Model buses are now available for purchase in Metro’s online store — you can chose between an Orange Line bus or Metro 40-foot buses used on local and rapid routes.
One note: we’re aware of complaints from some readers about shipping fees. This is due to an exclusive contract that Metro’s vendor has with FedEx. Those interested in more than one item in the store should purchase them at the same time to help lower the shipping fee. We appreciate the business from those who have made purchases from the store and hope to bring you additional ways to purchase Metro items in the future!
Categories: Metro Lifestyle, Transportation News
the are sold out when will you have more
Hi enry,
There are currently poppy and red buses in stock. If you’d like to get notification on the latest products, please sign up for the mailing list here.
Anna Chen
Writer, The Source
Correction, I believe I have been libeled on this forum instead of slandered, as a result of expressing opinions concerning METRO, old buses, etc. Since, slander apparently must use the spoken word, whilst libel occurs in all other forms of broadcast. For instance what some may fancy as “trolling” to others it is political satire which I believe is protected speech in a publicly owned forum. I will consider my options.
I don’t mind pating. I love metro!
*paying
You’re all forgetting one simple rule:
Public employee unions never get fired. They’ve purposely setup their rules that way that so that no matter how poor of a job they do, their jobs are protected. Just look at the DMV, LADWP, LAUSD, the police unions, and any other government jobs. When was the last time any of them got fired for wrong doing? It’s always the same, we’ll look at it from “internal affairs.” Total crock.
Must be nice to work at Metro, get paid handsomely, do a poor job, and your job is secure. Who eats the short of the stick? Us, the taxpayers.
I’d be more than happy to purchase Metro shares as a long term investment if it were available, so as to make my voices better heard than being a simple taxpayer. One of the first things that I’ll suggest as a shareholder is to fire the bureaucrat who negotiated this contract and replace that person who has real world sales experience.
I think that the problem is that most everyone at METRO management is “CYA-ing” 24/7. If I was making what they make and I had my eye on a Golden Pension in Blue Heaven, Idaho, maybe I would as well. So here we are discussing what to do about over-priced souvenir shipping, because management won’t take obvious action and can FedEx since it might backfire and effect their career-paths, or worse have FedEx sue METRO for breach of contract and get–FIRED! But perhaps after reading all these comments “Fearless Art” might think that selling the souvenirs in Union Station where people can: see, feel, buy and CARRY them away is a good idea, he may feel compelled to hire one of METRO’s million-dollar-a-day CYA consultants like XYZ3Hill to “study” the issue and do “public outreach” before taking a possibly career-altering move and sell METRO souvenirs in an obvious high-foot traffic retail location like Union Station. Trouble is once METRO gets the fee from the consultant (and passes it on to us taxpayers) the bill will far exceed the retail value of all of METRO souvenirs! What to do? Do what has been done in the past with Union Station’s historic objects d’art send them to the dumpster and be done with them! Remember Pogo’s last words: “We have met the enemy and it is us.” Now is there someone out there who can suggest what METRO should do with 100 cases of
“Opening Day Fiesta” T-shirts for the 710 Toll Tunnel that have been taking-up space in the basement of the Taj Mahal since it was built?
Who wants models of buses anyway? Let’s get some models of trolley and subway cars!
And I second Martin’s comment about the New York City Transit Museum gift shops. Philadelphia also has a (much smaller) transit museum, with a gift shop, and in San Francisco, both the MUNI’s own museum (at the Cable Car Barn) and the Market Street Railway’s museum (where the F line makes a convoluted turn to get from Market to the Embarcadero) have gift shops (actually, the latter is more gift shop than museum).
Chicago’s CTA and Boston’s MBTA don’t have their own museums, nor their own brick-and-mortar gift shops, but they do have more prominent online stores, and at least the Boston “T” has its official products in a small map shop in Cambridge.
How much of taxpayers’ dollars were wasted to make these things that’s not even selling? Can’t you people do anything right? Is this what we pay you guys to do?
Are they available at the employee store at Gateway?
Hi Darryl;
They are only available at the online store.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
In New York City, the Transit Museum has gift shops at both the main building in Brooklyn and its annex inside Grand Central Terminal. How about putting a gift shop to sell Metro merchandise at Union Station (or Metro Center, perhaps)? Transit riders and tourists can buy as many shirts, mugs, hats and the cool stuff y’all sell online.
Writing as one of the readers that complained about shipping fees…. Tom and Theo nailed with their comments on 8/22. Is Metro an agent of FedEx? You’re wasting your time and our money. I would buy a few things, but paying considerably more for shipping than the items themselves is just ridiculous.
10 days ago, I wrote on the other Metro Online store ad post that you still had 125 mugs available for the Metro Map Mug. http://thesource.metro.net/2014/08/12/stay-hydrated-with-new-every-lane-is-a-bike-lane-mug/#comments
Let’s see how much you have sold since then:
https://www.globalfulfillment.net/gfsnet/metro/10Expand.aspx?ProductCode=MAPMUG
As of today there’s still 124 left. In 10 days, you’ve sold 1 cup. ONE SINGLE CUP SOLD IN TEN DAYS. Illegal vendors on the Metro system have better sales than you guys! Kinda tells you how poor of a job you’re doing at sales doesn’t it? And whose paying for the inventory sitting at the warehouse? We, the taxpayers.
Look Metro, we taxpayers are your shareholders. You cannot exist without our tax dollars supporting you. So let’s say we’re holding a conference call right now. If you said that you only sold 1 cup in ten days and the excuse is that it’s the FedEx contact with the vendor, then that’s a problem to us shareholders.
As a Metro shareholder, I say this: scrap the contract with your third party vendor. Open up a store or switch to Amazon.com. Inventory would move a lot more faster that way.
If customers/stakeholders are complaining about the high shipping costs from the METRO store, don’t pass the buck to your contract shipper FedEx! The buck stops at Art’s desk. If FedEx’s fees are offending your costumers then that contract should be made null and void along with the METRO staffer that signed it. Shipping fees for toys is a small issue really, but as far as this citizen is concerned METRO’s solution here is the same as with other issues–the public needs to serve itself, although staff is being paid to serve.