The Demise Of The Fountain Pen In The Big Box Store Setting

[Sallent]

Until recently you could go into almost any big box stores selling office supply store and find a decent assortment of fountain pens and even some bottled ink. Granted, they were cartridge/converter fountain pens (blasphemy, I know) but they were at least decent. There were Waterman, Parker, Monteverde, Cross, and even some Sheaffer. You could even find some Parker Quink ink in some of those places...not the best ink or particularly exiting, but it was decent quality nonetheless.

 

Lately I've noticed that fountain pens have disappeared from all the office supply big box stores. The only thing left in some of them are some of the cheaper Cross pens and a few Parker no-name fountain pens that look so cheap that Parker was too embarrassed to even give them a proper name on the label. Where did all the fountain pens go? All they seem to have ink-wise is a handful of cartridges at disgusting prices, and bottled ink has disappeared altogether.

 

This is weird because if anything fountain pens have become a little more popular lately, and they seemed to sell well around this area. Has anyone else noticed the same in your area?

 

PS: I'm in Miami.

 

Maybe they just found the fountain pens too challenging for the staff to sell? After all, I remember some of the interesting exoeriences I had with staff at some of those big box stores a few years back when I still used C/C fountain pens. I once asked a staff member at Office Depot to hand me a pen so I could take a closer look at the nib before he rung up the sale, and instead he took the cap off and handed it to me. I told him, "No, hand me the body so I can look at the nib, not the cap." The poor guy gave me a confused look and handed me the converter which came separate inside the box. I finally had to reach for his hand and grab the pen from him and explain what the nib was. :roflmho:

Edited March 14, 2013 by Sallent

[myn]

We have the same problem here in Canada. Here, Staples, in particular have not only stopped bringing in fountain pens, they've even stopped stocking fountain pen ink in the bottles. The last time I looked they had one Cross pen, medium nib but no cartridges even for the poor pen. I find that very sad indeed.

[fuchsiaprincess]

Sad but true.

[goby]

Pen selections have dwindled all around, and the selection has shifted more and more toward the cheap disposables. When I was a kid, most stores would have a whole side of an isle dedicated to pens and pencils, now it's half the size if you're lucky. Mechanical pencil selections are sparse as well, I'm lucky if I find three brands, and it's about the same looking for reusable pens (fp/bp/or rollers). We live in a disposable culture.

 

There are also huge public misconceptions about FP's. The most common question I have gotten is whether I have been leaked on, which I never have, I don't carry cheap pens in pockets. Watching TV the other day there was a pivotal plot point where someone's clothing was ruined by ink, and it revolved around the character having using a FP. I've had people remark how I must be skilled to write with it, or ask if I have to be careful not to poke that sharp end through the paper. It's ridiculous what the general public perception of our hobby is.

Edited March 14, 2013 by goby

[jar]

I don't find it sad at all. Hopefully the Big Box stores too will go away.

[WaskiSquirrel]

The big box stores have to be able sell a certain minimum amount of product. If they can't, they remove it from the store, even if it's making a profit. The fountain pen market has changed. People are buying them less for utilitarian purposes and more for looks or just for "something different."

 

Today I was using a fountain pen and was told that I would give up when it ruined my shirt. I made some remark that newer fountain pens are not the same as the old ones with the rubber bladders. I probably should have added that I've never had one leak in my pocket, and I've been using them since around fourth grade. (Yes, I was a weird little kid.)

[BT-7274]

Depends on where, if you ask me. My local Staples still had their display of rather...Expensive Cross FP's up, last check. By expensive, I mean all the way up to $300+, so a lot of them had 14k or 18k nibs. They also carried a decent selection of cartridges, although the only bottled ink was quink black.

[Pentulant]

Last fall, I was traveling in upstate NY and needed a fix.

 

Went into Staples and picked up a Cross - horrible quality. So bad as to be laughable.

 

While I agree it's a shame that fountain pens aren't more popular - I think it's better that they not be in the big box stores if what's going to be there is terrible quality.

