Fuel/Buy Local

[Ron Van Putte]

On Mar 2, 2005, at 10:27 AM, Dan Curtis wrote:

> Supporting local hobby shops,
>
> It is always a good idea and practice support your LHS, however we as a
> pattern community tend to require and use some pattern specific items 
> that
> it is just not practical for your LHS to carry.  Some of the items we
> commonly use in construction they cannot even order.  So we support 
> them
> when we can and we support other sources when it is necessary.  As far 
> as
> fuel, many hobby shops cannot afford to carry much inventory and I 
> have seen
> several that really cannot warrant carrying more than a case or two of 
> 30
> percent if that.  So getting a group together to by a large quanitiy 
> of fuel
> does not really constitute a lack of LHS support, at least in my view. 
>  The
> savings on the fuel purchase is more than likely going into the hobby 
> shops
> till anyway, at least in my case. :)

How about another perspective?  I have a local hobby shop and try to 
keep prices down so local modelers can afford to buy more to enjoy the 
hobby.  I live 95 miles from Enterprise, AL and drive there to get fuel 
at Morgan Fuels, to avoid the shipping/hazard fees.  I go to Morgan 
about every six weeks and try to stock quantities of the different 
fuels, such that I get close to running out of all fuels just before 
going back to Morgan again.  I add a minimal markup.  I try to 
encourage the locals to buy by the case to keep my incoming cash flow 
up and to minimize the time I might be out of one or more specific 
fuels (Heli 30% for example).  Do you have a guess on how many 
customers buy by the case?  Try three out of about 100 locals.  Then 
add that to the guys who buy their radios from Tower rather that me, 
even though my prices, including sales tax, end up being very near the 
same as Tower's price plus shipping.  I call that frustrating.

Ron Van Putte

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pat Hewitt" <phewitt at farmersagent.com>
> To: <discussion at nsrca.org>; <discussion at nsrca.org>
> Sent: March 02, 2005 10:10 AM
> Subject: Re: Fuel/Buy Local
>
>
> Just my thoughts. I am a local business man in the mid-west and I have 
> a
> problem when people DO NOT support their local hobby shops. Our clubs 
> never
> have a problem going to them and asking for there help so why not 
> support
> them, yes I know you can save 20/30% but again where will we be  
> without
> their
> help or better yet with out their shops to shop in. ( I AM NOT A HOBBY 
> SHOP
> OWNER )
>
>
> Thanks for letting me have my thoughts vented.
>
>
> Pat Hewitt
> Paola, Kansas
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> Received: 05:29 AM CST, 03/02/2005
> From: "Jeff Hughes" <jeffghughes at comcast.net>
> To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
> Subject: Fuel
>
> DId I miss the Fuel pre-buy at the Toledo show?
>
>
>
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