One less reason to go to Hobby Lobby

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

Don’t know about the rest of you, but I tend to treat Hobby Lobby as a necessary evil. I HATE that store (not quite as much as Michaels). I find their model section borderline offensive, have this sense that the rest of the store is the same sort of hobbled “just the basics” selection, and it seems like every time I buy something, I get stuck behind someone buying approximately 229 beads or something, and gets all pissy about the price of every single one.

But…they have some useful things, like oil paints.

Went by tonight to grab a tube and they had these awesome signs put out. Oil paints are now being stored in the stockroom. If you want 'em, find a store person for assistance.

You know what I really hate? A store that puts significant parts of its inventory out of reach - be it behind glass or kept in the back - and then requires the customer to hunt down an elusive employee to get at it.

Time to shift another purchase to the online world, I guess.

2

I’ve never gone there in hopes of getting a kit because of their anemic selection, but I do find other “consumables” for the hobby to be well-stocked, such as cheap acrylic and oil paints, brushes, wooden bases, X-acto blades, some rattle can stuff, etc…

3

Sorry to hear of the inconvenience you’ve experienced, but I’ve worked retail in past times during a strong economy.

Theft was a constant problem, even when store staff tried to watch the customers.

i am presuming theft prompted the manager to lock up the stock you seek.

My local Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club stores lock up some items in cages and require payment before giving the customer the product.

Each time I visit the Computer book section in my local Borders or Barnes and Noble, at least one or two of the books ( usually each book retails at $60 or more ) is missing the software DVD .

Retail theft is an everyday occurrence in modern America.

4

To quote W.C Fields, “On the other hand, five fingers.” We have, here in Mayberry, no Hobby Lobby to offend us. We do have a Michael’s with their wonderful selection of art and craft supplies and 40-50% off weekly coupons, and a couple LHS’s who try to survive.

When I go to the SF Bay Area, I like to visit the shops there, but they seem to be struggling. Hobbytown in Vacaville went dark most recently. It seems that the 'net has really replaced the majority of the mom & pop’s and is eating the smaller franchises as well.

What to do? Support my hometown shops best I can, look for the best deals on the 'net, and don’t shop in stores that you don’t like. My 2c.

mike

5

I never get it when I read, “I support my local hobby store when I can, even if its buying a jar or two of paint…”

Why? If they can’t compete don’t give them charity…the market determines who wil survive…and price is really the bottom line…cue the sentimental stories about shooting the bull and the hobby dying about now…if you think about it, this Forum is even replacing the “shop talk” at the local hobby shop…

However, I’ve noticed that my biggest net suppliers seem to be hurting right now as well…I’m guessing the economy is squeezing money out of the hobby…every one of them are running DEEP discount sales and other incentives…I’m talking about DragonUSA, Great Models, Squadron and Sprue Brothers in particular…If you do have the money and are looking to feed your stash, its a buyer’s market right now…

6

“Just the Basics” eh? Hardly… For me, the store’s got everything I need for dioramas and scratch-building, whether it’s a diorama for planes, ships, armor, or troops, and urban or rural scenery…

As for the kit selection well, that’s because, at least here anyway, they can’t sell the high-dollar kits, because no one wil pay the MSRP for 'em… I’ve gotten quite a number of them things m’self though… All I do is wait, and eventuially, there will be a yellow sticker on it… The Academy M7 (22.00), Tamiya’s Beaufighter, F-51, He 219 (all under 20.00), Willys Jeep (11.00), and Panzer III w/ p/e and metal gun barrel (26.00), Phantom Mustang (18.00) to name a few.

I’ve also talked the manager there into allowing a space to display assembled models of kits purchased there, plus I tamed her years ago and got her to order specific kits (that she’s able to get from other stores. The Central Warehouse is rather restrictive)…

You can complain about kit selection, but you can’t complain about the stuff for the diorama-buider there… They got everything there that I need fo about any project, and you can’t get that from any other hobby shop… Especially the 40% discount coupons, which are “Anything in the store” coupons…

It’s still a “one-stop shop” for all diorama and scratch-building supplies, from celluclay to RTV and resin… In order to get the full experience, you gotta use the the whole store… Simple as that…

'Course, if you don’t build dioramas or scratch-build, then H/L may not be your thing, but for me, it’s still the best thing going, whether I need dio-bases (picture frames), kits, brushes, paints, cement, brass tubing, piano wire, foliage, or balcony railings, window framing, and wall-paper for a bomb-out house…

7

I don’t do dioramas, but still sift thru the various departments in HL to see the items they sell.

