News Flash Indoor tracks droppin' like flies
07-11-2007, 11:38 AM
#271
Tech Adept
I think a really good way to get new people into racing is to not scare them off by pressuring them to buy from the LHS.
I am a newbie. I have not raced once. I viewed my local track/LHS combo forum as an RCTech of sorts, a community where I could bounce ideas off of to try to maximize my budget, which is the tiny one of a high schooler. Instead, I was flamed once or twice and had angry threads written about how retarded I was when I asked if I had gotten a good deal on my GTB.
I'm hoping these people are nicer in person.
Had I not already purchased a car and radio gear, I would have quit immediately. You simply can't expect new people to bow down to the LHS and hand over their wallets. They have to LIKE it before they will support the store, and coercing them to buy from the LHS in any way possible is certainly not a viable option for attracting new people. You can't have experienced racers flame newbies for not buying from the shop.
I am a newbie. I have not raced once. I viewed my local track/LHS combo forum as an RCTech of sorts, a community where I could bounce ideas off of to try to maximize my budget, which is the tiny one of a high schooler. Instead, I was flamed once or twice and had angry threads written about how retarded I was when I asked if I had gotten a good deal on my GTB.
I'm hoping these people are nicer in person.
Had I not already purchased a car and radio gear, I would have quit immediately. You simply can't expect new people to bow down to the LHS and hand over their wallets. They have to LIKE it before they will support the store, and coercing them to buy from the LHS in any way possible is certainly not a viable option for attracting new people. You can't have experienced racers flame newbies for not buying from the shop.
07-11-2007, 11:49 AM
#272
I think a really good way to get new people into racing is to not scare them off by pressuring them to buy from the LHS.
I am a newbie. I have not raced once. I viewed my local track/LHS combo forum as an RCTech of sorts, a community where I could bounce ideas off of to try to maximize my budget, which is the tiny one of a high schooler. Instead, I was flamed once or twice and had angry threads written about how retarded I was when I asked if I had gotten a good deal on my GTB.
I'm hoping these people are nicer in person.
Had I not already purchased a car and radio gear, I would have quit immediately. You simply can't expect new people to bow down to the LHS and hand over their wallets. They have to LIKE it before they will support the store, and coercing them to buy from the LHS in any way possible is certainly not a viable option for attracting new people. You can't have experienced racers flame newbies for not buying from the shop.
I am a newbie. I have not raced once. I viewed my local track/LHS combo forum as an RCTech of sorts, a community where I could bounce ideas off of to try to maximize my budget, which is the tiny one of a high schooler. Instead, I was flamed once or twice and had angry threads written about how retarded I was when I asked if I had gotten a good deal on my GTB.
I'm hoping these people are nicer in person.
Had I not already purchased a car and radio gear, I would have quit immediately. You simply can't expect new people to bow down to the LHS and hand over their wallets. They have to LIKE it before they will support the store, and coercing them to buy from the LHS in any way possible is certainly not a viable option for attracting new people. You can't have experienced racers flame newbies for not buying from the shop.
I think it was El Boogie who had the right idea, buy kits and other high-ticket items on-line (The LHS doesn't make any money on that stuff anyway), but buy parts and consumables from your TRACK/LHS. The margin on parts is better than the high-end stuff, and if you're saving 10% by buying online you go ahead and figure out how much you're actually saving on those $4.00 front-arms....... But hey when your local track closes you cna just drive to Illinois and race at Tower Hobbies/Great Planes, right
07-11-2007, 11:50 AM
#273
I agree with a lot of the statements above.
I mean you really need to have a great place to go - then people will support it. You cant have some hole in the wall crappy track, and expect people to just have some undying love for paying retail + 10%. Most Local Hobby Shops I have been to WAYYYY overprice stuff and it just gets rediculous. I remember when even my local Hobbytown wanted $35 for some touring car body.
To be honest, I just think that the business model that tracks have been using for a while is not applicable any more. Tracks need to change what they do. You have other HUGE mail order business' competing with you - so you need to build your business accordingly. I remember a slot car track I used to go to (and loved) and right when the internet shopping boom came about in 98-2000, he started running his business through mail order as well. So during the evenings and on race days, he would make money off of his racers and sales or parts in the store, and during the days, he would make money off selling items through mail order.
It is this kind of adaptive behavior that really needs to come over the RC track world IMO.
