powderburner
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2009
- Messages
- 7,398
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- 15
I sense that some of you are feeling left out because you don't have one of these fabled HobLob stores near you. Well, I want to assure you that you are not banished to the uncultured boonies, or anything of the sort. HobLob is pretty much just like Michaels, or Garden Ridge, or any of the other little-old-lady-craft stores. It is mostly full of dried flowers, picture framing supplies, silly-looking colored glass crap, and so many ugly decorations and cutesy craft supplies that I would have to take my shoes off to count them all. Somewhere in the back of the store is about a quarter or third of an aisle stocked intermittently with rockets.
The assortment is rather hit-n-miss. HobLob does NOT maintain anything like a complete selection of the Estes line, or Quest, and very very little AeroTech (I think they have basically discontinued AT). The store nearest me has not had Fat Boys or Big Daddys in stock for over a year, and I consider this a true crime against humanity. Some stores have the new Estes semi-scale bomb/missile kits, and other stores do not. They have a few Estes motors but the prices are far above W-world rates.
Further, I have noticed something in the past few days in my local stores; HobLob is sneaking up their prices. The Executioner kit that I got several months ago for $13 (half of $26) is now marked $39, or $19.50 on sale. Other kits here have been marked up similarly. I suppose I can't complain, as HobLob is not obligated to put these on sale, but I still don't like the trend.
Yeah, they have great sale prices on lots of rocket stuff, but it is mostly kits that you don't want (after the first Wacky Wiggler, I don't really want any more of THOSE). Lots of skill level one stuff. Not much that guys on this forum would be interested in.
The store closest to me has also been pulling some cute little tricks, hiding some of their inventory when the sales hit, and mysteriously managing to find it again and put it back on the shelves when the sale is over. This has been happening with the Sat V kits and the V-2 kits, and I have seen it happen at each of the past three sales. I am confident that they are not selling and re-stocking, because very little of all the rest of their stock gets sold unless I buy it. (I can hang the kits in a certain arrangement on the hooks, and they are still in place when I come back a week later.) And I doubt that they would have such precise combination of selection (sale of only those kits), timing of the sale (during the first morning, before I get there at noon), and re-stocking (early the following week). Certainly not for three sales in a row. I think this is rather crappy.
In short, I kinda hafta give HobLob a lukewarm thumbs up, and then, only during their sales. You guys without access to a store near you may actually be better off. The aggravation just isn't worth saving a couple bucks.
The assortment is rather hit-n-miss. HobLob does NOT maintain anything like a complete selection of the Estes line, or Quest, and very very little AeroTech (I think they have basically discontinued AT). The store nearest me has not had Fat Boys or Big Daddys in stock for over a year, and I consider this a true crime against humanity. Some stores have the new Estes semi-scale bomb/missile kits, and other stores do not. They have a few Estes motors but the prices are far above W-world rates.
Further, I have noticed something in the past few days in my local stores; HobLob is sneaking up their prices. The Executioner kit that I got several months ago for $13 (half of $26) is now marked $39, or $19.50 on sale. Other kits here have been marked up similarly. I suppose I can't complain, as HobLob is not obligated to put these on sale, but I still don't like the trend.
Yeah, they have great sale prices on lots of rocket stuff, but it is mostly kits that you don't want (after the first Wacky Wiggler, I don't really want any more of THOSE). Lots of skill level one stuff. Not much that guys on this forum would be interested in.
The store closest to me has also been pulling some cute little tricks, hiding some of their inventory when the sales hit, and mysteriously managing to find it again and put it back on the shelves when the sale is over. This has been happening with the Sat V kits and the V-2 kits, and I have seen it happen at each of the past three sales. I am confident that they are not selling and re-stocking, because very little of all the rest of their stock gets sold unless I buy it. (I can hang the kits in a certain arrangement on the hooks, and they are still in place when I come back a week later.) And I doubt that they would have such precise combination of selection (sale of only those kits), timing of the sale (during the first morning, before I get there at noon), and re-stocking (early the following week). Certainly not for three sales in a row. I think this is rather crappy.
In short, I kinda hafta give HobLob a lukewarm thumbs up, and then, only during their sales. You guys without access to a store near you may actually be better off. The aggravation just isn't worth saving a couple bucks.
