ORIGINAL: drevil
The local shops by me are actually pretty good at what they do. I've got a mom and pop shop near me that has decent prices and they actually know their stuff.
On the other hand I've got a Hobby Town USA near me that is filled with a bunch of morons. I've been there twice to buy a servo (for two different vehicles) and both times they didn't have a standard servo in stock and couldn't match one up for me. Instead they gave me the run around telling me that they need part numbers to find the right one. Then I goto my local mom and pop shop and they pull out the correct servo in thirty seconds. I think the problem with Hobby Town is that they hire people who aren't into this hobby and are just looking for a job.
Unless there's another one around here, you're referring to the HTUSA that's 5 minutes away from my house......
FWIW, I shop there pretty frequently, largely because it's so close, and I've had that same experience--I've given the kids working there an earful a couple times when they told me they needed a part number to find something that I could SEE hanging on the rack behind them
. The owner is trying hard to improve the store though; I just go straight to her when I need something and she takes care of it. I don't count on them for much other than Traxxas Losi and AE parts and general hardware, but I'm still glad to have them there.
Kenvil's been good, too. He's always been willing to work with me when I need stuff he doesn't have on hand, and usually I have it in my hands before tower could anyway.