hobby Lobby - Anyone feel guilt?

I don't have a HL to go to, but I wouldn't feel guilty. You're not stealing the stuff, they're offering the sale. Generally, at 40% off they're at least getting their money back on the item anyway, just not making any profit on the sale items.

No guilt here. I have been stopping by daily to pick up the clear plastic dust cover boxes at 3 bucks each. That's a real steal.

No guilt; they wouldn't put up sale stuff if they didn't want to move it. it makes room for inventory. Moving stock makes money; stock on the shelf doesn't.. so it's better to break even on something to make room for something else that will sell faster.

Now, many people probably will include full-priced stuff on their orders while getting sale stuff. Still others may not use a place like HL until they saw the sale announcements in here.

Even this discussion is helping HL! Nah, don't feel guilty!

--- Tontoni

Oh Frank even at 40% off they're making money. Maybe not a lot, but they are still making some. You would be surprised at how little they pay per case lot. Mike G.

I was just going by the general rule of the 2 wholesalers I deal with I get 40% off.

believe me, you aren't paying cost.

Now, cureently I am several thousand miles from an HL. But my rule of thumb when I was closer (C Springs! Represent!) I'd still give my local shop a first crack. But what was good about that was because they also catered exclusivley for the hobby crowd (that is not compeeting for space with the crafts) they might have more specialty items and a larger selection of aircraft. And, a better chance at an older kit.

But, HL did have a better sale price, and if it were a common kit, but on the higher end... wallet would win over ethics every time.

Rich

its just a loss leader to get you into the store, hoping you will buy something else that is marked up. Its not your fault if you don't buy anything else.

be lucky you have an HL near you. Us in the SF Bay Area don't have that luxury.... (we even got stuck with the Raiders and Niners)

Craig

What reasons pertaining to "political correctness" are the SF city government using; to keep Hobby Lobby from wanting to move into that market?

Perhaps...

1) Only rich, white Republicans earn enough money to "have hobbies". Therefore, the concept of "hobbies" is discriminatory.

2) Paints and glues are harmful to all those species that have not even been discovered yet.

3) Hobby Lobby sells "war toys" (models) and glue guns (and SF is in the midst of its 100%-gun-free movement). :o)

Frank, Hobby Lobby had sales of plus or minus $1.3 Billion last year. When they buy a model, they buy for the whole company, not like the local hobby shop that may buy 5 or 6 of one kit, HL buys several container loads of one kit. The more you buy from the distributor, in HL's case, they buy straight from the manufacturer, the less they pay for the product. So, even when they have the occasional 50 percent off sale, they are making money.

And then they have the even rarer 66 percent off sale. About a month ago, the store near my house had some models that had been sitting on the shelves for over 3 months and the sign on the table said "All models on this table at 1/3 of the posted price."

If they were not making a profit, they would not be having a sale.

Ray Austin, TX ===

Uh, I'm aware of that. The wholesalers have to make something. Does HL get them from where the wholesalers get them? I wonder what wholesalers costs are.

some even dump at below cost to get rid of "dead" inventory. prolly not hl, though.

Hobby Lobby is owned by one of those Bible thumping religious right fanatics with real family values. In fact, they are all closed on Sunday. Wow, what a radical idea. There is no way this type of behavior would be tolerated in San Francisco.

Then how come we ain't got any here in Lancaster? This place is ideal for them. :)

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

...who would love to share the guilt.....

Nope no guilt here, sale or no sale. Our lhs doesn't carry Sculpey, artists oils or a very good variety of brushes, which I stock up on every HL sale. Lhs gets my business for all the things HL doesn't carry or can't get through their suppliers.

-- Chuck Ryan Springfield OH

then I guess I won't be seeing them when I walk down Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley....

Craig

Others have opined that HL is *still* making money on these items, even at 40%-50% off. That may, or may not, be true...but that is not the point in these cases. These items are considered to be "unmoving inventory"; so *anything* they get for them is okay. Keeping them in the back room is no option, as very few customers shop the back rooms. Keeping such items on the shelf is no good, if there are (believed to be) more attractive items available to take up shelf space....so the idea is to get rid of them *now* (and if they are lucky, make a few bucks).

Now, there *have* been a few cases where I *should* have felt guilty.... such as when they had *three* of the Minicraft "100 Years of Flight - Propliners of the Golden Era" 4-kit sets (1/144th scale DC-3, Constellation, B-377 Stratocruiser, and B-314 Clipper), MIS-marked at $10.01 (about an

80% savings)....but I guess I was distracted when the "No, Greg..." Angel was calling from over my shoulder....as I snagged all three.

:o)

I'm not Jewish, I don't do guilt. Actually, I have bought other things at HL besides models, but I will admit the only reason I was even there was to pick up models at 40-50% off.