*Warning, this one is a long one...*
There's a lot of hatred for direct from China distributers, Hobby King in particular. When complaining about the closures of local shops, I hear this claim fairly often. "Hobby King is the reason that local hobby shops are going out of business."
The point is usually made with this statement that Hobby King under cuts by selling for less than the local hobby shops can afford to sell at. I can't argue with that. They certainly sell at a price point, even with shipping, that is less than the price of the typical products being carried at your local shop.
I'd be willing to argue that the blame doesn't lie with Hobby King, but with the local businesses. Largely the mindset of American hobby shop owners, and their frustrations at the customers for "not buying American."
Personally I find it rather hypocritical, for a business who stocks things they purchased either directly from China, or from a US company that gets all of their items from China, to get upset with the US customers who do the same, except they're cutting out the middle man.
Not all shops are the same, but I've encountered several that seem to think you're supposed to buy from them, at the prices they're charging, merely because they have a shop. It's like you owe them, for them being there, without any efforts being put forth on their part.
No, I propose that the death of the local hobby shop is due in large part to the owners and their own failure to be able to change with the times.
Case in point, the argument that budget electronics and airframes from China is costing the hobby shops customers. Most of the items people are buying from HK for the low price, is decent crap. It's far from high end, it's a great product for getting the new person into the hobby, or someone with low income a way to stay with the hobby. I doubt that there's many people who have gone on to higher end models, expensive airframes, and still fly their aircraft on budget electronics.
So there's two different markets here. You've got people who are willing to buy usable junk, these people aren't looking for longevity of the product. They're likely going to crash that motor, or through learning curve errors, burn out that ESC. They want something cheap, just to get them in the air. This is a customer base that I think the local hobby shops are ignoring. This seems crazy to me, since I think this is the growing customer base out there.
Then you have the higher end market, people who want quality products, the secure feeling that buying a name brand product will give them a quality item that will last for the life of the aircraft. This is the line of products that the shops seem to carry, and unfortunately, their customer base is much smaller.
Why don't LHS's figure out if you can't beat them, join them? Carry budget gear. Cheap motors, batteries, speed controls, etc. Sure, the profit margin might be smaller, but the amount of sales will be higher.
It seems like the hobby shops are angry that these budget minded pilots, who can barely afford to be in the hobby in some cases, don't drop their entire month's RC allowance on that one motor/ESC/battery, when they can get an entire flight package from somewhere else, and be out flying for the same investment.
Another old fashioned mentality that I think is hurting the hobby shop owners, is the idea that they need to be in a highly visible, heavy trafficked shopping area, to get the business they need to stay open.
This seems wrong to me on so many levels. When you sign that lease to be in that plaza, you're locked into the rules, and restrictions that the building owners/managers have decided on. Sure, you're getting lots of visibility and traffic, by teenage girls, and soccer moms. Unless you get a retail space next to Home Depot, or a hot wings restaurant, then you're spending all of that extra money for nothing.
A prime example of how doing it differently is doing it right to me is Hodges Hobbies.
Hodges is a hobby shop in the middle of nowhere Georgia. Surrounded by farm fields far from any major highways. Yet chances are if you know much of anything about RC, if you've spend any time online, you know about Hodges in one form or another. Hundreds of people were just at his shop last week. Hundreds.
I was talking to a guy a few years ago who had decided he was going to open his own shop. He insisted on getting some retail space in a strip mall "for visibility". I suggested instead of taking a mortgage out on his house to get into that lease, that he should sell his house, buy a little farm with some land, and set up the shop in the barn. Take the lease money he would never see again and instead invest it into the purchase of the land, which even if he decided to close shop, he would still own.
He argued that a flying field wouldn't work where he was, because people could go anywhere to fly. Sure, that may be true, but many folks in this hobby enjoy a good meet up. Did I mention that there were hundreds of people camped out at some out in the boonies RC field in Georgia just last week? These people came from all over the world (from what I saw, there was at least one guy from the Netherlands in attendance.) to fly together at this out of the way location.
Another great thing about this location, is there's a hobby shop at the field (or a field at the hobby shop...).
So, if you crash, and need a replacement part, it's right there!
If you crash and need a replacement plane, it's right there.
