Quote Originally Posted by Melanie View Post
For the professionals there will always be component suppliers, but for the hobbyist there is a problem...

You want 4 x 1k 1/4W, 3 x 33k, 1 x 8K2 and sixteen other values... half a dozen capacitor and a couple of Transistors. You hand the list to the shop assistant and half an hour later he comes back with your $1.85 worth of parts whilst costing his employer $8 in Labour. The figures just don't add up anymore. A box of 1000 resistors costs under $5 but already I can hear the hobbysists and students on the forum rioting "but I don't want 1000 of the same value"!!!! So suffer... instead of that Resistor costing you 0.5 cents, you end up paying 20 cents for a 1-off. You won't pay the money, and stop going to the shop, the shop closes down and everyone moans that the hobby is dying....
In Australia, Dick Smith Electronics - a very large supplier to the enthusiast is starting to pull out. Their power house outlets, once relying on the sale of resistors, kits, etc.. are now primarily focusing on consumer electrical. As Melanie pointed out, the cost of labor can sometimes place the employer in a situation of loss. However, this can of course occur in any business that relies on the sale of "mixed bag" goods. The sale of larger, more expensive items is what makes the ends meet.

I have often found myself walking into a store with the intentions of a specific $20 purchase only. After several minutes of browsing, something has caught my eye that I just had to have. So instead I walked of the store having spent $500! "Hmm, I only wanted parts but instead I now have a new CRO"

Sound like an all too familiar story?

Trent Jackson