Listers,
I havn't heard so much anti-big guy in business talk since I was a teen in
Menlo Park, CA back in the mid-1960s. My dad owned the local toy store on
the main street, Santa Cruz Ave, for many years making a name on the San
Francisco Peninsula because he specialized in British & European imports
and would not stock war toys (except for those bags of green rubbery
plastic army men). Our well heeled customers shopped with us because of the
great service (one of my jobs was to assemble trikes and red wagons) and
selection of truly unique gifts.
I was there when the Peninsula was overun with discount houses - first ALEC
and Whitefront - then some of the ones we know today - My father said that
one could buy "TV toys" from Matel and Ideal at the discount house for what
he was paying wholesale! He stopped selling anything sold on TV like
Barbie.
Told the customers to get them at the discount house if their kids just HAD
to have one! Many came back and said they were out of stock. Eventually
these operations went out of business in upper market areas because people
are more interested in quality and availability than quantity and price -
but the times they are a'changin' once again and big time quantity buyers
and advertizers are once again interested in taking over the mom and pop
businesses.
Unfortunately, many of the smaller stores are run by people who don't know
much about retail strategy because they were doctors and judges in the
countries that they came from or are running old family businesses without
much interest. These will be easy to beat. Mike Judge, who did Beavis and
Buthead and now is doing King of The Hill has taken some shots at this
situation with his Meglomart Store, showing how it is ruining small
business in Arlen, Texas where the Hills live.
The point of this ramble is that we're all doomed to buying mail order and
that's no picnic, every order that I get from Mini Mania is about 40% the
wrong stuff (but they take it back with a smile!) and I have had some
quality questions about some stuff from Moss, but we do have to balance
this quality situation with the price and immediate availability, as
compared to finding a decent old part and trying to find a competent
plater/tradesman and get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.
The world is going to hell in a handbasket - and there is not a thing that
we can do about it.
Cheers,
Rick Feibusch - Venice, CA
Automotive Journalist/Appraiser
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