[Larry T]

Years ago , a major store in the Detroit area, Hudson's, had a huge stationary department. Pens from Montblanc, Parker, Pelikan, Sheaffer, and several others were on display, along with paper from Crane's. Hudson's was bought out by Marshall Field, the pen department remained. When Macy's took over from Marshall Field, they sold off the remaining stock of pens at up to 90% off. I bought $3000 worth of Montblanc and Parker pens for about $350. Other than Paradise Pen, there are really no big pen stores in the area anymore.

 

Larry

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/MBLeGrand2.jpg

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I can't remember the last time I saw fountain pens OR fountain pen ink in the local Staples, at least that wasn't either cheap junk or absurdly overpriced junk.

[Sallent]

I can't remember the last time I saw fountain pens OR fountain pen ink in the local Staples, at least that wasn't either cheap junk or absurdly overpriced junk.

 

I can...back before Waterman decided to go down the MontBlanc route by by 1) hiking prices to absurd levels on cartridge/converter pens, and (2) Waterman discontinued most of the nice models in the lower price ranges.

 

It was called the Watmerman Philleas, the only cartridge pen which I would buy again in a heartbeat. Every Staples and Office Depot had them for $30 and at that price they performed much better and were more durable than many pens in the $100-$150 range. We'll never see that bargain come around again. I should have bought two dozen when Waterman discontinued them. My local Office Depot had them on clearance for $15. Something tells me I could have sold each one of them for $70-$75 a piece here on the FPN forum today.

[RLTodd]

I can't remember the last time I saw fountain pens OR fountain pen ink in the local Staples, at least that wasn't either cheap junk or absurdly overpriced junk.

 

Ditto.

 

But I suspect that up here in the Big Valley people quit buying fountain pens starting in the 1950's. More of a pencil and later ballpoint kind of place.

[jmcf1949]

Years ago , a major store in the Detroit area, Hudson's, had a huge stationary department. Pens from Montblanc, Parker, Pelikan, Sheaffer, and several others were on display, along with paper from Crane's. Hudson's was bought out by Marshall Field, the pen department remained. When Macy's took over from Marshall Field, they sold off the remaining stock of pens at up to 90% off. I bought $3000 worth of Montblanc and Parker pens for about $350. Other than Paradise Pen, there are really no big pen stores in the area anymore.

 

Larry

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/MBLeGrand2.jpg

 

Hello Larry. I too remember buying my Legrand rollerball from Marshall Fields. They had a nice display of mostly Montblanc products. Have you tried Penzdetroit downtown? The owner Alex is a good guy. Authorized Pelikan dealer too. The store is on the corner of Fort and Washington Blvd. It's small but very nice. I have no affiliation but enjoy his store.

 

Jim

[two2tone]

About four years ago Denver area Office Max store had a close out sale on Waterman Phileas kits -- pen, converter, bottle of in and about half a dozen cartridges. I bought them all for $9.99 each. Those days are over.

 

 

 

I can't remember the last time I saw fountain pens OR fountain pen ink in the local Staples, at least that wasn't either cheap junk or absurdly overpriced junk.

 

I can...back before Waterman decided to go down the MontBlanc route by by 1) hiking prices to absurd levels on cartridge/converter pens, and (2) Waterman discontinued most of the nice models in the lower price ranges.

 

It was called the Watmerman Philleas, the only cartridge pen which I would buy again in a heartbeat. Every Staples and Office Depot had them for $30 and at that price they performed much better and were more durable than many pens in the $100-$150 range. We'll never see that bargain come around again. I should have bought two dozen when Waterman discontinued them. My local Office Depot had them on clearance for $15. Something tells me I could have sold each one of them for $70-$75 a piece here on the FPN forum today.

[soum]

Big box stores require items to meet certain sales velocity and inventory turn goals. Fountain pens sell, but do not sell fast enough to meet their merchandise goals. Also, for higher end pens, the retailer would need carry a lot more stock (in value terms) to support sales levels. Even then the sales velocity would be low. Put together, it makes it unattractive for such stores to carry fountain pen stocks.

[Michael A]

I have seen the same "development" in Sweden. Smaller stores do not sell FPs at all, the larger ones have some Cross and Parkers. Very few people seem to have any quality requirements at all on their pens. I work at the HQ of a large multinational company, lots of meetings and lots of notes taken. The majority of my collegaues use either some low-end BP from the in-house stationery shop or a give away pen from some conference.

