Working in a hobby shop

[teejay]

I have an opportunity , in the next couple of months , to work in a hobby shop that will be involved in model railroading ONLY .
I have zero money of my own invested so will be just an employee ....anyone worked in such an environment .......good , bad ?

The two guys that will own the place I;ve known ( and trusted ) for years , and I've been in retail sales for 20+ years ....just wondering about any unforseen pitfalls

...anyone , anyone ?

Terry

[Ralph]

I don't have work experience in a hobby shop, but observations of my local hobby shop suggest you may want to be prepared for two or three guys who visit a LOT, never buy anything, and talk you ear off!

Let us know how it goes. Say, do they have a display layout?

Ralph

[Tyson Rayles]

Terry I work for a Lionel museum (privately owned) and we also had a hobby shop as well. However being a very small tourist town the hobby end wasn't making it and they closed that part down after 6 years. I have been there for going on 10 years and it's like getting paid to play for me. That said I'm retired and only work part-time (2 days a week, 9 months a year). I don't want to work any job full-time and year around but if I had to this one would be my first choice.

[tomustang]

That's a tuffy, I would say if there isn't any local shops to compete and the prices will be in-line to what can be found from online stores it should be alright.

[shaygetz]

Watch out for the folks that bring in their "Rare, Old, Antique" TYCOs for an appraisal...

[Steamtrains]

That sounds like a great job....Just don't spend your earnings on the merchandise..!!!

[teejay]

...some good tips here , thanks .

This will be a new hobby shop ...building is there but is empty as we speak . One of the two guys involved had a local train shop about 15 years ago . It was successful but he and the 3 other partners were all working at the time and it proved to be more than they could handle ....the 2 guys involved now are both retired .
Hobby shops within about a 50 mile radius have changed ...one guy died , another had heart bypass operation , yet another is carrying on after her Dad passed away and just sort of plays at it . There are no "trains only " shops around ....even Detroit area shops are few and far between anymore . So I think it will work , but time will tell . The shop will be connected to another couple of unrelated attractions that a "well heeled " person is financing , but won't be involved with the hobby shop . Lots of preparation ahead to be open by September .


T

[Tyson Rayles]

Remember guys when they are finally open Terry will be giving all Big Blue members a hefty discount! *




























*Of course there may be some shipping and handling charges.

[Prairie Trains]

Terry, working in a model trains only shop is lots of fun and especially if you are not an owner. When the deadbeats and chiselers come in you can tell them the boss would fire you if you did that. Or just refer them to the boss and tell them he is a really nasty person. The ones I hated would come in and tell you how much money they plan on spending in the store in the coming future. Then they will tell you that because of this you should give them a big discount on their first purchase, like fifty percent off (much less than store cost) and if you agree, the next time they come back they will tell you the store is making soooo much money off them that you should give them another big discount. And
when you quit giving them a discount on everything you will never see them again. But most days it is very enjoyable

Even the guys that come in to talk are quit often enjoyable. Winnipeg used to have a shop where one night a week a group of people came in and would buy a few odds and ends they might need and socialize for a while with the owner, and then all go to a restaurant for pizza and coffee. Good luck and hope you enjoy it like I did.

[teejay]

With 20+ years in the car business , I've always tried to build value into a product rather than argue about money ....learned that the hard way . There will always be those who just want to bitch about money , but profit is a good thing !
I'll ask the guy ..." Are you working " and " Do YOU get a paycheck ?"

If yes , then profit is a good thing ....if your company didn't make a profit , eventually you wouldn't be getting a check ! There is also a difference between something being affordable vs not wanting to pay a price . If you don't want to pay , GOOD NEWS , you don't have to pay ! Bye !

