Won't This Athearn Thing Be Good For The Hobby??

Businesses are not in business to help the little guy. They are in business to make money. If the costs are lower in other countries it is a sad deal for workers here but it is a reality. What does a company do? Start making widgets for $5.00 in America or $1.00 in China? Unfortunetly I think it comes down to questions like that. I hate that reality but I don't know what to do about it. Do you have the government force Life-Like to start making their GP38's there in the States? Do we start paying $300 per Life-Like locomotive because they are made here? And if we do then someone else will make the locomotives oversees and compete with them. Government is not the answer on this one. I don't see how it can be.

Pissing and moaning, as you say doesn't solve anything. Action does. And yes there are differences in what you can do because it is a private company and because it is a government in many cases. There won't be any picket lines, or boycots, or public hearings, or negative newspaper articles, or guest spots on O'Reilly over the Horizon deal. You know why? (besides the fact that nothing illegal or immoral has happened with that deal and that outside the MRR world no one cares) The reason is it is just a business deal. That's all. Nothing illegal, unethical, or immoral has happened. It's just business. Some guys don't like it because they claim they will be hurt. Again: change and adapt to the situation.

If it's illegal hopefully they will be discovered and prosecuted. The greedy SOB pigs who were responsible for the Enron situation should spend a lot of time in jail as far as I am concerned. Honesty and integrity mean something.

Again, you can hate the Horizon deal all you want. What can you really do about it? It's going to happen.

Jim

You like paying more? Geez, J.P. Morgan would have loved you...

Paul A. Cutler III

Bad for every modeler who unlike Jepperson, or is that Mr. Jefferson (hears song "Moving On Up") has a small hobby budget to work with.

I gues Mr Jefferson loves to pay top dollar.

Hey Epperson you're back!!

How's your threatened lawsuit against me going?

CBix

Just how do you think less competition is going to happen for the LHS. Most mail order dealers that people use advertise in the major model railroad magazines and have B&M shops. They will still get the product and undercut the full price stores just as they always have. The only sellers that this will hurt or the truck sallers. I doubt they have cut into the LHS business very much at all compared to the mail order discount dealers. I don't think much will change at all. Just to keep with my track record, I must encourage all of you to buy those Union Pacific trains, model or toys, which ever you like to call them. Jerry

We can vent. It might make us feel better, it might have some impact, who knows? But, if you're silent and accepting even though you hate it, then you'd never know.

Kennedy

Bargains yes. But not on 'dead stock' but new items as well. Any show that relies on dead stock to draw in shoppers is going to close.

Rats. I go off to Timonium and a great new thread breaks out...

I think the above point is valid, except I'd say it may be bad for both Athearn as well as Horizons. (Keeping in mind that Athearn technically remains a separate entity.)

When the blue boxes and engines disappear from the train show vendors, how will Athearn replace those sales? Are all those B&M shops out there going to double the shelf space they devote to Athearn? I doubt it.

Shelf space is critical to sales. If it's not there for people to see, they can't buy it. I don't see how Athearn is going to make up the loss of "eyeballs" at train shows.

I have spoken to several vendors and most are looking to dump Athearn where they can and carry other stuff. That was evident at Timonium already. Several boxes of "discontinued" Athearn items were apparent. I guess it's a psychology of "I won't be able to get them soon, so I might as well get rid of them now" thing.

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

Kennedy, For clairfication you can't be talking about me. I have never bashed mail order houses or hobby shops. I use them both and am quite happy with the ones I use.

Jim

Kennedy,

Now that I can agree with. That makes perfect sense. I agree, and often vent here about things that I can't do anything about. I suppose it's possible if we debate these issues someone from the companies might see them and get an idea or two. Perhaps it could even influence a direction they take with a policy. It's possible I suppose.

I guess what gets me sometimes is the mindless babble that occurs here. I can tell you do not fit that category.

Jim

I think the Athearn blue box selection is already on its way out. When I visited a large hobby shop in Dallas he showed me a large area that use to be about every blue box item Athearn made. It was about twenty percent blue box and the rest was Athearn RTR and other mfgs. In his opinion RTR was going to take over the hobby. Thanks Marty Hall

I was mainly referring to folks who roll over and do nothing even though they are way upset about something.

:D

Kennedy

Hoo Boy! So much for my repitashun....

:D

Kennedy

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Elementary marketing: If someone goes away and leaves a viable gap in the market, someone else will usually step in to fill the gap cause there is a $ to be made.

Bill Shuey