10-02-2006, 09:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-02-2006, 11:21 AM by DAVEC-NITRO-RS4.)
Never been to Venture, but a general comment on hobby shops.....if you were in the hobby shop business, given the dynamic nature of the RC hobby, and given the fact that many RC'ers jump brands so often (Flavor of the Month syndrome), would you invest money in inventory on a product line in hopes that it's going to be a seller? Remember, they are running a business, not a charity support center.
If a shop makes it known that they are happy to get special orders in for you, and they are quick to do it, and fair priced when they do, AND they are helpful on the phone when you call to check if they have what you want (in other words, they have a good inventory management software system), then I have no problems with a shop. If you expect a small business to have the entire Tower catalog in their inventory, then your expectations are too high. For them to stock items that don't move, even if they are common to us, might not be a reasonable expectation, either.
For me, I like shops that can tell you what they have in stock over the phone, quickly, without "let me go search that aisle" and then put you on hold for 15 minutes. If they don't have it, I am fine with telling them to get it for me special order as long as they call me when it's in, not I call them and ask until it comes in.
my .02 on shops.
I like Leisure Hours. Hobbytown Aurora is convenient for most stuff I need, but is reliant on special ordering versus deep inventory. But I'm ok with that because their computer system is kept up to date and they know what they have.
If a shop makes it known that they are happy to get special orders in for you, and they are quick to do it, and fair priced when they do, AND they are helpful on the phone when you call to check if they have what you want (in other words, they have a good inventory management software system), then I have no problems with a shop. If you expect a small business to have the entire Tower catalog in their inventory, then your expectations are too high. For them to stock items that don't move, even if they are common to us, might not be a reasonable expectation, either.
For me, I like shops that can tell you what they have in stock over the phone, quickly, without "let me go search that aisle" and then put you on hold for 15 minutes. If they don't have it, I am fine with telling them to get it for me special order as long as they call me when it's in, not I call them and ask until it comes in.
my .02 on shops.
I like Leisure Hours. Hobbytown Aurora is convenient for most stuff I need, but is reliant on special ordering versus deep inventory. But I'm ok with that because their computer system is kept up to date and they know what they have.