[CaptainGroovy]

I purchased my first "good" fountain pan from Office Depot back in the mid 1980's a Mont Blanc 146 I still have it today and it is still one of the pens that I always keep inked

[Gloucesterman]

It''s been a VERY long time since I have seen any real fountain pen (or ink) presence in a big-box store like Staples.

 

Part of the reason, as stated above, is the required volume of sales to justify the purchase, display and sale of quality pens. Keep in mind also that if it's displayed on the shelf, it is subject to pilferage (being stolen) and damage from sampling. If it is in a display case then it requires someone's attention to take it out, be with the customer while they consider (test) it and then clean and return it to the case. This type of knowledgeable customer service and customer attention is very rarely in a big box environment.

 

Everyone, I hope, is aware that the lower prices we pay for items at Stapes (and other similar stores) means limiting their stock and the cost of displaying it as well as servicing customers.

 

Another thought about selling pens. Yesterday, I was looking at one of those mass produced catalogs that the smaller independent store buy (with their name and information printed on it). Put yourself in the position of an owner. You have to have an good size inventory (aka lots of money invested and just sitting on your shelf until someone comes in and buys it), you have to have the most popular varieties (the ones that sell most, you have to have ink, paper, journals, etc. The investment is HUGE!. Include in that investment, that when we purchase a pen using a credit card, there is a fee to the retailer of 2-5%, in addition to which they are often in a position where they are forced to discount the price in order to be competitive with online vendors.

 

Finally, after having worked at a pen store about 8 years ago and visited a good number of stores since then, all of the proprietors/owners I have met, have a strong retail mentality. Yes, many have embraced the Internet and online market place BUT, they still, in general, "advertise" (in the traditional ways), stand behind the counter and wait for the order to come in, the customer to show up or someone else to do something.

 

Fountain pens, especially high end ones (and there are a lot of those) are luxury items and could be marketed (not just sold, Marketed) as such. Let me share a specific example.

 

When I was working at the retail pen store years ago, several people came in on the evening I was working. They were attending a special (two month, I think)management training institute as a prestigious local university. Because the institute was ending. they wanted to buy 4 or 5 "nice" pens for their professors. After some discussion and showing them some choices, they ended up purchasing Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Ball Points for each professor. I asked for and received additional information about them, their program and people to contact at the university. When I gave this to my manager with several suggestions about following through and establishing a stronger relationship with the school, the program and whoever else might be interested, it was communicated to me that "we don't operate/sell that way". People who are interested come to the store and buy from us.

 

If you want to be successful in today's marketplace you have to think outside the store! Until you do that, you will be competing on a very un-level playing field and be at a MAJOR disadvantage.

 

-S-

Would love to hear back from store owners as well as people who agree or disagree with my thoughts.

[Larry T]

Hello Larry. I too remember buying my Legrand rollerball from Marshall Fields. They had a nice display of mostly Montblanc products. Have you tried Penzdetroit downtown? The owner Alex is a good guy. Authorized Pelikan dealer too. The store is on the corner of Fort and Washington Blvd. It's small but very nice. I have no affiliation but enjoy his store.

 

Jim

 

 

I haven't been there yet, it's on my list. I really miss Pam Braun, I bought a lot of stuff from her, always enjoyed my visits to her store.

 

Larry

[nxn96]

The big box office supply stores use the high volume/self-service model that all other supermarkets use, and fine writing instruments don't really have a place in that model. It's also a bit of a self-fulfiling prophecy: As the size and selection of writing instruments shrinks to just a small selection of Cross and Parker bps, rollerballs and an occasional fountain pen, plus refills for just those pens, potential customers go elsewhere, and the selection shrinks further.

 

The earlier posts about the pen department at Hudson's Department Store in Detroit reminded me of the pen department at Marshall Field & Company's State Street store in Chicago. Back in the day, it was located in a prominent area on the first floor of the store, and carried a pretty broad array of pens and supplies. Over time, whenever the store remodeled or moved departments around, the pen department shrunk in size and got moved to a less prominent area of the store. Eventually, the pen department ended up tucked into a small corner in the lower level of the store. It was sort of a game of Hide & Seek to find out where they put the pen department.