Harry P. Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Reading through the posts on this topic, a lot of you guys are confused... You can shop in a store aisle... or you can vacation on a tropical isle... But you can't shop in a store isle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 ..or you can shop in a store aisle on an isle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtx6970 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Reading through the posts on this topic, a lot of you guys are confused... You can shop in a store aisle... or you can vacation on a tropical isle... But you can't shop in a store isle... Bet your a barrel of fun at parties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I'll say that I've been in an aisle on a tropical isle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Bet your a barrel of fun at parties Bet you're a barrel of fun at parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 ..or you can shop in a store aisle on an isle... True. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 But you can go to a retail store where they have free-standing islands, as they're known in the trade. http://www.wh1.com/products/?ci=retail-shelving&pi=island-gondola-retail-shelving-units Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 But you can go to a retail store where they have free-standing islands, as they're known in the trade. http://www.wh1.com/products/?ci=retail-shelving&pi=island-gondola-retail-shelving-units Link them together to form aisles and they're known as gondolas. And you can use a gondola to travel from isle to isle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Link them together to form aisles and they're known as gondolas. And you can use a gondola to travel from isle to isle... Yes, did that in Venice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Link them together to form aisles and they're known as gondolas. And you can use a gondola to travel from isle to isle... Just don't "loose" your keys while you're on that vacation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinobradley Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 There's good and bad with every one of them. Here in San Antonio, we have a Hobby Town, Dibbles, Hill Country Hobby, and Al's hobbies, along with a couple of others further away from me. While Hobby Town is great for the general and we usually go there most of the time, they are a large corporate entity (even though they are a franchise). Dibbles is full of good people but deal mostly with Trains and Games. Hill Country Hobby is all plastic kits and Al's is mostly RC Cars and the last few times I went there was nothing but bad experiences, so I'm done with them (which is a shame since he is the closest hobby shop to me). As for experiences, the guys at Hobby Town are fairly nice but would not replace a 3 month old faulty ESC on one of their store brand units (1 month warranty). All I needed to do was contact their parent company and a new ESC was on the way. So that experience went from bad (store said no) to good (nat'l sent the part). Other than that, I never had any issues with them. They ordered items for me and I got them in a timely manner, they fixed my son's car while the warranty was in effect at no charge and the selection of items is actually really good. I've never had an issue with Dibbles (a mom and pop place) throughout my years of patronage. The staff were always happy to see everyone and very helpful when asked questions. They would order anything they didn't have. These are people type people. Hill Country Hobby (mom and pop) is a great place, though it is small which limits it's inventory. Even still, he's got quite a selection, always has the most current kits and is willing to order anything you want. The owner is a great guy who is a modeler himself and is always willing to chat a bit. This is his retirement so he is doing what he enjoys. Al's (mom and pop) has great inventory of RC Car parts and a few other things but when I ordered parts not on their shelves, he continually missed the delivery date and every week I went in there, he said he'd have to check on it because it was supposed to be in. The last straw was waiting 15 minutes at the register to buy some paint while he handled a personal call. I ended up ordering everything I wanted him to order for me online (I hadn't paid for it yet) and had everything within the week. The long and short of it, every place is different and there are goods and bads in them all. P.S., I'm not trying to slander anyone, just telling you of my experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Do you think that a store that refuses to replace a part two months after that part's warranty has run out is in the wrong? Since they are a chain, maybe the stores are told not to honor warranties that have already run out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinobradley Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Technically, no. Which is why I still shop there. The ESC was in their shop brand car and had a known problem. It just seemed wrong to have a three month old $350 car that now needed a new $100 ESC. That's why I called their corporate line as it was their brand car with a known problem and only 3 months old. They understood and offered to send me the replacement unit. Now if it had lasted the better part of a year, or something with no history of going bad, I would have been okay with having to replace it. It's all about the circumstances. I had a simular issue with a TV and my PS3 and both times, they agreed to fix it because it was a known issue or flaw. The TV was 2 years out of warranty! It pays to do some research on these things and of course, be nice. I didn't play hardball or anything, just explained the situation and they did the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I didn't play hardball or anything, just explained the situation and they did the rest. It's amazing the results you can get if you keep calm and reasonable. More often than not, your complaint/problem will be taken care of. Recently my TV/internet provider raised their rates in what I think is a sneaky way... by not only raising the rate, but by also adding a brand new "fee" and raising all the other various existing "fees" they tack on to my bill. So I called and asked about the new fee that I had never seen before and what is was for, etc., etc. I was nice and polite, even joked around a bit with the customer service person... told her I wasn't blaming her for the rate increase, just looking for an explanation. So she says, "let me see what I can do for you"... she came back on the line and gave me not only a faster internet speed, but also cut $25 off my monthly fee, based on my old rate (the rate I was paying before this new increase!). It pays to be nice to customer service people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 It's amazing the results you can get if you keep calm and reasonable. More often than not, your complaint/problem will be taken care of. Recently my TV/internet provider raised their rates in what I think is a sneaky way... by not only raising the rate, but by also adding a brand new "fee" and raising all the other various existing "fees" they tack on