local shops closing

[Leo77]

Everyone seems to moan about the little local shops that can take a couple days or a week to get bits if its out of stock, and the first thing they do is come on here and give them a bad review.Trouble is if everyone keeps going to the big boys thinking they are wonderful, and wanting there babies, All the local shops will be gone then the big boys will be able to charge what they want when the competions gone.

[acwman]

Everyone seems to moan about the little local shops that can take a couple days or a week to get bits if its out of stock, and the first thing they do is come on here and give them a bad review.Trouble is if everyone keeps going to the big boys thinking they are wonderful, and wanting there babies, All the local shops will be gone then the big boys will be able to charge what they want when the competions gone.

The reality is that most ppl do their flying over the weekends. If ppl are going to need spares it would be over the outcome of the weekends flying. I'm sure most would want to engage in a repair that week to get their heli flying for the following week if it were possible. If some parts were out of stock at their lhs, you maybe very lucky to be able to get them in that week. Thats generally where the specialist heli shops come in..I don't think that anyone has given a bad review of a LHS just because an item is out of stock.

There is always going to be competition between the 'big boys' (as you put it).. and I don't agree with your statement that they will be able to charge for whatever they want 'when the competitions gone' . It would be the case if there were only one model shop left standing.. but that't not going to happen.

[moyesboy]

When you go to your local model shop, how big is it? Its usually just a ittle shop similar in area to the oxfam, or heart foundation shop next door.
shop rents and rates will have to come down. There are so many empty shops in every town it will have to happen becuase of supply and demand. There is no money to be made by changing the shops into dwellings at the moment either!
They can only let the shops to charities and they can only afford them becuase they get a special deal on the rates. Almost 60% of the retail space in the high street in Macclesfield for example is either empty or a charity shop.

If you go to the shop front of one of the big heli retailers its hardly a B&Q wharehouse, its usually of similar size to the LHS- only it doesn't try to sell cars, airfix kits, model boats, dolls houses, planes and helicopters - it just sells helicopters and even then it covers only certain brands. Then by selling via the web as well as the shopfront it can keep stock of everything for those specific helis.
I've only brought face to face from retailers at the one or two shows I go to. The nearest model shop with a few heli parts and maybe fuel is 45 mins away, and the nearest heli specialist shop is an hour and a half - thats a costly trip in the car. However compared to how the model business was 20 years ago I am very well served. I get all the parts I want almost next day rather than ordering from my local model shop with 28 days delivery like it was in the 80s. Prices are kept reasonable by the competition between the large UK shops that are selling online. Plus I get all the advice and chat that I need on here and at my local club.
If there was a model shop that sold what I wanted in my town or where I worked then I would support it, but for me and probably most of the UK population there isn't going to be one close enough and there never has been.

[J-S-Q]

When you go to your local model shop, how big is it? Its usually just a ittle shop similar in area to the oxfam, or heart foundation shop next door.
shop rents and rates will have to come down. There are so many empty shops in every town it will have to happen becuase of supply and demand. There is no money to be made by changing the shops into dwellings at the moment either!
They can only let the shops to charities and they can only afford them becuase they get a special deal on the rates. Almost 60% of the retail space in the high street in Macclesfield for example is either empty or a charity shop.

Perhaps someone should start a heli shop as a registered charitable operation offering addiction counseling and a spare parts programme.

[maderdog_1024]

Perhaps someone should start a heli shop as a registered charitable operation offering addiction counseling and a spare parts programme.

lol love it.

[barryorbik]

Loss of local model shops

Our local plank and wheels model shop in Aldridge closed recently, as a result of lower trade levels/profit and increasing rental charges. It amazing how you come to rely on the Local Model Shop for bits and bobs and if you have a mishap, having to wait for the postman to deliver the bits seems to take forever (especially when they are ordered from 'exotic' climate countries). Plus internet companies never seem to want to sell you just one 0.7mm x 8mm cross headed stainless steel screw, so you end up buying packs of bits you may never ever use.

I use our remaining two almost LMS's as often as I can for nick nacks and sometimes larger purchases like a Dx6i, as it is often more convient to collect locally and sometimes with better prices than the net. I hope my actions help a little in ensuring the LMS's remain in business, plus I enjoy the banter and chat that enhances any transactions.

In short I suggest we all actively support our LMS's even if it costs us a few pence more or we may end up inadvertently loosing them and then we would have no option but to use the web based companies., whose prices would then most certainly rise also.

Keep up the good work.

Barry

[maderdog_1024]

Our local plank and wheels model shop in Aldridge closed recently, as a result of lower trade levels/profit and increasing rental charges. It amazing how you come to rely on the Local Model Shop for bits and bobs and if you have a mishap, having to wait for the postman to deliver the bits seems to take forever (especially when they are ordered from 'exotic' climate countries). Plus internet companies never seem to want to sell you just one 0.7mm x 8mm cross headed stainless steel screw, so you end up buying packs of bits you may never ever use.

