Local high street model shops don't help themselves

[TMaxxDave]

Now days i recon its best to Just do your homework work out what you want watch some youtube vids can be a good Source of knowledge some Times theres always someone With the setup your looking for make or simular and you can learn from their mistakes also this forum is Great im New on here but been playing With rc everything since my grandad got me hooked im Just saying really thats why the lhs are dying people are getting savy using the Internet and a bit of Common

I wouldnt say LHS are dying. Id defo say people are shopping more online but defo wouldnt class them as dying.

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[Basher 46]

I wish it wasnt the case mate but from only my experience down the south here is shops closing down or going online only ,we had channel 4 models in bournemouth Great shop Great guys i remember being 16 Just joined my local flying club and spending two weeks wages on a low winger With irvine 53 and ff 6 futaba set they closed recently and lesro models they were rc cars a big outfit there online only now,so the only way of getting anything slightly exotic is the web for me .

[TMaxxDave]

Maybe thats the difference. North/South divide. LHS seem to be doing alright up here. My LHS is great for trains and plastic kits and a few car bits but they do have to order exotic stuff

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[Basher 46]

Yeah that could be the case,im from London and spent many a saturday With my grandad driving round the model shops he had circled in the mags we'd driver for hours lol but all good fun i remember him being furious With me because i opened the car door when we were on the m4 cos i thought it wasnt Shut properly we didnt go the next week lol.

[TMaxxDave]

Lol. Yeah opening doors has that effect on people.

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[Si Coe]

LHS aren't doing well up here. BMM might still be going but thats pretty much it for the Manchester region. JE Spares left, Roundabout closed, NWM claims they are still open but the shop building is up for sale so we'll see how long they last with a new landlord. Thats just the last couple of years - we've lost a lot more.

 

Bear in mind JE and Roundabout did mostly online trade. Roundabout folded (but it was a lot smaller), JE was 'sold' and is now just Apex Models in drag, and based down south.

 

You increasing find true 'online only' stores with literally no shop front. Fine for commerce but no good if you have a problem and need advice. Note that Hobbyking actively recruit people to go on their website and offer advice to folks who can't make their models work, in lieu of any actual customer service.

[NOFX]

My lhs was awful. They never had spares, only ever stocked 10% fuel,looked at you like like you'd done a smelly fart when you asked about anything off road.( they were carpet racers) . They went under a couple of years back. Can't think why

Edited May 29, 2015 by NOFX

[Si Coe]

My lhs was awful. They never had spares, only ever stocked 10% fuel,looked at you like like you'd done a smelly fart when you asked about anything off road.( they were carpet racers) . They went under a couple of years back. Can't think why

 

That line, and only that line actually matters. If they as a store specialise in carpet racers I'm not surprised they didn't have much fuel or spares for models they don't do. Being rude to potential customers is never a good idea though.

 

They will have closed when the trend for TC racing declined and their customer base moved to other things. Happens to highly specialised shops all the time, not just in RC.

The interesting part of all this is that such hyper-specialised shops are the future on the internet. Because they aren't high street, bricks and mortar we don't tend to care that they literally only sell Mini Z (like one place near me), and we don't have to experience their customer service face to face.

But on the subject of customer service - I went into the Mini Z shop and although they don't do 1/10th off road we had a chat and they tried to sell me a Mini Z buggy. Thats how you deal with people who are into RC but not the sort you sell - polite not condescending.

[mattr]

Town I was brought up in had 4 or 5 real hobby shops when I started out. Dealing in planes, cars, buggies, scalextric, trains and "stuff".

The only one left is the "model" shop, has masses of kiddy toys, a pile of low end scalextric (mostly 5 years old) stacks of airfix/revell and about 3 cheap toy RCs.

Same town has two or three localish new online businesses.

[TMaxxDave]

Buying online is the way ahead but nothing beats face to face dealing if you have it. I hope my LHS sticks around for as long as possible.

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[NOFX]

That line, and only that line actually matters. If they as a store specialise in carpet racers I'm not surprised they didn't have much fuel or spares for models they don't do. Being rude to potential customers is never a good idea though.

