Hobby Shop owner rub you the wrong way


There's 2 hobby shops near me, one in Elgin, and one in Lombard, Illinois. Both have great selections of N and HO scale and a good staff that's willing to help with any problems or questions. The only problem I've got with the one in Elgin is that the owners son is the manager and runs the place for about half the year while the father is away. The son doesnt like to come in on time or come in at all some days. Hes scared off some business and has made a bad name for himself. So my point is, the local shops by me are great for help but I HATE when people can't get to work on time or at all for that matter. Otherwise ive never had a bad experience


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I don't have a local hobby shop, therefore I don't have any horror stories! My closest hobby shop is two hours away and charges full retail. Ebay, M.B. Klein and Walthers are my friends!:D
 
Here in Winnipeg we are very lucky to have some really great places to shop for trains and supplies. I have had great service at all of them. The store I frequent most often has a good selection of HO and N scale trains plus a little G and O scale as well. The staff is very friendly and very knowledgeable. They are always eager to help or just sit around and talk for a while.
There is one store that I avoid as much as possible. Service is hit and miss. Prices are very high and I just don't like a few of the people that work there. But, they do have the best stock of scratchbuilding supplies, so on occasion I go there, out of necessity. That's why we are so lucky here. If I don't like one store, I can always go somewhere else. I pretty much do all my big purchase stuff on line now. I can buy twice as much for my money on the internet and get the stuff myself, faster than the stores can.
 
A couple of things to keep in mind!
Many manufacturers sell in "tiers". to get that frammistatd in HO scale that all the customers want... you have to buy tier 1 and tier 2! And in the meantime you get a whole lot of left-handed whoosicalls that nobody wants, but the manufacturer insists you have to buy! So, LHS owners have to deal with the fact that 30% of their stock almost nobody wants.:mad:
I buy N scale, but my track is code 55. Most customers at my LHS buy code 80. so I don't expect my LHS owner to carry track just for me. It'd be neat, but hey... I don't expect that.
add to that, Woodland Scenics risers, for instance. Most modelers seem to be buying the 3% & 4% risers. So I tell the local chain store (why not my LHS? Because I know that asking him to get it will take him longer, and cause him to spend money to make money. When he gets his WS stuff, I pick through it and give him cash, and he likes it that way!) what I'll need in the coming two weeks.

I don't expect my LHS to remember what roads i model (and he does, anyway), and what I'm looking for (and sometimes he does anyway).

So this is my longwinded way of telling everyone things they already know, and that I have no horror stories to tell about my local hobby shops, which are pretty cool.
 
I agree with OCN GUY and his point about local hobby shop employees remembering what you model. My local hobby shop is great for that since Im currently buying HO and N stuff for 2 different layouts. I'd rather give my business to a local retailer and have my parts, rolling stock etc now than wait for it to come in the mail a week later. Plus going to a hobby shop and talking is half the fun for me. I enjoy hearing about other stuff going on with our hobby, and learning something new here n there.


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I agree with OCN GUY and his point about local hobby shop employees remembering what you model. My local hobby shop is great for that since Im currently buying HO and N stuff for 2 different layouts. I'd rather give my business to a local retailer and have my parts, rolling stock etc now than wait for it to come in the mail a week later. Plus going to a hobby shop and talking is half the fun for me. I enjoy hearing about other stuff going on with our hobby, and learning something new here n there.


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The problem is there are rarely any strictly train shops around as most are hobby shops that cater to everything from trains to r/c stuff to plastic models etc.. Sadly a lot of counter people in those types of shops know little about trains other than 'we can get it for you from Walthers'. Which is understandable as they have a much larger clientel to service.
 
Yes..This happen in Columbus in '77 and I never will forget.

I was getting back into the hobby after being discharged by the Army and I had some heavy cash to spend on the hobby.

I selected the following Athearn locomotives 2 GP7s,2 SD9s and a SW7 which I placed on the counter and continue to shop and selected close to $40.00 in Athearn BB kits and while selecting more kits the owner said Hey! Are you going to buy all this? I replied yup,you bet I am and return to selecting Athearn cars..I step behind the counter to reach a observation kit and the guy yell I don't allow customers behind the counter! I said "sorry,but,I just wanted to reach this kit." He replied "Well,just be sure you have enough money to buy all of this" and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I looked at him and said Friend,I have several hundred dollars to spend and that last uncalled for remark just cost you this large sale and I suggest you take customer relations 101 and with that I walked out.
 
While in the Army and going to an NCO course in Virginia a few years ago, I actually had a hobby shop owner tell get on the subject of today's military. He then proceeded to tell me and my friend (both of us in uniform mind you) that our organization was not worth a damn and that the military was a bunch of goons these days. This entire onslaught (I assure you he said MUCH more than that) was all sparked by my response to his question, "why aren't you guys at work today?". Me and my friend were shocked by this and although the few months that I did business before this with him his attitude was pretty bad, I had never had business so bad in my entire life! Not sure if e was just in a bad mood or was jealous that he had to be at work so soon after a huge storm and subsequent flood or what. I had ceased to do business with him after that ever again. Kind of a painful decision when it was the only train store other than hobbytown USA for an hour in any direction!

