Model Railroading > Speaking of Hobby Shops

In the April MR thread below, some comments were made ab out supporting the local Hobby Shop. What happens when the local hobby shop no longer supports the hobby?

Here is where i am going. There is a Hobby Shop in Lodi CA That USED to be REAL REAL good. It now has "new" Owners. By new they've had the shop for a couple of years. But in recent months, they take forever to order stuff. have told me they can no longer get stuff I need ordered. Or I get told "She is making an order". I've been told for th last 8 weeks that "She is making an order" only to find out last Monday that it is the SAME order she has been working on. Most of this stuff is basic. Basic MTL 1033 Trucks. Paint, detail parts etc. I asked her employee about MTL trucks and got asked what MTL Trucks were. I said Microtrains, She said oh, We just call them MTs. I know it is semantics. But that is normal, you go in and ask a question and they have no clue what they are talking about.

I've been doing a pretty good side business detailing and painting for other people. But now in order to get parts and paint, I am now going to have to drive to Concord or Roseville to get what I need and that eats into my profit given the price of gas these days. SO I am done supporting my Local hobby shop.

Its hard to support an outfit that tries to make a business a hobby. I heard a radio guy the other day talking about his first day on the job at Bethlehem Steel. The boss asked him an odd question:
" Son, what do we make here?"
"Why Steel sir!"
"Wrong, We make MONEY!"

I dont care what kind of biz you have, if you can't make the customer happy, you won['t be making money very long.

The local hobby shop here Centralia, WA closed after being flooded out last year. But it wasn't a great loss. While I bought some magazines and basic scratchbuilding material there, there wasn't much else to get there. The rolling stock in the store was virtually all Bachmann. I inquired as to why they didn't stock a greater variety of items. The owner stated the other stuff wasn't as good of a value as the Bachmann stuff! The store also didn't discount anything, even if you ordered stuff and offered to pay in advance. Sometimes hobby shops can be run poorly and really don't deserve our support.

On the hand, well run shops seem to be thriving. The constant stream of new releases has generated excitement that you couldn't find in the hobby 15 years ago. Hobby shops that offer a reasonable discount to loyal customers (15-25%), know their customer's wants and desires, keep bringing in new releases while also deep discounting items that sit on the shelf too long, are doing very well in the current market.

Here are a few of my favorite shops in the northwest, well worth the visit.

Whistle Stop Trains in Portland
PF&S in Pasco
Sunset Junction in Spokane
Online Trains in Tacoma
Tacoma Trains in Tacoma
American Eagles Hobby in Seattle (I believe that is the name of the store that has a large train shop downstairs)

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

To continue this, I have to agree that some hobby shops have taken on a more "we're here to make money" attitude. I refer to a long standing hobby shop here in Phoenix that used to really cater to the model railroader. If he ran out of a detail part, he'd order it and it would be in the following week. Always good employees and the owner gave an across the board discount on most all items (except magazines and a few select items). In addition, model train club members got a 20% discount.
When the "new guy" took over about 2-yrs ago, he made sweeping changes, basically telling all customes, 'this is a business and I'm here to make money' and began selling at full retail and no discounts . . . . period! Other than Walther's specials or clearing out items that have been around several months, everything is full price. In addition, his attitude has run off many long-standing customers and even some new ones. This USED to be my favorite shop to visit, but no more. His idea of a generous discount is if you purchase over $200 worth of stuff, you get a big, generous 10% off on one item!! ONE ITEM . . . not your next full purchase. Is that cheesy or what? To make it worthwhile, you'd have to buy a $100 + loco, or something similar. Even then, the sales tax will eat that up.
So, you wonder why so many of us shop on the internet? Savings! I've been dealing with Caboose Hobbies several months and love their service. Same for M.B. Klein and even Walther's and a couple others I can't readily recall. Their folks are helpful and courteous, something I don't get from the local guy.
I speak from experience, as I used to own and manage my own hobby shop in Houston many, many years ago (early 70's) and customer service/satisfaction was always first. You want customers to come back or spread the word, you gotta treat them with respect. It's amazing what word of mouth advertising can do for a business.

Jim

My wife bought me an engine at the store on Country club drive in Mesa, she got dinged at full bore retail. I found the same item on the Internet for $ 75.00 cheaper and the shipping was about the same as sales tax. No more buying from the, I pretty much get what I want on Ebay or the Internet. I had called the shop to order some Impact car trailer hitches. I needed 4 of them. There was no problem till I got them in the mail, 4 packs of them at $ 6.95 per package plus tax and shipping. I need 4 of them, not 4 packages. there were 4 in each package. Sorry, no returns on special orders was what I was told. No more buying from them.

When I said "Make Money" I meant that satisfied customers make you money. I shop mostly at the Whistle Stop in Pasadena and yeah, I pay full pop. They have everything I need (usually) or order it promptly. I get what I pay for and last time I looked, they make money. Ever try getting tech advice from a guy on ebay?

