Met (or exceeded) expectations. Never promise what you can't deliver. And if there is a problem (such as stock excepted on X, now delayed to Y), if at all possible, advise the customer pro-actively, rather than waiting for them to phone in querying the lack of delivery.
Not in this guy's case. He was an old rat in the barn and knew where all the cats hung out. He was a shrewd operator. A number of things added together to bring on the shop's demise, some of them were: increasing cost, decreasing quantities of surplus goods being made and/or imported, consolidation of lines and stricter dealer policies, etc. With an inventory that consisted of thousands of randomly placed items, grouped only by such broad categories as passenger stock, freight stock, locomotives, and so on -AND- a staff that was, well, not just clue-less, but really not to very bright either. I may not be the brightest bulb in the string, but I know a dim one when I see it, and these bulbs were dim. The point of all this was that price is important, but it is not the only thing. The demise of the shopping center box shifter has enabled better shops to have more of a chance to make a go of it. I always traded with them anyway because my modeling needs do not call for purchases of dozens of pieces of rolling stock at a time.
"Robert Flint" wrote As I said, I am prepared to pay more for a friendly local service, but there is a limit! Having a wide range would certainly make me more likely to visit, particularly for those occaisions when you realise you are lacking something vital halfway through a Saturday afternoon (and I don't mean a good result for Forest, these have been absent for so long I am almost accustomed to it!).
ROB
Rob, I think you got the nail on the head with the "Friendly Service" which is something I have never experienced with the shop you refer to, but I can't say that it is much better in the Broadmarsh with TMC who seem to be "selling a box" with little product knowledge.
Not a Reds fan, but it's a hard knock when the guy I sit next to at work is a CCFC fan (Remember the cup?) Even harder when my god son is a big Forest fan and playing the play station I have (up till that defeat) always played as Chester for fun. Boy, was I not popular when we saw them at Xmas :-(
Andy
Ok. Honest it is then.
What would make me a satisfied customer is firstly to have an online shop with photos of every stock item and an updated stock total every day. Yes, I know this would take time and money, but if there is little investment then the customers are not likely to stay for long.
There are retailers in my region but the nearest are 10-20 miles away and I am a lazy sod who is not going to drive miles and miles trying to find the cheapest, friendliest and most well stocked shop in the area. So, I look on the internet. Hattons have a superb site with several photos of items and a current stock level. However, this only applies to certain high turnover/popular items, Mainly Trains lists hundreds of small things such as scenic and detailing parts, but with few photos. Windmill Junction has really fast and friendly service with competitive prices but their website is usually weeks out of date. I could go on, but the point is none have the best bits of all of them combined in one site.
So, if anyone can start up an online shop where a set of platform ramps, or a group of waiting passengers is given the same photo treatment as the latest class 66, then I will give it far more loyalty than I give to the current sites. If the prices are competitive and the goods arrive within 3 or 4 working days, then that would be a bonus.
I know the kind of item I want before I start looking; a decent photo will convince me one way or another if that is the item for me. I dont need to be sold an item.
In message , Simon Judd writes
An example. Just prior to Christmas, I was looking for various Playmobil/LGB parts, and, after the usual searches, followed through with The Engine Shed, because they had a clear, usable web site, with pictures and prices. Prices were not the cheapest for everything I wanted.
I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted, so contacted them through the site. Reply came quickly, telling me exactly what I wanted to know. Several friendly e-mails followed, with the manager of the shop, an order was placed and the goods arrived a couple of days later.
I was impressed, and will certainly deal with them again. Good web site, generally competitive prices, and friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff.
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