Friggin' Guitar Center guys!

[endserenading81]

The Everyday Experience at Guitar Center

Me and my brother go into Guitar Center the other day to buy the bass guitar we want, and ask the salesman to find it. Big mistake with Guitar Center, don't open that can of worms. When they don't have what you want, they go to the NEXT model and say things like "Dude, it's basically the same thing". Really? A Fender bass is the same as a Schecter bass? If we bought that bass without knowing ANYTHING about it, we would be no better than a little kid with his mom buying his first instrument. And then I told the guy out of politeness "uhhhh, I'll have to really think about it, ya know, it's a big investment." Then of course, he gets alittle mad (can someone say "commission"). "We're also kinda pressed for time", I say "so we're just gonna get some other things". He says "Sure no problem". We buy our other things (some mics stands), and get ready to leave. Then I run into this salesman again and he says "Hey buddy, thought you were pressed for time" from accross the room, all bitter and shit! And I say "I told you I was getting some other stuff, don't worry, if we buy a guitar, I'll make sure to go right to you man". Called him on his bitterness in front of everyone. It pissed me off. We're guitar players, this is our THING! And these salesman don't respect that we MIGHT want to think about our decision on this important investment. So my advice is do your research, go in there and buy what you want, and get the hell ouT!
thanks for caring,
Rob

 

[Bass Freak]

this one time i went there to buy a distortion pedal. someone jacked up the daisy chain somewhere and it wouldnt work. and i asked a guy to help me and he said he was 'too busy' to help me. i had 100 cash in my pocket and i was going to walk out with 0.00 us dollars. guess they dont want my business?


freak

 

[lpdeluxe]

Unfortunately, that's the modern "we sell boxes said to contain XXX" mentality. The only way to deal with is to do your own research and not depend on a minimum wage (and probably temporary) clerk.

 

[Aaron Cheney]

That's not the only way to deal with it...

The best thing you can do is spend a little bit more money and buy from a small local music store that offers better service. As long as the American public continues to value the lowest possible price over experience, knowledgable service, that's what we'll continue to get.

A
www.aaroncheney.com

 

[mikeh]

Aaron,

Amen!!!

 

[lpdeluxe]

Ouch, Aaron, I left that part out! I buy from a local here unless it's something they don't carry (such as anything to do with computer recording).

 

[Bass Freak]

sadly, my local music stores dont carry that many bass related things or effects pedals. the closest is GC and a music go round, a used music place, both in the same town. so, i usually stop by both.

freak

 

[juststartingout]

Personally, I just deal with the GC manager when I go in. Because I do, I think the other employees are kind of afraid of me.

It's all in who you deal with. GC is commision and minimum wage. I think most of them think they will be rock and roll stars some day, which make them experts, "in their own mind", on tone and feel. On the other hand, there are some there that understand that I want what I want, and I will buy it if I want to.

There are 5 small shops and GC in my area. 2 shops are run by idiots and the other 3 have about 50 guitars. GC has a few hundred and I can deal with them, so I shop there as well as the other shops.

One thing to keep in mind, if someone has it listed for $1,200 and MF has it for $999, tell them. They can move on the price and usually do. Afterall, if I can make $100 dollars on a deal, it's better than making $0.

 

[FunkDaddy]

Yeah, I like to deal with the smaller shops if I can as it's easier to just hang out and talk, more friendly.

But sometimes the selection in the bigger stores simply can't be beat if you need something quick./

 

[Michael Jones]

GC is wage and commission, but the commissions are departmental. Meaning the commissions are pooled for each department. Then the whole department splits the commissions at the end of the pay period. So no single salesman really makes out like a bandit.

There arre some people there that don't know diddly-squat, and there are some that do know about the products they sale. Find one you like and ask for him/her by name.

The first time I walked into a GC they offered me tax-exempt status. That's like an 8-1/2% discount on everything except musical instruments. GC's done alright by me.

 

[Be Loveless]

No please I.... I'm just browsing....really..I...no I don't need a.... no I ..but .............LOOK MOTHERFUCKER I DON"T GIVE A RATS ASS ABOUT YOUR "PRO GEAR" "PRO SOUND" "PRO ATTITUDE" or that fukin' dyed blond Goteeeee! ANd you "PuNK" rock t- shirt and tie.......I just want to look around...is that allright with you? Thanks. I'll let you know if I need anything.


I hate going in there. I love going in there.

 

[Phosphene]

that about sums it up. the only good thing about going in there, is they usually manage to get miss Cutiepants to work the front door (so people wont argue with her as much).

One of my friends worked there a few years back (in Oregon) and he said they got a new CEO who is all about the "numbers" and "real world customer" skills suck compared to the old CEO. That's why he quit, he said....the company was taking a new direction he didn't like. He was one of the top salesman in the Northwest GCs because he never pressured anyone and didn't make anyone buy things they didnt ask for or need. He didn't even get recognized for his position (he found out by accident about his sales)

 

[multitrak_ent]

its like when a good old local music shops goes all up market. you get no more real customer service just a bunch of people in there to make money and not to sell the best product. my dad used to teach guitar in this music shop in melbourne and it was a small bussiness but they had guys who knew there stuff, did the extra steps to help you. when i got my guitar from there i got a 50th anniversary start, it had the gold lace pick ups ( which are very good for the soft clean sounds) locking tuning pegs, ball bearing nut and the free moving bridge ( it has the crazy looking middle spring) and they slashed the price up good ( also having my dad working there also healped i know this but i did send alot of friends there and they forget to mentiod my dads name and came back with huge deals) but what blew us away with how much the people went out of there way. i wanted a jeff beck seymore on the bridge ( nice dirty pick up) also with a single pole switch, the guy there put it all in for nothing i only paid for the pick up not the labor, and it does cost a bit to get all of that put in, new scratch plate got put in for free. now this store has gone all corporate and none of the great sales people work there anymore they all left, they would have earnd more money with the new look shop but it wasnt the same, the feel the reason why it started was more important then making money.
and just like endserenading81 said do your research or bring someone you know in that does know about the stuff, iv been into heaps of guitar shops with friends and i knew more than anyone els in the shop about the products they were selling lucky i was there for a few friends or they would have got ripped off.
i also found the same thing with computers untill i did the crash course in computers i had to allways take a mate in with me to computer shops or i would have got ripped off.