Never needed to get tech advise from a guy on Ebay. That what friends are for. Giving help when needed. All you have to do is ask. Whistle Stop is a great shop. I worked for the one in Sacramento, California, before it was sold to Bruces.

CCT24

I live in Lockeford, Ca. I know exactly what you mean with the shop in Lodi,Ca. I used to get every Micro-Train issue that came out each month, for years. Last year, I stopped in to pick-up my cars. No cars? I went in a week later, still no cars. Come to find out they failed to pay Micro-Trains for the prior months orders. I found out this has happened to a number of suppliers they dealt with. After that it was to 4NScale on the internet. 30% discount, fast shipping and a lot more inventory. I used to spend $300.00 to $400.00 a month at local shop, now I spend it on line. Once a month I'll go to Bruce's or Just Trains to pick-up parts and Magazines.

By the way, the local shop in Lodi has not added all the R/C stuff from the building next door. Squeeze out some more trains.

Valleyman

Yup, been there done that! Modeller's Choice in Hamilton has great prices, friendly and knowledgeable staff (esp. Jim & George), a good selection of locomotives, rolling stock and buildings, but not very much in the way of detailing parts.

So for these I go (went) to Trains on Brant in Burlington. Unfortunately someone new is in charge and while the overall selection is ok, literally no detailing parts or scratchbuilding supplies.

So, I found Great Western Model Trains in the Brantford VIA station. A good old-fashioned train store. Nothing but model railroading stuff everywhere you looked, and a whole back wall full of detail parts. But they're closing at the end of the year.

What's a fella to do? Special Orders, I guess.

Valleyman Wrote:
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> CCT24
>
> I live in Lockeford, Ca. I know exactly what you
> mean with the shop in Lodi,Ca. I used to get every
> Micro-Train issue that came out each month, for
> years. Last year, I stopped in to pick-up my cars.
> No cars? I went in a week later, still no cars.
> Come to find out they failed to pay Micro-Trains
> for the prior months orders. I found out this has
> happened to a number of suppliers they dealt with.
> After that it was to 4NScale on the internet. 30%
> discount, fast shipping and a lot more inventory.
> I used to spend $300.00 to $400.00 a month at
> local shop, now I spend it on line. Once a month
> I'll go to Bruce's or Just Trains to pick-up parts
> and Magazines.
>
> By the way, the local shop in Lodi has not added
> all the R/C stuff from the building next door.
> Squeeze out some more trains.
>
> Valleyman

It is a shame. That was once one of the best around. The former owner was a N scaler himself and that is what made it good for us. but now. I was there on last Monday, New owner was not there, but her employee and her Daughter in law that runs the R/C side were there and I flat out told them I'd have to start going "out of town" for my supplies.

Their loss and Matt's gain in Roseville.

David

Greetings
I would NOT want to be in the retail hobby business in this day and age. If the business man can't make a profit, he won't have a business long, and none of us work for free!
Yes it can be frustrating when they are out of stock on the part that you need or seem to be unwilling to order an item for you. However, who knows what the owner may be dealing with and maybe he has a lot more on his plate that any of us could imagine.
Just my abstract thoughts.

KR

kdrtrains Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Greetings
> I would NOT want to be in the retail hobby
> business in this day and age. If the business man
> can't make a profit, he won't have a business
> long, and none of us work for free!
> Yes it can be frustrating when they are out of
> stock on the part that you need or seem to be
> unwilling to order an item for you. However, who
> knows what the owner may be dealing with and maybe
> he has a lot more on his plate that any of us
> could imagine.
> Just my abstract thoughts.
>
> KR

I agree with the essence of what you are saying, but in the case of This particular Hobby shop. They are not even carrying the basic rudimentary Hobby stuff...Such as standard MT trucks AND couplers. And when I asked about MTL products, she had no idea what MTL was. I explained and she was just. OH that is just plain MT. I asked her what she thought the MTL in the part number stood for and all she said was "She" as in the owner was in the process of making an order and she'll send it in when she gets more stuff to order. I thanked her and said I'd be going to To Roseville from now on.

My point it is not just parts, but basic supplies. I can understand parts. But basic stuff?

My local hobby shop is the exception rather to what some of you guys are experiencing. It's a short drive from my work and I can be there and back on my lunch hour. He has the detail parts, the scenery supplies, the electrical, and mechanical parts you need on short notice. His prices are competitive with the web by the time you figure the shipping. He will order small parts for you from the Walther's catalog. He has the recent mags and he doesn't mind if you just come in and talk and not even buy anything, but you usually do. A real pleasant place to visit and he has one nice HO layout in it too.

There is a hobby shop near my home. They guy will have nothing to do with trains. He does not have a Walther's catalog, but if you bring yours in, he will order for you provided the order is over $100. He does not stock locomotives except for those in train sets. He will order one for you, cash up front, full retail no discount. This guy's niche is a typical non-railroad hobby shop. His specialty is radio control cars. His personality is everyone is out to screw him. I will only go there if I absolutely positively need some glue on a weekend. That's it. He's a jerk.

