Suporting your local hobby shop. Are you?

[Anonymous]

If it aint stocked clean and discounted I buy from ebay and trains shows were I sell items.

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by scubaterry

Prior to moving to the Florida Keys I did most of my shopping at the two LHS.
Terry

I support the two LHS that Terry is refering to... in fact, I buy my model railroad goodies from these shops exclusively. I have never purchased anything online. While I could buy online, one situation always comes to mind. I bought a MRC power pack from one of these shops.
When I got it home and connected it to the layout, my loco took off like a rocket. I check to make sure that I had the leads connected to the variable DC outputs and I did. I tried the fixed DC outputs and got the same result. I
immediately disconnected the pack and returned it to the shop. John, the train guy at the shop, hooked it up to his test track and his loco took off at top speed.

After he saw that the pack was defective, he put it back in the box, put it aside and handed me a new one. I thanked him, returned home and connected it to the layout and all was fine.

From the time I discovered that the power pack was defective until I was up and running was about thirty minutes. Had I purchased this power pack online, not only would I have waited weeks for it to arrive, once I found it defective I would have had to return it to the online dealer.
That is if they would even take it back. They would have probably told me to send it MRC for warranty repair. Either way I would have been without the power pack for weeks, probably months.

I probably paid more, but the experience without the headache made the extra money seem more than worthwhile. Good luck, Dave

[MisterBeasley]

From the "Grandson of Sam" thread on LHS ownership, I've learned that we should all be paying cash whenever possible when we buy from our LHS. The banks hit up small businesses particularly hard for every plastic transaction. So, if you bring in real money instead, you can increase your LHS's profit margin without it costing you anything.

The other advantage, of course, is that your wife won't see an itemized statement with your train expenses staring her in the face every month.

[Anonymous]

I just found an LHS in my new locale that's promising. They have a good stock of train stuff I like.

[grayfox1119]

Absolutely!! I have a choice of 4 good LHS within a 30 mile radius. And, as Mr B has stated above, use cash!! Credit Card companies charge the store owners a set percentage, AMEX being the highest, that is why not as many stores will take American Express cards, while accepting VISA and Master Card.
If we lose our LHS's then we are forced to order everything online, and shipping costs are getting rediculous. The LHS's can order in larger quantities and thereby save on shipping costs, we as individuals rarely get free shipping.

[wgnrr]

Considering my local hobby shop is not that local (100 miles round trip) I try to order all of my stuff from Walthers through them (because they make some money off it). The only time I order from Walthers through Walthers is when I have a gift certificate.

Phil

[Anonymous]

My favourite soapbox topic.

Why should I pay my LHS Can$300 for a locomotive I can buy in the U.S of A for less than US$100?

Please. no replies saying that it costs as much to order a US$100 loco from the U.S. of A as it does to pay Can$300 at the LHS, that's just not true. I do it all the time. Have done for years.

[jeffers_mz]

I'd buy from a pawnshop before I'd even look at E-bay. At least I can see, hold, inspect and test an item first.

I buy online only if the items isn't listed in the Walther's catalog, maybe 1 percent of my total purchases. My LHS will order from Walthers, and passes on their discount to me.

99% of my purchases are from the LHS, no pigs in pokes, I get to test locomotives before paying for them, and I get what I want when I need it. If there wasn't a good LHS around, I'd find the least expensive, most reliable online source for miscellaneaus items, keep a list for locomotives, and buy the engines in bulk during a special trip to the nearest large brick and mortar HS, after testing each one first.

[nbrodar]

I buy from my LHS whenever I can. Granted the prices are a little higher, but the customer service is great, and she will order me anything she doesn't have in stock, and will search for it, if Walthers doesn't have it. Most prices are dicounted 10% below MSPR, plus I get another 5% off for being an NMRA member.

Nick

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MisterBeasley

From the "Grandson of Sam" thread on LHS ownership, I've learned that we should all be paying cash whenever possible when we buy from our LHS. The banks hit up small businesses particularly hard for every plastic transaction. So, if you bring in real money instead, you can increase your LHS's profit margin without it costing you anything.

The other advantage, of course, is that your wife won't see an itemized statement with your train expenses staring her in the face every month.

You forgot those who might be debt free and enjoying the increased purchasing power fighting off temptation to spend and spend at the LHS. Or perhaps the Spouse is preparing his or her own plans as well.

I try to pay cash every month, I prefer that to a credit card anyways; that way I know the item is paid for and not accruing additional interest charges.

