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Model retailers under lockdown - those still operational


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On 16/06/2020 at 14:53, Half-full said:

Hate to disappoint you but the Jurassic Era ended 145m years ago.

 

After you wind your neck in, many, many of these small shops and especially specialist suppliers are ran as an aside to their hobby, a lot of the specialist suppliers sell products that they developed for their own models and layouts and offer them to the general public to help other modellers or to cover their costs.  I would confidently say that they are not in it to make a living from their products.

 

And what is wrong with doing things the time-honoured way?  Not everything has to be done right now.  Have you not heard of being patient?

 

 

 

OK, it just seems quint. In the evenings I switch the light on rather than light a paraffin lamp or candle that my great grandparents would have used. Things move on, its more about convenience, and quality of service than speed. Within another 10-15 years there may be no car dealers anymore with people buying online AND getting their cars serviced online  direct with manufacturer (eg like Tesla have been doing for the past 5 years, and VW started this year). Its about two years since I wrote a physical paper cheque, its PayPal, revolut and online banking 99% of the time. Its 4 years since I was inside a physical bank. Cash also seem obsolete nowadays with contactless payments using your phone, watch or even a physical card which also seem on borrowed time. Society probably safer without cash, no more coins making holes in pockets or falling down the back of couches. Things move on, hopefully for the better. Retail has become so much easier and more convenient online, no travel needed, no parking, no walking, instant real time access to detailed product information including images and demo videos, click and painlessly the postman arrives 24hrs later with a packet of track pins, or a kit, or a spare part. Youtube is now where ones gets advice and is available outside opening hours. I admit there is a pleasant social interaction loss, but at what cost to the consumer? The only constant is change. Good evening.

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Trident trains opened its doors again on Wednesday

 

social distancing rules in place namely only 3 in the shop at once, hand sanitizer on the wall by the door, must sanitize before entry, 2 meters apart, don’t touch the stock unless buying

 

there is a screen at the counter to keep Richard from the customers too! 

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7 hours ago, NoelG said:

 

OK, it just seems quint. In the evenings I switch the light on rather than light a paraffin lamp or candle that my great grandparents would have used. Things move on, its more about convenience, and quality of service than speed. 

 

You've contracted yourself further down when you state 'Retail has become so much easier and more convenient online, no travel needed, no parking, no walking, instant real time access to detailed product information including images and demo videos, click and painlessly the postman arrives 24hrs later'

 

7 hours ago, NoelG said:

 

Within another 10-15 years there may be no car dealers anymore with people buying online AND getting their cars serviced online  direct with manufacturer (eg like Tesla have been doing for the past 5 years, and VW started this year).

 

 

Who do you think sells the cars and arranges services online service?  The car dealer, not Tesla or VW.  Its still car dealers who sell you the car.  You dont send your VW back to Germany to get serviced.  Yes you can buy direct from the manufacturer, but you would pay full retail price, which is WAY about what is paid through a dealer.

 

7 hours ago, NoelG said:

Its about two years since I wrote a physical paper cheque, its PayPal, revolut and online banking 99% of the time. Its 4 years since I was inside a physical bank. Cash also seem obsolete nowadays with contactless payments using your phone, watch or even a physical card which also seem on borrowed time. Society probably safer without cash, no more coins making holes in pockets or falling down the back of couches.

 

There are sections of society where a cheque is still the best way.  Not everywhere has full, fast internet or mobile internet coverage so electronic payments are no good to them.  As for society being safer without cash, well what happens when you need to buy that essential food or medicine when the electronic service payment fails?  Or your phone fails?  Or the payment terminal fails?  And what about those who dont spend their lives stuck to their phones?  Or dont have a phone capable of making contactless payments, or even a smart phone?

 

7 hours ago, NoelG said:

 

 

Things move on, hopefully for the better. Retail has become so much easier and more convenient online, no travel needed, no parking, no walking, instant real time access to detailed product information including images and demo videos, click and painlessly the postman arrives 24hrs later with a packet of track pins, or a kit, or a spare part.

 

 

So what happens to the hundreds of thousands of people employed in retail?  Should they just go and work in a picking warehouse?  Or do they lose their jobs and sit at home unemployed, unable to afford internet or buy a smart phone, to pay for things electronically, just so you can get your track pins delivered within 24 hours?

