Anyone else having this problem? I’m retired on a fixed income so this is a big deal to me. Every month I scan Walthers Sale Catalog for good deals on items I need or things I just want but prices are out of my budget. It doesn’t matter wheather it’s an in stock item or special order they always ring it up at retail price. I always have to confront the clerk and have the corrections made. Example: Had special order on Platinum Line 2 Pack Cabooses. Retail Price 54.98 Sale Price 30.98. When the clerk rang it up at 44.98 (where did that figure come from) I had to confront him again. Hope no one else out there is having this problem.
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“Confront” may not be the proper way to address the situation.
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Your LHS is not “required” to use Walther’s sale prices. Free enterprise means charging whatever you feel you should or have to charge. Your LHS may have bought the item long before Walthers had it on sale.
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Really want the sale prices? Order from Walthers.
The local hobby shop’s who are listed in the sales flyer SHOULD be required to use the Walther’s sale prices. They are listed in the catalog as ‘retailers participating in this sale’. There were over 100 shops listed in the June catalog I received last week. If they don’t want to participate in the sale, they should have their name removed from the catalog.
All other shops can charge what they want to and do. They have chosen not to participate in the Walther’s sale.
Dale Latham
I get the catalog, and then I e-mail my LHS with my order. He places it through Walthers, and then I get the sale price. I put the prices in the e-mail, and then print a copy to bring with me.
When stuff comes into the shop, the hired help just marks it with the retail price, so having the flier or my e-mail for reference allows the owner to quickly make the correction. It’s just part of the transaction.
As long as you’re getting the sale price, even if you have to go through a bit of admin to do it, then you should be happy. I know I am. And right now I’m looking forward to next month’s catalog!
The listing as a sale dealer only means that they can order and sell stuff at the sale price. If they have stock on hand they do not have to sell it at the sale price. First, that would be illegal price fixing and second they would be losing money How would you like it if your employer said " the guy down the street only pays his people $8 an hour so that is all we are paying you this week"?
Both of my LHS’s honor the sale prices although they dont “Have” to.
If the 10 dollar widget is on sale for 3 dollars today and I ordered it, there is a cut off date (Usually the end of the month or two weeks) before that sale price expires and you are charged full price whatever it might be at the store.
Confrontation is not necessary with good communication and proper evidence. You might want to consider going DIRECT to Walthers with a Credit Card and a Telephone ready with the information and bypass the store. Or purchase it from any one of the mail order houses around the USA.
Isn’t “Participating LHS” the word here? You didn’t say if your LHS was indeed participating in the Walthers sales promos. Maybe they aren’t.
There could also be the possibility that the regular price is what they have in their computer, so this is what shows up at the checkout. They may not adjust prices just for the sales, you may have to tell them as you did.
I often find that the stores aren’t often aware of what’s in the sales flier, until someone points it out. Also, maybe One Track Mind can shed somemore light on it, I get the impression from my LHS that Walthers sometimes plays dirty pool with the sales fliers.
As an aside, most times, my LHS normal discount is better then the Walthers “sale” price.
Nick
The BEST solution to your problem is right in front of you…Buy on line instead of the LHS…After all he doesn’t seem to care if he over charges you or not or what price he charges you.
I gave up on my 2 full price LHS.
As a example check these prices:
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/default.asp
Yeah this can be kind of a hot-button issue with dealers. I’m really not willing to post all my thoughts on the subject, but…
As was posted, do not assume that just because a shop carries Walthers products that the shop is a participating dealer in those monthly sales flyers. It is correct that the shops listed in the flyers as “participating dealers” are the only shops that need to honor those sale prices.
I suspect it’s probably a case of there is no way to keep track of everything that’s on sale in those flyers for a lot of shops…and that’s just one problem.
I participated in the monthly sales at one time - there are many issues for why a store may not choose to participate…again I can’t really get into it here…some of my points would get mighty close to violating the “no advertising” rule.
But like Safety Valve mentioned, while I don’t “broadcast it” (oops…too late now!) I will honor the Walthers sales flyer price…with no strings (it makes life so much simpler!) attached but it sure does make it easier if the customer, like Mr. B does, brings the flyer with him and can point out the sale price.
the disclaimer: I’m a reasonably satisfied Walthers dealer most of the time. I would not use the term “plays dirty pool” to describe the Walthers sales or how they treat us (dealers)…I would say it can be inconvenient at times to say the least.
The LTS I frequent honors the Walthers sale prices, but as it has been pointed out above, you typically need to show him in the flyer what the item is so he can see the sale price. He promotes the flyer in his store, but he doesn’t want to have to go around every month and put sale stickers on everything.
He has said that it is sort of a pain, because he bought the stuff previously at one price, and then has to turn around and sell it for a lot less than he planned on. At least it moves merchandise.
On a couple occasions, I asked the LHS listed in the sale flyer, if they honored the sale prices. Then I placed an order. However, I usually just order from Walthers, to save the sales tax. I also compare the walthers sale flyer prices to other online retailers. Sometimes someone else’s regular price is cheaper, but not always.