[SOU Fan]

My LHS went out of business, but it was only a hobbytown usa and they didn't have very much train stuff. Now I go to Caboose hobbies if I need something.

[BMRR]

Yes, I support my LHS. If they don't have what I need, they will order it.

Stan.

[NS2591]

I love my hobby shop. I use ebay every now and then to find those hard to find items(i'm talking like a REAL working K5H, which i rarely see and when i do i can only envy those that can afford them) My LHS has a couple people that can be A-holes but i try to go in on days that 1 of the 4 that are great guys are working. I don't think we will be loosing the HS anytime soon becuase its not just trains there, RC, Model boats, Cards, War game stuff, puzzels. Stuff like that, I also always pay cash becuase i do not have a credit card, and If and when i do, i will still pay in Cash. Infact we have 3 Hobby shops i can go to. 1 is trains only and carries more stuff than i will ever need, And its discounted, but its so far away that any money i have save on the models ends up in the gas tank. The other is like the first one i mentioned, They have alittle bit of everything, I get a 20% discount there for being in the MRR club in the next town, but I have to order everything i want becuase he doesn't stock much in HO that i want, and he doesn't stock much in N scale of anyway, and Anymoney i save ends up in the gas tank again. So i go to the Closer of the 3 almost everything there is MSRP but becuase i have been going there since i started MRRIng I usually get some kind of discount. If they don't have it they will order it for me, All the trains department guys know me by name, and have even ordered stuff to put on shelf just to tempt me! An example is an Intermountain SP Speed Lettering SD40T-2, I think they wanted 120 for it, For me they'll take it to 95. MB Klein has the same engine for about 60 or 70 but i would rather put my money into a HS. If i do order anything online it will be from Caboose Hobbies, or MB Klein becuase both of those stock hard to find items and they are both somewhere you can go into. I used to order from Trainworld but i called one day to inquire about an engine i was looking for and they didn't know if they had it in stock and wouldn't look for me. If i called my Hobby shop they would look on the shelves and in the stock room, then check the warehouse, and even other shops in the chain. And if none of those have it, or its a common item they order from walthers. It will be a shame to not be able to go there after i move out of my parents house.

[tomikawaTT]

If the LHS has the items I need, I'll happily buy them there.

Locally (within a 25 mile radius) there are 2 (count 'em) train shops (plus one that deals only in G-gauge) and several that advertise trains as part of their inventory. I went to a new (to me) one last week, and found a couple of tired toy train sets, a few old BB kits and some Atlas code 100 flex. No Kadee couplers, no rail joiners... There was twice as much display space devoted to RC aircraft FUEL as there was to model railroad supplies. The fuel shelves were full, the railroad shelves weren't.

It's hard to support a LHS that doesn't stock anything I need.

Chuck

[Anonymous]

No.

[Anonymous]

I support both of mine. I have an Ofna LX Comp that is always broken and I buy the parts from the LHS that deals in RC(Unless the part is unbelievable expensive...then I'll get it on ebay.). When I buy train, I buy from the LHS that deals in Trains. The only problem with that is that they are very overpriced, since they are the only hobby store within a 25 mile radius of me. I walked out of that store one day with a VHS video(Not even DVD!) and a "How to build Realistic Railroads" from MR, spending $40(Without Tax!)!!!

[Anonymous]

Joey - good luck with the new job! Have they told you yet that once you work in the hobby business, you lose interest in your hobby? Hopefully that will not happen to you, but working in a store is an eye-opening experience in many ways. As an LHS owner, thanks for starting this thread and a big thank-you to all of you who do all you can to keep a LHS in business. In a post I mentioned that as an owner I've learned a lot from this forum on the perceptions that people have about LHSs - good and bad - and this thread is a great example of that.

[zgardner18]

I would love to support my LHS but they are kind of jerks. To me the LHS market is kind of scarce, so in my mind a LHS should in a way cater to its customers. Never once has my LHS gotten to know me for all the times that I've been in there and bought HO’s from them. The other day I was in and I had my eye on a P2K SD60 which I knew had been sitting on the shelf for over 2 years. I ask the owner if he would knock of $10 and sell it to me for $100. He told me NO! Only $10 off and he said no. Now I do all of my shopping online from the east coast where the prices are anywhere from $40-60 bucks cheaper. I say screw my LHS if they don't want to befriend me to help them out. I can't imagine how they would treat a young teenager who might be starting to be interested in the hobby. I just think that customer relation is very important. Look at me, the customer that they just lost. Are there others?

