Athearn and Hobby Store vs Mail order.

Another full priced hobby store attacking people. You are a dinosaur. Goodbye. Your fossils will look nice in a museum. As if you are at all objective in this? You are just glad that the guys you don't like are taking a hit here. But if you think people are going to flock to you, you are nuts.

Right, and pigs are going to fly soon.

Wake up and see the light. It is 2004, not 1974.

John,

I do not think anyone was attempting to besmirch any of the B&M retailers. At least I hope not.

There was prior mention in a post of a Horizon notice concerning revised wholesale pricing. I assume (and I think most others did too) that this indicates a price increase at the wholesale level. What that will mean at the retail level is anyones guess. I wouldn't want to try for sure since the distributer level has been removed (perhaps).

I notice your message does not list Horizons comments in this area so I am assuming that Horizon is keeping that information private at the moment. I would hope one of the Horizon served retailers will comment on it for the group whenever it is disclosed.

Should be interesting.

Art

You are the equal opportunity flamer. You come here and slander people and then don't like it when I point that out?! Your wrath is what is shown here. Cut us a break. If you don't want to hear it, don't post it and then whine. You guys who flame and whine always amaze me. "Mommy, mommy, billy called me a bad name after I threw dirt on him!" WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Be a man and admit it. You are happy because you think Athearn's move will help your store. Just say so. But to slander others in the process?

I have been to your store. The brass market is dead. Now you want to do the same with the plastic market and think modelers are so dumb they will just drive to Laurel and pay you whatever it is you think they should. This is simply not going to happen no matter how much you think it will, sorry.

So welcome to the internet, where YOU post your flames and slander, and OTHERS get to respond. If you don't like that, don't post or turn off the computer.

Ah, Mr. Rathburne, I must apologize. I made on critical mistake that my father warned me about, and I failed to listen. Sigh....

He advised me that I should never get in a discussion with fools or idiots, they will wear you down and beat you with experience.

Adieu, Mr Rathburne, you are not worth my time........

I agree, you are wearing us out.

If you are going to come here and take your shots, then stand up and take them back. This is not your store and not everyone agrees with you. Now you run away because someone dares challenge YOUR opinions and slander.

If you think the horizon deal is good for your store, you are in for disappointment.

Actuallu up until you decided to chime in this had been a rather civil and interesting topic. However once again you start the name calling. I never saw anything remotely resembling a slanderous statement. You really read to much into folks replies. You also do not offer any factual data to back up your so called opinions.

I again ask for anything out of you other than bad guesswork and "gut" feelings. You simply prefer taking uneducated and unsubstantiated pot shots at anyones not agreeing with you. Just because you yell the loudest doesn't make you correct. In fact it adds fuel to all the jokes and snickering your rantings bring to you.

I suspect we'll see more of your well informed (NOT!) "opinions".

Dave

No secret. Current plans do not show any retail price increases. My wholesale prices have not changed (from Horizon). When Horizon has absorbed other exclusive product lines (all R/C products) the prices have in fact remained quite stable and in many cases actually dropped slightly. Horizon is in the railroad business for the long haul and Athearn will be the cornerstone in that category. I guess the only way anyone will believe it is to see what happens. Someone bring this up again in 6 months and then a year. I for one do not believe any significant price changes or availability will oocur.

I've heard they expect to genetically engineer pigs that can fly in the near future. I'll let you know when I hear more.

Dave

Full priced? My customers would disagree with you. Guys I don't like? OK, other than youself name one. I do mail order myself. Yes, I own a shop and no I can't purchase everything I want via my distributors. Just shows you're again talking out your butt and have never been near my shop nor ever met me. What a surprise. Where is your objectivity? Oh and my sales are going up quite nicely and my customer base is growing steadily. I guess I must be doing something right or I'd be out of business. The shop has been open over 25 years and I can certainly see another 25 in my future. I'll be happy to visit your fossils at that time.

Dave

Not really the B&M going out of business usually has other problems. See Peter King's challenge to name one shop that failed because of mailorder. I don't have a problem with mailorder folks as a rule. I do have problems with distributors that I preorder items from and pay the agreed price only to have them sell for a lot less to who ever shows up at the loading dock with cash after filling regular retailers orders. It's called dumping. That's my problem with the supply side of the industry.

Dave

John, I can't get to your store because I'm in Texas and never get up that way. The prices on the things I've bought from you gouged me a lot less than anyone else and I got great service to boot. You even sent me back a buck when I sent a dollar too much for shipping. I turn to you every time the locals won't budge enough on price. But since you offered to buy Rathburne a cup of coffee can I get 75 cents off my next order? Bruce

The only post I've taken exception to was from MGuill1224 and that wasn't in this particular thread, but another associated one.

What John G. wrote was certainly not slanderous. It offered a valid viewpoint of a shop owner.

Mike Tennent "IronPenguin" Operating Traffic Lights Crossbucks Special Effects Lighting

Huh? It is not sladerous to you because you agree with it. He slandered train show and mail order dealers because he thinks Horizon eliminating them will force people to go to his store. He is wrong.

"A secondary effect is that if you rigerously control the distribution, and limit it to only legitimate dealers, you strengthen the retail base. Example: A guy with a van full of Athearn ( this is just used for example) stuff may show up at a train show and offer prices that are really cheap. Good for the buyer at the show, bad for the retailer who bought it from a distributor and has it on his shelf. "

This is a direct slander of train show dealers. Now you can word smith it and weasel out of it , but it is. If anyone wrote this about YOU, YOU would be all on fire.

You are just amazing. YOU are the one who attacks anyone who disagrees with you. YOU chimed into this bar fight and now your nose is bloody so you are STILL taking pot shots. NOBODY WAS TALKING WITH YOU yet you come here and attack me then say that is what I do???? HUH???

You sure have alot of time on your hands to flame me all the time.

Business must be slow. Wonder why? Horizon will not save you.

Provide one shred of proof of any of this? One shred. We will wait...........for a long time.

I emailed David with a somewhat nicer toned version of that same question and the nice, quiet, and friendly response I got from David, made sense and seemed like a vary logical thing for a distributor to do to eliminate excess inventory. I can see how that would hurt anyone, not just a B&M store. I also know now why I bought a preorder locomotive from ECMR at one price and then a few weeks later Al was offering them at a much lower price.

Geeze, Ratty, unlike you, at least he knows what the f&%$ he's talking about...