Hobby Shop expierience

[Anonymous]

I am curious to hear from my fellow modelers about their expieriences in their local hobby shops. My wife had a really bad expierience and I am wondering if its common place for hobby shops to employ rude people. My birthday was today and my wife decided to get me some train stuff for my presents [:D]. Now, while my wife loves my trains and enjoys helping me she doesn't know the diffence between HO scale and the other scales. She knows I model HO but not every package has the scale labled. So to make sure she got me the right thing she took a ready - to - run box car up to the counter and asked if it was HO. the guy looked at her like she was stupid and replied "well duh, of course it is." Now i chose to get into model railroading because I can share it with my entire family I don't expect then to be treated like idiots becuase they don't know everything. I have already complained to the hobby store but I got kinda curious so thought I would ask my fellow modelers if they have had any expieriences like this. Also, do you prefer mail order as to going to a hobby shop?? Thank you.

[selector]

I frequent two LHS's, 90 miles apart. Both have treated me with great deference and courtesy. Neither has afforded me any great bargain prices.

If I want to save $100 on a loco, I order from Canadian Model Trains. If I want to save $150, I order from Trainworld.

All I get for the extra $100 is courtesy, at least when dealing with trainworld. CMT is very friendly.

[rrgrassi]

My LHS Discount Model Trains, in Addison Tx, does not treat any body that way. They even help my daughters pick stuff out for me. If I have a question and I seem to not understand, they patiently re explain. I really enjoy going there. They sell all sorts of books. detail parts, etc. Only stuff related to model railroading and prortype research is sold there. I like going to the LHS so I can get in now. I also order online if they do not have it in stock.

[coborn35]

I personally prefer hobby shops. The employees at my hobby shop are generally older men who appreciate the hobby, and although they can be kinda gruff, are very nice and VERY helpful.

[Blind Bruce]

I definitely prefer a LHS. I can see and feel and sometimes hear what I am buying. Also, the locals are a kind of frtum in themselves. Furthermore, Just today, my LHS owner was kind enough to bring my ordered items to my house as I am unable to get there right now. Nice lady. Warehouse hobbies Winnipeg.

BB

[shay6]

You're shopping at the wrong kind of shop. Is it a chain? Or a small private shop? Find a new one.

Your dollars are too valuable to be treated that way. My preference? One of the two small family shops I frequent. I don't care for mail-order much. I will order a few things, but my shops can get most anything and for not much more than a mail order place once you ship and insure a product. And they have an amazing supply in stock to start with. One specializes in detail parts and such and another caters to the roads I model (WM and B&O) So I support the local guys.

When I need ONE MORE piece of flex on Saturday afternoon- I'm glad he's in buisness because mail order won't get it there so I can finish on Sunday.

I have found the help (and selection and prices) at one national chain hobby store to be lousy. But they are franchises so they will vary I guess.

[tangerine-jack]

Actualy no. I have two very good train specialty related hobby shops and both are run by very nice, knowledgable and helpful people. I have high expectations when I go to a train only hobby shop and these merchants meet or exceed those expectations every time.

OTOH, I have a great many generic hobby shops run by part time high school kids. My expectations are much lower those places. I figure if I don't know what I want, nobody in there will be able to help me. I go to those stores because I can save money on certain items that I don't need any help with.

I guess it's all perspective, do you expect a merchant at the mom and pop hardware store to know where all his merchandise is and how it is used in the home? Of course! Do you expect the same from Home Depot. Not on your life! Hobby stores are the same.

That doesn't excuse the rude merchant your wife dealt with. If any of my employees did that they would be unemployed before the words got done leaving thier mouth. A customer does NOT have to spend money in any one particular place. It is an honor and privilage for the merchant to have a customer to come into their place of business and make a transaction.

As far as mail order, dude, I'm G scale, you betcha!