 

That 24 hour delivery is either very rare, or commands a high charge.  Watch that 24 hour delivery disappear if everybody buys everything online

 

7 hours ago, NoelG said:

Youtube is now where ones gets advice and is available outside opening hours.

 

And a hell of a lot of that advice comes from people who have no idea what they are looking at "OOOOOOH its a steam train, or is it a diesel or an electric?  I dont know, maybe you can tell me, add a comment and subscribe.  OOOOOH look its got wheels and they are ROUND.  Look its got 2 little spare wheels on each end too, that must be for when they get a puncture.  Oh my god this is the best train EVER.  remember to subscribe

 

7 hours ago, NoelG said:

I admit there is a pleasant social interaction loss, but at what cost to the consumer? The only constant is change. Good evening.

Mental health.  Thats the cost.  Staying at home with no social interaction seriously affects mental health.  And physical health, which in turn affects mental health.

 

Good on you if you want to live in a cashless, stay at home, social seclusion, screen addicted society, with no physical friends, at least I'll never bump into you in reality.  

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1 hour ago, Half-full said:

 

You've contracted yourself further down when you state 'Retail has become so much easier and more convenient online, no travel needed, no parking, no walking, instant real time access to detailed product information including images and demo videos, click and painlessly the postman arrives 24hrs later'

 

 

Who do you think sells the cars and arranges services online service?  The car dealer, not Tesla or VW.  Its still car dealers who sell you the car.  You dont send your VW back to Germany to get serviced.  Yes you can buy direct from the manufacturer, but you would pay full retail price, which is WAY about what is paid through a dealer.

 

 

There are sections of society where a cheque is still the best way.  Not everywhere has full, fast internet or mobile internet coverage so electronic payments are no good to them.  As for society being safer without cash, well what happens when you need to buy that essential food or medicine when the electronic service payment fails?  Or your phone fails?  Or the payment terminal fails?  And what about those who dont spend their lives stuck to their phones?  Or dont have a phone capable of making contactless payments, or even a smart phone?

 

 

So what happens to the hundreds of thousands of people employed in retail?  Should they just go and work in a picking warehouse?  Or do they lose their jobs and sit at home unemployed, unable to afford internet or buy a smart phone, to pay for things electronically, just so you can get your track pins delivered within 24 hours?

 

That 24 hour delivery is either very rare, or commands a high charge.  Watch that 24 hour delivery disappear if everybody buys everything online

 

 

And a hell of a lot of that advice comes from people who have no idea what they are looking at "OOOOOOH its a steam train, or is it a diesel or an electric?  I dont know, maybe you can tell me, add a comment and subscribe.  OOOOOH look its got wheels and they are ROUND.  Look its got 2 little spare wheels on each end too, that must be for when they get a puncture.  Oh my god this is the best train EVER.  remember to subscribe

 

Mental health.  Thats the cost.  Staying at home with no social interaction seriously affects mental health.  And physical health, which in turn affects mental health.

 

Good on you if you want to live in a cashless, stay at home, social seclusion, screen addicted society, with no physical friends, at least I'll never bump into you in reality.  

 

Good morning. Well we may have to politely agree to differ.  Sadly the high street as we knew it in the 60s and 70s with grocers, butcher shops, chemists, and small hardware stores is already long gone, when we do visit stores most now use out of town retail parks, the likes of Boots, B&Q, IKEA and the HarveyNormans of this world. I don't stay at home much and have an active life, cycling, and sailing. Model choo-choos are part of my growing up and morphed into this hobby once again later in life. I enjoy driving my model trains, and building some, my latest passion is resprays and weathering. I have not been inside a model railway shop for about 5 years, but managed to source everything from screws, to paints, kits, RTR all online. There's only one model shop left anyway within 100miles of us, and it would not carry any of the stuff I use for kit building and painting, nor even track. I find online stores like Hattons, Gaugemaster and Peters Spares excellent as well as eBay where I have bought most of my modelling tools. Increasingly I buy model rail electronics from Germany due to better pricing and better service (eg. Modelbahnshopp-lippe and kieskemper), other stuff from USA and New Zealand.

