Whats is killing the local hobby stores?

[classclown]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bob101
	I used to live in a town that had 1 hobby shop. The guy at one time I guess flew C/L. He had some personal grudge against the 2 flying clubs in town I guess. I've heard him refer to people "as one those guys" with a disdain in his voice about people who fly in the 2 local clubs. He also doesn't put prices on stuff like glow fuel. You get one price if you wakl off the street, and another higher price if he knows your big into the local clubs. Two reasons. Mostly because the local club guys tell people to avoid the LHS unless they have no other choice and they buy their own fuel by the pallet and it ticks the LHS off. I was buying 5% nitro thru the club by the case frequently when I was flying 3-4 days a week with multiple 1.60-2.10 glow engines and the closest the LHS guy could come was $6/gallon MORE and he wouldn't order more than 4 gallons (a case) at a time even if I prepaid. He stocked all sorts of goofy stuff that I bet was there from the 70's. All his props were high pitch pattern type props and no one in town really flew pattern. He would stock 1.20 size kits/arf's and not have a single engine over .61 in size. Guys just stuck in the past. Except for a servo that comes in a package with a Tx there won't be a single digital servo in the whole shop out of 200 servos because "you don't need all that new fangled stuff just to fly". Sometimes I think his entire inventory comes from buying outdated/overstock items from other hobby shops. While browsing in there one day I overheard him talking to a guy who was picking up a Top Flite Giant Mustang KIT. The guy wanted to know where he could fly it when he finished building it and the hobby shop owner said "Any parking lot will do". Sold him an engine, kit, radio, glue, and covering, and the guy didn't even know how to fly but it looked cool and was a good sale. Both clubs got together and talked to him about stocking certain items that nearly everyone needed especially new pilots like certain sizes of props and .40/.46 sized engines....he said he didn't need help running his hobby shop. He has 2 30 foot isles full of hardware for planes but can't stock 4-40 clevis's because he says there's no demand. I understand people will order an ARF because it's cheaper but when you need hardware you just go buy it because you need it..... Everytime you wanted him to order something it went on the pad by the register (they are non computerized) and he would say I'll order it. As far as I know in 4-5 years I lived there while flying he never ordered anything he ever wrote down for anyone. Of course I hear him gripe all the time about how people just order everything. He brought his grandson out to our field once during the holidays and he never left his car. I heard him saying at the shop a few days later...."I never knew people flew planes bigger than about a 72" wingspan. And to be honest this is a pretty big hobby shop. They sell a ton of car/truck stuff and I guess they make more profit on those items. Sad part he's been in business for at least 25 years. Lack of a Hobby Shop where I live now has practically cut my flying to nothing. Even tho I have a runway here at the house the nearest hobby shop is 2+ hours away and it's a HobbyTown. I can't order from Tower anymore because their computer merged my account with someone elses account and now they bill to my address and ship to another - yeah I lost a $150 shipment into neverland. Repeated calls to Tower tells me to quit putting in the wrong address.......morons.

Sounds like a big sh!t sandwhich, and your eating it. I live for this hobby. Move!!!

[bob101]

Yeah right just "move". There's a reason it's called a "hobby" shop. Because it is just a hobby.

If you know where I can find property tax exempt land grant acreage of around 3,600 acres with a house , produces oil/gas and timber income like I live on now I can move to that's within a few minutes of a hobby shop I'll be glad to jump all over it.

[classclown]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bob101
	Yeah right just "move". There's a reason it's called a "hobby" shop. Because it is just a hobby. If you know where I can find property tax exempt land grant acreage of around 3,600 acres with a house , produces oil/gas and timber income like I live on now I can move to that's within a few minutes of a hobby shop I'll be glad to jump all over it.

Well, your just gonna have to keep eating that sh!t sandwhich, unless you do something about it.

[bob101]

Did you actually read all of my post. The problem hobby shop is where I used to live. Not now.