[twhite]

Mike--sorry your wife had a bad experience--sounds like she got someone who is working at the store solely to finance his hobby through the discounts he makes and has forgotten the cardinal rule of ANY retail outlet (especially those that are specialized like hobby shops)--and that is the fact that it is the customer who actually PAYS his salary through their purchases and repeat business.
My two LHS here in Sacramento and Roseville know that this time of year is when they make most of their money, and especially during the Holiday season, a lot of people are going to be coming into the store who are not model railroaders and will be asking questions that may sound strange to them. But it's their job to answer those questions, no matter how many times they get asked. A satisfied customer is a repeat customer.
When I was putting myself through graduate school I worked at a music store. The first thing I learned from the owner was that "There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers." I'm really sorry your wife had to run into someone who has never heard of this quote--it's pretty much a First Commandment of working in retail with the general public. If she goes back to the same hobby shop, I really hope her experience is more pleasant. A wife who is interested enough in her husband's hobby to make the effort to go out and buy him something for it is a real 24-karat jewel in my book. Bless her heart!
Tom
[:D]

[Anonymous]

One nice thing about going to your LHS is they often have older or used items for a very reasonable price.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a local hobby shop. I have to go an hour to Columbus. There's a local chain there called Hobbyland. They cater to a wide range of hobbies, but each store caters more to their local clientel. The one that's easiest for me to get to doesn't have as much mrr stuff, and I sometimes feel like I'm bothering the people there. (they're not unfriendly, they just seem a little reserved, at times.)

The one I usually go to has very friendly very helpfull people. I've never really checked prices online, but I don't find Hobbyland's prices too bad. I'd still rather pay the extra, and know that hte people selling it to me, will go out of their way to help me.

Not that they had either of the things I went in for, after Christmas. Theywere more than happy to order it for me. That was on a Tuesday. Got the call on Friday that the things were in.

[davekelly]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tangerine-jack

Actualy no. I have two very good train specialty related hobby shops and both are run by very nice, knowledgable and helpful people. I have high expectations when I go to a train only hobby shop and these merchants meet or exceed those expectations every time.

OTOH, I have a great many generic hobby shops run by part time high school kids. My expectations are much lower those places. I figure if I don't know what I want, nobody in there will be able to help me. I go to those stores because I can save money on certain items that I don't need any help with.

I guess it's all perspective, do you expect a merchant at the mom and pop hardware store to know where all his merchandise is and how it is used in the home? Of course! Do you expect the same from Home Depot. Not on your life! Hobby stores are the same.

That doesn't excuse the rude merchant your wife dealt with. If any of my employees did that they would be unemployed before the words got done leaving thier mouth. A customer does NOT have to spend money in any one particular place. It is an honor and privilage for the merchant to have a customer to come into their place of business and make a transaction.

As far as mail order, dude, I'm G scale, you betcha!

I bet your customers appreciate your attitude and your business is better because of it. As an aside, many of my business owner clients wouldn't have had to hire me if they had your attitude. Folks are much more likely to talk problems out with a person who is a "good guy."

[ndbprr]

Let's face it. Most of us are at least somewhat dysfunctional since we prefer time alone in a basement. This includes hobby shop owners. I once went in a very large highly recommended hobby shop in the Chicago area and when I placed my PRR purchase on the counter got 15 minutes of why western railroads are/were/;always will be superior while waiting for him to ring up the sale. When I asked him if he was done I told him since eastern railroads are s*%$ stick that up your A#@ and walked out. I have never returned.

[ereimer]

i was at my LHS this a couple of days ago , Georges Trains in toronto , and there was a woman there who didn't seem to know much about model railroading but she was buying an N scale bridge , probably for a son or husband . the salesman not only talked to her about the different types of bridges , he also opened the kit boxes and showed them to her . i don't think you'll get much better service than that , anywhere .

i try to support my LHS , but sometimes the prices available on the internet are just too tempting , and since i'm modeling 1900's arizona and my LHS is in canada they often don't have products that i need anyway , so i order off the 'net . my plan , and i've stuck to it so far , is to buy my dcc gear (except possibly decoders) , track , and scenery products from my LHS

