Rabbitcreekok

The BargainHangar is a new site from Hobby Lobby where they sell their overstock and discontinued items. Apparently, it will come online in a few weeks.

Twmaster

Actually that is not the bargain hangar coming online. That is the new look of the H-L website. They are just using that URL as a beta.

Rabbitcreekok

I guess that is a yes and a no, according to the email with the link from Hobby Lobby.


Our goal for BargainHangar.com is to bring you the best deals on overstocked and discontinued RC products with prices that cannot be beat.

This website is a preview of the new technology that will soon drive our primary website Hobby-Lobby.com. We hope you will enjoy the revamped online shopping experience
...and by the way - it takes PayPal!

So it is a preview of the new site for HL and the new BargainHangar.com.

Twmaster

Ok, I never got that email. All I got was the 'this is what our new site is gonna look like. Cool huh?' message when I stumbled over the new site.

Honestly, I think it's awful. And S-L-O-W.

aviatordave

Like their other bargains, I ask myself.......'Where are the real bargains?'

Twmaster

Only the shadow knows....

Jay Graves

Good or bad, we want the feedback. We even have a short survey on the front page to hear it all.

We are committed to listening to our customers - which means a better web site with better prices. There is a lot more to come - but we have to get the main part of the site up an running first.

Thanks, Jay

Jay Graves
Hobby-Lobby

P.S. Our number one request was for PayPal integrated. It is finally available...

Twmaster

Jay,

Thanks for posting and welcome to WattFlyer. We really do love it when the vendors participate. Especially a heavy hitter firm like Hobby-Lobby.

I'm also really glad to see you folks accepting PayPal. Bravo.

As I said my experience with the Bargain Hangar web site was, well, in a word. Awful. I also filled out the online survey. However I felt the survey was written by survey monkeys without a clue about RC modeling.

Jay please understand I am a long time customer of H-L and am not prone to just slinging unmerited comments at vendors.

Dave hits on a point about sale prices. I don't know if you've seen the threads with regard to your 'crash' sales or the thread about the 'day after' sale but many here just don't see the deals. What we see is the same-old same-old and the same-old sale prices.

I honestly look forward to what H-L has to offer this year. Best of luck on the new web-site launch.

Rabbitcreekok

Jay, I hope you and the Hobby Lobby crew will be a presence here on Wattflyer, since you guys are all electric and we are the only all electric forum.

You can set up in the Company Support Forum so folks will have a place to reach you and you will have a place to reach us.

Jay Graves

Thank you, but heavy hitters fly better than I do...

At the risk of starting a flame war on myself, I would love to hear more. The main HL site should be ready within a few weeks and has a lot more features. What stinks in BH? Are there specific pricing issues where we are just loopy? The purpose of any business is to make money but being uncompetitive in the market is no way to do it.

Better yet, who has the BEST site in all of R/C? I have only been at the company for a year and admittedly am a novice (but have come to love the hobby). Everyone else in our shop has been doing this for a gazillion years. Hobby-Lobby has been around for over 40 years. Our goal is to keep the best of the traditions but change things that need to be changed.

I will get us a thread set up in the vendor forum. If this needs to be moved I will yield to the moderators.

Thanks and Happy New Year, Jay

Twmaster

What I think Dave and others we hitting on WRT the same-old was exactly that. We see the Crash sales, we see the items offered in the Bargain Hangar and we see the same old stuff. (So, just how long are you going to try and sell those Lexor servos at that price???)

As for other specific things about the BH web site. I don't know what to say as it took so bloody long for the front page to load I gave up in disgust and left.

Another point, want to be competitive? Start offering lower priced lines of products in addition to the other products you sell. People will only buy som many $80 Jeti 30A ESCs.

Silly question. Why that answer is WATTFLYER!


Understood. Honestly Jim Martin did a lot for electric flight and bringing it to the masses. H-L was a pioneer in stocking E-power. to that we all owe a small debt of gratitude.

The other thing is perhaps the question of who has the best site is kinda vague. Best in what respect? Price? Prettiness? Products? If your firm is going for the prettiest site then your priorities are skewed.

From my perspective as both a consumer and a former network/web/email administrator is simplicity and ease of navigation. Price is important as well as the reputation of a vendor.

I truly despise web sites that aim to be sexy and flashy and a pain to navigate in the name of some web monkey pointing to the screen and saying 'gee doesn't that look great'? while forgetting much of the world still lives at the end of a dialup or slower DSL line. Not everybody has cable or FiOS.


I've sent a message to the 'Big Dog' about getting you a vendor forum set up.

Again thank you for being here.

Twmaster

I just popped into the BH website to give it a test surf. Don't have a clue why it was dead slow the last visit but it was acceptably fast to load this trip.

From what I can see it looks good. Not too cluttered, easy enough to navigate too. I'd say your web monkeys have done a good job. Pass them each an extra banana!

xuzme720

I just did the same and I have to agree with Mike. Nice job! Very easy to navigate, load times are good. The only issue I have (if it could even be called an issue) would be the limited selection (I am going to assume, since this is a "bargain" clearance site, that this selection will grow over time.).

In short, 2 thumbs up! Keep up the good work and I'll be able to amend that to way up!

dbcisco

Just took a look at the site. Nice layout, easy to navigate and loaded quickly.

