rgburrill

Gee, why don't we just get the government to stop us from buying from China?  They could force the online stores to deliver only to the LHS so they could stay in business, just like buying firearms.  Everybody wins.  China wins.  The LHS wins.  Big brother wins.  Labor wins.  And we get to pay more for the same thing - and more is obviously better.

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

read at the beginning of the thread. You will find it if you try hard enough. May the force be with you.

w0mbat

My Feedback: (1)

I think a lot of hobby shops wish they could buy the same quality items they currently buy direct from China for 1/4 the price. If that were the case, the hobby industry would be booming and hobby shop owners would be making money hand over fist! Unfortunately, the Chinese are masters of replication (at least visually) and are not held to any standard of quality or service like US companies are. The average hobby shop that wants to stay in business simply cannot sell the same products as places like Hobby King because warranty and service costs would put them out of business in short order.

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

Truth is - most of us want the most for their money.
Owning a hobby store won't make one rich, with a few exceptions.
But it can be a lot of fun, if you are really in the hobby.
The stores around here hire some students to sell the parts.
Some of them are into rc cars.
If you ask them for a gasoline fuel line, you get the 'dear in the headlight' look.

Someone mentioned Best Buy - same here. Circuit City died because of the same issues.
Try Radio Shack. You will find some sales people trying to get you to sign up on a cell phone contract.
No idea what a capacitor looks like.

Then paying $2.98 for a LED, I can get for 10 cents online does not help the business either.
I do expect some sort of knowledge and service for paying the higher price. And I understand
that a store in the mall can not survive on selling some resistors or diodes, but I do not need
a new phone every time I walk into that store.

Some LHS owners are very much involved - great. Ours is not. You can see more and more gassers around here - so people
do not have to go to the store at all, they buy online.

Sport_Pilot

How do you know it was a waste of time? He may have found the service worth the extra price. Good salesmen do not consider the time spent ona customer who does not buy a "waste of time".

GerKonig

Exactly, the poster is not in sales. In sales you would call that "an opportunity" never a "waste of time".

Gerry

GerKonig

Interesting enough, HK also sells brand name things like Futaba radios...

Gerry

haikt

My Feedback: (11)

Do you think it would be better if the guy in the op did not come in at all and ask questions.
My lhs that just opened is going out of his way to bring people in and ask questions.
Because guess what 3 out of 10 will buy something or come back and get some small stuff for the plane they got online

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I think you are missing the point. Everyone (I believe) agrees that the more people asking questions in a LHS or at the field is great and the law of averages will equal either a new customer or new member. The situation was that the person was asking questions about the items in the LHS and when told the price or viewing the sticker was tapping on their phone to compare shop online right in front of the owner/salesman. That is rude plain and simple. Even if that person was treated great by the LHS , do you think they will be back to buy something they were discussing? My experience says NO.

w0mbat

My Feedback: (1)

They also don't seem to adhere to minimum advertised pricing so it makes me wonder what they are actually selling and where they are getting it from.

w0mbat

My Feedback: (1)

Most people who shop based on price only have their minds made up before they even walk in the door. It is very difficult to make a sale that is 3 or 4x the price unless you outright lie to them and then very few people would ever believe you anyway.

I have had people come back and purchase from me after leaving with their fill of information, but only after they purchased something online and it either didn't operate properly or they crashed it on the first flight and couldn't get parts.

dash3riprock

My Feedback: (10)

I do just the opposite, research online then order through my LHS. almost always its the same price sometimes even cheaper. Plus if theres a problem my LHS can deal with it alot faster than I can. and if I do have to pay a little more for something I figure thats the price for having such good expertise to help me.

topspin

Even more interesting is the fact that if you should have a question regarding a Futaba radio or anything else they sell for that matter they have no technical service whatsoever. So if you buy something from them you better know exactly how to use it. That is one of the things that falls under the customer service heading.

DGrant

My Feedback: (4)

I agree... I want to move to GrandRapids now... haha.. seriously though.. I do a agree.. that sounds lilke a sweet set-up.. and I'm not against spending money at the LHS at all.. matter of fact I've spent a ton there(don't tell the wifey).. I spend even more money in the shops that have very current items too.. at street(read internet) prices.. somehow those shops not only survive... they are thriving... and I have no need to get on my SmartPhone and check prices.. They're right there in front of me..

My point though, and opinion..(yes..we all have them..just like the other thing we can't mention here).. is its really not anyones business what/how someone shops.. other when asked.. but that's just me. I do have to say, I'm not one for conciously wasting anybodys time.., so maybe the guy shopping in the hobbyshop in the OP just didn't realize what he was doing..

So I suggest to the OP.. Do alot more people watching.. it is amazing what people do when they don't realize anybodys watching.. It can be pure entertainment when you're left with nothing to do at those times.

This is a decent discussion so far too.. a little crunchy here and there.. but its all good guys.. thats how we learn. I'm sure we're all nice people.. anything I've stated in this thread is not meant personal to anybody.. so I hope nobody is offended... that's not my intent in at all... So.. yeah what corch said is a positive.. definately. Good job corch! Carry on.

DadsToysBG

My Feedback: (35)

I own a LHS. My prices are either the same or very close to the internet. I use several places to check prices. the one customer thats gets to me is the guy with the cell that has a bar code reader. He scans the bar code looking for the cheapest price. I can't spend all day doing the same thing. If i can I'll over to split the difference, but he gets very little information from me until he buys.
I do spend a lot of time with people in the hope that they return. In 18 years of doing this i can tell if they are serous or just fishing. that determines how much time i spend. Dennis

corch

My Feedback: (1)

LOL, if you have lived a long amount of time in CA, the West Michigan winters will kill you.