[dbduck]

the local shop i go to (haven't been in a while ) is a general hobby store but the "train guy" there is one of the friendliest & helpful persons i have ever done business with..plus well knowlegdale on the subject (a modeller himself)
humorous story...there was a particular loco I was looking at about this time 2 years ago, not quite sure i was ready to buy. I had told my ladyfriend about it. The next time i went in...still indecisive ...he asked me if I wanted him to "put it back for a week or so" while I made up my mind. Little did i know that my g/f had called the shop & they were "scheming on me (she intended on giving it to me for Valentine's day)
.Funny thing happened...about a wek before valentines Day, I walked in & he asked me "did you have a good birthday?" I said "I don't know my birthday is not til August"..he got this really weird look on his face..[#oops].lol I caught on rather quickly...but to this day I have never told her he had let the cat out of the bag.....[:D]

[Repairman87]

Sorry to hear about your wifes bad time.

My LHS is Caboose hobbies [:D]

I have always been treated very nice there.

My only complaint about Caboose is they seriously need more parking!![:(!]

[ARTHILL]

I have two good ones in St Paul, both helpful and friendly. Both have helped my faimily get stuff for me. Sorry about your experience. If it was the owner, stay away, however it may have ben an employee that got fired the next day and the LHS deserves a second chance.

[Anonymous]

The guy who owns or works at my LHS is nice and helpful but his shop doesn't have very much stuff for the railroad I model.

[jrbernier]

LHS's can be a 'hit or miss' thing like any other retail outlet. One shop I have gone to had everyone dressed in a company knit shirt or a light blue long sleeve(depending on the season) - all logo'ed with the LHS's emblem. Very courtious folks, and made a good impression to new customers.
Another has the 'low budget' employees in a T shirt, a couple days growth of beard, and sitting around 'talking' or looking through magazines. Being in 'customer service', 'first impression' counts a lot and I tend to see few of the later example survive in the long run. I can list off at least 5-6 train show dealers who fall in the'low budget' catagory and are now out of business. It is hard to appreciate the possible 'knowledge' a clerk has by their dress, but the 'oder' will drive away most of the customers!
Dealing with non model railroaders(like the spouse) can be a make or break thing when even a knowledgeable clerk overloads them with technical jargon, or is constantly 'correcting' the customer(..lady, them ain"t 'hitches', and your husband needs to thow away what he has, and 'body mount' REAL knuckle couplers...). The spouse wanders out in disgust. The 'know-it-all' laughs off the event with his buddies and the wife starts wondering about the 'friends' her hubby is hanging around with.
Simple rule in marketing/customer relations - every customer you please will tell 10 other potential customers. Every customer you **** off will go on endlessly about the 'jerks' at that store(maybe 100 folks will hear that line until the customer has 'vented' enough). I do not mind paying MSRP when the folks behind the counter are courtious and make an effort to be helpfull. The guy who is a 'jerk'; I guess I will inspect the model at his store, and go buy it at a discount somewhere else. That should give him something else to rant about.....

Jim Bernier

[rolleiman]

Mike, I can't say I've ever been treated exactly that way but have seen other people treated with similar disrespect.. You know, I know, and we all know there's nothing wrong with your wife asking if she's getting the right "size".. Unfortunately, some shop owners/employees haven't figured out yet that the internet is very quickly becoming the preferred way to shop for such things.. Or at least it seems that way at times.

Strange or disrespectful things I've heard or been told by shop owners include but are not limited to::

1. "I don't want to see anybody in here that isn't prepared to spend at least $50" Winter 1984.. Shop Gone by spring 1985. I'm sure there are a lot of reasons it was gone but his rude attitude, dirty store, and high prices didn't do much to attract customers or keep them coming back.

2. "When she leaves here, her next stop is the mobile station to refill the air in her head" Christmas 1997, employee fired on the spot. This place is somewhat unique in my experience.. I haven't been in there in awhile but they have/had a computer, right at the sales counter where, if you are looking for something they don't have or stock, they'll go on the internet and Find it for you, if it's available at all. Now THAT is service.. Still in business.

