blackandwhite Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 The nearest HobbyTown to me is 36 miles,I obviously go in mind with making a purchase. It just astounded me that when I went there on Tuesday with my son I purchased a kit off of the 50% off table, it was a Corolla Levin GT APEX kit among other things. When I went to the register there was a younger guy who seemed new'er' based on his actions I had a $7 off of $15 coupon. It was on my phone as I hadn't printed it off. He said he wasnt sure how to go about ringing it in. He tried scanning the barcode and nothing happened. He said he would need to wait until the manager was off the phone. Luckily my son started to get antsy, he's only a year and a half, so it worked to my benefit that at that point the guy decided to try to manually punch in the numbers and letters associated with it and BAM, it worked. I took my purchased and moved along happily. That night about 10pm I decided to open the kit (sealed with tape on all 4 corners but plastic was off), low and behold its an entire kit....EXCEPT FOR THE BODY! I was so annoyed and frustrated and I couldnt tell if it was because I would not have to drive another 70 miles round trip, or because when they took a return they didnt check for the kits contents. I called the next morning and explained my frustration and they said I could come back to exchange it. After asking what was going to be done with the kit with no body the manager said he would have to figure something out, but he had no idea. I told him if he was going to trash it, I would take it for parts. He ended up giving me 75% off, so it was about $11 for a legit 'parts' car. This was the same day I asked about the coupons and he had said that they don't accept them. I didnt feel like throwing the new'er' guy under the bus by saying he did it for me, although I wonder if I did, if he would have honored mine I just moved to Tacoma, Washington. There aren't many hobby stores near me. With the closest HTU being 36 miles, HobbyLobby being 15 mins which isnt bad, but their selection of paint and kits being limited to Revell only is a bit rough for me as Ive been on quite an import kick for the better part of the last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Handley Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 That must have been a while ago, I haven't seen them bother with bar codes in those emails in a while. Not only would our scanners not read them when trying to scan it from a smartphone screen, but most of the time it wouldn't scan when printed out onto paper in a large graphic until right before they stopped using them. Usually most of those coupon codes are downloaded into each stores' system when corporate remotely updates info and prices, so he would have had to tell his employees if the store was going to accept these coupons and just flat refuse to accept them if not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Handley Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) If you do have an issue, they do have a "Contact Us" page on their web site too. http://www.hobbytown.com/About/ContactUs/ Edited August 22, 2014 by Joe Handley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 all of these stories have a common denominator. there should be some pleasure in making a discretionary income purchase. this is why a great percent of my $$$ goes to internet companies. the big A being one of them. choice, availability, convenience - they're always open!, just cannot be matched by brick & mortar stores. every dollar I save in gas can buy paint or parts. the time spent driving to and back can be spent building. seriously thinking of marketing a series of T-shirts boldly emblazoned "Spoiled by the Internet". available in celadon, cadmium yellow, & ever popular cinnabar. XS - 3XXX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 all of these stories have a common denominator. there should be some pleasure in making a discretionary income purchase. this is why a great percent of my $$$ goes to internet companies. the big A being one of them. choice, availability, convenience - they're always open!, just cannot be matched by brick & mortar stores. every dollar I save in gas can buy paint or parts. the time spent driving to and back can be spent building. Agreed! Best selection, lowest prices, always open, product comes to your door. What's not to like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Agreed! Best selection, lowest prices, always open, product comes to your door. What's not to like? My recent eBay purchases have been averaging three day delivery. The Heller Mercedes came from CA to PA in less than 48 hrs. Can't beat that. There's nothing I need quicker than that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Since I build mostly old, long out of production kits, there are no "brick and mortar" hobby shops that would carry what I want anyway. So the internet isn't only extremely convenient for me... it's really the only source of what I want. I shop at the world's largest "hobby shop." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFchronos Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Yeah, I end up getting a lot of my stuff (not just hobby related) online too, much safer. But I do buy some stuff from Hobby Town mostly just Tamiya bottle paint $2.49 and assorted styrene materials never over $5. I don't buy kits and I don't buy spray paint. For a dollar or two more I can get 8oz. of duplicolor at the parts stores rather than the meager 3oz cans. For the kits I go to either Acmoore, Hobby Lobby or some times Michael's with my trusty % off coupon. If I can't find what I want then I search eBay. Black Friday last year Acmoore passed out 60% coupons, I picked up a '68 Dart for around 12 bucks. Hoping they do it again this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Zimmerman Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I visit Hobby Lobby ( 100 mile round trip ) on average of twice a month, year round. My wife and I use 40% off coupons every time, available on line 24/7, and combine it with trips to PETSMART, A.C.MOORE, Michaels, Harbor Freight, and Potrats, a big gardening place / greenhouse and OLLIES, and a few others in Erie, Pa. And even if HL marks up their kits, 40% off makes it reasonable. .....'Z' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackandwhite Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Im just the kind of people that likes to hold and SEE what they are getting before making