I use our remaining two almost LMS's as often as I can for nick nacks and sometimes larger purchases like a Dx6i, as it is often more convient to collect locally and sometimes with better prices than the net. I hope my actions help a little in ensuring the LMS's remain in business, plus I enjoy the banter and chat that enhances any transactions.

In short I suggest we all actively support our LMS's even if it costs us a few pence more or we may end up inadvertently loosing them and then we would have no option but to use the web based companies., whose prices would then most certainly rise also.

Keep up the good work.

Barry

so you buy british on everything ?
when rover was failing you bought one ?
you have british telecom as a phone supplier
british gas for your gas
you shop at your local store ? (ASDA is american, tesco is american)

If a small local business fails, its partly their fault for not diversifying with the times.

[J-S-Q]

If a small local business fails, its partly their fault for not diversifying with the times.

It's unfortunate to say it but I think that is the truth. Surely any of these shops need to focus on developing the internet side of business if they are to survive. If there was a shop that was truly local to me then yes, I'd use it but to be honest I'm more than happy to just order everything online from a reliable and fast delivering store.

The added value of a 'face to face' shop ought to be the good advice that you get from them but the truth is on the handful of occasions that I've gone into a shop and bought heli gear I think that I've been poorly advised -e.g. being sold Spektrum DS821's for a 50 nitro even though I specifically asked if they were up to the job, and being sold a TRex 450 CDE without being told that it was a somewhat 'obselete' model because it was all they had in stock at the time. Quite honestly I'd rather ask questions on here and then place an order online.

[maderdog_1024]

It's unfortunate to say it but I think that is the truth. Surely any of these shops need to focus on developing the internet side of business if they are to survive. If there was a shop that was truly local to me then yes, I'd use it but to be honest I'm more than happy to just order everything online from a reliable and fast delivering store.

The added value of a 'face to face' shop ought to be the good advice that you get from them but the truth is on the handful of occasions that I've gone into a shop and bought heli gear I think that I've been poorly advised -e.g. being sold Spektrum DS821's for a 50 nitro even though I specifically asked if they were up to the job, and being sold a TRex 450 CDE without being told that it was a somewhat 'obselete' model because it was all they had in stock at the time. Quite honestly I'd rather ask questions on here and then place an order online.

Then you have the flip side, alot of posts on forums are just opinions and hearsay and not factual coming from armchair wariors !

Using the DS821 as an example; i have used them with no problem at all. There were problems with certain batches and this gave them a bad name.

[acwman]

you shop at your local store ? (ASDA is american, tesco is american)

I don't think Tesco is american...

[maderdog_1024]

I don't think Tesco is american...

They are from Chestnut UK.

[J-S-Q]

Then you have the flip side, alot of posts on forums are just opinions and hearsay and not factual coming from armchair wariors !

Using the DS821 as an example; i have used them with no problem at all. There were problems with certain batches and this gave them a bad name.

Absolutely true but at least people on forums don't have the added motivation of "shifting a bit of old stock" to someone who doesn't know any better and at least you can take a whole range of opinions. I'm sure a lot of shops give fantastic advice but just not in the few occasions that I've used them.

Re: the Spektrum servos, yes lots of people use them but Spektrum themselves have said they don't recommend them on a 50 nitro so if I specifically asked if they were ok, I would hope that the sales person would know about Spektrum's advice.

[J-S-Q]

Just thinking about it, the shop that sold me the TRex was the same place that had previously advised me to get a Kyosho Nexus. When I went in the 2nd time for a TRex (spoke to a different guy) he laughed patronisingly at me when I said I had a nexus and said they were rubbish, 'what you really want is this (old) 450CDE (which we can't shift)'. That's the nice personal touch of your LHS eh! He he

[easypickingsere]

We are in a recession! Id just like to point out to all, that for us who are lucky enough to still be in work at the mo and able to afford helis and spares that we have no cause for complaint.

I really feel for the small shops suffering in these times. If it wasnt for the LHS in my area (Bournemouth) I'd of never got into this hobby.

I like to go into a shop to buy somthing, rabbit endlessly about helis and actually have in my hand what I went in there for. If they dont have the spares you want it takes no longer for them to get your order sent to you as buying online.

I for one hope whats left of our model shops in Dorset remain open and come through this recession as some namely Channel 4 and Lesro's have been around for a long time.

[derrick]

Hi all wish we had a descent model shop in north london, i would support them, But saying that i have no complaints abuot the online shops i use especially Rob at evoc if there were more model shop owners or managers like rob i don't think it would be so much of a problem.When i was into nitro boats 20 odd years ago we did have a couple of guy's like rob the two brians at Red Baron Models, Don't know if any one else remembers them, But i was in that shop every weekend spent a small fortune. Any way that's my 2 pence worth.
Del.