Yesterday while at an established train shop I spied a very attractive Lionel box car high up on a shelf that I had never recalled seeing advertised before (why do trains always look better on display at the hobby shop then they do in my basement - that'll have to be saved for another discussion). I asked to buy it and they searched high and low and couldn't find one in the box, so they took down the shelf piece and dusted it off with what looked like a decade of dust on it. They found the box - no paperwork but no big deal as its only a boxcar. I kind of jokingly but I guess it came off as serious if there was any discount applied for the dust and received a lecture from the owner about how items are already discounted and the narrow margin he works with. I thought about it and assuming the narrow margin he quoted was correct I can sympathize - mostly from having worked in a small business myself and knowing how challenging it can be is just to meet payroll some weeks. When I got home I figured it out - his regular discount was 25% of MSRP, which is very good IMO - and I will be using the car on my layout, so a little vacuuming and its good to go. I believe it must take very deep pockets to have a brick and mortar hobby shop with extensive inventory.
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