GHS strings at Walmart, and the ensuing boycott?

[cellardweller]

Was I surprised to be able to pick up set of GHS boomers for $4 at walmart a couple of weeks back!

Unfortunately, they did not have sets for 7-string guitars, so I recently pulled into my neighborhood annoyance factory....err...music store...and was looking for GHS 7-string sets.

NOT ONE SET OF GHS STRINGS DID THEY HAVE!!!

So I say, "C'mon man, Walmart carries GHS strings...what gives?"
To which he replies "that's the reason, a lot of music stores are boycotting GHS for selling at Walmart".

WTF???
Anyone else heard about this???

 

[Track Rat]

I was in Best Buy the other day and they now stock Boomers at $4 a set.

 

[cellardweller]

Creepy!!!

It's kinda like them selling Deicide at Target!
It's just....not...right!

 

[lpdeluxe]

I bought up the last sets of Brite Flat bass strings for 1/2 price at our local music store because they are discontinuing the sale of GHS.

After all, it's like having an 'exclusive' dealership for anything, and then finding out it's being discounted by a big marketer next door.

 

[TelePaul]

In Ireland, boomers cost about 8 euro...10 dollars. And I buy the because they're great strings. If your music stores are gonna boycott em coz wallmart can sell for 4 bucks and still make a profit, then I gues sits the music stores loss.

 

[mshilarious]

In Ireland, boomers cost about 8 euro...10 dollars. And I buy the because they're great strings. If your music stores are gonna boycott em coz wallmart can sell for 4 bucks and still make a profit, then I gues sits the music stores loss.

Not really. Wal-Mart makes money by constantly forcing their vendors to lower their prices. The vendors sign up because they see the potential for expanded market share, which given their economies of scale, mean that additional units can be supplied at low margin and still be profitable.

However, if the other retailers bail on the product, either because they don't receive the same volume discount as the big-box retailer (and therefore cannot meet their price), or for moral reasons, etc., then the profitable base business of the vendor is eroded, and they are left with the big-box boys who will want them to lower their prices more.

After they move manufacturing to China in an attempt to meet the big-box demand, the Chinese will diligently copy their product and offer it to their competitors for even less.

The vendor often ends up wishing they had stuck with their original distributors . . .

 

[cellardweller]

Not really. Wal-Mart makes money by constantly forcing their vendors to lower their prices. The vendors sign up because they see the potential for expanded market share, which given their economies of scale, mean that additional units can be supplied at low margin and still be profitable.

However, if the other retailers bail on the product, either because they don't receive the same volume discount as the big-box retailer (and therefore cannot meet their price), or for moral reasons, etc., then the profitable base business of the vendor is eroded, and they are left with the big-box boys who will want them to lower their prices more.

After they move manufacturing to China in an attempt to meet the big-box demand, the Chinese will diligently copy their product and offer it to their competitors for even less.

The vendor often ends up wishing they had stuck with their original distributors . . .

I'd just be happy to buy my damned strings as I used to....
I'd gladly pay the $8.

 

[TelePaul]

Not really. Wal-Mart makes money by constantly forcing their vendors to lower their prices. The vendors sign up because they see the potential for expanded market share, which given their economies of scale, mean that additional units can be supplied at low margin and still be profitable.

However, if the other retailers bail on the product, either because they don't receive the same volume discount as the big-box retailer (and therefore cannot meet their price), or for moral reasons, etc., then the profitable base business of the vendor is eroded, and they are left with the big-box boys who will want them to lower their prices more.

After they move manufacturing to China in an attempt to meet the big-box demand, the Chinese will diligently copy their product and offer it to their competitors for even less.

The vendor often ends up wishing they had stuck with their original distributors . . .

They'll still make a profit on every pack of strings they sell; I'm sure a simple break-even analysis of Wallmarts' projected sales has told GHS whether or not this reduced selling price has been compensated enough for by volume sales. You can bet they've factored in the reactions of the conventional 'corner shop' retailers; I mean hasn't the same thing happened with elixir and banjo mart?

The pacific ring expansion is something that most manufacturing companies worldwide are at least considering, if they havn't relocated a percentage of production there already. The exception to this seems to be the US as a whole; prestige and symbolism seems more potent in American than any other country. Take Cadillac or Harley Davidson for example; they wouldn't sell as well if they relocated to indochina, even if it meant they could reduce costs. For a more relevant example, consider Gibson; a price-drop actually reduced sales, because of the stigmas attached to the brand; again, prestige. Sometimes the demand slope curves upwards!

