Michaels getting rid of models?

[sfhess]

I went to the local Michael's a few days ago.  Only kits on the shelf were two of the Revell pirate ships

[Tom99]

I was in my local Michaels this week, they had only three models in the store. 

[carrucha]

Last week I went to Michaels and the model kit shelves were filled with plastic storage boxes for kids.  The only thing left was some Testors paints and spray paints.

[OldNYJim]

If your Michael’s DOES have models, they have 50% off regular priced items right now in the Michael’s app - I’m going to check out my local store this morning 

[OldNYJim]

Well, that was a wasted trip ?

 

[sfhess]

11 hours ago, CabDriver said:

Well, that was a wasted trip ?

 

Revell Jaguar for 15 bucks is a good deal.

[Kenmojr]

On 5/5/2024 at 3:50 PM, CabDriver said:

Well, that was a wasted trip ?

 

What a waste of shelf space, I hope you picked up a couple of those GTOs for that price...

[Mark]

That's three times as many kits as I saw at one store the other day...

[Kenmojr]

Is Michaels going down? 

I only wish Canada had Hobby Lobby or Olie's Bargain Centers.

[papajohn97]

No model kits in either of the two Michael’s nearby me in So. Cal. I suspect kits were hot sellers during the pandemic years but, like dog adoptions, have cooled way off since.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 4/28/2024 at 5:01 PM, carrucha said:

Last week I went to Michaels and the model kit shelves were filled with plastic storage boxes for kids...

Glad somebody has finally addressed the problem of storing kids efficiently.  

[Mark]

At least, punch a few holes in the lid...

[CapSat 6]

On 6/5/2024 at 11:57 AM, papajohn97 said:

No model kits in either of the two Michael’s nearby me in So. Cal. I suspect kits were hot sellers during the pandemic years but, like dog adoptions, have cooled way off since.

The way I see it, interest in our hobby has boomed, especially recently. 

I look on Facebook, and it seems like the groups that I follow post constantly about new builds, and a lot of what I'm seeing bought and built are the kits from the recent Michael's and Ollie's blowouts. 

It seems like a lot of new builders have found our hobby by seeing the kits being offered at low prices, gambled a little coin on them, and now have gotten fired up. 

When you're starting from zero, this can be a pricy hobby. I'm sure if you walk into a hobby store, buy a new kit release, and then buy the basic tools needed to build it, the kit is running something like $35, then the basic supplies are something like $50 or more on top of that (let's assume two cans of spray paint, several bottle paints, brushes, glue, sandpaper and a decent hobby knife). 

If you're knocking $20 or more off of the cost of entry, that makes it a little less risky for the new blood. These are probably younger people who might not have as much disposable income, or might have other priorities to keep in mind (kids, school, etc). 

I think these latest rounds of blowouts have actually grown the hobby a bit. I love seeing those posts from people that are obviously new to the hobby and are enjoying it. 

Hopefully Michael's might change their approach a bit. They could grow a nice little model section, and offer a little bit of variety and some reasonably priced options for kits.    

[carrucha]

Last week I went to my local Michaels and was pleasantly surprised they have brought back model kits.  I picked up AMT's 1964 Chevy Malibu SS and Revell's 1971 Mustang Boss 351. 

[OldNYJim]

On 12/1/2024 at 4:28 PM, carrucha said:

Last week I went to my local Michaels and was pleasantly surprised they have brought back model kits.  I picked up AMT's 1964 Chevy Malibu SS and Revell's 1971 Mustang Boss 351. 

My local store hasn’t had any new ‘regular’ scale kits for a while…but they just got a bunch of 1:43 Airfix kits…

I had one of their use-it-or-lose-it vouchers to spend, so I picked up the DB5 kit:

It’s actually better than I expected, from remembering the 1:32 kits of British sports cars that Airfix used to produce back in the 90s…newly tooled, really nice and crisp, amazing detail where it counts (especially on that front grille, but the wheels look well done too)…I think it’ll be a fun little quickie build for when I want something not too taxing on my bench…

Hoping they give me another voucher soon - I’d be semi-interested in trying that Spitfire kit if it’s similarly crisp and nicely done 

[Falcon Ranchero]

Our local Michaels used to have kits, but now there's absolutley nothing of the sort. There's no competition from the local Walmart as they've never carried kits. The hobby lobby in Sault Michigan is fairly new, and about the time it opened, the local Michaels here started losing the kits. But in March 2020 you could go in and there was an entire side of a hall dedicated to kits, then they got pushed to a back wall shelf, very small, and now there's just puzzles, not a trace of kits ever being there. It's wierd because there's no Canadian competition anywhere close to here. If I had to guess it would be huge lack of interest in kit building. Why carry them if only one person buys? I guess.

[Casey]

There was news regarding Round2 expanding there visibility at Michael's stores in the latest monthly Round2 video:

 

 

[OldNYJim]

That’s great news!  Good for them!  

There’s a couple of Joann Fabrics by us too, so I’ll be glad if they get some more kits too (not that we’re talking about Joann Fabrics in this thread)

[rattle can man]

earlier this year my local Michaels did clearance out all of their model kits and supplies, along with a huge chunk of the other craft stuff. There were 0 kits for about two months.  They have completed a reset of the store and the shelves now have about the same amount space dedicated to models. But the selection is limited.

[bobss396]

The one by me looks to be barren of almost anything as of last week.

This one has the self checkout. The kiss of death for many a retail store.

[Falcon Ranchero]

On 5/5/2024 at 2:50 PM, CabDriver said:

Well, that was a wasted trip ?

 

That's pretty much what our local one looked like; for about a year the model shelf has puzzles instead, not a trace of kits or paint or glue

[Sledsel]

I stopped at the Michaels near me and they had a digital 30% off coupon and there were about a dozen kits there, grabbed a '64 Malibu for $20