Accurascale Opens To Trade

[Phil Parker]

12 minutes ago, NoelG said:

The era of high street rip offs is dead. Long live online shopping.

 

Where do you buy paint from? Or that odd packet of track pins?

 

Personally, I'm really pleased that Accurascale are supporting local model shops.

[Guest Half-full]

15 minutes ago, NoelG said:

 

Hi Fran. Best wishes with the new sales channel experiment. One of Accurascale & IRMs great strengths was direct online selling cutting out the unesseceary middle man's cut (ie distributors and retailers) that pushed prices up. It is ironic that so many who completed an online survey "did not have access to the internet", and doubly ironic that they will ever see this online message. At times parts of GB seems to be living in a past era of paper catalogs and price lists typed on typewriters, SAEs, money orders, etc, with some suppliers not even having email access never mind ability to take credit card payments, or sell online.  It's hard to believe in 2020, but you have to meet your customers where they are at. Keep up the excellent products and keep your keen pricing, don't let the middle man's cut push your prices up. You are producing higher German spec model standards but at UK pricing levels (ie priced at inferior Hornby and Bachmann levels). Noel

 

The era of high street rip offs is dead. Long live online shopping.

Which is why many many many high streets are empty or full of kebab/charity/vape/bookies premises.  

 

Im sure those who have lost jobs will agree with you....

 

[NoelG]

35 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Where do you buy paint from? Or that odd packet of track pins?

 

Personally, I'm really pleased that Accurascale are supporting local model shops.

 

Hi Phil, I buy everything online for years. So much more convenient, no travel, nor car needed, pay online and packet arrives in the post 24/48 hrs later. Hattons, Peterspares, Gaugemaster, Howes for paint, or Vallejo direct, all brilliant online retailers, all electronics now from german online retailers like Modelbahnshop-lippe or Kieskemper, all better prices too. Why should we support unnecessary for-profit retail businesses when we can buy online at better prices. Online don't have to pay high street rents nor high street rates, so can sell at better prices to modellers. Noel

Edited March 18, 2020 by NoelG

[NoelG]

38 minutes ago, Half-full said:

Which is why many many many high streets are empty or full of kebab/charity/vape/bookies premises.  

 

Im sure those who have lost jobs will agree with you....

 

 

We live in changing times, mostly for the better, thankfully GPs no longer use leeches to cure all manner of ills, and we can have general anaesthetic  when undergoing surgery. My recent heart surgery would not have been possible 20 years ago. Commerce is also progressing. There are jobs in manufacturing and online warehousing, look at hattons massive operation. Recently bought CV-19 defence supplies online, arrived within 24hrs (eg hand sanitisers, face masks, disinfectant spray, etc). We've done our grocery shopping online for years, van arrives and carries boxes into the house. What's not to like about superior online services. Way of the future and now.

Edited March 18, 2020 by NoelG
lexdysia

[Guest Half-full]

5 minutes ago, NoelG said:

 

We live in changing times, mostly for the better, thankfully GPs no longer use leeches to cure all manner of ills, and we can have general anaesthetic  when undergoing surgery. My recent heart surgery would not have been possible 20 years ago. Commerce is also progressing. There are jobs in manufacturing and online warehousing, look at hattons massive operation. Recently bought CV-19 defence supplies online, arrived within 24hrs (eg hand sanitisers, face masks, disinfectant spray, etc). We've done our grocery shopping online for years, van arrives and carries boxes into the house. What's not to like about superior online services. Way of the future and now.

Yes there are jobs in warehouses, there are a large number of warehouses in an estate about 5 miles from me, and about 5 miles from any public transport, the average pay of the workers means they will use a significant percentage of their pay just to get to work, to satisfy demand of those who thinks popping to a local shop is not for them, when before they could have had a job in retail in the town centre and been able to get there easily or quickly by train/bus or even foot.

 

Times are changing, and online purchases are great, but shouldn't be at the expense of high street shops, and the increasing reliance on online shopping/social media is breeding a race of socially awkward, self entitled people.

[truffy]

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. Personally, the only reason that I buy online is that I don't have a local LMS; indeed, any model shop here in Switzerland is unlikely to stock 00 RTR!

 

I do have an LMS (other modelling) from which I can buy paint, etc., which is just as well, since getting that in the post can be a PITA. But they don't stock Humbrol, Railmatch, or Phoenix. And, even when I visit the UK I don't have an LMS that stocks the latter two anyway.

 

As for grocery shopping online, I prefer to select my own groceries in the shop, ta very much.

Edited March 18, 2020 by truffy

[NoelG]

37 minutes ago, Half-full said:

Yes there are jobs in warehouses, there are a large number of warehouses in an estate about 5 miles from me, and about 5 miles from any public transport, the average pay of the workers means they will use a significant percentage of their pay just to get to work, to satisfy demand of those who thinks popping to a local shop is not for them, when before they could have had a job in retail in the town centre and been able to get there easily or quickly by train/bus or even foot.