the purchase, especially when it comes to styrene. I almost justify it to myself in that there is already gas in the car its just a matter of going and spending the time. It is a nice drive there, but a 40 minute drove regardless. When purchasing online its the dreaded shipping cost which is much more there in front with the cost of the items, vs gas in the car. I am aware of the cost of the gas, and it equals out if not more in favor than online shopping, but I always find other little tools to use while Im there and get the inspiration for other things as well Ive contacted HTU and she did say, that not all stores have to accept the coupons, to which my response was, then you shouldnt be sending them to people when the store they select isn't one that accepts them. Pointless retort, but it made me feel better. Before I moved to washington and lived in texas, I had 3 HL within 20 mins, and a HBU the same distance, and they took coupons with a great selection. Always hard to adjust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 maybe bringing up a web of hornets ... but Amazon Prime membership is a value in my magazine. it's about $8.50 a month, includes a Netflix style video membership, free return merchandise service, and two business day delivery for eligible items. works for me; YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackandwhite Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I have it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad4321 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 My HobbyTown is about 2 miles away. I'm spoiled. I buy supplies, low priced kits that I can't find at Hobby Lobby. I will buy a high priced kit if the price is anywhere close to what I can find online. As far as coupons, I always ask what they have, and the guy says, yeah I'll hook you up. And thehe guys in there have answered a hundred questions for me over the years. I'll pay a little more. I hope the internet never puts actual stores out of business. I hate shopping online. I don't like waiting a few days for something. And I like the "thrill" of spotting something you really want on a shelf, and then having it right then. Heck, I almost always open the kit in my car before I pull out of the parking lot. I'm impatient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddyfink Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Dang Paul! Now I don't feel so bad about driving up to Pegasus yesterday! Pegasus misses you, it told me so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 FWIW, those of you who shop online, Tower Hobbies has free shipping about once a month or so if you spend at least $25. With their selection of kits, along with some accessories and paints, it shouldn't be that hard to come up with $25 of stuff to buy. They ship from a couple of locations and I have never waited more than 4 days for a package to arrive. I like supporting local stores and sometimes will pay a little more to "get it now" over waiting for the UPS truck, but sometimes small businesses can be their own enemy with their service or lack thereof. My local HTU seems to be scaling back on his selection, not sure if it is a sign he may be closing or he is just trying to keep in inventory low before the holiday season R/C car rush? I try to always buy something when I am there, even if it is a bottle of paint or some more Evergreen styrene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW93 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 It was mentioned earlier in this thread that Hobby Lobby prices were above MSRP. I finally found four of my most recent purchases (past 6 months) from the Hobby Lobby store in Mooresville, NC. AMT Double Dragster Tin Kit $29.99 Round/2 MSRP $39.99 May have been a HL error in pricing, I used a 40% off coupon $19.48 with tax AMT '36 Ford $23.99 Round/2 MSRP $24.99 With a 40% off coupon $15.58 with tax AMT 25T w/ chopped coupe $21.99 Round/2 MSRP $23.99 With a 40% off coupon $14.29 with tax AMT LN8000 race car hauler $37.99 Round/2 MSRP $37.99 With a 40% off coupon $24.68 with tax The Hobby Town USA in Mooresville, NC is above MSRP on most kits. Their price on BMF was 8.95 the last time I checked a few weeks ago. BMF's suggested list is 6.75. Buying BMF direct has a disadvantage of $11.25 shipping/handling when I checked last week. I bought some at the CMK Summer Classic this past Saturday for 7.00 a sheet. My Michaels here in Salisbury seems to be at MSRP. The problem with this Michaels is that they never seem to have anyone keep the models in the correct slots price wise. If you find a kit that you are interested in buying you usually find it was in the wrong price code slot. None of the kits have a price sticker on them. Both HL's I go to in Kannapolis and Mooresville, NC are well maintained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk11 Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Regular price here at michaels is as high as they can get, probably as they're accounting for those 40% off coupons. Must be burning out as I couldn't see anything I wanted the other day even with the coupon. All that trip did was remind me, after staring at 8' of revel/monogram product, of just how ugly and dismal their current box art is. Good thing I know what's in the boxes as there was nothing enticing about the boxes mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clovis Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 FWIW, if anyone cares, I just ordered the kits from a seller on ebay. I not only bought two kits, I bought a third one as well. I like this seller on ebay. I have already received a thank you email, and two other ebay generated emails about the shipping. I'm not real sure that I've ever heard the words "thank you" spoken at the brick and mortar store when I wanted to purchase these items. These were not cheap kits. In fact, they were a bit pricey. Would have liked to have dealt locally, but I got tired of jacking with the whole ordeal. Instead of waiting "a week to ten days", the kits should be on my front porch sometime Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clovis Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Wow! Not that it matters to anyone, but I ordered the kits, expecting them to be here on Tuesday. They showed up today! I would have spent an hour's drive time if I would have bought locally. I believe that I bought the kits from a LHS, a mom and pop owned place...it just isn't local to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.