 

[Phosphene]

And GC mgmt meetings, they used to tell them that when a customer comes in to buy X, make sure you sell them X, Y and Z, and maybe ABC. In other words, make as much money off the sheep coming into the place.

 

[mikeh]

I worked at a small shop - we couldn't keep alot of stock, but we could get our hands on almost anything (thru other stores, etc.) then Mars came to town and hurt our business. I ended up at Mars for about 4 years (one of the few people who actually knew my products). Then Mars went under and GC came to town. I was offered a position at GC (recommended by some Mars peope who went to GC) and I turn them down (my time at Mars was not a highlight of my life and I didn't want wo repeat that).

I think we all should go to the small shops when we can and see if they can at least get at the gear through thier contacts. I also think we chould all try to give the local guy a chance to meet (or come close) to the GC (or whatever price). However, sometimes you just have to buy from GC (either based on price or availability).

I can't complain too much about the "big box" stores (in part cause I worked at one) mainly because they at least employ local musicains (or in many cases wanna be musicians) and that keeps some of the revenue in the local economy.

I really, really, have a problem with on line buying (for several reasons). I can't count the number of times I spent hours working with someone, helping them understand all the features and pros/cons of a couple of pieces of gear - only to have them buy on line.

 

[randyfromde]

I think we all should go to the small shops when we can and see if they can at least get at the gear through thier contacts. I also think we chould all try to give the local guy a chance to meet (or come close) to the GC (or whatever price).

For me, I have no loyalty to the little guy, especially where price and time is a concern. If the choice is between me getting what I want today at the price I want vs. waiting a week for the little guy and haggling him down to the superstore price, the choice for me is obvious.

I really, really, have a problem with on line buying (for several reasons). I can't count the number of times I spent hours working with someone, helping them understand all the features and pros/cons of a couple of pieces of gear - only to have them buy on line.

I agree with you. That is pretty ridiculous to waste a salesman's time then go somewhere else to buy.

 

[Aaron Cheney]

It's easy to bash the big stores, but let's be real: every business is in it for the money by definition. They all try to sell you Y and Z right along with X. Any good business does that... want fries with that? do you need some brushes with that paint? do you need some strings or picks or a strap with that new guitar?
Those kinds of things are not the difference between a good and bad business. The difference is the quality of the people. When a company is throwing stuff out the door for barely any profit, they buy the cheapest sales people they can. This usually transtlates to kids or transient employees and a high turnover rate. As a result, those people don't have good product knowledge or experience.
On the other hand, and company that sells its products for a reasonalbe profit margin can afford to pay knowledgable, long term employees. Incedentally, these employees will still try to sell you Y and Z right along with X, they're just better at it.
As far as internet sales go... I too think it's pretty underhanded to use a brick and mortar store to test products and then run to an internet store to save $5 on a $250 item. That is totally low. On the other hand, I do 95% of my product research on the internet anyway. I learn more on sites like this than I ever have from any GC employee. I have no problem buying off the internet in that case.

All said... I stand by my earlier statement. As consumers, we are getting what we are voting for with our dollars. If you want better, more informed sales people and nicely maintained stores where the "new" guitars don't look like they've been dropped three times and played by everybody and their dog, then put your money where your mouth is and pay for it.

A
www.aaroncheney.com

 

[Adam P]

My personal experience with mom-and-pop music stores has been a primarily negative one. Most of these stores, I've found, are high-priced, or carry low line products, or both. The employees (often times consisting of the owner and some acne-ridden high school kid) either ignore me once they find out I'm not interested in buying their 50 watt Crate combo amp with onboard digital effects. Some of the bigger stores try to schmooze me in a total blatant, almost offensive, manner. Now I'm not saying that GC employees are necessarily any better, but at least when I go to GC I can be left alone, get what I want, haggle it down to below the selling price, and get the hell out.

 

[randyfromde]

My personal experience with mom-and-pop music stores has been a primarily negative one.

Me too. There's a shop in my area that's amazing in every department EXCEPT the acoustic guitar department. They are so pushy to sell the high-end (or any) guitars, it makes me not want to be there.

I was playing a few guitars there, looking for a stage guitar. They almost wouldn't let me leave to think about it! It was 'keep talking until we make him feel he owes US to buy one'.

The store gets great reviews, but for me, I like the impersonal GC and the like. Less "I'm your friend" jibber-jabber in my ears!

 

[omtayslick]

My experience with the mom & pop operations has been mostly negative too.
If I don't purchase something immediately upon entry to the store, I am then viewed as an intrusion. And they mostly sell at full list price, and I don't really enjoy haggling. At GC things run hot or cold--depends on which salesperson I get. If they're not frantically busy, (like on weekends) they're usually helpful.