If you've never flown before, and wanted to just check out what was at the hobby shop, instead of what most people do, go in, look at the items, go home, check the reviews online, then find it cheaper on the internet and buy it there... A person can drive up, and see something flying outside, talk to the pilot, hear that it's a great plane, and go into the hobby shop and buy it right then.
I've put some thought into what I would do if I had my own hobby shop. Well, obviously I'd want it on it's own flying field for the reasons mentioned above. I'd carry the budget motors, speed controls, and batteries, in addition to the name brand stuff. I'd sell sheets of foam, and encourage people to build their own planes. I'd encourage combat sessions... (if you've never seen full contact combat RC flying, you're missing out, it's awesome) and sell the foam kits and replacement parts to the happy participants. I'd have a flight school. Ground school would be time on a simulator, that uses a wide screen TV as the monitor. I'd carry a good trainer plane, that I'd use as the flight instruction plane. This way once the new pilot was comfortable with flying on their own, they could buy the plane from me, that they were comfortable flying. I'd hold foam plane building clinics. People could come in the evening, and do group builds with an instructor. Foam, and power packages would of course be available for purchase.
If I had enough land, I'd want a restaurant on the property. Preferably in a building I owned, that I rented to the restaurant. Nothing too fancy, something with an outdoor eating area so dad and son can enjoy their hamburgers while watching the RC planes fly overhead. Of course after finishing their meal, they'd walk to the shop, and buy a plane or two. Camping/lodging facilities. This way events could be held for multiple days. Night flying and more would be available.
Mac Hodges, the owner of Hodges Hobbies has most of this already. His place is the model which I base my fantasy hobby shop upon. While the economy has effected his business, I think he's fared much better than most "mom and pop hobby shops" because of his field, and also his incredible personality. He's a friendly giving man, who makes you feel welcome whenever you're there. While he's been in the hobby for more decades than I've been around... he doesn't seem to be stuck in the same mindset that I think is hurting so many of the other hobby shops around.
So, do you think that Hobby King is the killer of hobby shops? Is there anything you don't like about the hobby shops you've visited, that you would do differently?
There's a lot of hatred for direct from China distributers, Hobby King in particular. When complaining about the closures of local shops, I hear this claim fairly often. "Hobby King is the reason that local hobby shops are going out of business."
The point is usually made with this statement that Hobby King under cuts by selling for less than the local hobby shops can afford to sell at. I can't argue with that. They certainly sell at a price point, even with shipping, that is less than the price of the typical products being carried at your local shop.
I'd be willing to argue that the blame doesn't lie with Hobby King, but with the local businesses. Largely the mindset of American hobby shop owners, and their frustrations at the customers for "not buying American."
Personally I find it rather hypocritical, for a business who stocks things they purchased either directly from China, or from a US company that gets all of their items from China, to get upset with the US customers who do the same, except they're cutting out the middle man.
Not all shops are the same, but I've encountered several that seem to think you're supposed to buy from them, at the prices they're charging, merely because they have a shop. It's like you owe them, for them being there, without any efforts being put forth on their part.
No, I propose that the death of the local hobby shop is due in large part to the owners and their own failure to be able to change with the times.
Case in point, the argument that budget electronics and airframes from China is costing the hobby shops customers. Most of the items people are buying from HK for the low price, is decent crap. It's far from high end, it's a great product for getting the new person into the hobby, or someone with low income a way to stay with the hobby. I doubt that there's many people who have gone on to higher end models, expensive airframes, and still fly their aircraft on budget electronics.
So there's two different markets here. You've got people who are willing to buy usable junk, these people aren't looking for longevity of the product. They're likely going to crash that motor, or through learning curve errors, burn out that ESC. They want something cheap, just to get them in the air. This is a customer base that I think the local hobby shops are ignoring. This seems crazy to me, since I think this is the growing customer base out there.
Then you have the higher end market, people who want quality products, the secure feeling that buying a name brand product will give them a quality item that will last for the life of the aircraft. This is the line of products that the shops seem to carry, and unfortunately, their customer base is much smaller.
Why don't LHS's figure out if you can't beat them, join them? Carry budget gear. Cheap motors, batteries, speed controls, etc. Sure, the profit margin might be smaller, but the amount of sales will be higher.
