wonwinglo

Today I ventured into a large town with a brand new model shop,the shop must have been 100 feet deep with kits neatly stacked one side,built up models in glass cabinets and other expensive shop fittings,the other side was floor to wall with accessories for cars,boats,aeroplanes,the layout was very user friendly with everything visible.As you do in these places inevitebly you purchase a few bits and bobs,so I asked for a bottle of medium cyno,blank look on the face of shop person who appeared to have frozen in his shoes as if I was asking for something that did not exist ! he fumbled amongst the bottles of white glues and said,sorry we dont have it mate ! I then pointed to a bottle of zap on the same shelf but he still did not know what I was talking about.I then managed to find another assistant and asked him how much his 7.2 volt Li-poly batteries where ? I got another very blank look as I could see that he did not have a clue what I was talking about ? he said here are the batteries pointing to one the size of an house brick,I said no mine are a bit smaller than that but he said that was the smallest that they did,this I found a bit odd in view of the fact that on the wall behind were about two dozen park flyers which certainly needed small batteries,what did they sell them when someone wanted a spare battery,or the first battery for that matter ? needless to say I was a bit baffled by all of this apparent lack of basic modelling knowledge with tons of stock in a beautifully laid out modern shop.
The question that I have to ask is why dont they employ model builders who know what they are talking about ? having owned and run several model shops myself I know that it is very important to sell the customer what they really need and not to fudge your way through,the happy customer is one who gets sound advice from his very first step inside that shop,I wonder if these people really understand that ?

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

adzam

a local model shop here is in the same boat , they seem to have a high staff turnover of part time`rs , (probably something to do with teh way they get spoken to !)

so if you ask them for anything it`s a long laborious task , if you need to order anything , it may take one or two attempts !

but there are still model shops there with the care and attention required to part you of your hard earned cash, rather tahn trying to snatch it from you

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John

It's the same with a lot of shops not just model shop's I find PC World a barrel of laughs when asking for the basic stuff you get the most stupid answers, I never buy anything there, they are too expensive, I just go there when I need a laugh

wonwinglo

*** Yes I have noticed that myself,they seem to employ lots of people who know nothing about computers ! last time I was in there this poor chap was asking someone about an add-on for flight sims,he was useless so I quietly put the person right and he was really grateful because I had put myself out which is what they should have done,too many non-interested employees thinking about going home at 5 o'clock,surely there are enough computer geeks out there who want a job in these places and prepared to help people with real knowledge ? dont they test them of their knowledge before employing them ? they will not change anything either if it is wrong,there is a sign that says 'Make sure that goods are compatible with your equipment before purchase' now how does a non-computer literate person buying a present for example know that ? it is a funny way to go about things,any more horror stories out there ?

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Kiwi

Sounds like the first step might be a carefully worded letter to the model shop owner (not the manager) pointing out the lost sales and profit. If nothing else it can't do any harm.

wonwinglo

*** No surprises that it is part of a very big chain of such shops,dont think they work really ? stock yes,but knowledge no.I think the problem is that they are prepared to spend on everything but staff wages preferring to pay them pittance,this does not attract the real model builders who perhaps would work for decent wages ?

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

duncan

Even more annoying is..."I`m fed-up telling people like you there`s no demand for it " Eh !, come again ?

wonwinglo

*** What annoys me today is right you go out and buy some high tech gizmo,you get it home and 'ding' no cable supplied with the set up,you go back,please 'can I have a cable for this gizmo',sorry out of stock ! the truth is that there is no money in the little fiddly bits that are needed,my shop had drawers with tiny screws,thrust bearings searched and sourced,tissue real pukka wet strengthened,bottled my own clear dope which was ready flexed as well all done on a tight budget,now why dont they source the fiddly bits before they open these shops,if you sell a specialist battery then why not stock the proper charger ? it goes on and on,a lot of this is down to the get rich quick brigade who cannot be bothered with the pukka items,it is a fact that all model shops rely heavily on bread & butter items,plastic kits being the best sellers,next rubber jobs that never get built,enamel paint is a goldmine,biggest problem there is getting replacement tinlets now that Humbrol has not sorted themselves out properly yet,balsa hangs around with more stock getting fingered and chewed and the specialist suppliers have really taken over there,helicopters whilst money spinners for the supplier need lots of mega-bucks to keep full stocks of essential spares,the UK biggest dealer who started in a garage is now a millionaire,model cars need specialist attention,once again big stocks and outlay required,booming are model train shops,if you get a good area then you are in,latest specialist interest group covers diecasts a fast escalating market no mistake,I know that many will be cringing but if someone is prepared to fork out £45 for a 1=72nd scale model that is already built and go back for more it makes you thnk ? Corgi are working around the clock to fulfill demand,crazy eh ?
The dying trade is big aircraft kits ( take a look at your local model shop shelves),now taken over almost wih ARTF which we have discussed at great length here many times,quarter scale biplanes are the in thing at the moment retailing at £800-£1,000 plus,going alongside are the large engine sales for these,radio gear there is no money anymore for the retailer but by selling a set if he can hang on to the customer then he will get his money if he strikes a good deal over the counter for everything to get flying/sailing/motoring.
What has not been fully realised in the UK at least,is setting up an in-house model building service,there is real potential there,even simple servo fitting etc can bring in a lot of cash for those prepared to fork out for simple jobs that cost them time,even if they had the skill to do them ? the above just goes to show where the market can get if someone is prepared to put themselves out,one chap in the States can afford to fly and own a fullsize aircraft on what he makes building up ARTF's I bet there are more stories like this,modelling is changing so much these days that the real builders are now in a minority,people want to fly aircraft quickly without the hassle of building them,people want model cars and boats they can use within a few hours after drooling over the ones at the shows built by the experts.
I expect that there are many like myself who will never change despite the flustrations that we have discussed regarding getting the bits that we need,there will always be the few very skilled model builders and engineers out there,and thank goodness for that !
The changes that have happened in the trade over the past 10 years makes one realise how far things can carry on as they are ?

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

KenP

I'm a boat builder, my local model shop is Westbourne Models in Bournemouth.
I've always had good service there mainly 'cause Barry Shanks, the owner, knows his models and the people behind them. He also stocks a load of fiddly bits !!!!

wonwinglo

*** Good to hear this Ken,you are indeed lucky to have a shop with the right experience and above all a keen modeller.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/