Hobby Lobby

[slusher]

On 8/13/2021 at 5:02 PM, Dragonhawk1066 said:

I took the 5 1/2 mile trek back to HL this morning and lucked out and did find a Racer's Wedge truck on the bottom shelf. When you're on a budget, $20 compared to $33 makes a big difference as far as buying or not buying. I took a few pics of the selection at the Flint, Mi store so you guys can compare to your store if you're interested. Also there but not pictured because I didn't get the top shelf was the AMT '34 Ford Pickup Customizing kit, and the Revell Special Edition 2 'n 1 '68 Dodge Charger with 4 copies available. Awfully tempting to grab another one of the Charger's, but I resisted the urge, lol.

I totally understand the budget being on disability but you never know if Hobby Lobby is going to get some back..

[OldNYJim]

My local store had a pretty decent re-stock!

Nothing new that jumped out at me, but they’d been needing to restock those shelves a little!

[Dragonhawk1066]

9 hours ago, CabDriver said:

Nothing new that jumped out at me, but they’d been needing to restock those shelves a little!

I've only seen mine stocked that well once or twice, and that was before the regular 40% off kits days. I should have bought the Big Rig Semi Trailer when mine had a few  some months ago, as I haven't seen it again for about 6 months now.

[BlackSheep214]

11 hours ago, CabDriver said:

My local store had a pretty decent re-stock!

Nothing new that jumped out at me, but they’d been needing to restock those shelves a little!

That’s pretty much a typical stock Hobby Lobby have on display in all their stores.

[carrucha]

I went last night to the HL in Morgan Hill CA and was happy to pickup a Foose 1965 Impala.  I have been trying to get one of these since April.  Every time I went they were sold out.

[ZTony8]

19 hours ago, CabDriver said:

My local store had a pretty decent re-stock!

Nothing new that jumped out at me, but they’d been needing to restock those shelves a little!

That's about the stock level of the closest  HL to me; maybe a few more at yours.

[Tom Geiger]

Hobby Lobby’s tend to be parallel universes!  I’ve been to many stores with the exact same floor plan. Model supplies right down to items being on the same hook!

[1930fordpickup]

Most large big box store are like this. Timmy sits behind a desk and tells the everyone what goes where in every store. The only difference is, if  it a right or left hand store.  

[Rodent]

Yes, most big box stores are like that. They have a few different store designs and use the same planogram for all stores of the same design. When I was getting the M.I.L.s house ready for market, I appreciated that the Lowe's in Prescott, AZ was laid out exactly like my local store and that I knew where everything was.

[Zippi]

I spoke with one of the fellows on the floor a while back that knew a little about the models. He told me that the local store has nothing to do with when it comes time to restock.  He said they just put on the shelfs what comes off the truck.  I sent an email to Hobby Lobby customer service asking about thier re-stocking process and just how kits are selected for the shelfs at all the HL stores.  We'll see if I get a response. 

[Mark]

15 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

Hobby Lobby’s tend to be parallel universes!  I’ve been to many stores with the exact same floor plan. Model supplies right down to items being on the same hook!

That worked for K-Mart for many years...nearly all of their stores were laid out identically.  Someone had the brainstorm to change that, and go "upmarket"...where are they now?

[Zippi]

I got a response from HL.  Here is what they had to say,

Good Afternoon Bob,

 Thank you for shopping at Hobby Lobby and contacting Customer Service. We truly appreciate your feedback on the products we carry in our stores! Unfortunately, I am unable to provide any information as to how and what kits are selected for our product selection.However, your comments, and a suggestion to incorporate new model kits into our product selection, have been forwarded to the appropriate personnel for consideration.  We hope that all your visits are pleasant and productive. We are grateful for your support!Thank you for contacting us with your thoughts and concerns. May you have a wonderful day, Bob, and a great week ahead! I hope you continue to live a creative life!

 

Sincerely,

 Amy

Operator

Customer Service

P: 405.745.1100

F: 405.745.7316

E: customer.service@hobbylobby.com

7707 SW 44th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73179

[Dragonhawk1066]

18 minutes ago, Zippi said:

 Thank you for shopping at Hobby Lobby and contacting Customer Service. We truly appreciate your feedback on the products we carry in our stores! Unfortunately, I am unable to provide any information as to how and what kits are selected for our product selection.However, your comments, and a suggestion to incorporate new model kits into our product selection, have been forwarded to the appropriate personnel for consideration.  We hope that all your visits are pleasant and productive. We are grateful for your support!Thank you for contacting us with your thoughts and concerns. May you have a wonderful day, Bob, and a great week ahead! I hope you continue to live a creative life!

