Author Topic: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?  (Read 4956 times)

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up1950s

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2010, 06:11:52 PM »
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( which is probably a test )

I've been getting these for more than a year  :-[ I thought y'all knew 'bout this

have you called and asked about the "preferred customer program" ??

I get Walthers info via eMail , but this N-specific was news to me . You have been getting N only e Flyers for a year ?


Richie Dost

GaryHinshaw

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #16 on: August 25, 2010, 09:18:49 PM »
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Prices are still $10 over the higher of the lowest prices.
The S.

 ???

I'm missing the connection between Walthers and Bachmann here.
Jason

Wally is 6 years older than his brother Bachmann. He will be twice as old as his brother in 4 years. How old is Wally now?

Now that we're warmed up:

The price is $10 over the highest of the lowest price, and $10 under the lowest of the highest price.  What will the price be in 6 months?

[Sorry The S.  Just a little geek humor. ;)]
« Last Edit: August 25, 2010, 10:25:21 PM by GaryHinshaw »

Dave V

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2010, 11:24:12 PM »
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Honestly, I'm kinda over the Walthers bashing.  I'm upset about the half-a$$ed attempt at re-hashing the Northeastern steel caboose, but have been very happy with all of the other things I've purchased from them lately.  In fact, I just got a great deal direct from Walthers on another Pella depot in N; this one will be painted to represent the Seaboard depot in Apex, NC, on the CSX layout I'm going to build for my sons.

Yes, we all wish Walthers would do more N.  But without Walthers, I would have very few structures on my layout, and certainly none of my bugger industries.  I'm very, very happy with their Amtrak passenger cars, and their re-make of the LifeLike 2-8-8-2 is my favorite steam loco, performing and sounding like a champion.  Their GP38-2 is a nice little loco too.  I have their cast-metal flatcars in both Pennsy and Conrail, and love how they roll.

I think we tend at times to have a persecution complex.  Kato refuses to recognize anything east of the Mississippi...  yet I'm having to choose which post-Pennsy GG1 scheme I want.  Walthers ignores N scale...  yet I've got boxes of Walthers structures saved for a future layout.  MR ignores N scale too...  Yet David Popp was doing an N scale how-two every month for a few years.

I know it's not productive to just beg and be thankful for any scrap from the table...  Yet I think it's fair to say we've gotten a few good hunks of meat as well.  Hopefully we can find a productive means to elicit more from Walthers.

Your gripes are all legitimate, and I fully acknowledge the paucity of N scale specials in their fliers; my Walthers fliers go VFR-direct to my recycle bin.  But I also like to keep things in perspective.  I don't know, maybe I'm just starting to mellow out a bit.  Things can't be that bad when I'm having to ration my pre-orders.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2010, 11:27:06 PM by Dave Vollmer »

qantaqa

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #18 on: August 26, 2010, 12:01:23 AM »
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Rr
( which is probably a test )

I've been getting these for more than a year  :-[ I thought y'all knew 'bout

I get Walthers info via eMail , but this N-specific was news to me . You have been getting N only e Flyers for a year ?
At least a year, more like 2, but there were long periods of time between the first few issues - 6 months? - Sorry, I just purged the deleted folder last month or I could be more accurate.

JohnM

Nato

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #19 on: August 26, 2010, 12:55:13 AM »
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   When Walthers first announced they were going to do an N only E newsletter I signed on right away. They came infrequently at first,but now they do have it down to more regular sends,and yes it has been almost a year I believe. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

wm3798

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #20 on: August 26, 2010, 07:36:46 AM »
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I wasn't griping...  I think it's obvious that they're doing a little more outreach than they used to.  I think we're finally being heard.

And yes, I agree, there has been some really good stuff coming from Walthers...  But their marketing approach to N was always a little upside down.  I'm thinking this might be an indication that they're at least going to make an effort now.

Lee
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sirenwerks

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #21 on: August 26, 2010, 10:07:34 AM »
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At least they've figured out how to spell N. That's a start.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

sizemore

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #22 on: August 26, 2010, 10:59:47 AM »
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Prices are still $10 over the higher of the lowest prices.
The S.

 ???

I'm missing the connection between Walthers and Bachmann here.
Jason

Wally is 6 years older than his brother Bachmann. He will be twice as old as his brother in 4 years. How old is Wally now?