Never know when i may have a use for something.

Yes, I also wait for the price drops that result when HL discontinues kits.

8

Well Hans, it sounds as though Iowa has escaped the lean years regarding your local Hobby Lobby, because my local example of that chain has nothing you’ve described. So little, that they have a lot of gall using the term “Hobby” in the title. My local MICHAEL’S has completely removed any trace of model kits and supplies. Zip, nil, nada.

Now if you are in the market for a sea of estrogen fueled kick knack rubbish and seas of artificial flowers, that is another story.[:(]

9

Well I look at it this way. At least you have a store to complain about. Here in Southwestern Connecticut there are no Hobby Lobby stores no Michaels even the Walmart here does not have a hobby section or even have a paint brush or jar of paint let alone a model kit. In the whole county there are exactly two small Mom and Pop hobby stores that have a very small inventory. No decals no PE no resin goodies or even books to be had. Thank God we do have a very nice artist supply store that is very well stocked. They must have about 25 different brands of oil paints alone besides a great selection of hundreds of usefull item for a plastic scale modeler even though it is suppose to be an art suplly store and not a hobby shop. They even stock airbrush kit and parts for the airbrushes as well as compressors.

Soulcrusher[prte]

10

The nearest hobby shop to me is a 3 hour drive away.

11

My local Hobby Lobby drastically reduced its diorama/railroad material when they remodelled about 6 months ago.

At one time diorama/railroad products filled the entired side of one isle and about half of the other side.

Now its about 1/4 of one side of an isle.

They now carry only a very small amount of “Woodland Scenics”. Most of that are the pre made trees.

Now gone are the tree sets, ground cover material, molds, buildings, figures, hydrocal, etc.

Its a sad situation.

12

Thanks guys.

My rant was specifically about how they’ve taken all the artist oil paints and hidden them in a back storeroom. I can only presume they’re building a case or something, because that seems like a really, really stupid business decision.

Anyway, it’s frustrating when you can’t even look at the product, and when finding an associate usually involves a cross-store expedition or two.

My point wasn’t that HL is completely useless. Although, Hans, mine seems to be mostly knick-knacky crap, fake flowers, scrapbooking and yarn. I know sewing is really coming back into popularity right now, but man, from the local Hobby Lobby, you’d think it’s all knitting, all the time.

My point was that, slowly but surely, Hobby Lobby is removing the reasons I have for going in the store. Especially when it’s a trip I have to make time for.

13

I [ht] Hobby Lobby. Doogs, I have visited them all here in Austin and, if you let me know your general location, I can point you to a better one. The stores I frequent have, among other things, all their oils out on display.

14

"I never get it when I read, “I support my local hobby store when I can, even if its buying a jar or two of paint…”

Why? If they can’t compete don’t give them charity…the market determines who wil survive…and price is really the bottom line."

While I understand the above, I can’t say I support it fully. No it isn’t about just the one store, it’s about the entire effect it has on the entire community. If the store does, you might be losing more than a store. The owner loses interest in being in the area, that takes their money out of all the stores THEY need as well. They stop needing employees, and lost jobs means lost dollars from all the places they spend in as well.

Yes I realize, sounds extreme. But it eventually all adds up.

Now if I can get an item online for say half the shelf price in town at the local store, well everyone eventually has to answer to their wallet too.

If the local shop is reluctant to respond promptly to special orders, they deserve to miss the boat as well. If they won’t give any slack to frequent loyal customers, they have not earned much loyalty from them either. Retail is a difficult game, but it DOES have rules. Our local store re arranges the stock almost every 3 days it seems. They try hard to make it so you rarely miss something.

Our local shop’s owner has had some health issues to deal with lately. I DO worry that with her gone, the town would have sweet diddly to offer in the way of hobby sales. It would mean I would have to rely on online whether I liked it or not.

15

Each location adjusts their inventory mix to the demands of their customers wants. Apparently many things such as model railroad have seen a reduction/elimination because they aren’t turning at a profitable level.

HL also uses a non automated inventory management system…the old fashion computer printout and human to count and report stock levels, unlike many other stores which use point of sale systems which report inventory levels as items are scanned at checkout.

If a particular brand of products is suddenly missing from the aisles, it could be that the items are being returned to the mfr due to the line being discontinued or recalled.

