Bummer for those of us who live close.
Rats, doon’t know if I will be up for the trip down to Timonium, I have to go to Vegas the week before for work and get home Friday night.
They do say they are considering an option for local pickup for those who live close, so you could place an order on the web site, then drive over and pick it up, which will be nice.
Note that rather than scoff at or wring their hands at this new “internet” thing, they were early adopters, and it paid off well for them. They still have a superior ordering and inventory system compared to most other online retailers, which continues to amaze me.
–Randy
So true. I think about the best model railroad shop in my area that was stocked to the ceiling with everything imaginable for decades. A great old time hobby shop. They didn’t embrace anything new and are now gone while MB Klein is thriving.
Jim
I am not any longer able to offer any positive comments about MB Klein’s mail order packaging or customer service, so I’ll stop right there.
I now shop elsewhere.
Going there would be hours for me. Mostly, I can live with what I have, I guess.
It’s a shame to see brick and mortar go, but, like my chosen era, I prefer to live in the past, decades ago.
Sign of the times. Why flog a dead horse? With modern delivery methods even those who live locally would be wasting their time to pick something up.
I use Amazon a lot. Their return policies take all the risk out of buying unseen. I’m sure M.B. Klein will do the same.
Dave
While I lament the passing of many fine local hobby and train shops, I will admit that MB Klein has been my favorite online source for quite some time. Unfortunately it is the time we live in. I continue to miss the ability to examine something in my own hands, try it on a test layout in the store and then decide to order it. Those times have passed.
The advantage of a bricks and mortar store is that you see things that you didn’t know were on the market or things you didn’t know you needed.
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
they closed your hobby shop and put in a warehouse parking lot
Well, it hasn’t been THAT way for quite some time. They reduced the “store” to basically a kiosk with little to actually see.
I live too far away to visit anyway and have been doing mail order for many years with them. Unfortunately in the last year or so the mail order service hasn’t been their normal efficient way of working. I’ve had orders that took up to a week to even fill and then add 4-6 days for shipping. Do I need most things TODAY? No, but it’s reflective of their business in a big change mode. Hopefully the service will improve. I’d like to see them improve. They have some of the best prices anywhere. I like their live website for quantities. It’s nice knowing you won’t place an order and wind up with nothing but backorders.
oldline1
Hi Henry,
That’s what I used to use the Walthers catalogue for! Talk about finding stuff that I didn’t know I needed!!!
Seriously, the loss of the brick and mortar stores is tragic. There is one potential positive from my club’s perspective. We pay our bills by running a big train show each year. At least you can still get your hands on stuff there. Hopefully the loss of the stores will drive some business in our direction, not that that comes without a price to the hobby.
Dave
The problem is with Athearn, if you don’t have a brick and mortar store, you can’t sell their products.
I wasn’t aware of that. I buy many of my Athearn products from a mail order business in Muncie, Indiana, and I’m pretty certain they do not have a B&M presence.
I could be wrong?
Cheers, Ed
While I do buy train stuff on-line, now that most of the local-ish hobby shops around here are gone, I also try to drop-by English’ Model Railroad Supply at least once or twice a year when I also visit a friend in Ohio…250 miles to see him, another 250-or-so to Montoursville, and about the same to get home again. Always well-worth the drive.
Wayne
This here. So true. Thats why I was disspointed at the new Caboose. I really like just browsing around the store, and find cool stuff that I didn’t know I wanted.
Its kind of hard to figure out what I want, then find it on the internet and order it. Also I HATE waiting for packages to arrive. I like the instant gratifacation of walkign out of the store with all kinds of goodies.
Henry,That applies to very few hobby shops these days. If you have such a shop to go to then you are truly blessed.
Last shop I was in still had a lot of dusty NOS with today’s price sticker over the old original price sticker. In order to save my trip I bought MR,Trains and Railfan and departed…
Most of my shopping has been mail/internet order for years now. Train shows are mostly my “LHS” as there are no train stores near where I live.
I miss the old well stocked hobby shops, but retailing has changed and the stores that don’t change disappear.
One thing that’s different for me is that I now “stock” all the little miscellaneous stuff like strip wood, paint, etc. With no LHS and shipping costs for one item too high, I have to be my own LHS.
Paul
eBay is kind of like that too. Surfing it has spent more money in than otherwise!
Like Paul, I’ve done most of my shopping on line for years now. This is clearly where the vast majority of MBKs business is from and the walk-in is probably now a negative to their bottom line.
Since MBK cut the walk-in shop to about 1/3rd it’s former size, going there on Timoniom show days is unpleasant and waits for service are long. My wife anymore refuses to even go in since the shrink in size, she waits in the car. It may be quite crowded on the late Oct T show Saturday. Only reason to put yourself through the punishment is to get the show day discount on a higher priced item like an engine. The engine I needed I already bought and is sold out so I’m not so inKleined to drop in even for the bit of nostalgia.
For most of the hobby shops I’ve visited the full MSRP prices quickly cured that urge for instant gratification. I don’t mind waiting when I can save 20 or 25%. With ever increasing prices getting good dicounts help keep the hobby more affordable