Live Wire

What would you do with it I am talking about a LHS.
You say you will support it but when it comes down to the bottom $$$$ where do you go

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I admit I order from Tower. Once a year. Only because I like to look at Tower Talk. Plus if you wait long enough,like I just did last month, you get a save $20 on $50 order. "We want you back" it said. To me I think it is worth an extra 5% or so to keep the guys in business. Most of the time he is the same price but I have paid a little more or a little less.
Shout out to Mike's Models in OKC

David

Jim Thomerson

What is this LHS you speak of?[]

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Dave,
Have you checked out the Realm in Moore yet???

Ken

rcmiket

I give the LHS the first shot. (9 times out of 10 they come through. As of late the only thing I've been getting online is Lipo's and Helicopter parts. I'll get them local if they have them. Props, fuel ,wood ,glue, hardware everyday stuff they have my business and treat me right.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I'm with rcmiket; my LHS can match almost any price I find on-line, and he doesn't charge me for shipping. I might wait an extra day or so getting it from him, but going to his store is sort of a social event in itself. I'll go there first; if he can't get it, then i look elsewhere, and he's not the least upset about it. Our area has a good thing going with our LHS, he's a retired guy, and keeps the store going for something to do, mainly. He enjoys R/C, and doesn't have to depend on his profits to feed himself. Plus, he's a helluva nice guy.

gboulton

My Feedback: (15)

I've said it time and time again....

Relationships and community support are worth an AWFUL lot of money, imo.

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

They're referring to a Local Hobby Shop.

When you come down to it, once you get through buying on line at their discount, then adding in shipping and handling charges, you're pretty close to the LHS price anyway and as someone said in an earlier post, many LHS's are now able to meet the online prices.

They might have to special-order something for me, but I either wait for the LHS to get it in, or have it come from Unlimited Parts Supplier so the waiting time is a wash.

Makes good sense to support your LHS even if it costs a few extra $$. Now, I'm only ordering on line if it's a brand or item that he doesn't stock.

Bob

Rv7garage

My Feedback: (10)

Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL gets my business every time. They will order anything I ask, never charge shipping, and have all the "everyday" stuff on the shelves. Since I live in Illinois, I get taxed by Tower and Horizon if I order from them; therefore I have no incentive to do so

jcflysrc

My Feedback: (50)

Rarely do I buy online. I support my LHS cause we have lost a few good ones in the last few years. RC Hobby Shop in Sugarland Tx., and Larry's Hobbies in Houston, is where I shop.

Kingsway...gone...Cy Fair Hobbies...gone.

mscic-RCU

My Feedback: (6)

Daniel's Hobbies in Berlin Hgts, OH is where I go. Mark is totally embedded in our club activities, sponsoring two fly ins and a member also. He regularly beats mail order prices and like someone noted above, it's a social event to go there too!

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Ken I havn't been to that one. I need to go check it out I guess. Mike and Sean are so good to our club I won't change but I would like to look.

David

Stickbuilder

Noell's Hobbies in Wildwood Florida get's 100% of my business. Jack Noell is the owner, and is an accomplished modeller and flyer as well. He normally does a little better pricewise than I can do with the big boys, and I like the aspect of having a supply of needed parts and accessories nearby when I really have to have it right now. Plus, he can tolerate having me as a customer .

Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1

*JCB*

My Feedback: (9)

Went to my LHS twice in the past week looking for 4 different sizes of propeller, a sub-c battery, a li-po battery, an ESC and a fueler valve...THEY DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE THING I WAS LOOKING FOR!! What's a guy to do besides order it online where I KNOW it will be in stock. I am all in favor of supporting the little guy, but when he doesn't support me, ie. have things in stock, I don't have a choice but to shop at a place I know will have stock.

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

did you call ahead or ask someone at the shop about these items?

rcmiket

"Went to my LHS twice in the past week looking for 4 different sizes of propeller, a sub-c battery, a li-po battery, an ESC and a fueler valve...THEY DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE THING I WAS LOOKING FOR!! What's a guy to do besides order it online where I KNOW it will be in stock. I am all in favor of supporting the little guy, but when he doesn't support me, ie. have things in stock, I don't have a choice but to shop at a place I know will have stock."

Did you ask or even give them a chance to get what you needed. Those of us in retail don't have ESP we can't anticipate every ones every need. Don't be so sure you "online" guy has everything in stock at all times. I've been back ordered more than once. If you develop a relationship with the LHS I'm sure they will be more than happy to accommodate you. That's just good business.

