ken anderson. Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 the other day we were talking about what we would do up here if our three in number local model shop's closed / dissapeared etc........and reading between the lines...we all agreed that we would probably struggle without them..as it is so easy for us to go along and get what we want...yes- HKong and the internet are good,but so is the lms....and there is a strong case for supporting them......what's the old saying "you dont know what you've got till it's gone"........... ken anderson..................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy watson Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Just to be argumentative..........why should I? Prices too high, limited range of stock, costs as much in petrol to buy a widgit as it does to post out, many mail order companies are far more professional and offer higher levels of service than amateurish local shops run by enthusiasts. (Note, I don't 100% agree with all of this, but this shouldn't be a LMS love in, and all the above points are valid to a greater or lesser degree). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Ken, I'd love to agree - I'm all for supporting the local shops (my folks grocery shop closed as a result of competition from the local supermarkets). My problem is that every time I'm tempted to go to my local shop for anything I come back empty handed as they simply don't carry the stocks. It's very frustrating to drive 15 miles to be told that they could order it in, knowing that as soon as I walk out of the door they'll be on the internet placing an order which will be delivered to the shop resulting another wait and a 30 mile plus round trip to collect. Examples of things I couldn't get at my LMS A flight box Various LiPo's Large wheels for my trainer Various electric props Prop adapters Alu spinner A set of matching servos 6mm gold connectors A 70 or 80 Amp ESC I could go on and on.......... I would agree that it depends upon how good your LMS is. The dilemma for all shops is - how do you satisfy the needs of all your local model builders / flyers - planes, cars, boats, helis etc etc Are there enough of each to warrant carrying the stock? Can you buy it and sell it cheap enough to compete? Another point is the attitude of staff. If the staff at the store were genuinely helpful then you'd get the support at the store you couldn't get from buying online and, in return, would support them. A perfect example of how it's not done is my experience at one midlands store. When I first started all this early in the year I bought (I know, not a great choice but...) my Starmax Panther from this store. I also bought a Lipo. Having been used to charging the little LiPo for my Blade CC3 heli using the balance plug I tried to charge the 1700 mAh the same way - obviously nothing happened. I rang the store and told them I thought the battery was faulty and then got my head bitten off. Not to be put off I went back with the battery - a 50 mile round trip - and said I thought it was faulty. When the chap saw I hadn't fitted connectors he proceeded to bite my head off again, grilling me about how on earth I could have tried to charge it... I simply didn't know and why would I? (It turned out the battery was faulty but that was another matter). In brief it didn't turn me into a loyal customer! Some LMS's are excellent and deserve to be supported - trouble is there aren't many, for some of us they are a long distance away, and they often can't stock all you'll need...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
001 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 My LMS is 45 miles away, it costs me at least £15 in petrol to get there and back. Luckily it normally keeps a good stock in. BUT I can look at details of, and order things much cheaper from Hong Kong which will arrive in 4 or five days - through my letter box with no other effort. Or order balsa in bulk from a supplier 100 miles away. So....... what would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bennett Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I rely 100% on my local store (about 3 miles away) for almost everything from glues and wood to radios and glow engines. I certainly wouldn't want to have to rely on the internet for basic building materials. In the past I've used the internet for things like electric motors, speed controllers, and spares for my T-Rex. But my local shop can get most things for me within a few days -- usually from main distributors, rather than from other internet sources -- and their prices with my club discount compare favourably with the internet sources I've used, so I'm now getting my T-Rex spares there and I'll be getting my next motors too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Jasper Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 My local store charges more than the rrp for most items , I recently found them selling on ebay in "buy it now" auctions artf planes for £25 less than in store and you could pay instore so i went in while the buy it now was running and enquired about one of them without letting on and was quoted full price when i questioned this they became very defensive .As a result they have lost a customer who regularly spent £30-£40 a fortnight and i tell everyone my experience i was surprised how many people had already stopped using them . So i certainly dont support my local shop anymore as they destroyed my trust . I have only been flying for 2 and a bit years and have bought nearly every bit of my kit from them and thought i