If you pay to get into a "show" (call it what ever you want - OK, it's a meet) then you should get the whole show. Vendors who pack up early along with the Eastern Division of TCA which allows it are cheating their customers.
As you admit, it's a "meet", not a "show".
The attendees, both table holders and non-table holders are there to exchange trains among themselves.
BUFFLE, I can tell you are having a ball on here.
The whole point of trains is fun.
Isn't that so?
eddie g posted:Every 6 months we go through this crap. I think the ED should hold the York meet in Hawaii.
Then they'd be complaining about lava flow.
C W Burfle posted:For the most part the vendors are already taking off from work Thursday & Friday so what's the difference is they take off Friday and Monday? The vendors will follow the money. It's a win-win situation.
Couldn't that be turned around to say: "Why don't the attendees take off from work on Thursday and Friday to attend?Except that, attendees are planning to spend money rather than earning money as the vendors are.
Except that, attendees are planning to spend money rather than earning money as the vendors are.
I don't see where that makes any difference.
It would be interesting to compare the amount of vendor purchases to that of the attendees.
I doubt that dealer hall vendors buy much of anything at the show. Anything they buy for their business has to be resold at a significantly higher price, and most vendors & member table holders do not give anything away.
Same goes for the quasi-dealers in the member halls.
Regular members, the kind of folks I preferred to deal with, probably buy as much as they sell.
What difference does it make?
Without the vendors, there is no show.
Make the show unpleasant for them, and they will stop attending.
It's much easier for the vendors to sell via the internet.
I think I have scanned most of the posts and don't believe anyone has pointed out that it wasn't the dealers that wanted the longer Saturday hours but the manufacturers and magazine publishers that not just requested it but essentially demanded it or they would leave the show. That and allowing the public in.
The dealers were blindsided and most were not too happy to learn they had to stay the extra two hours. The ED jumped through hoops with the PA tax department to allow the public in while preserving the sales tax free selling in the member halls.
How did all this work out?
The ED's contract with the Fairgrounds runs out at the end of 2019. I suspect you will see some change to the format after that.
Pete
C W Burfle posted:
Without the vendors, there is no show.
Make the show unpleasant for them, and they will stop attending.
Assuming "vendors" means dealers...there certainly IS a show, although half the size, and truly called a "meet".
Assuming "vendors" means dealers...there certainly IS a show, although half the size, and truly called a "meet"
Normally when I write "vendors" I do mean commercial dealers. In this case I was thinking member table holders too.
A lot of people on this board think that the member table holders and commercial dealers are there for their entertainment. As far as member table holders go, that is not so. They are at York to swap trains (and money) with their fellow TCA members.
Commercial Dealers are there to make money and gain exposure. If they don't think attending gets them enough return, they will stop coming. I know several folks that are no longer attending York, they are still in business selling via the internet or even mail order.
The manufacturers and magazines that don't sell anything are there for exposure and to generate good will. If they don't value the exposure and good will, they will stay home. They may find it more effective to put their resources into a good web page and a good presence on social media.
When the Eastern Division opened the dealer halls to the public and extended the hours, I hope they did it because they thought it would be good for the show and might generate a net increase in TCA members. I hope they did not do it to mollify those commercial enterprises.
Does anyone know the highest York attendance number? I would guess this to be pre-eBay, maybe before 1990? I know that the dealer attendance at the major flea markets in the SE Pennsylvania area has been down quite a bit from what they were during their peak years (Shupp's Grove down about 75%, Kutztown Extravaganza down about 50%, Renningers Adamstown down about 25%). I don't know what the buyer (public showing up) numbers are, but they still seem pretty healthy.
Joe Hohmann posted:Does anyone know the highest York attendance number? I would guess this to be pre-eBay, maybe before 1990?
I don't really know, but my guess it would have been in the early- to mid-1990s when collectors AND the growing operations-oriented segment were both peaking. Might even have been a few years later than that, but most likely prior to the turn of the century.Would be interesting to know for sure.
DKDKRD, That'll work. Yup.Sure worked on me.