T

[Sumpter250]

21 years U.S.Navy - 19 years "Field Service", took a job at a newly opened Hobby shop, after being laid off.
I really enjoyed working there. Unfortunately, the store was never meant to "last", and after three years there, I was informed that the owner had declared bankruptcy. I'm fully, and officially retired now.
The customers who always are complaining about wanting discounts? They'd eventually want you to pay them for the privilege of using your product. Charge them full price.
The best Hobby Shops, are the ones where the employees are always ready and willing to "talk shop", share the hobby, rather than always "pitching" the product, and knowing the customers well enough to recommend products they can successfully use, until they have developed a wider range of skills. It's better that they learn a bit about the hobby, before spending too much on things they can't begin to understand. They will learn, and they will, eventually, be ready for the "latest and greatest".
I guess I could have put it much simpler, like, Always keep "Hobby", in Hobby Shop, and "shop" will be the beneficiary.

[MountainMan]

I would consider working in my LHS to be a dream job. An old friend who isn't around any longer put it best:

"Everyone has a vocation and an avocation, but you're really lucky if they are both the same."

[oldline1]

Terry,

In 45+ years I've worked in several shops as a weekend employee and as the Manager. It's basically a great experience but as in every job there are people of all sorts entering the store. Some come looking for help, some for a release to bitch about everything in their lives but most are there to enjoy another aspect of the hobby by spending time with fellow modelers and seeing what's new.

There are most definitely those looking for huge discounts which aren't possible. In the past most hobby items were only marked up 40% from cost which didn't allow much leeway on prices. Books & many other items were at 10-30% markup. I remember years ago when Atlas first came out with their GP-35, FP-7A and SD-24 models. They cost me $15 and retailed for $25. A huge local R/C airplane shop decided to enter the HO train sales area and was selling them for $11.99. I had many customers coming in complaining that I wasn't matching their price. Even after showing them my invoices they still didn't understand.

Many like to tell you they are PLANNING to buy a huge amount of equipment & supplies so you "owe" them a discount. Usually they buy about $100-200 worth which really won't be enough for the owner to retire to the Bahamas. Most customers or potential customers have a much different idea of what a huge amount of money actually is. To some folks $100 is a lot of money, and it may be for their budget, but in the grand scale of operating a for-profit business it doesn't amount to much.

Also, the mention of appraisals was mentioned. That's a common happening and if you aren't knowledgable I wouldn't give an appraisal to anyone. It leads to hard feelings and angry people. You will find that almost everyone believes the old beater of a Lionel 2-6-4 thinks it's worth a Zillion dollars and you're trying to rip them off. Reality is that few old items are valuable and especially those with lots of hard usage on them.

For the most part the customers are enjoyable and have as much to offer you as you have for them. They often will be there when you open the doors and when you close up for the day.......ESPECIALLY on Saturdays! We had a fellow that came in with me every Saturday morning, stayed all day, read every magazine & book, touched every new engine & car and left at closing with no purchases ever being made. The redeaming part was he was extremely up on everything in model railroading and real railroading and was a great source of info for us and customers.

Best of luck with the job, relax and enjoy!

Roger

[RobertInOntario]

I've never worked in a hobby shop but -- having visited them a lot and getting to know their staff -- I have some observations.

To some degree, the train part might become secondary as the business details will still need to be taken care of. For example, whether the business is about trains or computers or books, etc., you still have to plan your inventory, do your books and accounting. So you might spend most of your time thinking about business details rather than about the hobby. I think that could take some of the fun out of it but those areas are also the main responsibility of the owners, not the employees.

I basically frequently visit two hobby shops and I've made friends with the employees, moreso than the owners. The owners are usually too busy or are in & out, whereas the employees seem to be the real train enthusiasts who want to share & discuss the hobby. They're the ones who have layouts at home and who attend railway events, etc. At one of these shops, the main employee is quite a model train enthusiast and excellent repair & advise guy. I think he's one of the main "selling points" or attractions of the shop.

I'm sure there are pro's and con's to every side of business. If I had a chance to work in one, I think I'd pursue it!

Rob

[teejay]

...guess I should have mentioned this before ......the "backer" who was going to finance the venue surrounding the hobby shop ( I won't elaborate ) turned out to be a fraud . Fortunately our guys hadn't contributed any money for the " shares " she ( yes SHE ) was trying to sell . Others weren't as fortunate . The fraud squad was called in and they did their thing but , really , that crime is on the bottom of the totem pole and in the end , she walked free . Moved on as it were . Good riddance !

T