 

PS: Car dealerships with the onset of direct selling and direct servicing may only have 10-15 years left. Look how Tesla have disrupted the entire motor industry with their 'direct' sales & service model which has proven hugely successful, prompted legacy manufactures rush to follow their new business model in a effort not to be the next Nokia of the car industry. 

 

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16 hours ago, NoelG said:

 

But even PayPal using email address to make online payments for orders placed over the phone or via email is secure and little hassle to set up (ie for small hobby suppliers who don't need a full online e-commerce shop in a box). Retailer gets paid, sends the goods, no paper needed nor wasted, no time wasted.

 

https://shop.mypos.eu/en/19-card-payment-machine/90-mini-credit-card-reader-mini-white

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Square-Card-Reader-Accept-Contactless/dp/B06XRWD4BD/ref=asc_df_B06XRWD4BD/?tag=googshopuk-21

 

 

Thes cost quite a lot of money... it’s not appropriate for many small traders, and they take quite a big cut of income.

 

it seems the smaller you are, the bigger the chunk they take

Edited by Trains4U
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9 hours ago, Half-full said:

There are sections of society where a cheque is still the best way.  Not everywhere has full, fast internet or mobile internet coverage so electronic payments are no good to them.  As for society being safer without cash, well what happens when you need to buy that essential food or medicine when the electronic service payment fails?  Or your phone fails?  Or the payment terminal fails?  And what about those who dont spend their lives stuck to their phones?  Or dont have a phone capable of making contactless payments, or even a smart phone?

 

7 hours ago, NoelG said:

 

Good morning. Well we may have to politely agree to differ.  Sadly the high street as we knew it in the 60s and 70s with grocers, butcher shops, chemists, and small hardware stores is already long gone, when we do visit stores most now use out of town retail parks, the likes of Boots, B&Q, IKEA and the HarveyNormans of this world. I don't stay at home much and have an active life, cycling, and sailing. Model choo-choos are part of my growing up and morphed into this hobby once again later in life. I enjoy driving my model trains, and building some, my latest passion is resprays and weathering. I have not been inside a model railway shop for about 5 years, but managed to source everything from screws, to paints, kits, RTR all online. There's only one model shop left anyway within 100miles of us, and it would not carry any of the stuff I use for kit building and painting, nor even track. I find online stores like Hattons, Gaugemaster and Peters Spares excellent as well as eBay where I have bought most of my modelling tools. Increasingly I buy model rail electronics from Germany due to better pricing and better service (eg. Modelbahnshopp-lippe and kieskemper), other stuff from USA and New Zealand.

 

But what about those who do not have any desire for the internet? (And I'm talking general public and retailers here!) These people CHOOSE not to use the internet for business of any kind.

 

If I may quote a former colleague of my late Father, "I've been using computers throughout my working life; I do not want one in retirement! Pen, paper, telephone and stamps suit my needs"

 

Cheques (and Postal Orders) are still in regular use (There are, apparently, stiil some who send cash through the post!). If my local model store stops accepting (often hand- but sometimes type-) written orders with either, they lose a significant number of customers. I understand that many of their customers also telephone-in orders despite having checked availability on line, such is their faith in the internet.

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There are quiet a lot of "cottage industry" suppliers who use ebay and Shapeways;. I agree with the sentiment that SAE for lists is old hat and an accurate listing on a web page does not have to have a shop facility as well provided the options for payment are clearly set out, or even could be a posting on a forum...

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1 hour ago, Butler Henderson said:

There are quiet a lot of "cottage industry" suppliers who use ebay and Shapeways;. I agree with the sentiment that SAE for lists is old hat and an accurate listing on a web page does not have to have a shop facility as well provided the options for payment are clearly set out, or even could be a posting on a forum...

 

But, equally, there are a lot of punters that rely on SAE to this day. Posted orders with cheque or postal orders are regular, especially from punters who do NOT have, or do NOT want to have, access to the interweb. There are more than may be realised! They must, however, be respected and not discriminated against in their ability to effect remote purchases.

 

If the suppliers can not understand or cope with this, it is, frankly, the supplier's loss!