I really think that the stores need to be a hobby shop first, and a track second. I would be happy with a 25-50% increase in entry fees and a lowering of payout (or none at all) just so that the track could have a great thriving program and a really courteous staff.
I mean at Socal RC in particular - I really think they hoped that they would make money off of their tracks for the most part. And when you walk in there, you can never find anything on your own, you have to get someone to pick things down off the wall for you. Nobody is ever available and you have to cue up just to get a spur gear. I think that shops need to understand that the racing is something that is comes with progression and it comes with a local following. If you build a business around people coming to just use the track, its going to fail.
I just wish someone would come along with some breakthrough idea on how to run their business and just blow everyones expectations out of the water. We need it.
I mean you really need to have a great place to go - then people will support it. You cant have some hole in the wall crappy track, and expect people to just have some undying love for paying retail + 10%. Most Local Hobby Shops I have been to WAYYYY overprice stuff and it just gets rediculous. I remember when even my local Hobbytown wanted $35 for some touring car body.
To be honest, I just think that the business model that tracks have been using for a while is not applicable any more. Tracks need to change what they do. You have other HUGE mail order business' competing with you - so you need to build your business accordingly. I remember a slot car track I used to go to (and loved) and right when the internet shopping boom came about in 98-2000, he started running his business through mail order as well. So during the evenings and on race days, he would make money off of his racers and sales or parts in the store, and during the days, he would make money off selling items through mail order.
It is this kind of adaptive behavior that really needs to come over the RC track world IMO.
I really think that the stores need to be a hobby shop first, and a track second. I would be happy with a 25-50% increase in entry fees and a lowering of payout (or none at all) just so that the track could have a great thriving program and a really courteous staff.
I mean at Socal RC in particular - I really think they hoped that they would make money off of their tracks for the most part. And when you walk in there, you can never find anything on your own, you have to get someone to pick things down off the wall for you. Nobody is ever available and you have to cue up just to get a spur gear. I think that shops need to understand that the racing is something that is comes with progression and it comes with a local following. If you build a business around people coming to just use the track, its going to fail.
I just wish someone would come along with some breakthrough idea on how to run their business and just blow everyones expectations out of the water. We need it.
07-11-2007, 11:56 AM
#274
I agree with a lot of the statements above.
I mean you really need to have a great place to go - then people will support it. You cant have some hole in the wall crappy track, and expect people to just have some undying love for paying retail + 10%. Most Local Hobby Shops I have been to WAYYYY overprice stuff and it just gets rediculous. I remember when even my local Hobbytown wanted $35 for some touring car body.
To be honest, I just think that the business model that tracks have been using for a while is not applicable any more. Tracks need to change what they do. You have other HUGE mail order business' competing with you - so you need to build your business accordingly. I remember a slot car track I used to go to (and loved) and right when the internet shopping boom came about in 98-2000, he started running his business through mail order as well. So during the evenings and on race days, he would make money off of his racers and sales or parts in the store, and during the days, he would make money off selling items through mail order.
It is this kind of adaptive behavior that really needs to come over the RC track world IMO.
I really think that the stores need to be a hobby shop first, and a track second. I would be happy with a 25-50% increase in entry fees and a lowering of payout (or none at all) just so that the track could have a great thriving program and a really courteous staff.
I mean at Socal RC in particular - I really think they hoped that they would make money off of their tracks for the most part. And when you walk in there, you can never find anything on your own, you have to get someone to pick things down off the wall for you. Nobody is ever available and you have to cue up just to get a spur gear. I think that shops need to understand that the racing is something that is comes with progression and it comes with a local following. If you build a business around people coming to just use the track, its going to fail.
I just wish someone would come along with some breakthrough idea on how to run their business and just blow everyones expectations out of the water. We need it.
I mean you really need to have a great place to go - then people will support it. You cant have some hole in the wall crappy track, and expect people to just have some undying love for paying retail + 10%. Most Local Hobby Shops I have been to WAYYYY overprice stuff and it just gets rediculous. I remember when even my local Hobbytown wanted $35 for some touring car body.
To be honest, I just think that the business model that tracks have been using for a while is not applicable any more. Tracks need to change what they do. You have other HUGE mail order business' competing with you - so you need to build your business accordingly. I remember a slot car track I used to go to (and loved) and right when the internet shopping boom came about in 98-2000, he started running his business through mail order as well. So during the evenings and on race days, he would make money off of his racers and sales or parts in the store, and during the days, he would make money off selling items through mail order.