Moving is not going to suddenly fix Tower Hobbies problem of having a permanent address stuck to my account that is not my address.

Anyway the post was just to show that attitude of some hobby shops. They complain about internet taking their business but even when a couple of clubs with over 200+ in membership go there and ask them to stock basic hardware/replacement items and give him a list and he throws it in the trash...well then I have no sympathy that the internet is killing his business.

The HobbyTown that is closest to where I live now has a friendly staff but as usual they stock only a limited amount of R/C plane stuff.

They are always eager to say they can order stuff if you are in there. But honestly if you have to get your LHS to order it do you really come out ahead?

Basically I figure you pay extra at the LHS and that's fine for the convenience. If you have to order it why not just order it and have it sent to the house and save a return trip and/or sales tax?

Up until about 10 years ago a fair number of guys ran hobby shops out of their trailer at the field or out of a closet at the house. I think Tower and Horizon cracked down on that and I have heard on more than one occasion they wanted business documents and pictures of an actual storefront before becoming a dealer and that pretty much killed that off.

[classclown]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bob101
	Did you actually read all of my post. The problem hobby shop is where I used to live. Not now. Moving is not going to suddenly fix Tower Hobbies problem of having a permanent address stuck to my account that is not my address. Anyway the post was just to show that attitude of some hobby shops. They complain about internet taking their business but even when a couple of clubs with over 200+ in membership go there and ask them to stock basic hardware/replacement items and give him a list and he throws it in the trash...well then I have no sympathy that the internet is killing his business. The HobbyTown that is closest to where I live now has a friendly staff but as usual they stock only a limited amount of R/C plane stuff. They are always eager to say they can order stuff if you are in there. But honestly if you have to get your LHS to order it do you really come out ahead? Basically I figure you pay extra at the LHS and that's fine for the convenience. If you have to order it why not just order it and have it sent to the house and save a return trip and/or sales tax? Up until about 10 years ago a fair number of guys ran hobby shops out of their trailer at the field or out of a closet at the house. I think Tower and Horizon cracked down on that and I have heard on more than one occasion they wanted business documents and pictures of an actual storefront before becoming a dealer and that pretty much killed that off.

Sorry about that. I was in too much of a hurry to get out of here at the time. If Tower keeps sending your stuff to someone else, screw 'em. Order from somebody else. What you said about Tower and Horizon is absolutely true and it made it harder for fly by night operations to be able to get their products.

[Craven]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bob101
	Did you actually read all of my post. The problem hobby shop is where I used to live. Not now. Moving is not going to suddenly fix Tower Hobbies problem of having a permanent address stuck to my account that is not my address. Anyway the post was just to show that attitude of some hobby shops. They complain about internet taking their business but even when a couple of clubs with over 200+ in membership go there and ask them to stock basic hardware/replacement items and give him a list and he throws it in the trash...well then I have no sympathy that the internet is killing his business. The HobbyTown that is closest to where I live now has a friendly staff but as usual they stock only a limited amount of R/C plane stuff. They are always eager to say they can order stuff if you are in there. But honestly if you have to get your LHS to order it do you really come out ahead? Basically I figure you pay extra at the LHS and that's fine for the convenience. If you have to order it why not just order it and have it sent to the house and save a return trip and/or sales tax? Up until about 10 years ago a fair number of guys ran hobby shops out of their trailer at the field or out of a closet at the house. I think Tower and Horizon cracked down on that and I have heard on more than one occasion they wanted business documents and pictures of an actual storefront before becoming a dealer and that pretty much killed that off.

There's a whole lot of A.D.D.D.D.D. here. Posts need to be limited to 2 lines to be sure they're read.

[rcgood]

	Quote: Originally Posted by classclown
	Sounds like a big sh!t sandwhich, and your eating it. I live for this hobby. Move!!!

[classclown]

	Quote: Originally Posted by rcgood

Just got home an hour ago from doing just that.