Brakie has a good point…I know it sounds mean to say ‘‘forget the LHS,buy it yourself…online’’, but if you want to save money or get some truly awesome deals thats the way to go.I don’t see the need to order through the LHS and pay them tax and mark-up for something you can order yourself.
I frequently order from Discount Trains Online,Tower Hobbies, Super Scale\Microscale and Model Power{clearance}…I always check the sales and have gotten some excellent deals, I also noticed that my LHS was looking at the SAME sales!! the clearance items and sale items from these online stores were well stocked at my LHS but the prices were not the sale prices and in some cases they were 10-20% OVER the original MSRP. So, I couldn’t see buying them from my LHS and getting overcharged,especially since i knew EXACTLY how much S&H was paid and what the sale prices were.
I still patronize my LHS for things I need ‘‘right now’’, but I always check my online sources first before i buy anything.
I would suggest SIMPLY ASKING the local Hobby shop WHAT his policies are?
LHS’ exhibit merchandise. You get to look, touch, and TEST what you are buying. RETURN policies vary, but refunds or exchanges are generally N/C, or WITHIN REASON.
SPECIAL ORDERS are another animal. LHS pay state and city taxes - plus shipping - and use THEIR credit, not yours. If you are paying your credit card , HE is paying 4% for that privilege (vs. 4% av. for bad checks)
Mail order you pay shipping + ‘handling’ (average total 9%-10%) which offsets average sales taxes (8% Denver - 10% LA). RETURNS have a waitng time, as well as the cost of shipping, or restocking. You only come out ahead on large orders. EVERYONE wants items that sell quickly (Cash flow). Mail order Houses are increasingly cater to the low end crowd - the ones needing the most HELP.
As LHS competition dissapears, M.O.Houses’ prices will rise. Remember you heard it here!
Once Sears and M. Ward started charging State sales taxes plus shipping, their MO biz plummeted.
Greed is alive and well.
Don said:Greed is alive and well.
Yes at your LHS…Frankly I am tired of full prices and the cry of “I don’t have it in stock but,I can order it for you”.
As a customer I am tired of seeing the same dusty stock that is 2-3 years old at full price.
As a customer I am tired of hearing excuses why this or that new product isn’t in stock but,I can order it for you.I can do that and save money.
As a customer I am tired of having to pay 20% down on a pre order locomotive or car.I can pre-order on line and still save 30% with zero down.
That Don,is why I walked out of those shops in disgust…
Did I mention its a 53 mile round trip to these shops?
I sure hope your LHS is better.
I feel blessed to have wonderful stores in my area. I’m just sad that not all stores are as good or as “Easy” to deal with from a customer’s point of view. I remember one store that growled at me in the Carolines when I entered the door, I did not return. Perhaps he was having a bad day but I wont invest a second trip to find out.
Some of you (myself also) feel that the Internet helps greatly because there is no Tax unless the sale is in your state. Sadly I am seeing signs through my ISP’s regular front page with contains news from a vareity of sources. (Reuters, BBC, Fox etc etc etc) There is a increase in articles indicating that Congress may actually impose a tax on all internet sales and force sellers to track sales tax collected in all 50 states from all thier buyers sometime in November.
I believe it when I see it. In the meantime I already hit one store and bought stuff this month and I plan to hit the other later this month. =)
Both of my stores did tighten the layaway procedures and so far as I know there are not much of a problem worth getting into here as a customer.
I dont know about that Credit Card Percentage rate being imposed as one poster mentioned here. If it was really 4% charged to the store owner then there is no point in keeping the service isnt it? Once in a while… once in a LONG while I’ll dig out the credit card and buy it but usually am a cash customer carrying a zero debt balance on my cards. Hell, when I think about it further, I recall closing and cutting up a 14% interest bearing credit card because my other cards only carry 5% or so. HAH.
Don, just a quick clarification on the Sear and Wards sales tax issue - they had to charge sales taxes on MO’s because of the sales tax laws changes for which they then got audited.
If you have a physical presence in the state (be it only one employee, say a single salesrep who lives there, or a store / in Sear’s case likely several stores), you have to charge that state’s sales tax on any and all orders to customers in that state, even if they were Mail Order’s shipped direct to the customer in that state from a source outside of state. Actually you don’t Have to charge the sales taxes if you don’t want, but you still Have to pay them (but you eat the cost, not the customer). That’s your perogative, but there’s no avoiding paying the tax if they decide to audit you. Everywhere I’ve worked we get state auditors in all of the time (I’m talking other states auditor’s) auditing for such revenues, especially Texas, NY, and Washington, but even some of the smaller states. Here in Calfornia several of the states have audit offices set up in LA to audit for just such sources of revenues. At one company I worked we had no physical presence in Wash state but sold lots of product to a big customer there. One of our salesmen moved to Washington, though not to service accounts there. He actually serviced Oregon and Northern California but moved to a small town in Washington just across the border. His move was picked up by the state of Washington and triggered the sales tax collections for all future Washington sales, even if he moved out and we no longer had any employees or other physical presence there. We had millions of $'s of sales to that one customer!!! So you know why Wash state was just waiting for us to trip up. Taxes are indeed nearly as certain as death itself. LOL
Anyways, enjoy the hobby,
Greg