobby HELP us or hurt us? Help us of course, more volume for manufacturers mean lower prodcution costs, which theoretically, according to economics 101 and 201, should help us modelers.
Will it hurt the LHS's? To a small degree, they will lose out on the small, cheap train sets for birthdays and Christmas. The serious modelers will still go to LHS for someone who KNOWS what they are selling, not a person MY age handing out smiley faces

ZZZIIIINNNG

at Wallyworld.
I am waiting for some smart young man to open a new brand of stores called HOBBY-MART, where they will carry all the leading brands, have everything that you need for MRR'g as well as other hobbies, and be INTERNATIONAL with stores everywhere. Sort of like BestBuy, but strictly all hobby and supplies. DREAM ON YOU SILLY BOY !!

[Anonymous]

probally walthers will sell low end lifelike train sets and their own train line sets for holiday sales.

[tsasala]

I heard Walmart is trying to "upscale" their products to compete with Target and other companies that are starting to take part of their sales. Perhaps this is an attempt to capture a niche market??

-Tom

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FundyNorthern

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester
[Prices may drop but volume will sore

[:D] "Sore" as in "Ouch, that hurts!" or "soar" as fly high?? [:D]


Bob Soaring Boudreau

Oh the slings of arrows.

If If walther's affiliates with Wal-mart will they become....

Wally-Others?

[%-)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester
[Prices may drop but volume will sore

[:D] "Sore" as in "Ouch, that hurts!" or "soar" as fly high?? [:D]


Bob Soaring Boudreau

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rexhea

No fear! Unless Walthers makes a big change, the shelves will be empty because of back orders. [xx(]

REX

Zzzzzing!

Ye of sharp tongue Rex, though well said!

Dave: Your on the mark as Wally World will not carry the little stuff that we need to make a good hobby great.

$50 dollar Starter sets doth not maketh the hobby nor account for the LHS bank roll.

As for Walther's profit margin going down

I don't think so!

Prices may drop but volume will sore

Fergie

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly

I doubt seriously that we will ever see more than train sets and maybe some structures or track at Wal-Mart.

Similar to what's on the shelf at hobby-lobby.

[pedromorgan]

over here wall-mart is ASDA. i dont suppose life like products will make it this far!

Peter

[Anonymous]

OK let the bashing begin I think it would be a great idea for walmart to get in the market. Maybe more people would get into our hobby. I like my LHS the guy that runs it is a great guy and friend and when I'm home I spend a lot there to support. him. But in small towns the LHS is like the local drug store a dieing breed. For those of you that don't like wal-mart don't go. No one is holding a gun to your head to shop there. Sam Walton had a good idea and it made him and his family rich.I donot know many people that would like to do better for there family, so In small towns Wally world is mostly all we have and they employ a lot of people yes the pay is not the best but it is a job And for a lot of us with familys that still want to enjoy our hobby even on a small scale wal mart might be the route to go If Mr Walthers has to do this or wants to do this I wish him luck. Ok start the bashing...

[Anonymous]

but it says nothing about trains in the story just slot cars so i dont think we will see trains at wal mart and if we it will probly just be sets and some ez track

[bogp40]

And they're counting on Walther's for prompt delivery of the toy sets for Christmas, this I got to see.
Bob K.

[ericsp]

It has been awhile since I was in a Wal-Mart, and even longer since I was in the toy area. However, I seem to recall seeing model aircraft there. The hobby shop I go to has more model aircraft than trains.

[davekelly]

I doubt seriously that we will ever see more than train sets and maybe some structures or track at Wal-Mart. Just as there isn't a whole lot of plastic models there now. But perhaps if Wally World were to stock some medium end trainsets that will get more people started in the hobby and then going to the LHS to expand. Could be a win-win.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this will lead to Wall-Mart carrying any more than slot cars, and a few cheap train sets. I doubt that they could have anything that would help the experienced modeler. Besides, I wouldn't go shopping for trains in a Wall-Mart, it’s a zoo. Not to mention Mike at the LHS has been a great asset offering his knowledge and recommendations, just try to get customer service from a Wall-Mart. I don't see were this mentions anything but train sets.

[loathar]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rlandry6

I seriously doubt that Wal-mart is going to sell anything but the cheapie toy store type stuff. A shelf with Spectrum or Proto on it would be a surprise indeed. Walmart is not know for quality, only cheap. As far as supporting the LHS's, I would like to, and I do when it's feasible, but when I can buy a loco, from $40-$125 less online at BLW, or Kleins.... Well, you get the idea.. When that changes, I'll do all of my shopping intown..

You must not have been looking for train stuff at Wally mart lately. They have been testing the market with high quality low priced stuff for about a year now.It always sells out in about 2 days. I look forward to this because I don't have an LHS anywhere near me and S/H on mail order is going through the roof.Bad for some people and great for me AND for our hobby. MORE exposure and maybe it will pull in the reins on some of the REDICULAS prices some LHS's are chargeing. Match Box is also going into high quality HO scale vehicals too.My friends, I think we're looking at a storm on the horizon, and it's name is not KATRINA.

[RedGrey62]

Before I say what I want to post, let me first say that I am no fan of WalMart. Their practices helped put my small sports shop out of business. HOWEVER. I think this is nothing more than some other folks have already stated, Christmas train sets that one normally finds at WalMart anyway. Only now, Walthers is delivering the goods. There are some manufacturers that have rules to keep WalMart from getting higher end stuff to sell extremely cheap. When Rebok won the contract for all the NFL teams, they limited the high end jerseys and such to specialty stores and not the big discounters. Some of the train manufacturers may do the same.

I don't see them really competing with the LHS as they are not going to special order stuff, or know their customers well enough to know that they need to order a Burlington for me, CSX for Bob, UP for Fred, etc.

RedGrey62

[dinwitty]

If you can get the masses interested in the trains again, that helps.
You would likely see the mass market toyish stuff at wallyworld, go to your hobbyshop for the quality stuff.


LifeLike already had the contract out for the Walmat thingy, Walthers is obligated to carry it on.

[Anonymous]

The bad thing about Walmart is IF they see a profit to corner a local business market nationally, they will with a vengence. But as stated by some others, if Walthers can't keep shelves stocked, Walmart will drop them like a hot potato.

[fishplate]

Hey!! How about buying Athearns HO scale "JD" tractors at Wal-mart. I SAW, I BOUGHT,
all they had. Same price as the hobby store, just more of them.

[ereimer]

as long as we're talking christmas train sets i don't think it will affect the LHSs too much . they will notice it of course as they all sell sets , and if someone comes in to buy a set they can always try to upsell , so they will lose some business . and i can't really see wal-mart dedicating a whole aisle to hobby supplies , which would kill LHSs as wal-mart has killed many other local businesses .

the real danger i see here is what happens when walthers can't make their ship dates , don't have stuff in stock etc. as i so often see on their website , even for the walthers branded items ?
wal-mart didn't get to be (one of?) the world's biggest retail chains by playing nice with their suppliers , i think phil walthers is going to find that out the hard way

at least WALthers and WALmart start with the same letters , then we won't notice when it becomes WALmart Trains instead of WALthers Trains