to my bill. So I called and asked about the new fee that I had never seen before and what is was for, etc., etc. I was nice and polite, even joked around a bit with the customer service person... told her I wasn't blaming her for the rate increase, just looking for an explanation. So she says, "let me see what I can do for you"... she came back on the line and gave me not only a faster internet speed, but also cut $25 off my monthly fee, based on my old rate (the rate I was paying before this new increase!). It pays to be nice to customer service people! Like the old saying goes, kill'em with kindness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 sometimes it has no bearing. sales associates are often given the authority to regurgitate script, and not the authority to solve problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick GMC Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 ..or you can shop in a store aisle on an isle... Reading through the posts on this topic, a lot of you guys are confused... You can shop in a store aisle... or you can vacation on a tropical isle... But you can't shop in a store isle... That sounds like a challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johnny Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Bet your a barrel of fun at parties If the party is for grammar teachers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinobradley Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 sometimes it has no bearing. sales associates are often given the authority to regurgitate script, and not the authority to solve problems. And this happens often. You just have to explain to them politely that they did nothing wrong but you'd like to talk to a manager. The manager is usually the one with the authority to make the changes or offer solutions. That's what I did with Sony. It won't work every time but it's worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 "no problem" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendog261 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I personally buy most of my stuff at Mega Hobby online. Like others have said you can shop whenever you want, it doesn't cost gas or time sitting in traffic to get to the store and they have most everything. If you spend $200.00 you get free shipping so I buy in bulk when I need stuff and it saves a lot of cash. I love the feel of gong to the LHS until I go to the checkout stand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertw Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I love the LHS, any LHS! When I go to a new city the first thing I check is the phone book looking for what shops may exist there, whether they be mom & pop style or big box Hobby Lobby style. If I meet staff who are friendly and plastic knowledgeable that is just icing on the cake and a guarantee that I'll walk out with stuff that I might otherwise not purchased. As the old idea of hardware or hunting/fishing stores being a place for men to just wander around in, so a hobby shop is like catnip to me. One of my favorite shops has recently been going through changes, reduced selection of kits, the departure of the plastic guy from the staff and new staff who are more interested in r/c, correspondingly my interest in visiting it is decreasing slightly. While I certainly buy on the internet to get a lot of the stuff that local shops won't carry, p/e, decals etc. or rare or unusual kits the LHS will remain my favorite place to look for the stuff of our hobby and since it is the smaller shops that will usually have employees that have an interest in the customer I guess it will be the mom & pop style shops that I like to visit the most even if the prices are a little higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomerS Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 (edited) I make the occasional pilgrimage to the only small hobby store in the area, but they are 90% trains. Otherwise, I buy at shows or off the internet.Why? Because the Big Box store check out is the only employee interaction I've had during the entire trip!No, I don't have your frequent shopper cardNo, I don't want to sign up for it or to be on your mailing listNo, I'm not in your system and I will not give you my phone numberNo, I don't want to donate a dollar to whatever cause you believe in this weekNo, I don't need batteries for my purchase today since I bought a Hot Wheel and a video gameNo, I won't be putting this on my store name credit card (I have this weird thing called C-A-S-H)I'd just like to make my purchase and get outta here!!! Edited May 12, 2013 by HomerS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsDano85gt Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 My biggest problem with my LHS is Customer Service. Last time I went to my LHS, instead of asking what kind of models I put together (since I was in the Model isle), both associates basically pushed me to look at their selection of Gas/ Electric R/C cars because they have an R/C track in front of the store. Not to mention, I know that from a business aspect, they obviously make more money on the R/C cars versus Little Ol' Model Kits. And when I ask them to order a kit for me, it seems like it ticked them off. Just like Larry said. I can shop the internet with ease, not have to worry about being bothered when I don't want to be or find someone when I have a question. Their is no pushiness to purchase something. Given I hate paying for shipping because it's unbelievably high, but with the cost of gas and driving a V8, it's worth it so I don't have to deal with traffic, other people, etc. I agree 100% my lhs which I love because of the fact that instead of ripping off magazine covers and throwing them in the dumpster the drastically reduce the prices shrink wrap them up and throw em in a clearance bin! I constantly get mcm mags and scale auto for a couple bucks only problem is when i'm in the model kit aisle I don't get the time of day..... they are too busy taking all kinds of money from people wanting to spend the big bucks on r.c. vehicles of varios types and things, if I ask questions about model kits I don't get answsers, or look like i'm a bother..... this makes me mad but the l.h.s does have things that hobby lobby do not offer anda large selection of kits (especially model king) they have a display cabinet with buildups I once asked if anyone can display their work and I was told yes so I brought some of my many buildups and was looked at like I was stupid when I asked to display my workings...... geesh double edged sword I say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taxdude Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 (edited) I live just outside of Ann Arbor Mi and we used to have a LHS that due to various reasons went out of business. Then almost 2 years ago we had a new shop open, The Model Cave. This is an old timey shop. They only sell models, no RC, trains, games or crafty things. John and Melissa are the best, very friendly and they always go the extra mile to get you want. You just don't find that level of customer service at any big box store. Edited May 12, 2013 by Taxdude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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