Where do you purchase mostly?

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I shop both online and in stores. I have had some trouble with stores concerning customer service. When I ask questions, many of them seem to have an attitude of "greater than thou". Do I have to be in a special club to have a conversation without feeling stupid? Anyways, I guess it is just because I don't know the right way to ask questions as I am new to the hobby. I found some really nice help in the Train Shoppe in Salt Lake City. Probably the best in Utah. Thanks!

Online is tough when you are a beginner because you don't always know what the lingo means. It is nice to just browse a store. But I try not to go to the store to look, but buy online, that is cheating! :)
 
I deal with one hobby shop back east for my kits and "other" items:cool: other then that its local shows and folks getting out of the hobby:rolleyes:
 
i have 3 or 4 hobby shops around me (good thing i drive for a living)
but i refuse to pay there rent for the month on one loco
walthers sells atlas code 55 flex track for $2.98 a piece
one shop wants $5.00 :mad:rant over
80% online
10% lhs
10% soon to be here:)
 
Hi all, I've been lurking a few days and this is my first post. :)

I'm very fortunate living in Nashville that I have 3 good railroad-focused shops within no more than 30 minutes' drive. Aardvarks has been around forever and Southbound Trains in Franklin opened a few years ago.

I recently became a member of the Tennessee Central Railway Museum and Cumberland Division of SER NMRA.

TCRM has a small hobby shop inside the museum HQ. While I said small, it is packed to the gills with hard core MRR items and is staffed by volunteers who are very open, welcoming and knowledgeable - no "starter" sets there. I'll put it to you this way - I went to the hobby shop to browse, and came out a member of the museum and NMRA division! Without buying a single thing! :eek:

I worked in a hobby shop for a few years in college, so I am definitely pro-LHS. However, seeing the responses here does remind me that there are some places that want your money, but not YOU. Internet stores are easy fixes for bigger purchases, and some of them are really just small businesses behind a computer server.

So for all that rambling, most of my purchases will be LHS. :)
 
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