Now that we're warmed up:

The price is $10 over the highest of the lowest price, and $10 under the lowest of the highest price.  What will the price be in 6 months?

[Sorry The S.  Just a little geek humor. ;)]


My brain is faster than my fingers. My point is that Walthers sale prices are $10 over the LHS regular store prices. When Wally really wants to blow stuff out, the LHS will follow and still beat the blowout sale prices that Wally is offering, every time.

I like how they have catered directly to my scale but its not rocket science. It's a faint voice from their marketing department. When I compare Wally to Atlas, I hear a much louder voice targeting my wallet. Atlas has a great model that for the most part is working. 

The S.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2010, 11:14:34 AM by sizemore »

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sirenwerks

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #23 on: August 26, 2010, 11:41:48 AM »
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I like how they have catered directly to my scale but its not rocket science. It's a faint voice from their marketing department. When I compare Wally to Atlas, I hear a much louder voice targeting my wallet. Atlas has a great model that for the most part is working. 

The S.

To add to Tim's line of thinking, the only difference the other scales and N Wally seems to be concentrating is size - size of the product and size of the market. The other differences, like how we model and what we model and want, are blind to them. So it's effort is scatter shot and entails a lot of waste in the form of product that doesn't sell well. They have no idea why it doesn't sell, but I imagine them in their tower making up reasons rather than asking.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

Dave V

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #24 on: August 27, 2010, 11:53:44 PM »
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Lee,

I'm not pointing out any one particular post, thread, or person.  Just sayin' I've managed to find peace with Walthers...  And it's liberating!

Now I can reserve all my venom for BLI/PCM! ;D

Mr. G

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #25 on: August 28, 2010, 12:13:37 AM »
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Lee,

I'm not pointing out any one particular post, thread, or person.  Just sayin' I've managed to find peace with Walthers...  And it's liberating!

Now I can reserve all my venom for BLI/PCM! ;D

I've made my peace with BLI/PCM.  I think of them as a group of hucksters who once tried to milk some money from the N scale community but have essentially moved on to simply bilking the HO scalers.  They are the past.

I keep wondering if N scale modelers really do buy that much less stuff.  I'd seen on another thread (probably on the A-board) that many N scale guys just do Ntrak and therefore don't buy many buildings and on another that they tend to go for colorful 40-foot cars.  Maybe we really don't warrant the attention of a big company like Walthers.
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Mark5

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #26 on: August 28, 2010, 09:38:49 AM »
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Lee

This is pretty cool. Pretty cool as in it saves me from flipping through page after page after page of HO stuff to find out there's nothing new in N from Walthers. I like it!

Mark


wm3798

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #27 on: August 28, 2010, 10:48:27 AM »
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This is pretty cool. Pretty cool as in it saves me from flipping through page after page after page of HO stuff to find out there's nothing new in N from Walthers. I like it!

Mark

Right on, Mark!  Now we can find out immediately that there's nothing new in N scale!

(Just teasing)

Lee
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Lee Weldon www.wmrywesternlines.net

bobcat

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #28 on: August 28, 2010, 12:05:28 PM »
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Lee,

For the savy buyers, like ourselves ::), we know that the lower prices will follow at the LHS. That is good, because if Walthers undercut the LHS, where would they be in a short time.

Walthers is still a manufacturer?/distributor, so they shouldn't be cutting out there distribution network. For the guys who don't have access to a LHS, Walthers serves them well and in the meantime, this flyer also alerts us to future sales available at the LHS.

I agree, I wish there was more to eat at the table, but I wouldn't be concerned about the pricing in the flyer.

FrankCampagna

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Re: A place at the table? Or just the crumbs?
« Reply #29 on: August 28, 2010, 04:27:08 PM »
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Quote
I keep wondering if N scale modelers really do buy that much less stuff.  I'd seen on another thread (probably on the A-board) that many N scale guys just do Ntrak and therefore don't buy many buildings and on another that they tend to go for colorful 40-foot cars.  Maybe we really don't warrant the attention of a big company like Walthers.

Every time Walthers does come out with something, people line up to say it is too expensive. No matter what the price. I'm not sure why these people don't go out and start manufacturing all this cheap stuff. They'd make a killing. Too many backseat business managers in N scale.

Frank
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