Misery Loves Company

[N Gauger]

Ok - what do you think of this one?????

We all have had experiences with Hobby Stores both on & off The net. How about we start a "Guide To The Hobby Thread"

Rules:

~~ You MUST NOT USE NAMES -- good or bad. Anyone wishing info - PM the poster!!!

~~ you MUST post a "bad Experience" then immediatly post a Second post with a "Good" story Or you can combine the 2 into 1 single post, but the post must end on a good "note"

~~ The 2 stories can be about the same store - or a different store.

~~ This is to promote the fact that bad employees do in fact exist & that just because a Newbie has one bad expeience, he or she shouldn't give up any hobby. Weather it's Model RRing or not!!

~~ If you don't follow ALL these rules - your post will be deleted!!!!!!

How about it - anyone have a Bad & a good story to teach someone else with??

I have a few goodis - but I have to think of a baddie So I'll wait

 

[Woodie]

Every time I go to my LHS (last time, to get some Testor's Dullcoate Spray cans), they didn't have any. They NEVER have what I want I specifically go there for..... but I alway come outa there a helluva lot poorer, for some reason.

 

[Matthyro]

The LHS I used to love to go to because they were always in stock and very helpful and knowledgable with excellent pricing (the good stuff) CLOSED ( the bad stuff) The owners had done so well financially out of the business they took early retirement. The business that took it over speciallizes in doll houses. No more trains GRRRRRR

 

[Freelancer]

Bad side, my LHS always takes forever to order things and once I had to order the same thing three times bacause he kept forgeting to order it for me. :curse:

Good side, the LHS has very good deals, and he even gives me a discount on just about everything I buy.

Freelancer

 

[Fred_M]

Bad side, my LHS always takes forever to order things.
Good side, by the time he does it's out of stock which saves me money.

Fred

 

[NYC-BKO]

Bad: I seem to be in the same boat, LHS never gets in what I ask to order, guess they don't want my business, last thing I asked for , tried for six months but they never got it in. Ordered over the phone, had it in three days. What I saved in gas paid for the shipping! No discounts either.

Good: Online is the way to go for me, order on Monday have by Friday, the LHS never has what I need. Most items are cheaper too!


PS: I hit the century mark, whoopie!

 

[brakie]

There was a hobby shop that I went to that will close next week due to the owner retiring.
The bad:
The owner was a natural born grouch and had a very unlikable disposition..I dealt with that man for 14 years and never heard a kind word come out of his mouth about anything including hobbyist.
Why then did I keep going back?
The good:
He had a fully stock hobby shop and 99.9% of the time you could find what you was looking for..He would cuss and fuss but would cut you a deal if you had to buy several items of the same kind such as detail parts,switches,more then one locomotive etc ..
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Then there is the shop we all love but,sadly shake our heads at.
The bad:
When you walk into his shop his good poochie(a great Dane) has to jump on you to insure you are most welcome.
The owner is usually watching a ball game or a movie.When you ask him does he have this or that he points and says over there without looking where he points.
Of course he rearranges his store about once a month so nothing is ever in the same place.
The good:
He has a 15-20% discount and 95% of the time he has what you are looking for.He is very likable(once you get him talking) and very knowledgeable in the hobby.Overall its a great shop.

 

[ddavidv]

The bad: pretty much the only LHS I have is a pain to order from...it takes weeks and weeks and weeks for him to order stuff, I guess because of minimum orders or paying off his bill or something, but it's a PITA. Right now I'm waiting for a part for my airbrush and will probably just order it direct and pay the shipping instead of waiting 2-3 months. :curse:
The good: the owner is VERY knowledgable and willing to share his wisdom. It's a really nice shop and has a lot in stock, just never seems to have what I want (ain't it always like that). Prices are nothing special but being only 10 min from home and open nearly every day is a wonderful thing. :thumb:

 

[MasonJar]

Bad - orders are slow (not always his fault to be sure), prices are Walthers full price or close.

Good - excellent selection of used stuff. Wide variety of back issues at $0.50 each (up to and including mags only 3-4 months old). Huge selection of kits and RTR. Good selection of detail parts.

Above all - very friendly staff and excellent service.

Andrew

 

[Belmarvalley]

Good: Very well stocked LHS for my scale.

Bad: Charges MSRP.

 

[Ray Marinaccio]

Bad- I walked into my favorite Ma and Pa LHS and was told he was closing and getting out of the business.

Good- I got some screaming deals.
I bought His whole inventory of Detail West, Detail Associates And Railpower Products for Penney's on the dollar.