It is this kind of adaptive behavior that really needs to come over the RC track world IMO.
I really think that the stores need to be a hobby shop first, and a track second. I would be happy with a 25-50% increase in entry fees and a lowering of payout (or none at all) just so that the track could have a great thriving program and a really courteous staff.
I mean at Socal RC in particular - I really think they hoped that they would make money off of their tracks for the most part. And when you walk in there, you can never find anything on your own, you have to get someone to pick things down off the wall for you. Nobody is ever available and you have to cue up just to get a spur gear. I think that shops need to understand that the racing is something that is comes with progression and it comes with a local following. If you build a business around people coming to just use the track, its going to fail.
I just wish someone would come along with some breakthrough idea on how to run their business and just blow everyones expectations out of the water. We need it.
07-11-2007, 12:36 PM
#275
How ironic would it be if everybody had to get a ROAR membership to go to a club owned track, after all the bitching and complaining about what racers got for their ROAR membership?
07-11-2007, 12:37 PM
#276
The payout concept has always bothered me. Give the A-main podium some ribbons or something like that. Maybe give the Victor in each class his entry back, but that's it. Why do racers expect to walk into a facility, use it for 8-10 hours, leave their trash everywhere, and then be paid back for showing up?
I agree, I never understood why there were payouts at a club race. Once again, I say a CLUB race. When we race onroad, we are very competitive as most people are at the tracks. It isn't the racebucks that keeps me coming back, what keeps me coming back to the track is the smack talking that we do between ourselves to have fun and make ourselves better. You can best believe that when someone finishes first in the A main, the next week we know who they are and if we can beat each other and keep each other competitive, who cares about some race bucks etc.
We just like to talk smack between friends and try to beat each other every week. Believe me, if I can go to the track and beat our local pro (Steve Jackson), that would give me much more satisfaction than race bucks. Will I ever beat him, maybe if I unscrew his wheel nuts. LOL
07-11-2007, 01:17 PM
#277
wow, long thread. unfortunately i dont have much input because i'm about 6 months into my rc addiction and there is no place within 100 miles that has a track.
so me and a friend just find a parking lot and race against each other or go hang out with some nitro guys on tuesday and thursday nights. i wish someone would open up a track in my area, i would definitely support it. i am also trying to hook some other people on rc racing because racing againt one other person gets old :-)
so me and a friend just find a parking lot and race against each other or go hang out with some nitro guys on tuesday and thursday nights. i wish someone would open up a track in my area, i would definitely support it. i am also trying to hook some other people on rc racing because racing againt one other person gets old :-)
07-11-2007, 09:30 PM
#281
Tech Adept
Tracks
This is so simple, anytime you have a hobby shop attatched to a track the store must be supported by club members/racers. Online shops are a plague and will eventually kill off all the permanent tracks. Come guys get with the program, is saving that little bit of money really worth it when the only place you'll be able to use your rc car is in your driveway at home
07-11-2007, 09:41 PM
#282
This is so simple, anytime you have a hobby shop attatched to a track the store must be supported by club members/racers. Online shops are a plague and will eventually kill off all the permanent tracks. Come guys get with the program, is saving that little bit of money really worth it when the only place you'll be able to use your rc car is in your driveway at home
I buy all my stuff at the track or the shops. I try to support the local team first and use the net as a last resort. I've used the net 2 times in 11 years and that was a last resort.
And race as much as possible thats all there is to it. Attendance and sales over the counter. Tracks and shops will stay open.
07-11-2007, 09:47 PM
#283
Tech Adept
Support
Exactly, if all racers would do this we may not need a thread like this, I say boycott online retailers.
07-11-2007, 11:06 PM
#285
Yep, Good, Red-blooded Americans shouldn't have to compete with them shops down in the Carolinas and Southern California.
God-damned beer-bellied, rednecked, track-ownin' bastards takin' our jobs away. There's some foreign-lookin' guys workin' at Ultimate, too.
And that "Wang" guy at Speedtech...you know we can't do it as well as he can. He probably doesn't even have to pay rent.Stupid Internet thing...ruining everything...making people have to "compete".
Oh wait...
Last edited by Turbo Joe; 07-11-2007 at 11:16 PM.
