went to my favourite hobby store, Otter Valley Railroad to pick up a kit for a small industrial building along the right of way. While talking to the owner he showed me a couple of PROTO 1000 Diesel Alco RS-2 in CP maroon colors. I declined and explained that my preference in engine manufacturers lie in Kato and Atlas. Proto makes very beautiful locomotive but the cracked axle issue is a concern. In response to that statement he went into his repair shop and picked up three pair of axles for when my locomotives need to have the axles changed due to cracked gears. He said that these axles are free from Walthers and also free for me. This as you can imagine made me very happy.
Then he points to the Kato SD40-2 in CN colors and says that they are now 89.95 Dollars. How can someone resist such a deal. So now there is another engine in my roster. He said that there is another hobby store in the area that they are competing with so they match the price of these engines. So yes I feel guilty but at the same time they will keep getting my business. Just never felt like that leaving a hobby store though.
Knowing how much mark up my LHS has and given the prices they charge I try to get a deal EVERY TIME I go in there. They charge full retail and unless you show them an ad or website for the item you want advertised for less than retail. If you don’t do that you’ll pay full retail. And, unless you’re a club member you won’t get 10% off. (RR, R/C, IPMS, etc.)
I have no sympathy for them. If they want to keep my business they have to be competitive with web stores and other retail outlets.
Out of town over the weekend, I found a large hobby shop, stopped in, looked around, talked to the owner, even discussed that I’d seen the same product in other LHS for 1/3 the price. It was fun to talk model railroading, see his stuff. But I left without buying a thing. I’ll buy it locally at a lot less.
Less markup=higher volume=bigger profit in the long run.
When I go to a hobby shop, whether locally or on a trip, I almost always have some specific need that I wish to fill. If I see something else I can use, and the price is right or the deal is good, I’ll buy it.
OTOH, if the shop doesn’t have what I was looking for in the first place, no blandishment about a wonderful new watchamacallit is going to interest me - especially since I do not model U.S. prototype and have no need for any rolling stock that doesn’t fit my modeling scheme. I have walked out empty-handed when the shop didn’t have what I really wanted, and I have never felt a moment of guilt for doing so.
Well, the deal you got would not bother me. I’ve seen locos in the $70s on the internet. I’ve gotten free stuff at fireworks places, though. One time, the woman behind the counter added a bunch of M-1000s and another firework. needless to say, I had fun.
I can count on one hand the number of shops I have been to and felt like I have gotten a deal and or decent service. Most shops has a us Vs them attitude, like the time I went into a shop ready to spend six hundred on track, I asked the owner if he could throw in the joiners. “Only if I charge you” he said. He then gives me this s look like I just asked him to sell his mother into slavery, so I ordered on line got half again as much track As I could have afforded with the LHS guy, free Rail Joiners, and a nice free Rail gage. The LHS went out of business the next fall and it was all his ungrateful customers fault…or so he said. A good shop is though to find, that why when i come across one I make sure to swing a lot of bussiness their way.
Years ago walking into a hobbyshop it was packed to the hilt with stuff.
Thats the kind of hobbyshop I want to walk into today.
Theres a local shop I walked into not too long ago, there was an Athearn NYC F7B unit on a shelf, listed about 10 bucks, I showed some interest in it but kinda muffed at it, the owner gave me a deal, 5 bucks! …okaaay, bought it. It runs, needs couplers, I can do all that, will mate with my NYC F9 A.
I think he said the original owner gave up on it, maybe a trade in, who knows…
Sometimes, if I get a really good deal. There is a great shop nearby, who knows me since my club used to meet in the back room. He has plenty of equipment, and odds and ends, that you don’t take into account when building, but are necessities. He always has a friendly attitude, and treats me like an adult, not scoffing at a 14 year old buying super detailing+kitbashing parts. Last time I checked there was a 10% discount on every purchase
There is another shop, closer, who stocks mainly lionel stuff. A couple birthdays ago I went there to splurge money on a couple B&M F3’s (G scale). I also bought a 70 ton B&M hopper, and an LGB coach to add behind my LGB steamer, which I keep segregated from the B&M layout. I think the employee was trying to help out but “You know not you shouldn’t mix freight and passenger cars, and train from different countries.” Anyways, I haven’t shopped there since then, except when I absolutely needed something, and my favorite LHS was closed.
I’m just curious. How long ago was the “cracked gear” problem an issue for Proto and Athearn locomotives? 5 years ago? 10 years ago? I have eight Proto 2000s: 3 - S1s, 2 - 0-8-0s, and 3 GP38-2s. None of them (as of yet) have exhibited the cracked gear phenomenon.
Now, I am not denying that there was ever a problem with the gears. My understanding is that the gears were machined incorrectly (too small) by LifeLike’s outsource and cracked when they were press fit into the motor mechanism. It’s also my understanding that LifeLike discovered the problem then rectified it in their future runs. And Walthers (who now owns Proto 1000 & 2000) is providing replacement gears at NO COST!
It just seems to me that there are a number of folks (like Frank) who are still gun shy about buying new Protos. I can understand…but also don’t understand…
Frank, sounds like the guy at your LHS is a real salesman. [:)] I hope you’ll be very happy with your newest acquisitions.
What deals! The only deal is that the convenience of the light-rail transit that stops there. The LHSs in this area charge MSRP on everything. I would rather order online than try to get a deal out of the LHSs that charge full prices. Even Walthers’ sale prices are no big deal. Guilty about not giving them my business, heck no. I feel guilty and foolish if I have to pay full price.
Not really. My LHS is mixed on if I get a deal or not. I don’t think the guy gives me a discount (been going there since I was 6 years old), but it’s so nice to have one nearby and the owner is one of the friendliest shopowners I know. So its’ worth it. Also just about the only place that regularly gets in kits instead of only RTR cars, so in that sense, I’ve gotten some nice deals.
in 93 i started working in lakeland fl. went into one of the model rr stores with 500.00 in cash [ not in pocket but in my hand ]. asked to see a botchman dash 8 run on there ho set-up. they said could not do that due to if i did not buy it THEY COULD NO LONGER SELL IT A NEW. needles to say even though they were exactly 2 blocks from where i lived they never got a penny from me. bought over 4k in n scale in 2 years but always went to orlando and tampa.
I went to a shop in Pensacola recently. I asked if they would price match, so I could pick up a new P2K GP20 in BN. When I was told that they wouldn’t, I left. I don;t feel like paying 125 bucks for something I could get from Walthers for 53 bucks.
I rarely ever go to the LHS, since there selection and prices suck. (as in 5 bucks for a piece of flex trax, or a pack of 9 inch straights) They used to have some good stuff, but it was at MSRP.
No. Especially when I can get deals like four Athearn BB F7’s for $40. That’s $10 each! Or two Proto 2000 E6’s for $68. That $34 each. I leave quite happy. It makes the 120 mile drive worth while.
Well make that 3 people it puzzles. The cracked gear issue was only in early runs of GP7’s, GP9’s, GP18’s, GP30’s and FA1’s. I have around 75-80 Proto 2000 loco’s and have only had cracked gear issues with the loco’s I’ve listed. Any new releases simply don’t have the problem. I still buy the odd early release Proto and for the effort it takes to swap a set of wheels into it I’ll probably buy more. Proto’s are great running loco’s and shouldn’t be bad mouthed like they are from people that don’t really know the whole truth. For the record no Proto 1000 loco ever had a broken gear problem that was common on the early Proto 2000’s.