Micro Macro Mundo, Inc — Local services in Goulds

This store does have a wide selection but I would have no idea about their prices because the employee creepily following us around kept his distance and offered no help at all. In fact, I felt certain we were being watched because he thought we'd steal or something. He had a very negative look on his face and did not say a word, nor wer we advised of the no touching the merchandise policy, (seriously guys? we can't even look at the specs on a model before buying?) NOR did we see a sign saying so. Sure, we saw signs saying, 'You break it, you buy it' and we certainly would in such a case.

Two parents, both holding hands of the younger children to be sure they didn't touch or break anything. We drove over an hour to get there and came hoping for model rockets and their parts but there wasn't much of that to be found. That's okay... just wanted to support independant business if we could. In looking at the very wide selection, I found a 1/100 scale Space Shuttle Atlantis and LOVED it. I would have purchased this... if the guy looking down his nose at us and not saying a word didn't totally creep me out. Pretty sure this person even saw me handling the Atlantis model box, yet kept his distance and that look in his eye like we were not trusted to be in the store. I understand that small children can make a business owner nervous but there's a kinder way to treat customers and don't we want young ones to gain interest in things they can do with their hands? It's one thing to tail a customer, advising of rules and offering pricing, but this did not appear to be the case at all.

A smile and a chat goes a long way guys. Weirdly following first time customers around is not the way to bring in new business, nor foster a love of the hobby. We will happily shop online and will NEVER go back to this store! We were creepily followed and looked at as if we'd done something wrong simply by entering the store, hoping for rockets, but also to find a nice model to get our oldest child into the hobby. That online giant will have the Revel Space Shuttle Atlantis at my house on Monday. So much for trying to support the little guy.

Edit: Wow... just wow. This is in response to the owner's response.

How dare you attack me!! I am the mother of 3 children, two of which are special needs, so how dare you accuse me of discriminating against those who are impaired. YOU SIR are the problem, since you obviously advised your son to tail us without saying a word to us about a reason why this young man would be following us around. YES, it felt creepy and insulting and that is YOUR FAULT for the way you neglected to make new customers feel welcome.

Also, you accuse us of being among those that make a mess and break stuff yet the only thing I touched was the Atlantis model which was placed back in it's original spot with care. You also accuse me of being blind to signage and while that may be true, THIS TOO wouldn't have been a problem if YOU HAD AN OUNCE OF RESPECT FOR NEW CUSTOMERS AND WEREN"T TOO LAZY TO COME FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER YOURSELF!!

Obviously, with the way you attack without knowing anything about me or how we behaved in your store, you do not care enough to foster new customer relationships.

DID YOU RECOGNIZE THAT MY CHILDREN ARE MENTALLY IMPAIRED AND HAVE PHYSICAL DISABILITIES TOO??? I don't expect you or anyone to. I AM THE DEVIL FOR NOT SEEING THAT IN YOUR SON???? This is not my responsibility and if I am expected to know this, it is on you to tell me!! And now, you could have respectfully explained the situation but chose to attack without knowledge and treat us like dirt. For what it's worth, my husband and older child felt the same way as I did in your store, which was that we were most unwelcome. You have insulted me greatly sir and and have given the families of the disabled a bad name with your behavior. Not only will I happily never step foot in your store again, I will share this experience and your attack with every hobbyist I can as well as the...

Fantastic! highly Recommended! (Started from scratch, purchased 1500ft of track, 70 turnouts, 15 locos and more over the past 2 years at Micro Macro Mundo!)

I decided to get back to "train building" after a 40 year interruption! I grew up on Markling, and living in Miami, I quickly found Micro Macro Mundo. William, the owner, has been around train systems just about all his life and his knowledge of Marklin, Roco, and other top brands is second to none! He has a personality bigger than life, (not there to make you feel good, like a Starbucks barista!), ha ha ah, but a very frank, honest and passionate expert! Not many people like this nowadays!

You will rapidly feel that he is not trying to sell you anything, ( I like that a lot), but he will steer you in the right direction, his advice is invaluable, and at the end of the day it makes him happy to see you happy with your project! By the way the quality of Marklin, Roco, and others in that top tier of train systems pretty much sells itself... If you are passionate, like I am, you will just want to buy more!

Micro Macro Mundo prices are about the best. Another super important feature is the web site with "in stock quantities" next to each little item! As you build your system, it allows you to decide, what parts you can get right now, what train you can build immediately... Invaluable! With most other dealers, if not all in the U.S. you have no idea what they have on hand! So it is impossible to plan! If you need 20 units of track, they may have only 10, if you want to build a freight train, say with the same 6 tank cars, they may have only 3 and so forth... With "in stock" condition, you can decide what you can built right now! And by the way their stock is huge!

Whatever is not in stock, they will get it for you! The speed is completely dependent on the manufacturers. All of them are somewhat unreliable, and unpredictable, welcome to train modeling manufacturing culture! Some stuff shows up in a week other in more like 6, but you get used to getting organized and anticipating, if you are building a larger system....

So, if you are interested in having fun with an "oval" basic train, or if you want to build a "showpiece" complex system, with all the landscaping, I can't recommend enough Micro Macro Mundo. They represent dozens of the absolute best brands, their expertise is invaluable, and they sincerely ...

I buy my supplies online but I really wanted to visit a local shop and support the brick and mortar. Before comming to the store, I was somewhat prepared. I read several reviews on the web so I knew what was up. This store treats customers a little differently... I was polite, I walked in, browsed, bought goods, and went. Despite the really good prices and expansive inventory, I marked my rating down for a few glaring reasons. I asked the gentleman at the counter some questions regarding the paint they had and I recieved some awfully wrong answers, pushing me to buy the product although it was not the right one. I have some experience with Tamiya paints prior and I do my homework on the chemicals. I worry that wrong information may be dispensed to new people, leading them on the wrong path. Please folks, trust but verify info. On top of this, the store placed black stickers on top of the glue labels. Turns out the stickers were covering the toxicity and cancer warnings... I'm quite alright that the glue is potentially toxic but it was really sketchy that all the bottles I saw had that info covered, and with the no touch policy, you wouldn't know untill you purchased the item. Shopping at the store is a stressful experience, similar to the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld. On top of all this, I find it really unprofessional and rude that this store will respond aggresively to critical reviews online. Posting hate comments on customers' reviews is not the best PR. Quite frankly, there is not much local competition which is why this shop has been this way for so long. At the end of the day, I put my money where my heart is and am sticking...