3. "Yes, that 89' box car will run fine on your 15" radius track (HO)" ... Last time I was in there, thier Total train items were limited to a 3x5 foot peg board and the store was quite empty of customers.. Could almost hear the crickets chirping. Still there but I don't see how. Shame really, they use to be pretty good.

Takes all kinds I guess. Some are better than others.. Unfortunately, these days it seems that the 'others' outnumber the 'better' ones.

Happy Birthday and enjoy whatever your wife got for you.. Don't let an a-hole emplyoyee get in the way of your fun..

Jeff

[howmus]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mikejenn

.....She knows I model HO but not every package has the scale labled. So to make sure she got me the right thing she took a ready - to - run box car up to the counter and asked if it was HO. the guy looked at her like she was stupid and replied "well duh, of course it is." Now i chose to get into model railroading because I can share it with my entire family I don't expect then to be treated like idiots becuase they don't know everything......

And we wonder why the hobby is "dieing"???????? That is certainly one place I would not frequent again. Glad you told the store owner. Unfortunately we live in a time when rudeness seems to be the standard. I am very fortunate to have several good LHSs within a reasonable distance from where I live. I can walk down to one (about a mile and a half away) He is great about ordering in items that he does not stock. The owner, his wife, and his son all work at the store and are always polite and helpful. To top it off, he gives a discount to regular customers. His prices are very close and sometimes better than most on-line outlets after you figure shipping costs. The other store I shop at is a new start-up in Webster, NY. about 40 minutes away. I stop in everytime I go to Rochester for some other reason if I can. The owner is an electronics guru and can tell you exactly how DCC works in detail, is pleasant, and really a promoter of the hobby. Most of his business is on-line but he has a small storefront, open some evenings and on Saturday. He carries Digitracks equipment with a 25% discount! Also has NCE products which he touts highly and discounts as well (even has them make some products that only he markets). I was there today and he is ordering a Digitrack Super Radio Chief for me at a price lower than I can get anywhere on-line. I also like the idea of supporting people within my own community who are taxpayers themselves and are good citizens within the community. I feel very blessed to be able to do most of my hobby shopping locally!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Most of us are at least somewhat dysfunctional since we prefer time alone in a basement.

[#ditto]

[railroadyoshi]

Most LHSs are very friendly. I shop at the Acton Model Railroad Center, some 3 miles from home. Most employees are older men, and while they can be a bit...presumptuous...they are always willing to help. One of them put in extra time for me to answer a bunch of clearance questions I had and got me the reading I needed. There is also a teen employee who has really become one of my very best friends. He often stops by to help me with my layout, and lends me resources for research. He gave me lots of excess supplies from his old layout so I wouldn't have to waste money buying new.

I think its in your best interest to find a different shop, even if its a considerable distance away.

(sometimes I also get confused about scale, especially with some structures)

[Anonymous]

the guy at my local hobby shop is very cool and he is afreind of my dadas and i plus i dont know if you guys know about this but he just put together the howared griffen train set it is huge

[tangerine-jack]

Simple rules for a running a business that I've learned:

1. I can't compete with Wal-mart on prices so I don't try
2. What I sell is far superior in quality than any cheap Chinese junk you can buy at Wal-mart anyway so that is why it cost more- it's worth more. I personaly know each and every person that handcrafts the inventory and can vouch for the quality because I've seen it.
3. If you have a problem with anything I sell, the "customer service" is not in India, it's me and I will fix the problem to YOUR satisfaction and make it right for you.
4. You are not a number, you are a human being that is placing your trust and your money in what I sell- I will remember that always.

Isn't that worth a few pennies more? Granted, I'm still starting out in the business world and have hardly made a dent (I still can't afford to retire yet!), but so far I'm doing OK. We'll see what the future brings.................................

