05/09/2020
Safe Retail
In compliance with the phase 1 opening of May 8th, 202 we have changed our status to Open, Phase 1 protocol.
Under these guidelines the following will be observed during your visit:
1. x's will be on the floor to guide you in maintaining a 6 foot perimeter between possible virus breading entities. If you have been to our shop then you know that this means that there will only be 12 places to stand. This follows the rule that there cannot be more than 11, but the rule states 10, in the shop because of the c=n-1 (capacity of a railroad = number of available blocks -1) rule. In the railroad business this is ABS although we will not (although we could) implement block signaling. Come see us for a clinic if you didn't understand this.
2. You must obtain a "track warrant" to enter. i.e. you may queue outside (again, maintaining safe distances) until cleared by management. In the railroad business it means you have to have a piece of paper (in our case just permission, usually by phone call to the Train Buddy) to enter an area. This is usually the top head on a signal and would be cool to have outside the business.
If you don't want to fool with this then we will still ship or you can pick up at the shop either through the above or pickup in the drive. We will have curb-side delivery upon request or, if you wish, we will ship to you. The shipping cost will be whatever the post office charges. We will not charge any handling fees unless it is through the website which has ship charge rules based on value of the product, not actual.
Sanitation - Your health is our top priority
We have maintained a sanitation level that most other retail facilities envy. Since our clientele are typically older and have other health related sensitivities to the virus, our concerns have dictated the following state-of-the-technology changes:
1. All "shared" touch surfaces are sanitized with 70% alcohol after each customer. This includes, exterior door k***s (coming and going), check out counter, counter stool (note the singular), and bathroom door k**b, all with appropriate signage. Bathroom has available wash facility with disposable towels and soap with appropriate signage.
2. CHECKOUT. I believe that this is the most under sanitized area and that most businesses and clients have overlooked the obvious "shared" surface in the credit/debit card or payment process.
a. NO-TOUCH. The machine itself should not be touched if possible. Our checkout machine accepts cards that have been set for all major touch-less systems like Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay (NFC technology) and EMV (chip and pin) technology.
b. Sanitize your card. We have the capability upon request to sanitize your card before and/or after use with UV-C (256 nm wavelength) light. This is hospital-grade sanitation. We also, sanitize the chip slot, if used, and the keypad, if used. We also provide sanitized touch-free stylus pens in the store for those that don't have their own personal stylus.
We have backup sanitation for these methods if required.
3. AIR. Yes, we are even cleaning the air. Even if you do not have, want to use or forgot a mask, we are cleaning the air with 3 stage HEPA and carbon filter with UV-C light to mitigate even a hint that there might be viruses lingering in our shop.
New Displays
To utilize our time away we expended a great deal of energy restocking and refurbishing our store. We added approximately 140 square feet of display space to our front showroom. This is an increase of about 50% to our scenery, track and electronics area with accents on our new product line from Berrett Hill, NCE and others that have taken a back seat because of lack of space. If nothing else, as you slowly crawl out from under that rock, come have a look-see. As always, "Welcome to the Train Buddy shop. We are glad to see you."
A Few Uncomfortable Changes
Our business has, believe it or not, increased dramatically in the past few months, even with the virus block. Unfortunately for our customers, several "business as usual" things MUST change.
1. We will not be accepting new "projects" until our backlog of promised projects has been completed. This, with our current backlog, will extend past the summer and into the late autumn as a minimum. We started taking in decoder installs, painting projects, electronic projects, mechanical and electrical repairs as a service to our good customers. We have logged well over a thousand installs of DCC decoders both sound and non-sound over the years. In recent times this capability has been challenged to do things that were never intended. The main issue, allowing otherwise good customers to utilize my good nature to troubleshoot and fix a product not purchased at the shop. I must stop doing this, at least without adequate compensation. The rates for this service (not available until at least late autumn) will be dictated by time and my previous rate, since 2010 at least, was $49.95. Our revised rate (for new services or projects) will be $74.95. Minimum bench fee for a "look see" will now be $40.00 to be applied to services needed if appropriate.
2. We have, in the past, allowed customers to pre-order large purchases, usually engines, without a deposit. We will now require a 50% deposit on all products that are considered non-stock items. Usually engines but also most detail parts, buildings, vehicles, electronics and figures are non-stock. We will not purchase for a customer any item from eBay, Amazon or other manufacture that is not already a Train Buddy partner. We will also not entertain new vendor partners as we have in the past. We hope this is a short-term policy because ...
3. We are entertaining new partners to our business model as we grow. I am looking for one or two other model railroad enthusiasts to partner with me to expand, help, move and ultimately to enjoy the business with me. This is my 16th year in the business and I am ready to "Share the Joy of Model Railroading" with anyone who is willing. Believe it or not, I am not looking for a financial stake at this time but only a lessening of my ever-expanding time demands that have drained my soul to the point of not enjoying my customer interactions. Several familiar faces are already helping out in this time including my good friends John Janosko and Chris Numa recently. Dave Mellor, Bill Bernecki, and Royce Lacey have been very helpful in the past and continue to offer their assistance, of which I always appreciate, even when I don't mention it, when they can. Felix Martinez and Grif Bond continue to help when they are not otherwise working.
4. Unfortunately, and I kinda knew this was coming, we are going to have to discontinue the Friday get-together or open house, at least until they find a suitable vaccine and/or cure which could be as much as a couple of years if the predictions hold out. My wife and I have had to give up a few other regular social interactions that may never be resumed, ever.
