"Guitar" Center rant

mjbphotos

Moderator
I just go in to look around, play a few guitars, usually, while waiting for my wife to do her shopping down the street.
Last night, talked to one guy (in his 40s, with his wife) who was carrying a butterscotch Tele (reissue?) marked at $1199 or thereabouts. Said he had a Tele already, (but I'm guessing maybe a Squier). Later saw him with a 6-string uke. I had tried it out a couple of weeks ago, intonation was totally off - at fret 12, you were effectively up almost a half step (but not evenly on each string). When I saw him with it, walking out of the acoustic room, I asked him if he was going to buy it, he said he was thinking about it. I mentioned the intonation and it was plain he didn't understand what I meant.
Earlier, I had seen a girl on a banjo, totally out of tune, desperately picking at it for a few minutes. Later, a guy in the acoustic room asked how I learned to 'pick so good'. I gave him a few pointers on buying a guitar - he said he was just learning, but he was older, too, by himself, no one came buy to ask 'can I help you?'

Doesn't GC have any employees/salespeople to help these potential customers? I could have sold $1000+ worth of instruments in a half hour! Do they pay by commission? Unfortunately the closest one (in New Hampshire) is a half hour drive for me, otherwise it would make a good Xmas part-time gig for me!
 
I just go in to look around, play a few guitars, usually, while waiting for my wife to do her shopping down the street.
Last night, talked to one guy (in his 40s, with his wife) who was carrying a butterscotch Tele (reissue?) marked at $1199 or thereabouts. Said he had a Tele already, (but I'm guessing maybe a Squier). Later saw him with a 6-string uke. I had tried it out a couple of weeks ago, intonation was totally off - at fret 12, you were effectively up almost a half step (but not evenly on each string). When I saw him with it, walking out of the acoustic room, I asked him if he was going to buy it, he said he was thinking about it. I mentioned the intonation and it was plain he didn't understand what I meant.
Earlier, I had seen a girl on a banjo, totally out of tune, desperately picking at it for a few minutes. Later, a guy in the acoustic room asked how I learned to 'pick so good'. I gave him a few pointers on buying a guitar - he said he was just learning, but he was older, too, by himself, no one came buy to ask 'can I help you?'

Doesn't GC have any employees/salespeople to help these potential customers? I could have sold $1000+ worth of instruments in a half hour! Do they pay by commission? Unfortunately the closest one (in New Hampshire) is a half hour drive for me, otherwise it would make a good Xmas part-time gig for me!



I'm 45 mins. from that one in Nashua and you don't see me in there! Did you? :o
 
I'm 45 mins. from that one in Nashua and you don't see me in there! Did you? :o

I don't know - was that you with the wife and uke?! ;)

Where else can you shop in the area with good selection and prices? The old mom and pop places have few choices (and not much knowledge, from my experience). Daddy's has a bunch of snotty 'kids' who look at an 'old guy' like me as, well, an old guy.
 
Don't you also hate it, WHEN, you go into GC and want to try something out or listen to something and you wait for that individual to set it up, who in most cases has no clue wtf they are doing which in most cases frustrates you more, and you want to say "get the F*** out of the way! Let me show you how to set it up!". Sometimes it's funny to watch. I wonder what the criteria is for employment at GC?
 
Don't you also hate it, WHEN, you go into GC and want to try something out or listen to something and you wait for that individual to set it up, who in most cases has no clue wtf they are doing which in most cases frustrates you more, and you want to say "get the F*** out of the way! Let me show you how to set it up!". Sometimes it's funny to watch. I wonder what the criteria is for employment at GC?
yeah, I don't wait ..... I just set it up. They're so slow by the time someone decides I shouldn't be doing it alone it's already set up and I'm trying it.
 
I do admit I got some decent used gear at Daddy's at an OK price

I like Daddy's customer service. I bought an old DOD pedal from them once. They sent it to the shop to replace a bad jack before they shipped it.

MusicGoRound is good too. They gave me a minty control surface for free (well, the shipping was $30, but whatever) just because they lost the wall wart to it.

I wonder what the criteria is for employment at GC?

High school diploma and criminal background check? :laughings:
 
GC....I have 4 around here....and have to drive to a store further from my home because I dislike having someone ask me "hey deeewwwwd you need help??"

every 5 seconds..

then before I can speak they zoom off......its like chickens on a farm just clacking away for no reason....

hey can I help you....zoooooommmm off......then another flys by....hey whatss up, you nedd help.....zooooooooommmmm off.....then another then another.....until I leave exhausted as if i inhaled a bunch of Ether.

I'm not always a conspiracy theorists but, I think that one specific GC store is a testing ground for salespeople on crack.

You know give one store full of coked up sales staff and another identical store normal-hungover sales staff and then the corporate can compare the number$.

So to the OP who doesnt get enough people asking WHATSSSS UP!!! YOU NEED SOME HELP??
Maybe some prefer it that way, so the sales staff are more laid back trying not to bother you? Or maybe thats a weed-sales staff store, chilled like Bob Marley.

Guitar Center.... its always good to see someone elses point of view of the current music scene.

Personally, I been a Craigslist gear dumpster diver lately....its more than 50% off, sometimes 75% off.

GC is ok , but I prefer to get in and get the hell out in minutes and avoid the crack sales man-store.
 
Cool gear on my local craigslist is few and far between. Even the local thrift stores are ass compared to what I've read from people in other areas. So it's mostly Fleabay and HR free ads for me.
 
lol. I had someone look at me like I had 2 heads when I asked for ez drummer.

WTF is ez drummer? haha

That was a few years ago, and I ended up walking out with DFH2. Good lord do those samples sound like ass now a days.
 
You people shouldn't be needing help from any of the losers that work there. You should be better than that, so complaining about their customer service is dumb at best. They have this thing called the internet that will give you all the research you need. GC is a good place to finger-bang expensive stuff and try shit out so you can confidently buy it elsewhere. I never go in there needing help. I just go in and buy what I want and leave without talking to any of the flunkees.
 
I don't need their customer service - but there are others who do need help, which was the point of my original post.
 
I just go in and buy what I want and leave without talking to any of the flunkees.

I used to go there because the sidewalk out front was wide enough for me to park my Vespa by the front door. I don't have the Vespa anymore, so no reason to go there now.
 
I don't need their customer service - but there are others who do need help, which was the point of my original post.
I'm not their daddy ..... let 'em learn to work their little brains or waste their money. It's good for the economy.
 
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