[Anonymous]

I don't really support my LHS. to me the matter is where can I get what I want for the cheapest price. If it's my LHS then I'll get it from them. If it's some place in brooklyn then I'll go to them.

[Renegade1c]

I have some really good LHS around me so I tend to go there first. If I can't find there I will use the internet. I have only ordered a few items online as Caboose Hobbies has almost everything I need and is only about a 20 minute drive.

[Milwhiawatha]

well the real close hobby shop doesnt carry decoders and thats what I am after.

[RFP622]

I would support my LHS if there was a decent one in my area. I am not trying put down the one that we have in the area, but it is just not worth the 30 minutes to drive to  there and 30 minutes back. The prices are MSRP and any discounts that he does have are not worth it. 10% etc... He does not supply the Roads that are approrate to the area (Mid VA). All UP, BNSF, Pensy, and others (not knocking those roads). if there is a road from the are there is 1 in stock and the rest the roads listed above.

 The other thing that this one does is put things such as couplers  and such behind the counter. If you need something you have to get someone to help and then it's, which one, oh ok here you go and then goes off to do something else.  As other has said in the thread LHS need to service teh custermers and make me want to by from them. I can take my dollar else where just as easly. 

[brothaslide]

Support your local hobby shop?  How about supporting American workers- Remember, most model railroad "stuff" is made in China these days. 

[SOU Fan]

I support my LHS to a degree. I live in Colorado so if I go to a LHS it would be Caboose Hobbies. I go there occasionally for stuff like detail parts paint decals and the likes. I don't need to support them for them to stay alive but they carry what I need most of the time. Just my $.02 cents

[jecorbett]

Support your local hobby shop?  How about supporting American workers- Remember, most model railroad "stuff" is made in China these days. 

I missed this thread the first time around so now that it has been resurrected, I will throw in my 2 cents worth. Why does anyone think a consumer owes anyone anything. I have no interest in keeping anyone in business or anyone in a job. I will spend my money where I get the best value, which may or may not be the best price. If the LHS wants my money, they need to take care of my concerns. If they can't compete on price, they better make up for in service or selection. If the day comes when there are no LHSes, it will be because consumers have decided that the e-tailers are giving them better value for their money.

[ShadowNix]

LOL... like everything, moderation is the key...

Much like many others, I buy from Ebay and online retailers.  But, as said often before, I have learned buyer beware....

That being said, I have probably bought the back wall or my local hobby shop (ok, maybe not THAT much, but at least paid his rent for a month!!!).   Anyways, I like supporting my local hobby shop(s), but sometimes they don't have the selection or I find an unbeatable price. BUT, when I have to order things (paint, plastic, balsa, etc.).  I order from my LHS... many times I stroll in and purchase a nice piece of rolling stock on sale as well. 

 But like anything, a little of both works for me.  Balance is the key.  Sure, we don't "OWE" anything to anyone... but if we all are so narcissistic, it would be a pretty crappy world to live in, eh?   My 2 cents...

 

Brian

[andrechapelon]

Support your local hobby shop?  How about supporting American workers- Remember, most model railroad "stuff" is made in China these days. 

The model railroad industry is such a miniscule part of the economy that its impact is essentially non-existent.

Are we to avoid purchasing anything because it's not made here? My Craftsman cordless drill was made in China, as was my Black and Decker single cup coffee maker. So's my Craftsman circular saw. Ironically, nearly 30 years ago, I bought a Sharp (Japanese) color TV. It was made in Taiwan.

OTOH, my Toyota Camry was built in the U.S., yet I remember seeing a Ford Escort at a Ford dealer that was built in Mexico.

I recently wired a garage. The sockets and switches were assembled in Mexico from US made parts.

Get used to it.

In any case, where it's built is not going to stop people from whining that model railroad prices are too high.

As for my "local" hobby shop, it's 75 miles away. I do support them. 'Course the Lionel Fasttrack I bought recently to add to a Thomas set for the grandkids was made in China, as was the Thomas set itself.

Andre

 

[csmith9474]

Between Custom Railway Supply (about 3 minutes from where I work), and Caboose Hobbies (a short drive to Denver) I am more than satisfied with my LHSs, and more than happy to give them my business.  I spend about 95% of hobby dollars at Custom Railway Supply. For a smaller shop, they have an awesome inventory and great service.

[Metro Red Line]

If your LHS discounts, by all means support them. If they don't, then feel free to buy online.

[bigbnfan]

yes. The one local isnt that hot, but, its ok, and there is one a few hours away that carrys heaps of stuff. including BB kits too.