 

[jon-monon]

Bad - LHS charges full walthers list

Good - Old stock is marked with the old price and that's what he charges, digging to the back of the bin results in what is now a $5 part for a buck or two Got an Athern Hustler last year for a steal, I think it was $11. Cost me $12 for the earnst gearset

 

[N Gauger]

This is getting pretty good

The "Back Story": There is a LHS that likes, from time to time, to have special engines & rolling stock. In that, he places decals & stickers "Prototypical only" on his things he sells. So when you bring your equipment to another's house. You can see the differences in your stock & the "original Stock" it's really neat! I've bought a few of these at no extra cost either
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Now - the Bad: A LHS had been in business a few years & had been "bad mouthing (off the record) the above hobby shop. He opened up about 1/4 mile from me, so I started going to him for "sale" stuff & small parts. He was in competition with a LHS that has been in buisness for 20+ years. In other words - he was only competing in his mind.

There was only his "Close area" traffic & the shops are about 7 miles apart. I bought an engine from him (U25-B in G) and I brought it home.. Turns out it has one of "those" Prototype plates in it. He bought it from the "other LHS" that he was badmouthing. Now since he was badmouthing "my LHS" I havn't been there for about 6 years now.
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The Good: The LHS I go to now & have been going to since 1981, is great - they get things in any scale & gauge. He & his staff are always free flowing with info & each is "specialized" in his or her scale. (The owner's wife works there too).

If one employee doesn't know an answer - someone else will. I have never failed to get great service & repair work there. Only bad part is my RR's finance's quarterly budget are not up to par with the Thousands of Dollars I could spend there "Each Visit" LOL

Keep it up guys - There's good & bad everywhere

 

[Bill Stone]

The bad: My closest (about 2 miles) hobby shop, has almost completely adapted to selling tinplate and G scale stuff. Apparently that's where the bucks are. The limited HO stock is nearly all cheapy ready-to-run. The paint bottles are old and half dried up, and there are few if any tools or detail parts stocked. One attempt at having him order stuff for me was a never-to-be-repeated fiasco. I even have noticed that he sells back issues of model rail magazines with the front cover masthead cut off. Which means (I think) that he has sent those mastheads back for refunds from the publishers, and is possibly illegally (certainly unethically) selling the defaced magasines.

Another baddy: There was a hobby shop about 10 miles away that stayed in business for five or six years. Small, but not too bad. I took my (then) ten-year-old grandson there to pick out a kit to build. While we were there he needed to use the bathroom. I asked, but they refused to allow it. (I do know they had one back there!) We had to leave and drive to a gas station. I never went back.

Almost as bad: If I want to drive 20 miles, there is a pretty nice hobby shop that stocks quite a lot of detail parts, scratch supplies, paint, tools, books, and (very expensive) used models. But, like almost everyone it seems, I can never find what I really want there in the way of models.

The Good: Of course it will be a shame to have LHSs go the way of the buggy whip, but when it comes right down to it, I now generally order on line. Excellent service, excellent stock, and excellent prices.

BillS

 

[cobra]

It would appear that the smaller LHS's in smaller cities can't make a living off ONLY model railroaders . They need RC vehicles and rockets , 1/24 car kits etc. which limits the mrring stuff they can afford to carry . Supply and demand I guess . If I travel to an LHS other than my one local one , I usually try to talk to the owner or head honcho to see what sells . It can lead to some interesting conversations and insights into our hobby .

The Good :The local LHS ( only one around here ) has been in business for many years , was Ma,Pa and Daughter . Pa was knowledgeable old cuss , but died several years back , leaving the store to the other two . They have hearts of gold but essentially know squat about mrring . Yes they will order for you , normally a 2 week wait for most things , no discounts other than dated inventory . They try very hard to make customers happy and appreciate the business . Wanna talk trains ? Uh...no .

The Bad : The best store around , across the river in a Detroit suburb ,closed due to retirement . Two or three guys ran it , 95 % trains , all scales , huge inventory including scratch building materials that seem to be fading in popularity ( so the LHS folks say ). The store had a beautiful layout , show quality , always operating .It's gone and not replaced .
Another good store is even further out of the Detroit area , knowledgeable if somewhat standoffish staff , hard to get to know .
The Worst : trying to get across the border these days with a minimum of time and hassles .Since 9/11 , border crossings are an ordeal ....I know they are just doing there job . Of course , maybe it's also saving me money since I don't visit those stores very much . I tend to order on internet and have it sent to a U.S. address to be picked up later . I guess it's a sign of the times .

Neil

 

[Thortrains]

Bad: our nearest hobby shop is in a mall. Some stock is laying there since I moved here five years ago. He charges above suggested list on many items.

The good - mail order place I use is so fast I usually get the goods in 2 to 3 days