 

They will have closed when the trend for TC racing declined and their customer base moved to other things. Happens to highly specialised shops all the time, not just in RC.

The interesting part of all this is that such hyper-specialised shops are the future on the internet. Because they aren't high street, bricks and mortar we don't tend to care that they literally only sell Mini Z (like one place near me), and we don't have to experience their customer service face to face.

But on the subject of customer service - I went into the Mini Z shop and although they don't do 1/10th off road we had a chat and they tried to sell me a Mini Z buggy. Thats how you deal with people who are into RC but not the sort you sell - polite not condescending.

. They sold revos,tmaxxs, & quite a bit of off road stuff. But they weren't interested in off road,so didn't stock parts,fuel etc.

[TMaxxDave]

Just bought a lipo from my LHS. Paid more than i would have done online but spent a good 20mins having a chat with the staff about LiPos and LiPo care. Love my LHS for that. Then went home and bought a 2nd LiPo for much much cheaper as its just silly to spend extra money that i dont need to. Lol

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[mond]

I remember in the 80's in Brighton where I grew up we had Model Aerodrome and Beatties which I think was a chain and those guys were excellent. Always used to go in their as a kid and want the Tamiya Porsche 959, Lunchbox or 1:16 King Tiger models they had on display. Two floors of RCs! Beatties closed and Model Aerodrome was bought out by Modelzone which is now pretty dead. 

 

Where I live now there's no local shops any more for model related stuff, even the last train and static kit shop closed recently as the owners retired. I wanted to buy from the shop about 15 miles away but they simply don't stock anything I needed. I considered buying another Tamiya tank from them but at double the price which I can pick one up from Singapore it's a no brainer. It's real shame because I'd pay 10% more to buy locally but charging close to a grand for a tank I can buy for

[StrokerBoy]

I try and support my last remaining local model shop when I can, I buy all my paint etc. from them and my next kit will probably come from there too (they only keep half a dozen different Tamiya's in stock though they can order them too).  Kit prices are only slightly higher than online.

 

They get a lot of people coming in asking for help with cars they've bought online.  Bit cheeky innit ?  There's a big sign above the counter saying that they'll happily check/test/debug/repair/upgrade your car but there's a charge for it if you didn't buy it from them.  Seems fair enough.

[Noj]

^^ which retailer? Appreciate Yorkshire is a large county, however,being a Yorkshireman myself....

[TMaxxDave]

There's a big sign above the counter saying that they'll happily check/test/debug/repair/upgrade your car but there's a charge for it if you didn't buy it from them. Seems fair enough.

Thats just like buying a car from Vauxhall and taking it to Kwik Fit. Totally fair to charge a fee to look at it. Knowledge and help are great but even they have a price. ;-)

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[shdaxner]

My local shop deals primarily in 10th on road racing cars, boats and planes and although it does have a website it does not advertise which products it retails....I have however been in and they seem to sell most things required even some little gems which were proving a nightmare to find elsewhere.

 

I searched high and low for a Proline Bulldog RC8T shell and could not find any online in the UK - phoned said LHS and he had two in stock!! suffice to say I bought them both.

 

Its also a bonus living around 30-40 minutes away from Modelsport although I do tend to order from the website and just get them delivered but I do prefer to buy from local shops as I would hate to see either of them have to close.

[eatthis]

Thats just like buying a car from Vauxhall and taking it to Kwik Fit. Totally fair to charge a fee to look at it. Knowledge and help are great but even they have a price. ;-)

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Kwik fit dont sell cars

[TMaxxDave]

You couldnt be more correct if you tried. Your right. They dont sell cars. They do how ever 'repair' cars. Which was my point. I see your point. But saying buy a vauxhall and taking it to Ford to be repaired would have been a stupid comment as no-one in the right mind would do that..... unless it was bought from Ford (possible but unlikely) or get a discounted rate for taking it.

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[StrokerBoy]

^^ which retailer? Appreciate Yorkshire is a large county, however,being a Yorkshireman myself....

 

Just Kits, Hull