Local model shop distance.

[Rabbitaway]

Hi All

There is a concern from forum members when model shops are closing down but the retail environment is changing and remote buying is the future even for small items.

We are all sensitive to prices and rightly want the best deal for our hard earned cash - so there is no reason to buy from a local shop if it is say 20% cheaper mail order.

The successful businesses are the ones that understand this and are moving with times and unfortunately the others stuck in the past retail model will go out of business. There are a lot of comments about "characters" running model shops with very questionable customer service skills and this just makes costumers less likely to use local shops as well 

It is not helping new starts in the retail market when the main manufactures will only supply retailers with a shop in the "high street" and therefore significant overheads. What we will have over time is the traditional model shops going out of business and the market dominated by a few successful on-line sellers already established and new on-line retailers barred to entering the market because of the shop overhead barrier.

In the end competition will be eroded between the big three or four mail order suppliers and prices will increase and this can only be bad for us as customers. I would say this is happen right now!




 

[Luke Piewalker]

I just dropped into C&M in Carlisle while I was visiting my parents. Picked up a Deltic, a 37 and a Regional Railways 101. I didn't spend more than I would have buying them from the box shifters.