It seems like the hobby shops are angry that these budget minded pilots, who can barely afford to be in the hobby in some cases, don't drop their entire month's RC allowance on that one motor/ESC/battery, when they can get an entire flight package from somewhere else, and be out flying for the same investment.
Another old fashioned mentality that I think is hurting the hobby shop owners, is the idea that they need to be in a highly visible, heavy trafficked shopping area, to get the business they need to stay open.
This seems wrong to me on so many levels. When you sign that lease to be in that plaza, you're locked into the rules, and restrictions that the building owners/managers have decided on. Sure, you're getting lots of visibility and traffic, by teenage girls, and soccer moms. Unless you get a retail space next to Home Depot, or a hot wings restaurant, then you're spending all of that extra money for nothing.
A prime example of how doing it differently is doing it right to me is Hodges Hobbies.
Hodges is a hobby shop in the middle of nowhere Georgia. Surrounded by farm fields far from any major highways. Yet chances are if you know much of anything about RC, if you've spend any time online, you know about Hodges in one form or another. Hundreds of people were just at his shop last week. Hundreds.
I was talking to a guy a few years ago who had decided he was going to open his own shop. He insisted on getting some retail space in a strip mall "for visibility". I suggested instead of taking a mortgage out on his house to get into that lease, that he should sell his house, buy a little farm with some land, and set up the shop in the barn. Take the lease money he would never see again and instead invest it into the purchase of the land, which even if he decided to close shop, he would still own.
He argued that a flying field wouldn't work where he was, because people could go anywhere to fly. Sure, that may be true, but many folks in this hobby enjoy a good meet up. Did I mention that there were hundreds of people camped out at some out in the boonies RC field in Georgia just last week? These people came from all over the world (from what I saw, there was at least one guy from the Netherlands in attendance.) to fly together at this out of the way location.
Another great thing about this location, is there's a hobby shop at the field (or a field at the hobby shop...).
So, if you crash, and need a replacement part, it's right there!
If you crash and need a replacement plane, it's right there.
If you've never flown before, and wanted to just check out what was at the hobby shop, instead of what most people do, go in, look at the items, go home, check the reviews online, then find it cheaper on the internet and buy it there... A person can drive up, and see something flying outside, talk to the pilot, hear that it's a great plane, and go into the hobby shop and buy it right then.
I've put some thought into what I would do if I had my own hobby shop. Well, obviously I'd want it on it's own flying field for the reasons mentioned above. I'd carry the budget motors, speed controls, and batteries, in addition to the name brand stuff. I'd sell sheets of foam, and encourage people to build their own planes. I'd encourage combat sessions... (if you've never seen full contact combat RC flying, you're missing out, it's awesome) and sell the foam kits and replacement parts to the happy participants. I'd have a flight school. Ground school would be time on a simulator, that uses a wide screen TV as the monitor. I'd carry a good trainer plane, that I'd use as the flight instruction plane. This way once the new pilot was comfortable with flying on their own, they could buy the plane from me, that they were comfortable flying. I'd hold foam plane building clinics. People could come in the evening, and do group builds with an instructor. Foam, and power packages would of course be available for purchase.
If I had enough land, I'd want a restaurant on the property. Preferably in a building I owned, that I rented to the restaurant. Nothing too fancy, something with an outdoor eating area so dad and son can enjoy their hamburgers while watching the RC planes fly overhead. Of course after finishing their meal, they'd walk to the shop, and buy a plane or two. Camping/lodging facilities. This way events could be held for multiple days. Night flying and more would be available.
Mac Hodges, the owner of Hodges Hobbies has most of this already. His place is the model which I base my fantasy hobby shop upon. While the economy has effected his business, I think he's fared much better than most "mom and pop hobby shops" because of his field, and also his incredible personality. He's a friendly giving man, who makes you feel welcome whenever you're there. While he's been in the hobby for more decades than I've been around... he doesn't seem to be stuck in the same mindset that I think is hurting so many of the other hobby shops around.
So, do you think that Hobby King is the killer of hobby shops? Is there anything you don't like about the hobby shops you've visited, that you would do differently?