What's happening to our Local Hobby Shops?

Switchman Sep 1, 2011

  1. Dave Jones

    Dave Jones TrainBoard Supporter

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    NScaler One - Don't personally know of anyone who objects to taxes for either purpose.

    However the recent news that 10 billion dollars, supposedly under control of DOD, was given to the Taliban, Al Queda, and/or local war lords shows, well let's just say some disdain for the taxpayers who provided same.

    Since the purpose of this thread is to lament/figure out why the demise of LHSs' I also won't quote some of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers.
     
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nobody objects to taxation for TRUE basic necessities- Such as police, fire, military, etc- But when economics will allow such increases. When we are strapped for cash ourselves, then such must simply be even more carefully considered. The objection is to taking our funds and using them for researching snowflakes on Mount Everest and so on....

    Let's get this back on topic now. Otherwise topic gets moved or removed.

    Boxcab E50
    Administrator
     
  3. Jim Wiggin

    Jim Wiggin Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That is true, being a native to that wonderful state (sorry I'm biased) that is all true. While there is no sales tax, other things can be more expensive. An example is gas or food. Gas here in New Jersey is usually 20 cents cheaper and food in Illinois is cheaper than New Hampshire. I found that when I lived in Illinois I could afford to eat out more often than I could in NH. Now it is true that rent, homes, land etc is higher in NH. That is why NH doesn't have as many hobby shops as VT or MA. If the small family owned chain of lumbar stores could not survive, there is no way the small hobby shops could. NH makes a lot of it's money in tourism. Some hobby shops did ok in the beginning when they were tied with a tourist railroad, but even they of late have seen a down turn due to the ecconomy.

    New Hampshire while not perfect, has a lot of things going for it. Wish I could convince Angela to move back there to it.
     
  4. cbg

    cbg TrainBoard Member

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    I think, as said several times already, price is the issue. LHS can't compete with online pricing. That said, my local shop closed a year or so ago and we travel out of state to the "local" hobby shps in Sacramento. I buy what I can to support them when possible. One of the two shops I go to does not offer any discount but has more selection. The other offers 10% off with much less selection, but I see he is struggling so but more from him. I recently purchased an Alco PA/PB set for around 40.00 more than online pricing, but I was glad that at that time I had the means to help him so to speak.
     
  5. Flashwave

    Flashwave TrainBoard Member

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    Has this point ever been contested? That's why these topics all become "it's not about the price all the time" because that's the strength the LHS has or needs to play to.
     
  6. Eagle2

    Eagle2 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Something I think has been barely touched on here - inventory and selection? Personally I'm a big proponent of local stores, both in the trains which I can't afford so much right now and the plastic models I can, but it seems an inescapable truth that the LHS's in either case can't compete with the online retailers in terms of selection and availability, and that's just a simple matter of space. Unless and until we have LHS's the size of Wally World I don't see how that can change. On the flip side, I don't think you'll ever get repairs or guidance or simple answers to questions any better than at the LHS. Just some thoughts...
     
  7. Jim Wiggin

    Jim Wiggin Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That is certainly the biggest problem, inventory versus overhead. Case in point, my local hobby shop is a Hobbytown USA, which no offense, is like the Radio Shack of hobby shops. There inventory versus my needs versus the needs of many.

    1. the number one selling items in the shop? Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, role playing games followed by RC cars, then a close tie between trains and RC planes, throw in a mix of plastic models and model rockets. Why in this order? Because the customer base of this area is into those items in that order.

    2. Yes they have trains. As is the usual, HO is in the lead, because frankly HO sells more in this area and most areas. N scale? Yes. Caboose Hobbies ground throws? BLMA detail parts? Microscale decals? Code 55 track? No, no, no and no. Why? Because 90% perhaps higher do not ask for those small ticket items.

    3. I'm at the point where most of my items are available on line for a decent price and lets face it, life is busy and gas is high. Many of us work long hours, gas is high and when the shop that might have the stuff we need is over an hour long drive, who wants to drive that? Wait until the weekend and devote time to the trip to the hobby shop? Could have ordered on Monday and had it by Saturday and spent the time working on the layout.

    Don't get me wrong, I miss the days of walking down to the model railroad shop and picking up all the items I listed as an example, but that guy is gone. Why? Because no shop is going to survive making money selling a few detail parts a day on a 15% margin. Now that is why the electronics guys order diodes and resistors through DigiKey, and they get a project box at Radio Shack. Radio Shack makes money selling Phones or TV's, not diodes or capacitors. Just like my local Hobby Town makes money selling Pokemon cards not code 55 track.

    Long story short, the inventory at a lot of hobby shops is not what we are looking for, so we go online. Hobby Towns are the only local hobby shops a lot of us have anymore.
     
  8. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    We just lost our "Radio Shack of Hobby Stores", and when our Hobby Town closed at the end of August, I though I could get by OK, but just this weekend I am already wishing I picked up more paints, and I could need some more plaster cloth, and I forgot the static grass, and I should have taken the decoders they had left...

    What a mess. I did not realize how nice it was having a Hobby Town, even though I rarely bought my trains there, I depend on them for supplies.
     
  9. fireinv

    fireinv New Member

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    Thanks for the tip on DMW, I checked it out and they look good, well give them a try
     
  10. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I am lucky that I have a few LHS to shop at in the greater Twin Cities metro area. That being said, most of the time I can find better pricing online than at the various LHS. However, I still spend a good chunk at the various LHS. THe one closet to where I live in Saint Paul pretty much charges MSRP for everything. But I still buy things from there simply because it is easy to do so and sometimes they have what I am lookng for that I cannot find anywhere else. Even though their pricing is pretty high, I would sorely miss them if they went under.
     
  11. chris.mincemoyer

    chris.mincemoyer New Member

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    I think there are some other things going on that I didn't see anyone touch on. There's a lot of complaints about manufacturers wanting pre-orders now. I'm sure you're local hobby shop isn't going to tie up money on a product that may not even be delivered. Also look at the growth of small cottage industries again in the hobby. RSLaserkits advertises here and I'm pretty sure they only sell direct or at shows. And based on what I see at the Springfield and Syracuse shows there are a number of them appearing in the hobby. So in that case the closing of some LHS's is just a result of changes in the hobby and not so much any fault of their own.

    Chris
     

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