Red Scholefield

My Feedback: (9)

Yep, Jack has his act together. We drive all the way from Gainesville (140 miles round trip) to do business with him. Even with gas at $3.00/gal it is worth the trip. You get to touch and feel and good prices.

*JCB*

My Feedback: (9)

Yep, I personally asked for everything I listed, the response was No, No...uh nope, NO etc...keeping stock on props is common sense, especially since they have a bunch of planes hanging from the ceiling. The other things are a little more understandable. But c'mon, going 0-8 in the things I am looking for is outta control especially since none of them are really over the top or big...

Again, I am all for going to the LHS, but I am also a busy person...and taking an hour+ out of my day for not is beyond acceptable. Being a small business owner myself, I give the fellow small business owner first rights (so-to-speak) and if they cannot follow through I have to go elsewhere. I fully understand to make it in the world of small business, you have to be available, helpful and more importantly give the customer a reason to come back to your store. If I go to a store time and time again with bad results, guess what...I'm not going to go there any more.

Also, keep in mind, I live in the heart of Los Angeles where good customer service has gone by the wayside. LHSs here are NOTHING like those in smaller towns.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

I totally understand about Mike and Sean, they are great people. But I have been treated badly by that other guy in there (can't remember his name right now) when Mike and Sean are out of town. I still go up there though. The only thing I've bought at the Realm so far is a case of fuel, and I didn't even drive up there to get it. Somebody else was going so I had them get it for me while I was there.

Ken

Live Wire

JCB
Can you emagine the inventory even a large Hobby Shop would have to have to stock all items for just one line of merchandice, When a LHS opens his doors he need input from customers to know what to keep on hand.
I used to try to keep popular items in stock but it seems all people wanted that came through the door was small items that shipping would make it not fesable to order on line and expect me to eat the shipping and handling. In this day and age with the PC a person can have things over night if you are willing to PAY[:@]

JPGale

I regulary use LHS, I have just back ordered a new 2.4 futaba T7C radio, I take the view that if I buy big things from him, normally paying more in tax than shipping and having to go get it, then he will be there when I need that small part 5 minutes before he closes, I can call him and he would make sure I got the part. For every $ I spend online I spend about $10 with the local guys.

daytimeninja

I would, but the closest LHS to me is Hobbytown USA, which is an hour away.[] So I usually order from tower. And if they don't have it, then somewhere else.

bruce88123

It doesn't sound to me like the LHS even OFFERED to order the stuff for JCB. Any business that wants YOUR business will make the offer simutaneously with the first "NO". I have the same prop problem with my LHS, a Hobby Town, and they don't seem to give a flip if you buy anything or not. They've NEVER offered to order anything for me either. They never ask if I need help finding stuff in the store or if I've found everything I was looking for.

IBrakeForNobody

My Feedback: (16)

I used to go to the LHS several times a week, and sometimes several times a day. I remember when I was building the first kit RC car I ever bought (Associated RC18T Factory Team), I'd go back to the LHS three times in one day with a semi-built RC18T and the instructions to ask one question, then come back home. But in the day and age of high gas prices ($3.29/gal) and when you have the choice of driving two gas-sucking pickups ('99 F-150, 5.4L V8; '03 Dodge Dakota, 4.7L V8 ), it's cheaper to order online. I still go there periodically to buy fuel and other smaller things, but the new employees they hired are rather...uneducated in RC (in leu of a better word); and when I phone ahead to ask if they have something in stock, I'm on hold for anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes, at which point I just hang up. I've also been told that they have something in stock, we repeat part numbers, and I go down there only for them to have a completely different item then I requested; and I've also been told that they are out of stock on an item, and I go down there anyway and see it on the wall.

Their prices are essentially the same as Tower and Horizon, which is nice. Most items are rounded up to the nearest dollar; like if an item is $5.79 on Tower Hobbies, its $6.00 at the LHS. I did buy a HPI Racing Savage X from Tower, though, because I got it for almost $130 cheaper then the LHS. The LHS would've been able to match the sale price on Tower, but I'd still pay $40 in sales tax for it, as opposed to $8 for shipping.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

My "Local" Hobby Shop is 100 miles away. I use them as often as I can.

But if I need something and see no trip to Minneapolis in the near future, I use Tower/Horizon