However, there is a hobby shop here in Oklahoma that I have been dealing with for years now. The owner can be alittle edgy sometimes, but they have ALWAYS done me right as far as prices go! They will order anything I need and although the place is small, the turn around of their stock is incredible! I won't mention the name of either place in order to protect the names of the innocent and guilty but people who have dealt with these guys know who they are.

-Richard Wongsing
 
I haven't found a good hobby shop yet that's in the Connecticut area and can treat their customers well with fair pricing. Thought I found one in a small shop in central CT, but they ended up being extremely rude when I expressed my disappointment with their failure to take good notes and follow through with my special order requests.
 
Not really a Horror story but have you ever been in a store and the staff is too friendly?

My Wife and I did a day trip to a city about 2 hours drive away and I dropped into a hobby shop. Now when I wander through a hobby shop I have specific things that I look for, detail parts, figures, painted decals ect. This fellow working there asked me if he could help me and a mentioned that i was just brousing for now. he then asks me what I model and I reply that I model CN in 1959. He then goes all through the hobby shp showing me anything that has CN on it, including an SD70. I guess he was an RC guy instead of a MRR guy.
But my point is, sometimes a customer just wants to browse and will ask for help when he needs it.

I have had a poor experience with a mail order company. I ordered a number of things off their 'clearance' page but was surprised to find out that they were not in stock and I had to wait 3 months to get them. I always thought that 'Clearance' meant you were trying to clear stock that you actually had.
 
Here in Portland, I have my choice of Four LHS's, three of which I actually go to.

I stopped going to the one when I noticed the shelves were pretty bare and the owner didn't seem to care about stocking anything.

The other three I have had no problem with, and I am even working on getting some work 1 day a week at one of them.
 
Not really a Horror story but have you ever been in a store and the staff is too friendly?

My Wife and I did a day trip to a city about 2 hours drive away and I dropped into a hobby shop. Now when I wander through a hobby shop I have specific things that I look for, detail parts, figures, painted decals ect. This fellow working there asked me if he could help me and a mentioned that i was just brousing for now. he then asks me what I model and I reply that I model CN in 1959. He then goes all through the hobby shp showing me anything that has CN on it, including an SD70. I guess he was an RC guy instead of a MRR guy.
But my point is, sometimes a customer just wants to browse and will ask for help when he needs it.

I have had a poor experience with a mail order company. I ordered a number of things off their 'clearance' page but was surprised to find out that they were not in stock and I had to wait 3 months to get them. I always thought that 'Clearance' meant you were trying to clear stock that you actually had.
I've been where you were with that online company, even though you hadn't mentioned them. It's an all too familiar story.

The overly friendly store where you just sometimes want to browse - been there too, except it's not a train store but Radio Shack. Their salesdroids are on you as soon as you enter the store.
 
The closest decent train shop is about 120 miles. I've gone there a few times, but find the sales staff (including the owner) to not be particularly friendly, nor are they willing to go to much trouble unless you're one of the good old boy regulars, OR they remember you spent a fair amount of money on your last visit. There's another shop about 20 miles further that's entirely different. The staff is friendly, and the second time I ever went into that store, the owner called my by name.

Guess who gets my business, even though it's a half-hour longer drive?
 
About a year ago, I made a big post about the train stop in san dimas cal. I will NEVER GO BACK THERE EVER AGAIN,NOR SHOULD YOU ALL. Guy is a real ass.
 
The closest decent train shop is about 120 miles. I've gone there a few times, but find the sales staff (including the owner) to not be particularly friendly, nor are they willing to go to much trouble unless you're one of the good old boy regulars, OR they remember you spent a fair amount of money on your last visit. There's another shop about 20 miles further that's entirely different. The staff is friendly, and the second time I ever went into that store, the owner called my by name.

Guess who gets my business, even though it's a half-hour longer drive?

Which shop you talking about? I own a house in Palm springs,and all i ever knew was the RC shop in palm desert. I would always just go see brian at the whistle stop.
 
About a year ago, I made a big post about the train stop in san dimas cal. I will NEVER GO BACK THERE EVER AGAIN,NOR SHOULD YOU ALL. Guy is a real ass.

I've never been in there, but I'm always suspicious of people who start out by quoting scripture to you (see the home page on his website). He could be a very nice man, but I'm always put off by people who feel the need to inform me they're a good, pious person. I'd much rather discover that for myself through his/her actions.
 
I've never been in there, but I'm always suspicious of people who start out by quoting scripture to you (see the home page on his website). He could be a very nice man, but I'm always put off by people who feel the need to inform me they're a good, pious person. I'd much rather discover that for myself through his/her actions.


http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19007

Read that what happend to us,and why he is a Piece of crap.
 
I guess I'm really having good experiences with lhs's! I had a sales guy help me look for Maine Central stuff. He found a GP38, and i told him "Way too late! I'm doing transition era..."
He promptly found me a GP7. When he found out it was a bit out of my budget... he hid the engine so nobody else would buy it!
That's sales help. And he's just the intern guy, not even the shop owner!:cool:
 



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