Loco wrote: jnichols wrote:Just remember pricing is important and I'm all for discounting and staying competitive, but there are other more valuable things a hobby shop can and should offer and these more than anything will keep people coming back... Yup. 100% You must adapt. Just coming back into the hobby from a LONG layoff and there ain’t much I see that's the same. As it should be. One observation I will make. I am almost ALWAYS the youngest person in any of the many LHS I visit. Granted, some of the customers have their kids with 'em. But the sales staff is at LEAST 10+ older. And at the LHS I went to today, they were ALL at least 20+ years older. Now PLEASE don’t get me wrong, it was cool talking with them. But DCC was not on their top 10 lists... Plus I ride a Harley (the one I take to the shops is my FLHTci which has hard bags to transport the goods ;o) wear jeans, boots, have a goat, and weigh in at a solid 230 (lifting is my other sport). So believe you me, it takes a good while to even get someone to ask if I need any help. LOL. They just don’t SEE ME as someone who would be into trains.
jnichols wrote:Just remember pricing is important and I'm all for discounting and staying competitive, but there are other more valuable things a hobby shop can and should offer and these more than anything will keep people coming back...
Just remember pricing is important and I'm all for discounting and staying competitive, but there are other more valuable things a hobby shop can and should offer and these more than anything will keep people coming back...
Yup. 100% You must adapt. Just coming back into the hobby from a LONG layoff and there ain’t much I see that's the same. As it should be.
One observation I will make. I am almost ALWAYS the youngest person in any of the many LHS I visit. Granted, some of the customers have their kids with 'em. But the sales staff is at LEAST 10+ older. And at the LHS I went to today, they were ALL at least 20+ years older. Now PLEASE don’t get me wrong, it was cool talking with them. But DCC was not on their top 10 lists... Plus I ride a Harley (the one I take to the shops is my FLHTci which has hard bags to transport the goods ;o) wear jeans, boots, have a goat, and weigh in at a solid 230 (lifting is my other sport). So believe you me, it takes a good while to even get someone to ask if I need any help. LOL. They just don’t SEE ME as someone who would be into trains.
I know what you mean, but I don't see it as a big deal anymore (maybe because I'm older now). I just turned 35 a few days ago (I look mid-late 20s), but in most social situations related to this hobby (hobby shops, MRR clubs, train shows, etc), I still see some younger folks (20s, even kids who drag their parents there...like I once was :)) and even staff who are roughly my age. The guy who owns Temple City Trains (from the other thread) is around my age.
You know I keep hearing and reading about this, but our business has been very solid this year and we are even showing growth in many areas. There have been several smaller shops that closed in our area in the last several years, but they were poorly managed/staffed and underfinanced in my honest opinion. There are of course several keys to staying in business, but the most significant one in my mind has to be customer service. For example I have a great DCC clientel, and while I discount to some extent, most of my customers keep coming back because they know I'll help them with problems and I understand their needs. In short, I have formed relationships with many of these guys that would be difficult to maintain in a virtual way.
So I stopped by my LHS on the way home from work tonight to pick up a couple of things I needed to keep my layout construction moving forward, and in the course of conversation there learned that they will be closing their doors soon. The gentleman minding the store said he hoped they'd make it to Christmas. It's the same old story - the owner is finally retiring, he can't find an outside buyer for the business, and actually discouraged his employees from buying it due to a shrinking client base and unbeatable competition from internet retailers. So, the store I've been stopping in literally since I was a kid just to look around and dream will soon be no more. The times truly are changing.
The benefit to me in the very short term is that he's giving a 20% discount on all purchases, but once the inventory is gone, it's gone.
"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley
I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious. -Stephen Wright