[Sunset Limited]

Mikejenn,
That's uncall for, your wife shouldn't have been treated that way. I like to go to different hobby shops and see and chat with the employees, but I have experience some negative feedback before. One experience that I had was when I went to this hobby shop and right when I walked in they were looking at me like 'this guy doesn't look like he's into railroading'. That's when they start to 'probe on your knowledge'. When I started to show my experience in a respectfull manner then they changed their attitude. Overall, there's seems more positive experiences then negative ones, I hope I did'nt jinx myself this new year! [:D]

[MisterBeasley]

Gerry at Maine Trains in Chelmsford, Mass., is the right kind of LHS owner. Don't go into the shop if you're late to catch a train and just need something quick, because he gives every customer his attention until they've got what they want, or know when it will be in.

[Anonymous]

I sure can understand your situation or your wife's situation. We have several small hobby shops in the 35 mile radius of cities I live by. The worst by far without a doubt and without exception is the Hobbytown USA stores. They couldn't care if you lived or died once they have your money. I bought an SD 40-2 MTH Wisconsin Central Engine for $400. It did not work. When I returned it, I was thrown out of the store without any credit, warranty work, refund, nothing. I was threatened with the police for disorderly conduct for returning a defective item. I was never rude, or impolite, I just wanted the purchase made right. Further no warranty service station outlet would work on the engine because once they opened it up it was found to be tampered with inside.

Since then I left O scale railroading and I purchase from some other shops who I informed of the problem. The other smaller shops bend over backwards to help me with my hobby. Here in Wisconsin people are really stupid! People keep going back to to the Hobbytown USA store because it carries so much stock. I on the other hand would travel 125 miles if I have to so I don't shop at Hobbytown USA. When I complained to the corporation, they didn't even return a letter. Obviously they do not NEED my money. The sad fact is, I have a higher than average income for this area of the State. So I can afford to spend thousands of dollars a year on the hobby if I chose to. There are many small shops trying to survive who are glad to see me and my wallet walk in the door.

[Anonymous]

All we have here is a HobbyTown. Their selection SUCKS. Their personel SUCKS. Their location SUCKS. Their train man is only there once or twice a week.....if you're lucky, so they don't sell trains AT ALL any other day. I went in one day and asked if they had anything in On30. The guy said "what's that??" The last good hobby shop we had here was called The Macon Hobby Shop run by a great fellow named Jim McCay. Jim's gone now, rest his soul, but I have great memories. Can anyone tell that I think HobbyTown SUCKS?

[loathar]

I only have one real train LHS even close to me. Since I know what I'm looking for, I don't require assistance from the "help". I did feel when I asked them a question that I was interupting their lunch order or their family business.[V] My dream is to hit the lotto and open my own LHS. If this ever happens, trust me, I will never treat you folks like I have been treated.
At least when I shop at Wal-Mart I EXPECT to be treated in a rude manner. (The price you pay for $1.67 cool looking cars)

[DALCruiser]

Man, sorry about your wife's treatment!

I prefer to shop at my LHS that specializes in TRAINS ONLY. I have to drive 12 miles to get there. The other LHS is 15 miles away but is a multi-hobby shop with a moderate train department. Both of these stores have friendy employees and try to help as much as possible. The TRAINS ONLY shop is owned by two brothers who are Senior Citizens (been in business decades) and know their trains and their stock. They appreciate their customers and bend over backwards to get you what you want, even if it is only information. They give a 10-20% discount off MSRP. I like to see my locomotives run at the store before I buy them. I have another LHS about 1/4 mile away but it is a Hobby Town USA and the kids who work there don't know trains, the store doesn't stock much in useful train stuff and the prices suck. I would rather drive the distance to a good LHS.

The internet shopping is good if you have a shop you can trust and you get a GREAT price. You take a chance buying sight unseen and you can't see them run before they ship to you. If the price is good enough to take the risk, go for it! The good online stores will provide customer support to resolve any issues, but you have return shipping and time delays to deal with. What's that worth compared to good service and higher prices at the LHS. If the savings is the most important then go ahead and take a chance.

Dave