Edited by JohnDMJ
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3 hours ago, JohnDMJ said:

If I may quote a former colleague of my late Father, "I've been using computers throughout my working life; I do not want one in retirement! Pen, paper, telephone and stamps suit my needs"

They won't suit his needs if what he wants is available online only...

I have a lot of sympathy with people who don't want to use the web, but that's not quite the same as saying 'why would I want a computer?' when in reality it is now essential to have access to many of the best deals in life.  Within a generation, there will really be no-one about who isn't versed in ecommerce as a way of life, so the challenge is to manage the marginal costs of accomodating an ever diminishing field who have no other means or desire but stamps, cheque book and pen.

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Guest Half-full

My friend runs a business selling PC parts, where he lives he has an abysmal internet service, and an abysmal mobile signal, and its the same with all providers.

 

He tried selling his wares via ecommerce, whilst his website ran great via the host, and people could place orders etc, he would take hours to process a simple order, trying to get the details from the host etc, so he got rid of the ecommerce facility and relies solely on landline phone orders.  

 

He now runs his business by having a website showing a catalogue of what he sells, asking potential customers to phone to see if what they want is in stock, and payment is by cheque only.

 

Whilst he reckons he would get more orders if he had a fully functioning website with live stock and online payment, he has more time to develop his business rather than spend hours trying to get order info down his treacle like internet.

 

He doesnt live out in the wilds, he is within a few miles of Cheltenham

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A2B Model Railways reopened on Tuesday and will be opening with following restricted opening hours

 

Monday  & Wednesday (appointments only - these can be booked online with thirty minute slots available between 9am - 1pm

 

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am - 2pm (appointments also available between 9am - 10am

 

Saturday 10am - 4pm

 

I am limiting capacity to two people or one family group at a time. Hand sanitizer to be used if handling products. Cash accepted but card payments are preferred.


Our opening hours will be extended in July.

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Hello chums,

 

A warm welcome awaits those who want to visit Lord and Butler whose doors re-open as from Monday, 22 June, after what seems to be weeks and weeks. Some distancing measures will be in place, but nonetheless, do drop by.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

'Hoorah!'

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As an add-on to my earlier post, Peter has been busy over the last day or so and the shop is ready. Social distancing has been marked out as you can see:

 

FB_IMG_1592762749021.jpg.6b8924333e8756084b9116a93ad63d34.jpg

 

and a warm welcome awaits you all (though I don't think the beer is included!). Pictures taken a couple of hours ago:

 

FB_IMG_1592762690494.jpg.9fdbf81fcdf13b77b8d28ab1e562298b.jpg

 

Joking aside - please do note that for the time being, the shop will be open from 10.00am to 4.00pm only.

 

Following a post on another thread - please note that face masks will be a condition of entry.

 

Cheers and stay safe,

 

Philip

Edited by Philou
Updated following a post by NHY 581 elsewhere.
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19 hours ago, Philou said:

As an add-on to my earlier post, Peter has been busy over the last day or so and the shop is ready. Social distancing has been marked out as you can see:

 

FB_IMG_1592762749021.jpg.6b8924333e8756084b9116a93ad63d34.jpg

 

and a warm welcome awaits you all (though I don't think the beer is included!). Pictures taken a couple of hours ago:

 

FB_IMG_1592762690494.jpg.9fdbf81fcdf13b77b8d28ab1e562298b.jpg

 

Joking aside - please do note that for the time being, the shop will be open from 10.00am to 4.00pm only.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

I called in this morning, came away with a Bachmann BR bogie bolster wagon sorted :D

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Tornado books opened in Brum today 10.00- 16.00 Thurs/Fri/ Sat only . 

https://www.tornadobookshop.co.uk/.

 

It is a small shop but has spacing markers and the boss is now behind a screen but still cheerful and reported a good day today.   A good range of humbrol paints and spray cans and some limited modelling stuff but new and s/h books  aplenty. 

 

Robert   

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  • 1 month later...

Chums,

 

For those they may be of a nervous disposition, Lord and Butler are offering personal shopping (by prior arrangements) so as to avoid unnecessary contact with others.

 

Here's a link to their latest video showing post-Covid arrangements plus some new stock arrivals (as of three weeks ago):

 

 

Interested? Ya gonna call? 029 2066 7225

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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