This is not to take away from Trains the magazine or its many worthy advertisers, but in researching RR’s for a possible stock purchase, I’ve noticed that most of them have on-line gift shops (Norfolk Southern calls theirs the “Company Store”); though frequently such services are handled by third-party licensed to handle a particular RR’s logo’s.
My experience has been limited, but interesting – UnPac’s site in the Pacific Northwest was about average in price, as far as I can tell, but blazingly fast and efficient (my Sunday on-line purchase as acknowledged and "filled’ in time for the first Monday dispatch, and I received their stuff Wednesday via UPS–darn good for the Midwest). [:)]
NS’s “Company Store” was downright cheap when it came to the staples like mugs and caps. Unfortunately, the Maryland-based fulfillment service took an awful long time to get the stuff to me–when it came it was perfect, but I had paid the extra five bucks for two-day UPS and it was more like two weeks getting to me.[V] Worth it in the long run, though, for me at least: in my opinion, the “Thoroughbred” logos is one of the great all-time symbols, RR or not. [8D]
What’s your experience? What sites are reasonable, and what sites are very reasonable for RR employees and retirees but not so for the gen. public? Which calendars are worth the nearly fifteen bucks some sites require (incl. shipping), and which ones are a steal? In your opinions, which sites are worth avoiding in order to go to the public market (licensees for private labels, nostalgia market, etc).
I realize this thread is pretty trivial, but heck, these are the “lazy, hazy crazy days of summer,” so why not? [:D]
Your friend, Al, from Chicago