The LHS | Local Hobby Store
In the not too distant past, the local hobby store (LHS) was the go-to place for model railroading supplies. You could see new products in person, ideally talk to other model train enthusiasts and generally begin or reinforce the feeling of your model rail community. Then came the fairly sophisticated options of eBay, warehouse hobby stores and the smaller local shops, all with online buying options.
Lots has been written about how important it is to support your LHS, how these are still the backbone, the go-to places for model railroading. Without making any grand statements about this being true or not, I’d like add another wrinkle to the LHS mix. Supporting your LHS is a good idea if, and I can’t stress this enough, your local hobby shop also supports you!
For most of us, any time set aside for hobbies is a valuable commodity. We work long hours at our jobs and our hobby time is precious. In addition, most of us don’t live around the corner from a well-stocked LHS which means we’ll be driving to get there. With gas hovering at the $5.00 per gallon mark, and depending on what you drive, that relaxing and much anticipated trip to the LHS can cost you and hour or so and a few bucks in gas. Ok, this is the world and economy we live in, I can accept (if not love) that.
What I can’t accept is when the LHS thinks customer service is an option. This leads me to talk about the burr under my saddle today. I called ahead to my LHS today (which is a 40 minute drive each way) to check on their stock of a specific product. With the aforementioned time constraints and gas prices, calling ahead is something I do often these days. I was told the item was in stock. I’ll cut the drama short here, of course when I got to the LHS the item was not in stock.
Maybe I wouldn’t mind if this was the first time this had happened, it wasn’t. Two things tick me off about today’s episode: the item I called about is displayed on a shelf about 10 feet from the counter in this LHS, easy enough to check. To make today even more annoying, this is not even close to the first time this has happened in this LHS. I’ve gone back several times to this LHS because I do like the idea of supporting a LHS, but today’s visit was the last. Once I got back home, I simply checked for the lowest price online and ordered what I needed.
Maybe had the person I spoke to today in the LHS apologized for wasting my time, said he’d call me when the next delivery arrived or even put down the newspaper he was reading long enough to talk to me, I’d still buy from them in the future. I spend maybe $500 a year in this shop, given the thin margins retailers have today, I realize the loss of my business is just a drop in the bucket. Still, this particular LHS saw no value in supporting at least one customer today; sadly, the feeling is now mutual.
I’m still a proponent of supporting your LHS, even if it isn’t all that local, because I realize how tough running a business can be. I just think it’s a reasonable request for your LHS to support you in return.
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Even that bad support from a LHS is globalizing, what bad news is that! My LHS is not so, so far I know and hear! When I have a command on the go, they e-mail me to notify arrival of my demanded pieces. And, if there is a problem, these persons will really take time to find a solution.
This sounds rare, I thought, other club members – which go to other LHS and, even, internet furnishers – claims about the bad services given.
Should these be due the less time we must take to manipulate a command/piece/question? I hope from not, but I’ll be surprised if it is not!
GreetZ to you all,
Denis, the Belgian Zettist
How much of this situation could have been prevented if you had of asked a few key questions?
1. How MANY are in stock?
2. Can you hold one for me? Or two?
3. Is it possible that in the 40 or so minutes it took you to get there, that another customer came in and bought the item?
I think you need to man up John, and take some responsibility of this situation.
David,
I didn’t write every step of the experience for brevity, but I once I got there I was told that they didn’t actually look when I called, they just assumed they had it. Your points would have been good if this were not the case.
In a service business, a good one anyway, it’s incumbent on the business to provide reasonably good service.
I have let this slide several times with this particular shop in the past but this was the last time for me. On the other hand when I did order online from the new place I’ll be using, the person I spoke to was quick, professional and actually up-sold me on another couple of items. Good for them!
In a service business with lots of competition, it’s a primary responsibility (and really just a common sense idea) to provide good service.
John
Ztrains
I agree with John on this 100%, too many times my local hobby shop acted like I was doing them a favor when I asked for something. Now I just buy online too.
Mike P.
Even online shop is not always a hundred percent service. When you call, you’re maybe launched in a call center. And, on the go with your answer, the person on the other side answers you what he see on his screen; That text is deroulating automatically with the key words keyed in; Are they listening to the final of you question? I hope so!
For a while , I was service technician in such service center.
Of course we can get poor service from any source, a physical store or an online seller. So much of this comes down to finding a seller who provides good, consistent service.
John
Ztrains
Unfortunately I’ve had the same experience lately and it appears to be a bit of a catch 22. The economics of running a successful business are in question. I’ve recently upped my hobby time and been involved in building a portable Z layout from the ground up. A need for hydrocal sent me to the shop for scenery supplies. Bam, no hydrocal, but he ordered it. The next trip was for small dowels for a bridge, out of stock. Then it was a quick stop on the way home for styrene cement, a hobby shop basic, out!
The slump in business has made it tough for these folks to reorder basic supplies and stock. But for me it has made me frustrated to the point where I’ll just start planning ahead better and order online. I like a deal as much as the next person but I try to shop local. It’s becoming harder and harder when all the shops are closing and the ones that are left don’t stock even the basics.
Thanks for letting me vent. Appreciate your site.
DW