So I think GHS will do okay outta this; I'm assuming the US have laws against below-cost selling of course. So consider this; why would you buy a set of strings for $8 when you know the company can make a profit by selling them for $4?

 

[timthetortoise]

No care ever. Dean Markley > GHS and for less too.

 

[gbdweller]

BTW...Musicians Friend and American Musical Supply sell the strings even cheaper than Walmart ($3.89 per set). The Walmart thing has bailed me out a few times because I usually order multiple sets online and lose track of what I've got left. A quick trip to the local Walmart (open 24hrs) and I can at least patch a few sets together for the next gig.

I don't see the Walmart thing doing to music stores what Home Depot did to mom & pop hardware stores, but music stores may very well end up pricing themselves out of business if they are not careful.

 

[Micter]

Carvin sells GHS Boomers for around $3. They have a different lable but are GHS Boomers none the less. They also sell them 10 sets for $20 periodically. That's when I buy strings.

 

[Phoneboy]

Not really. Wal-Mart makes money by constantly forcing their vendors to lower their prices. The vendors sign up because they see the potential for expanded market share, which given their economies of scale, mean that additional units can be supplied at low margin and still be profitable.

However, if the other retailers bail on the product, either because they don't receive the same volume discount as the big-box retailer (and therefore cannot meet their price), or for moral reasons, etc., then the profitable base business of the vendor is eroded, and they are left with the big-box boys who will want them to lower their prices more.

After they move manufacturing to China in an attempt to meet the big-box demand, the Chinese will diligently copy their product and offer it to their competitors for even less.

The vendor often ends up wishing they had stuck with their original distributors . . .

Wal-mart will go down in history as one of the top 5 reasons the Great US of A fell on her greedy arogant fat ass.

 

[boingoman]

The vendor often ends up wishing they had stuck with their original distributors . . .

The value of giving the competition all your sales of a particular product in protest of the vendor when it's a $5 dollar high-markup accessory doesn't seem very effective anyway. Strings are so often an impulse buy, it seems silly not to have a particular brand.

 

[Outlaws]

Wal-mart will go down in history as one of the top 5 reasons the Great US of A fell on her greedy arogant fat ass.

That would be free trades fault. Walmart is merely working with what is available like any business would.

The original idea behind import taxes was to keep business inside the country so that buying another countries goods was a "luxury" item. Don't blame Walmart, they are not doing anything that 99.9% of every other company does these days.

 

[Outlaws]

The value of giving the competition all your sales of a particular product in protest of the vendor when it's a $5 dollar high-markup accessory doesn't seem very effective anyway. Strings are so often an impulse buy, it seems silly not to have a particular brand.

I can't even count the amount of guitar shops that don't like certain brands, but in reality, its becuse those brands didn't like them.

 

[Phoneboy]

That would be free trades falt. Walmart is merely working with what is available like any business would.

The original idea behind import taxes was to keep business inside the country so that buying another countries goods was a "luxury" item. Don't blame Walmart, they are not doing anything that 99.9% of every other company does these days.

You are correct sir.

Free trade will go down in history as one of the top 5 reasons the Great US of A fell on her greedy arogant fat ass.






+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Republicans want to give all our tax $$'s to the rich

Democrats want to give all our tax $$'s to the poor

In both cases the people recieving the $$ do not deserve/earn it.

 

[TheRockDoc]

Carvin sells GHS Boomers for around $3. They have a different lable but are GHS Boomers none the less. They also sell them 10 sets for $20 periodically. That's when I buy strings.

I know someone who will be very happy when he reads this- if apl didn't already know

 

[NYMorningstar]

You are correct sir.

Free trade will go down in history as one of the top 5 reasons the Great US of A fell on her greedy arogant fat ass.

Isn't namecalling what children do when they have nothing to add to a conversation? The only thing down in history here is probably your test scores

 

[turtlishous]

Isn't namecalling what children do when they have nothing to add to a conversation? The only thing down in history here is probably your test scores

AMEN!!!!!!!

 

[Slowrider]

Strings are Kumming down? Great! That kind of tells me they were overpriced anyway. Late sixties; think I paid $41.02 for a set of Fender bass strings. Last Fender strings I ever bought...they were junk!