Ha!! So basically, "It's none of your business how we run our business, we do what we want, how we want, and when we want so just deal with it! Thank you for spending money in our store, now go away!!

     

Edited August 16, 2021 by Dragonhawk1066

[Zippi]

2 minutes ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

Ha!! So basically, "It's none of your business how we run our business, we do what we want, how we want, and when we want so just deal with it! Thank you for spending money in our store, now go away!!

Haha....ain't that the truth.  

[Dragonhawk1066]

1 minute ago, Zippi said:

Haha....ain't that the truth.  

It's pretty sad that they don't care about that area, the money they could make if they did. I worked retail grocery for over 30 years, so I know how things work and in the grand scheme it's peanuts to a corporation that big, but I've also seen the top dogs sweat over 25 cent ink pens.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Considering HL is the closest thing to a real hobby shop its a shame they don't put more effort into kit selection. If they sell more kits they are also go to sell more paint and other supplies.

[BlackSheep214]

No surprise there. They have zero clue about what the consumer wants to see in their stores. 

[BlackSheep214]

1 minute ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Considering HL is the closest thing to a real hobby shop its a shame they don't put more effort into kit selection. If they sell more kits they are also go to sell more paint and other supplies.

The closest thing? Far from it. The only brands they tend to stick with are Bandai, AMT, Airfix , Revell and maybe an occasional Tamiya and MPC - if you're lucky.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Since in most areas there are no local hobby shops. HL is the closest thing to a hobby show for most of us  Their kit selection is ok but its the fact that have paint suplies , everygreen, and other supplies. 

[Daddyfink]

16 hours ago, BlackSheep214 said:

No surprise there. They have zero clue about what the consumer wants to see in their stores. 

Well, you and I are not their intended target audience. They are there for the average Joe, or Joanne, who is looking for a gift, something to do, or relieve a bit of nostalgia, 

They get a deal with a model maker and run with a general, and current, selection of kits. Basic tools, paints and other small items, and that is all! 

[mikemodeler]

21 hours ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

Ha!! So basically, "It's none of your business how we run our business, we do what we want, how we want, and when we want so just deal with it! Thank you for spending money in our store, now go away!!

     

Uh, it's more like "Our product management team evaluates which products to add and discontinue based upon a software program". To think that one person writing into a company with hundreds of locations nationwide is going to get them to share how they make business decisions is a bit of a stretch. 

 

[mikemodeler]

5 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Since in most areas there are no local hobby shops. HL is the closest thing to a hobby show for most of us  Their kit selection is ok but its the fact that have paint suplies , everygreen, and other supplies. 

I live in the 16th largest city in America by population and we do not have any local hobby shops. The closest thing is a Hobbytown USA about 25 miles north of Charlotte. There are rumors there will be another HTU in Charlotte this year, but nothing yet. To buy a kit locally, one has to shop at Hobby Lobby or Michael's. I have bought more and more online as the LHS in the area have disappeared. I don't view HL as a hobby store in the same sense as what I grew up with back in the day, but more like a retail outlet like I remember as a kid like K-Mart.

[cobraman]

I wish Hobby Lobby would switch to using a pricing system so they could use the guns at checkout. i always have to wait in a long line. Maybe due to cost or because of the discounts and cost to manage such a system ?

[Dragonhawk1066]

2 hours ago, cobraman said:

I wish Hobby Lobby would switch to using a pricing system so they could use the guns at checkout. i always have to wait in a long line. Maybe due to cost or because of the discounts and cost to manage such a system ?

Same here, blows my mind that a corporation that big still has their cashiers hand-ringing items on the register. Infrared scanners are not that expensive, and one person can handle on sale/off sale maintenance at store level. Saving on price guns and labels, and extra man hours to mark items seems like it would offset the cost of updated checkouts.

[Tom Geiger]

1 hour ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

Same here, blows my mind that a corporation that big still has their cashiers hand-ringing items on the register. Infrared scanners are not that expensive, and one person can handle on sale/off sale maintenance at store level. Saving on price guns and labels, and extra man hours to mark items seems like it would offset the cost of updated checkouts.

That’s looking at the user end. The big cost would be replacing or upgrading their entire corporate IT network. Enormous!

For instance I’m now talking with a major Pharma about doing an upgrade to their global maintenance management system… four years of work projected!