Also HL is a craft store more than a hobby shop. There is a difference! The inclusion of manly hobby items is to appease the man who accompanies his female companion which provides an escape so he doesn’t have to wait for her to make a decisions about which yarn or scrapbook accessory she wants. [;)]

This separation between craft and hobby retailing has had a negative impact on the hobby shop. During a meeting at the HMA Convention I did a presentation to the Plastics Div about marketing…specifically the facts about who in the average household controls the money and makes most of the purchasing decision for the family…women. Not too surprisingly were comments made by LHS owners that they don’t want women in their stores, they belong at the craft store down the road! Given that there are a huge percentage of the population is a single mom with male offspring, they are missing both a sales opportunity and expansion of their customer base by promoting the hobbies which they depend on to make a living from.

The industry is once again revisiting the necessity to merge craft and hobby together again to their mutual benefit.

16

I live southwest, so the one I usually hit is the one in Brodie Oaks. Every so often I’ll sneak into the one up at Lamar and 183 if I’m swinging by Kings, or the one in Southpark Meadows if I’m out with the wife and she’s shopping for kid clothes.

I stopped by yesterday for three things - a pair of precision scissors for trimming biplane rigging, and two tubes of oils - white and maybe a gray lighter than Payne’s Gray. The oils have always been prominently displayed in the past…haven’t been by in a month or so, though, but they were all gone and only the acrylics were out. For that reason alone, I’m hesitant to call it theft. Maybe the kids are huffing oil paint these days or something.

The only scissors I could find were buried in the knitting section, and hideous, gold-inlaid things. I ended up just buying some cuticle scissors at Walgreens for half the price. They do the job just fine.

17

Not in this case.

They had signs up along the aisle.

“Winsor & Newton artist oils have been relocated to the stockroom. Please see an associate for assistance”.

I’m not really begrudging them reducing their stock of modeling and diorama supplies. Yes, it’s sad that their kit inventory hasn’t AT ALL from when I came back to the hobby last summer. Yes, it’s sad that they’ve basically gutted their Model Master selection into irrelevance. But as you say, Gerald, we’re not their core audience.

18

Expensive pocket-able items attract sticky fingers. I don’t blame them for locking up the oil paints.

As the economy suffers theft hurts dwindling retail sales further, its sad to see small shops close forever.

One reason warehouse online retailers survive is the fact nothing is within the customers reach. Unless you have employees that are untrustworthy there is 0 theft. No need to hire security or install cameras that require personnel to operate.

Wouldn’t auto parts stores approach work at the LHS? Have the large kits out on display, small items in the back for a employee to get when needed? It would be a combination of a warehouse & LHS.

Just a thought[2cnts]

Jason

19

Doogs, that’s a real pain in the rear. When it comes to shopping for my hobby, I prefer being independent, not having to rely on others to get me the right product that I’m looking for. More over, it seems to be the law of retail that when you are in a store and require assistance, there are no employees to be found, however, when you are in the same store and don’t need help there seems to be a surplus of employees who graciously tell you over and over that “if you need any help, just ask.”

I’d have to agree with Manny on the ‘support your local hobby shop’ point of view. Nowadays, hobby shops must be willing to compromise in today’s market. They must expand their inventory to include items beyond our hobby. I’ve seen several hobby shops close over the years in my area because they only sold plastic models and scale railroad items. Won’t get far in the market there. The most successful hobby shop I know is about 40 mins away but sell an expansive inventory including arts and crafts items that you would find in Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. They are also attached to Steven’s International, so that helps of course…

I prefer going to the hobby shop rather than shop online because I like to look at the kits, hold them. Browsing is part of the fun. I don’t feel like sitting at my computer, surfing the category, and I never really know specifically what I’m after…I kinda like when the kit says “take me, I’m yours”. Any way, I would be hard pressed to believe that a small hobby shop would have any effect, negative or positive on the rest of the community. A hobby shop would rely on surrounding stores to bring them business, other stores don’t rely on the hobby shop being there. Again, most hobby shops I’ve seen don’t employ a great deal of people, and they don’t need to since they don’t service a great deal of customers. Loss of jobs is always bad news, but in this case, not an economic disaster as I don’t know any community whose economy is propelled by hobby shop revenue.

*Note - when I say ‘hobby shop’ I’m not referring to large chain stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby…I’m referring to local small businesses.

20

That’s pretty much it exactly.

That’s why I think my favorite store to shop in is probably Lowe’s. Extremely self-guided, but if you need something, they have those little call buttons located all over the place, so instead of wandering around the store looking for someone, you can summon them. And when they get there, they know their stuff.

That and my Lowe’s has self-checkout, which, aside from the people who can’t seem to figure it out, is pretty much the greatest retail invention of all time.