Monday, June 11, 2012

The Train Shop

I made a return trip to THE TRAIN SHOP in Santa Clara, CA and they seem to be making a real effort to be less...cold.

I've had several reports throughout the years that people I've sent there have been greeted with blank stares and have received pained looks when they've asked questions.  I've had the same thing happen when I've gone through. A "WHAT do YOU want?" look that's made things somewhat unfriendly.




My last visit in was far different. Even the somewhat gruff man in the baseball cap stopped to ask if I needed help and managed to smile. When i made my purchase, the lady there made small talk and bid me a good day. :)  It made the shopping experience much better. I didn't feel like a sucker walking out having spent money in the shop.



With that said, I feel fine giving the TRAIN SHOP a big thumbs up. You should make an effort to get in there if you're in the area and looking for model train related items. The place is HUGE and caters to most scales from large to small. They also carry various hobby items like magazines, books, DVDs and building supplies.  They even have a Thomas aisle packed with all sorts of Thomas gear. 

A fantastic shop that seems to be making a real effort to be more customer friendly. Check it out!

2 comments:

  1. The Train Shop is great. Bruce is the resident N Scaler there but he's only there part time. Otherwise Karen is the most helpful. The baseball hat man is the hobby shop owner. Best selection of books I've ever seen in a hobby shop, also full selection of scratch building supplies which many shops don't carry.

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    1. It is a fantastic shop. Stocked really well. I'm glad I'm working at home mostly - the shop is right down the street from our temporary office and if I go in, I HAVE to visit it. :)

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