I also forgot to mention that a Harbor Freight is in the same "strip mall" area, and an ice cream shop. The LHS has a facebook and twitter feed, and supports model railroading too (they got the "big" room in the basement, and the nicer bathroom. lol)rc cars/trucks/boats, etc. Serves as a hub for all the local modeling events through advertising and donating door prizes, gift cards, etc. And the big benefit is that it is exactly halfway between my house and the flying field!

P. Richards

My Feedback: (3)

I guess my local Hobby Shop was on the cutting egde. He was placing airplanes on consignment and selling them for modelers, sometimes he forgot to notify the modeler that his aircraft had sold. Thats what kept me going back because you never knew what was coming into the shop, and I obtained a lot of great deals. The original shop owner has since retired and the individual who has taken over is in my opinion on life supports he no longer takes consignments. Hobby Shops have changed a lot and if they cannot compete with online shoppers they will go the way of the dinosaur...

P. Richards aka SwatTeam.

Mike in DC

When you say "the internet", do you mean something like Tower Hobbies, or something like HobbyKing? The problem isn't really retail vs Tower. Tower prices aren't that low, and their shipping is expensive. Where it's really tough to compete is with HobbyKing's own brands, even when you include shipping from Hong Kong.

greenjeep

My Feedback: (3)

Iwas looking for an airplane in one of my LHS's. They did not have what Iwas looking for in stock. Did they offer to order it for me? No, but they did let me know that I could order it online. Iwas trying to support them. Iguess they did not need the business. Took them up on the offer. Tower got the sale. All Ibuy from them now are small items like props, fuel. glue etc.

Im my other LHS the owner (nor any of his emplayees) have ever spoken to me when entering his shop and never offers any assistance. I walked around his shop for 20 minutes one day before leaving without being recognized. Guess he does not want me in his shop.

Idon't mind paying a little more at a LHS but Iwill not be treated like Iam not welcome in thier shop nor will Ibeg them to order something for me,

DadsToysBG

My Feedback: (35)

I know I can't be everywhere for everybody, but this is how my store is run. Got table and chairs for lunch. coffee is hot all day. What to come in and just talk planes that's great. Need help with a plane my work shop is in the back, I'll help no charge.
Need help with a car because your new, even if you didn't buy it here I help. If I can show what to do it's free. If you what me to do it it's $20 flat rate.
If you order a plane I match tower no shipping added. Here in 2 to 3 days. If I'm really busy with customers and you come in the least I can do is say "hello" and be patient I'll find time to help. Dennis

carrellh

Most of the shops in my area do their pricing like this:
For identical brand and part number, they tend to mirror the big online retailers - Hobby People, Horizon, Tower, SIG, etc.

One shop is always a few dollars less on kits, arfs, radios, and engines; and exactly the same on hardware and accessories.

Another is equal or less on planes but slightly higher on engines and radios. This is the shop that helped my brother choose his first computer radio. They were so helpful that paying $30 more than Tower was charging was no issue at all. My Astro Hog kit was $10 less at this shop than at Tower or SIG at the time. This shop usually has the best pricing on fuel.

Even though they are good they cannot match the inventory of the warehouses, and making a second trip to pick up an order is no fun.

They do not try to match Tower's offer codes and other promotions.

Last time I was at these shops they did not sell the 'house' brands that HobbyKing sells.

Tobtech

My Feedback: (3)

Any LHS that tells me I can go order it online deserves to be out of business. I have had that happen to in a LHS and other business as well and any time it has happened, they never see my face again. I don't mind if they offer to order for me, but don't tell me to go home and get on the PC and order it myself. I chose to come into the store for one reason or another the LHS needs to make sure to help those that still walk in the door. The people that walk in simply to view the product with NO intention of buying at the LHS is another story. If I was a LHS owner (and I was in the past) that would really piss me off, but I would hope there is a way to try and turn them into a customer. You folks that are going in just to get free information before purchasing online, at least keep an open mind to buying at the LHS if they go above and beyond, isn't that worth a few bucks? Maybe that guy behind the counter at the LHS walks into your business next week.

I always try to go to brick and mortar store first, I had to change careers as a result of an industry that was suffering because of Ebay and the internet so it hits home for me.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Mark up on some things is so low a dealer doesn't care about those things so much. they make their bread and butter on parts and service. Just like a Car dealer doesn't care where you bought the car,, You bringing it in for service and parts is all they want.

Bottom line they just want/need you in the hobby, when I was racing RC cars/trucks a lot, I'd spend $1000 putting together a 1/8 buggy, Then an additional $100-$200 a month on parts, wheels, tires and fuel + race entry fees. You think My LHS cared where I bought the buggy? Heck No!

w0mbat

My Feedback: (1)

At least you understand that they don't want your business. There are some people who just keep coming back after being treated badly. I guess maybe they are used to being treated that way everywhere they shop!

DadsToysBG

My Feedback: (35)

Guys, you have to understand something. If you want to use a Tower discount code that is probability my profit margin and I have to pay shipping on top of that. In that case I will say "sorry" order from Tower. It's not that I don't want the business it's that I can't sell for less the I pay for it. Only the US government can do that. All I can hope for is that you need things for the plane and you buy from me. I'll even let you use my phone, it won't make me mad. I can't sell everything to everybody
Just got off of the phone with a guy 5 states away talking radios. I knew he wasn't going to buy from me but hopefully when he does buy he'll have a better understanding what he does want. What I did do is make a friend and you can't have enough of them. Dennis