had built a good relationship just shows how wrong we can be.. Edited By John Jasper on 29/10/2009 21:25:16Edited By John Jasper on 29/10/2009 21:35:48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Yeates Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 We have alocal hobby stores and here is the dilema.He is a store manager who is tied to a big distributor ripmax and the prices are set he manages the shop and gets in what he is told to buy.he is is generally pretty good at matching prices in RCM&E but not internet prices. If the saving is a couple of quid (not forgetting the postage) then I support the model shop if the saving is worth the wait and he can't match it then the internet wins, but he is always given the option to bid for my business.Idealy Ripmax need to give the model shops a freer hand and in the running of the shops by having them go to local clubs and see what people are flying and what they are buying but on the other hand maybe they are raking in the money and don't need to invest in this. If I ran the local model shop I know what I'd be doing to get people through the door.Hagle, Hagle, Hagle, the price you pay is the money you give them.long live Martin Lewis and Dom Littlewood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 My moidel shop told me to F off,when I triedto negotiate a price on a model,I did and will not return.Im in Hanpshire and support Galaxy in Ipswich,does that mean im supporting my national model shop.A lot of my colleagues are now supporting Galaxy because of the excellant service they provide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Pollard Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 As in all walks of life there are model shops and model shops. The small shop is finding it very hard to keep their heads above water, and the only way they will do that is for us to suport them. Thats one side of the coin. The other is I requested my LMS to obtain a Hanger Pulse 40 for me 3 weeks ago and I am informed that it will be another 3 weeks before I can expect it as the suppliers are out of stock. Had I ordered from Als Hobbies, I could have had it by return. My LMS is 7 miles away, Als 70 miles away. The only advantage I have gained is not having to pay the postage. Devil and deep blue sea come to mind Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter 'Ivanna Crashalot' Savage Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 The local model shop is good for wood and wire, otherwise its cheaper to order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcho99 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 My LMS is great. I visit it alot and always come back with what I want. If on the odd occasion the item I want isn't in stock then its ordered and there on the next delivery. The shop has a massive range of everything, probably because it has so much space, sometimes too much choice and its hard to decide which item you want! Its deffinetly a shop to visit as there website isn't up to much. LMS over the web any day, I like to see what i'm buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Living in Bucks I have a good choice each within a 10 mile drive of home or work. Two are major players in the mail order market and advertise in the mags Main thing I've noticed over the past year is a significant drop in availability. On the odd occasion I've asked the q, the answer has been along the lines of "we only sold one a quarter, and have to order them in packs of 10, so we didn't get any more in". This is a bit of a catch 22. They don't sell enough, so they don't restock. I find I increasingly can't get what I want, so the frequency of my visits drops and they sell even less. Completely agree that we should support lms, BUT whereas in happier times I'd simply turn up and get everything I needed (plus maybe pick up a few extras) I now find its the norm to come away disappointed. I still go, but my trips are less frequent than they used to be Edited By IanN on 30/10/2009 08:01:03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Whiskey Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Agree with Peter, for smaller items it's good to go to your LHS, but if like me you only buy Nitro fuel one gallon at a time, I need the LHS, but one I will not go to full stop for anything, Addlestone Model Shop, down here in Surrey, as they charge over £5 more for a gallon than my other choice store, Mick Charles in Ewell, Surrey. Name and shame AMS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham King Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 My local model shop ( the Hobby Box in Uckfield, Sussex) is just up the road from me ( or just down the road from my office) Run by a husband and wife team, they couldn't be more helpful. Stock levels are excellent, but if anything is not in stock they will order and get whatever is wanted within a couple of days - and telephone to say it is now in stock. Prices are always good - OK I could buy a little cheaper on the interenet, but delivery charges often make up for the price difference. The shop is well laid out, the owners have a good knowledge of what they sell and offer good advice when necessary, and as a result its always full of shoppers. They also offer a mail order service for those not so local. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 My nearest modelshop is mainly buggies and plastic kits, it is 13 miles away. There is another 12 miles away but stock is minimal. MY best local model shop is Galaxy. I don't drive there but I can pick up the phone and ask, it will be there next day, If not in stock they get it and I have it in a couple of days. They have the best service that I have come across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 any local model shop owner's.....manager's out there...let's have the view from your side of the fence............ ken anderson.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Claridge Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 MY NEAREST LMS IS SUSSEX MODEL CENTER but its still twenty miles away but always worth the drive the only thing is they always have some tasty second hand models for sale and i cant leave the shop without one er or two. the shop is a ten minute stiff walk from worthing station and i work for southern rail so i nip down there when i have a break at worthing twice i have bought home a plane carrying with me for the rest of my shift usually hiding it in the rear cab. the staff are polite willing and helpful though usually very busy, the shop carries lots of stock and i get what i require most times. mail order is excelent too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter 'Ivanna Crashalot' Savage Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Extension leads are twice the pricce at hobbystores as they are at giant cod, so is everything else, but giant cod dont sell wood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Tricky subject, this. My LMS is run by a well known display flier and all-round good guy who I like to support where I can but there are things I wouldn't buy at the prices he's forced to charge*. What I mean by that is that I wouldn't have bothered to build some of the small electric models that I've kitted out from GC or HK. I suppose that on the other hand, he wouldn't have sold me the wood, glues, fittings, coverings etc. for them so it's not all bad news. What I do though, is make a point of buying from him if he gets somewhere in the same ball park pricewise as mail order - I don't mind paying that little extra for the convenience of having the shop available - and continuing to be there, especially for the odds and ends that are needed at short notice. *Example - wanted to buy a Jeti 2.4GHz module and some receivers - mail order from Puffin they were a pretty reasonable price but when I approached the LMS, they couldn't even buy the same items from their wholesaler (who also imports them) for what I could get them for from Puffin. Even at a reasonable premium he would have made a loss and so would I...Edited By Martin Harris on 30/10/2009 23:42:39 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Channon Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Hi all, a year ago yesterday, i went into my local model shop to order a servo slow. Yep, you guessed, i went in yesterday, " Ordered it, he says, be in on wednesday" "I asked for it a year ago" i said " Ripmax are slow" was the reply ! Support my local model shop? NO, i have tried, been patient, been treated like a lower class citizen. About time that model shops were run by people who realise that without us, they will fail. And the attitude, where do these model shop people come from? Years ago there was a good model shop in Fareham Hants called " Bunces" anyone remember them? Blimey, they were great, no problem in service, very polite, and they knew what they were doing.nowadays, it is just " buy this it will do " ! So support my local model shop? , no i will continue to use mail order using Galaxy models and Sussex Models, proper polite service, just as it should be. Regards as always Chris.Edited By Timbo - Administrator on 31/10/2009 19:02:47 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Chris...you should know the rules on swearing on this forum by now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Hi, I live in a positive lms desert! The nearest is probably Steve Webb's - and that's over 25 miles away! Recently I bought a Minium - shopped around on the web, looked at prices. Guess what - Webby's got the best price in his on-line store. So, make the trip to Frosham and call in. Sure enough thay have the model in stock, and its exactly the same price in the store as on-line. So fair do's not all lms's are the same. Generally speaking I find Webby's pretty good, reasonably competative on price and with good stock levels. Staff are helpful, if busy (maybe that's why they are busy?). So for me - its a drag the shop is so far away, but overall I'd give them 9/10. Internet purchasing is a very variable experience. It can be great, like when I ordered an item from SMC at about 4:30pm and was amazed when it arrived in the next morning's post! For that I'd give 10/10. But then form other on-line outfits I've also had the 2 week wait only to receive the wrong item and had all the inconvienience of having to send it back! Definately 1/10 Must do better! So I honestly don't think this is a clean cut issue. Some lms's sre great - others are cowboys. Some on-line outfits are first class, others are incompetants. Caveat Emptor is still the only real guide! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Some online shops are shocking, nevermind the LHS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Channon Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Confused now, i have re-read my posting, re-read in the " my postings " section, really can't see where i used bad language!! Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Thats because I edited it out If you really dont recall what you said, then PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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