AJ

Sigh......I really miss our Tinker Town here in St. Louis. The internet is fine and dandy, but it sure was nice to walk into a store and actually see what you were buying. Too many basement guys and internet for any kind of shop to make a real go at it any more.
Co owner there told me the secret to making a million with a hobby shop. Start with two million. Someone asked him why he bought the place when he retired from the service and he said to avoid getting rich. We miss you guys.

ajy6b Wrote:
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> There is a hobby shop near my home. They guy will
> have nothing to do with trains. He does not have
> a Walther's catalog, but if you bring yours in, he
> will order for you provided the order is over
> $100. He does not stock locomotives except for
> those in train sets. He will order one for you,
> cash up front, full retail no discount.

That reminds me of another shop near me. The guy said he can get me
anything from the Walthers catalog, all I have to do is pay for it
first and pay the shipping...ummm, if I'm gonna do that, I may as
well just order it directly from Walthers myself.

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>....
> Here are a few of my favorite shops in the
> northwest, well worth the visit.
>
> Whistle Stop Trains in Portland
> PF&S in Pasco
> Sunset Junction in Spokane
> Online Trains in Tacoma
> Tacoma Trains in Tacoma
> American Eagles Hobby in Seattle (I believe that
> is the name of the store that has a large train
> shop downstairs)

You are thinking of North End Trains. I worked there part time, I very seldom had to special order anything, it was usually on the shelf.

Now I live in Oregon and highly recommend Mainline Trains in Forest Grove, west of Portland about 25 minutes. Mike knew I was looking for info on the Boeing cars and he found several articles for me. I thought it was over and above service anywhere else.

I realize that selling trains is not money making business and know what a lot of shops are going through with the Internet competition, however sometime hobby shops can be their own worst enemy. There are several shops I simply will not go to because of unfriendly, unprofessional service. One place, I actually was yelled at while making a purchase. How do you yell at a customer and expect him or her to come back, and then complain how your not making any money? Anyway things like that I feel deter people from hobby shops, much more than prices. I do patronize the hobby shops that treat me with respect and remember me when I walk through the door, they will always have my business. The others, I could careless if they closed down tomorrow.

csxt4617 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That reminds me of another shop near me. The guy
> said he can get me
> anything from the Walthers catalog, all I have to
> do is pay for it
> first and pay the shipping...ummm, if I'm gonna do
> that, I may as
> well just order it directly from Walthers myself.

....especially since Walthers' retail operation usually waives shipping if you spend more than a certain, relatively modest amount (currently $125 if you have their monthly mail-order ad).

My practice has become to advance order my "gotta haves" from AA Hobbies in Rhode Island, pick up my "probably wants" from Michigan Model Train Center near Pinckney, MI (more than an hour from my house, or I'd get there more often), and keep a wish-list of "I'll buy 'em if the price is right" items on the Walthers Web site. That way I'm supporting a personal friend who runs AA, and the closest thing I have to a local shop these days, while cherrypicking a few sale items directly from WKW. That plus show purchases and I'm spending more than enough money on models.

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>....
> Here are a few of my favorite shops in the
> northwest, well worth the visit.
>
> Whistle Stop Trains in Portland
> PF&S in Pasco
> Sunset Junction in Spokane
> Online Trains in Tacoma
> Tacoma Trains in Tacoma
> American Eagles Hobby in Seattle (I believe that
> is the name of the store that has a large train
> shop downstairs)

> You are thinking of North End Trains. I worked there part time, I very
> seldom had to special order anything, it was usually on the shelf.

> Now I live in Oregon and highly recommend Mainline Trains in Forest Grove, > west of Portland about 25 minutes. Mike knew I was looking for info on the
> Boeing cars and he found several articles for me. I thought it was over and > above service anywhere else.

American Eagles and North End Trains are within blocks of each other. American Eagles is primarily a military model store but the last time I was there they did have a decent supply of model train stuff as I walked out a few dollars poorer and a bag full of train stuff!!

I worked at a hobby shop all through high school and I tried to keep the train section well stocked with items I knew that I would use, along with items that others had asked for. If we didn't have what they needed, we'd order from Walthers weekly. The owner didn't like discounting, but the high dollar items like Atlas or Kato or P2K locomotives, we'd mark a sale price on them. Even then, I'd hear the crys of other modelers that it still wasn't enough. They mail ordered exclusively and last year, that hobby shop closed. I agree completely that you really can't make money with a traditional hobby shop. If one would take the time to set up a good web page, and do mail order, then maybe you could make it work. it's hard, though. I've seen many a good hobby shop fail.

BTW, speaking of the internet and eBay. I just bought an SD70M off of eBay and the description said "Brand new, parts haven't even been out of the box!" Yeah, so I get it and the rear anticlimber is broken off. I'm kinda ticked off. I can reattach it no problem but my deal is that it's not listed as broken. It's most likely something that someone is selling and they nothing of what they are selling.

Greg M.
Topeka, KS