 

Times are changing, and online purchases are great, but shouldn't be at the expense of high street shops, and the increasing reliance on online shopping/social media is breeding a race of socially awkward, self entitled people.

 

Ironically just at this moment it is the jobs in online retailing that are not being lost whereas retail is suffering in these exceptional circumstances. Older folks can do weekly shop online and have delivered to their door with out risk of going out. Yes its sad that high streets are loosing their heart, personally I hate shopping malls, a modern day form of hell, but hopefully a new generation of 'cafe culture' business will take over high streets, with specialised bakeries and fresh food stuff suppliers (eg like France, Switzerland and Germany). There is only one model rail shop left in Ireland and its too far to bother with the traffic and public transport, easier to use the keyboard which is also faster. Same shop has moved much of its business online too. I do have fond memories of drooling inside specialist model shops in the 1960s, but I suspect they had to many tire kickers in there wasting the retailers time with 'nerdy banter' about rivets, etc.  Retail is business, pile them high and shift boxes, nobody wants to pay extra for service.

 

PS: Not all modellers are 'socially awkward' but some may have adenoid trouble.  

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by NoelG

[NoelG]

40 minutes ago, Half-full said:

Yes there are jobs in warehouses, there are a large number of warehouses in an estate about 5 miles from me, and about 5 miles from any public transport, the average pay of the workers means they will use a significant percentage of their pay just to get to work, to satisfy demand of those who thinks popping to a local shop is not for them, when before they could have had a job in retail in the town centre and been able to get there easily or quickly by train/bus or even foot.

 

Times are changing, and online purchases are great, but shouldn't be at the expense of high street shops, and the increasing reliance on online shopping/social media is breeding a race of socially awkward, self entitled people.

 

Preparing to open a delivery of models recently arrived from China 

 

[GeoffAlan]

On 16/09/2019 at 17:36, AY Mod said:

 

My local model shop has stopped me doing that. 

There's a difference between modest fondle and what you were doing!

[The Stationmaster]

16 hours ago, Tim Hall said:

Kernow seem to be squatting in Lord and Butler's admittedly spacious address....

No they aren't - unless it's been altered since the original post because that is the correct address for KMRC. But I think the pasty shop down the road is no longer open, it wasn't the last time I was there..

 

Mind you some of the geography is a little confusing - Alton Model Centre - the most local of my two 'local model shops - lies to the south east of where I live and we're often regarded as being in the South east; Alton is definitely in the South east. But all we need to do is go through the lists to find our favourite and 'local' model railway retailers and that doesn't take long at all so it's no problem.

 

All I need now is those MDOs - to the correct diagram and without all those mamby pamby latterday mods.  Then I have at least three choices of where to buy them, assuming I'm still allowed out to visit my 'local' model shop(s) or posting items across EU borders remains legal  

[big jim]

Yes mike it has been changed as has MIB models Phone number 

[Accurascale Fran]

Hi everyone,

 

Both errors were amended, thanks for spotting them!

 

Cheers,

 

Fran

[MRDBLUE17]

Personally it’s great that Accurascale are supporting the high street/ independent retailers. When home I go in Crafty Hobbies in Barrow, there are all the small bits and bobs you need. A good example being my request for rail joiners which I was able to collect at the show. Having good shop owners also mean you get great service. Living so far away from the shop I get emails or even Facebook messages about new items or to order something. I was at Glasgow and got an email from John with the Accurascale new 37’s when the team we’re just yards from the layout. I got my order in for 37026 straight away. 

 

Use your high street and support them more than ever just now.

 

 

[Guest Half-full]

9 minutes ago, MRDBLUE17 said:

Personally it’s great that Accurascale are supporting the high street/ independent retailers. When home I go in Crafty Hobbies in Barrow, there are all the small bits and bobs you need. A good example being my request for rail joiners which I was able to collect at the show. Having good shop owners also mean you get great service. Living so far away from the shop I get emails or even Facebook messages about new items or to order something. I was at Glasgow and got an email from John with the Accurascale new 37’s when the team we’re just yards from the layout. I got my order in for 37026 straight away. 

 

Use your high street and support them more than ever just now.

 

 

Well said!!

[Accurascale Fran]

2 hours ago, Half-full said:

Well said!!

This was the essence of our little campaign yesterday; in these unprecedented times we need to support local businesses and the businesses in the industry where we can. Now is not a time for division.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

[classy52]

If you could get Kent Garden Railways (KGR) in Orpington on-board stocking your wonderful products that would be great...obviously it is up to them.

[Accurascale Fran]

1 hour ago, classy52 said:

If you could get Kent Garden Railways (KGR) in Orpington on-board stocking your wonderful products that would be great...obviously it is up to them.

 

If you can PM me a contact name and email address we will certainly have a conversation. Same goes for any retailer anyone knows of, we are always open to new retail opportunities. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

[classy52]

Just now, Accurascale Fran said:

 

If you can PM me a contact name and email address we will certainly have a conversation. Same goes for any retailer anyone knows of, we are always open to new retail opportunities. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

 Good stuff...no worries will do.