Hobby Shops in Tough Times

[Herc Driver]

I get the opportunity to visit many hobby and model train stores around the country in my flying job. From what I've seen, as I'm almost always entering the store as an "outsider", that there are the "regulars" who are known by first name and know what the store stock is and pick around looking for something new. There's few people "just looking" who clearly don't know what they're looking for. I always try to bring the other guy I'm flying with and introduce him to the hobby (and maybe the LHS staff if they're interested in saying hello) and maybe spur interest. What I do find interesting is the very wide range of pricing...and what items are clearly more important to the shop owners than other items. There is generally less mark downs on items that are not seen much locally on the rails around town. I can get good deals on NS in Seattle, but the BNSF stuff is rarely marked down. Conversely, you'll pay full MSRP for NS at a LHS in the Charlotte area but get a deal on other roads. The other strange thing is that, except for a store in Columbus, OH that always greats me nicely - even though I only visit once or maybe twice a year - almost every local hobby store owner/staff person rarely tries to show a lot of hospitality when I visit. Granted, it probably looks a bit strange seeing some guy wearing a pilots uniform walk into their store, but it is a perfect opportunity to open up a conversation. Normally, they just say hello and that's it. In this day of tough economic concerns, competition with internet sales, and ebay, you'd think they'd go out of there way to warmly greet a new face (and possible sale). I've always tried to buy something at each store I visit, just to help them and along and help them remember that strange pilot-dude that visited. I like the brick-and-motar stores...I like talking trains with the local hobby store owner. You can't buy that over the internet.

(One of these days, I'm going to have the time and visit a hobby store named Fifer Hobby in Las Cruces, NM...I hear there's some Nscaler hobby store owner down there that just might talk to a pilot-dude about Nscale trains.)