Now all they need to do is to get products in a wider price range and I might buy from them. Maybe some GWS planes

groundrushesup

Well its about time. I'd about had it with the kludgeyness of the existing website. Glad to see they dropped a few shekels on a skilled developer.

Welcome to the 20th century, HL.

Jay Graves

Pretty is not our goal. Ease of navigation and a smooth customer experience is what we are headed for. The only Flash sections we've ever had are the videos which have gotten rave reviews. We will be adding a "customer review" option for each product and plan to take'em as we get'em - our belief is that unbiased reviews (using appropriate language) show that a vendor stands behind their product selection in the marketplace.

We'll be live with the full site in a few weeks. Thanks again to everyone for the feedback!

Thanks, Jay

Twmaster

I went back to the BH site again this morning. Again things look good.

Thanks again for coming here to discuss your company. It's rare that the CEO of any vendor takes the time to become involved on this level.

aviatordave

I like the 'Narrow Items By' display with the 'price range' choice.

That cuts out alot of time for us buyers when we are more interested in price/deals.

Looks like you are on track.

Twmaster

Jay,

I'd like to make an observation/suggestion about helicopter parts. I've been bitten by the rotary flight bug and am now the proud owner and crasher of three helis your firm either sells or has sold and stocks parts for. I have a Dragonus II N+, Honey Bee Fixed Pitch, and a Honey Bee King II. As it stands I do not even go to your web site to look for parts for these helis.

While you've got a nice shipping price on parts with your 4x4x4 box deal the rest of your parts are well overpriced. I saw the comment recently on the Dragonus owner's thread on RCG where a fellow asked who stocks Dragonus parts in the US -other- than Hobby-Lobby. I cannot help but think you folks are missing a great opportunity to sell parts here.

In the last month alone I have purchased parts for these helis from:

Allerc
BP Hobbies
SwangHobby
RC-Tek
Xheli

Of those vendors Three of them sold me parts I could have bought through you. However your prices do not compare.

Now more than ever people are watching their money and are shopping for the best deals. I'm not suggesting you go out there and cut everyone's throat price wise as that does nobody any good. But I would be happy to order my parts from H-L if priced more in step with other vendors.

Thanks for listening.

groundrushesup

Jay,

Firstly, I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of those who are thankful that you've taken the time to engage your core audience directly in this forum.

I'm curious: Did the change in your website front-end coincide with any streamlining of your inventory control system or your order processing component? I ask about the IC because often it seems a little scattered and a decent cross-referenced system can be used in a whole host of creative ways on a website - like "related products" (choice of props, spinners, rated ESCs, recommended batteries) when I am looking at a particular brushless motor.

And the order processing part - I know it may seem silly but people don't like it when you offer them a 10% off coupon and then tell them at checkout that "don't worry, it will be reflected on your invoice." You guys are great about making sure that the deals I want are the deals I get, but that haziness on details when money is changing hands can leave people with questions about their order - and from my experience, you want them to leave with a complete feeling of confidence that you will fulfill their order exactly as agreed. Again, not saying I have ever had a problem - but I hope you take my points as they are given - as criticism with positive intent.

Sincerely,
Josh Estell aka "GRU"

dbcisco

It is very nice to see a vendor talking to customers. I am very pleased that you are taking some very hard to take comments so nicely. I had a bad experience from another vendor who asked for input then got nasty when they didn't hear what they wanted to hear. I don't do business with them anymore even though they had decent prices (there are far to many vendors to get this stuff from). I am willing to pay a little more for good service and products (but don't try to take advantage of me).

Airhead

I agree, Putting yourself right out there in the thick of things with your customers. Thanks for that..

Bill G

That's my thoughts. I know they did pay more for all that MPJ stuff, than businesses pay today for the Asian stuff. Still, they should have just bit the bullet and put it at the now "bargain" prices years ago when it started getting competion. I think they will have a very hard time selling 70-80 dollar geared MPJ setups today, with all the good reports from folks using the $30 outrunners. Quality is irrelavent as a selling point, as most are not concerned to pay that much more. Eventually it will all have to be given away.

Things like Lexors servos for $10. I know nothing about them, and am not going to take the plunge when my proven favorite GWS Pico is $12. They need to come down more.

Marketing games:
Trying to sell the Ikarus Nova 6, but only listing it with other packages, to try to use it to sell PNP jets. I want to be able to pick my channel, and I may buy one. If they are out of my channel, oh well, but at least give me the chance. Same goes for the 4+2 unit. Even if I can call and request a channel, I'm afraid shipping will not catch the note, as it is not part of the computer written order. I get peeved when I see things but can't get them my way. Yes, it does need to be Burger King.

dbcisco

Why I never bought from them: I have no idea who makes much of their stuff and it seems over priced.

Example;

Their Fokker E.III Eindecker ARF ..... $ 39.90
and a similar plane elsewhere; GWS Pico-stick F ARF ... $15.75

Almost identical foamies but at least I know what I am getting with GWS and at half the price!

Bill G

That's actually a perfect example of how they think anything they touch turns to gold. When they started selling RTFs with cheap gear, that "all the best stuff" phrase went out the window as far as I'm concerned. They may as well just be BP Hobbies as far as I'm concerned. BTW, BP Hobbies has some better deals and a larger stock of many items.