GHS strings at Walmart, and the ensuing boycott?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cellardweller
  • Start date Start date
Hate to burst any bubbles here but...........

I've recently noticed both Walmart and Target (and theres probably a few others) now carry a minimal selection of cheapy beginner acoustics, electrics, and even basses. Would'nt it only seem logical and right then that they also at least carry strings sets to maintain the things? Oh gosh wait! I just looked on thier website and see they also sell small practice amps, ten foot cables, and even a few pedal effects! (gasp). Yes, and this is all in addition to the cheezy Casio keyboards the've been selling for years which has yet to put Korg and Roland out of buisiness.

Seriosly folks, I dont think Walmart is ever going to take much of a bite out of the specialty music store market, especially since it appears thier instument line up is clearly targeted more as affordable gifts for parents to give to children to test thier interest. No pro player would ever want them and if anything, these instruments might actually HELP the specialty music store industry in the long run because it will creating MORE little musicians who could eventually become lifelong shoppers of pro gear.

I dont find Walmarts string sales to be any more offensive than the batteries they sell for thier electronic products (which incidently could also be used in YOUR guitars tuners). As for GHS, looks like they just beat a few other companies to the punch. Dont think any others wouldnt have did it.
 
NRS said:
I've recently noticed both Walmart and Target (and theres probably a few others) now carry a minimal selection of cheapy beginner acoustics, electrics, and even basses. Would'nt it only seem logical and right then that they at least carry strings sets to restring and maintain the things? Oh gosh wait! I just looked on thier website and see they also sell small practice amps, ten foot cables and even a few pedal effects! Yes, and this is all in addition to the cheezy Casio keyboards the've been selling for years which I'm sure you all aware of but has yet to put Korg and Roland out of buisiness.

Seriosly folks, I dont think Walmart is ever going to take much of a bite out of the specialty music store market, especially since it appears thier instument line up is clearly targeted more as affordable gifts for parents to give to children as something to try out. No pro player would ever want them. If anything, that might actually HELP the specialty music store industry in the long run because it will creating MORE little musicians who could eventually become lifelong shoppers of pro gear.

I dont find Walmarts string sales to be any more offensive than the batteries they sell for thier electronic products (which incidently could also be used in YOUR guitars tuners). As for GHS, looks like they just beat a few other companies to the punch. Dont think any others wouldnt have did it.
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I remember looking at the JC Penny and Sears catalogs my mom would get and they had beginner guitars and bass guitars in them. My dad got a guitar when he was a kid back in the 50's from Sears...and it says Sears on it.

This is nothing new. -But then neither is yelling the sky is falling.
 
Outlaws said:
I remember looking at the JC Penny and Sears catalogs my mom would get and they had beginner guitars and bass guitars in them. My dad got a guitar when he was a kid back in the 50's from Sears...and it says Sears on it.

This is nothing new. -But then neither is yelling the sky is falling.
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Ah yes, the original mother whores of all big chain retail giants. Did you hear Satriani and Via are now working with Sears to develope thier next custom line of signature series guitars? Reserve your today, they should be sick. LOL!
 
Outlaws said:
I remember looking at the JC Penny and Sears catalogs my mom would get and they had beginner guitars and bass guitars in them. My dad got a guitar when he was a kid back in the 50's from Sears...and it says Sears on it.

This is nothing new. -But then neither is yelling the sky is falling.
Click to expand...
I still have a harmony electric and acoustic my mom bought me from sears in 85. They were my first guitars. they are both pretty awful, but I played the snot out of them to the point that the finish is worn off the fingerboard in the 'high-traffic' areas. I don't do my musical equipment shopping there anymore though. :p

As for the wal-mart thing - I love wal-mart. I live in the greater Houston area. We are a city of 5 million people. There are no 'mom and pop' stores around here - and haven't been for decades. And even if there were, I'm just a regular consumer who wants my consumables priced low. Wal-mart gets it done. Rock on wal-mart! :)
 
Greg_L said:
I'm just a regular consumer who wants my consumables priced low. Wal-mart gets it done. Rock on wal-mart! :)
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I bet you don't work at Wal-Mart. There are reasons why their prices are low.
 
I've been buying my strings in bulk from MF for years and four bucks is too much to pay for a set of strings in my book. ;)

Twenty years ago I was paying $7 for a set of acoustic strings. :eek:
 
stjerky said:
I bet you don't work at Wal-Mart. There are reasons why their prices are low.
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You're right, I dont work there. Thank God for that. But last I checked, noone is forced to work there. And to be honest, some of the people that do work at Wal-Mart probably don't have any business doing anything else anyway. I'm not an unrealistic idealist. I'd rather not have the cart-getter-guy at Wal-Mart handling my financial investments or doing brain surgery on one of my loved ones. But he rocks at getting the carts out of the parking spots, so he's found his calling. Wal-Mart is no different than Lowes, Home-Depot, Target, Sears, or any other monster retailer, yet noone bitches about them. I honestly don't care why their prices are low as I'm not trying to save the world. I just want to buy my shit for cheap. :)
 
Unfortunately the slave labor saleries of Walmart employees is the enevitable evolution of all big retailers (even the ones who seem to be giving their employees a fair shake now). Hell, I was in Home Depot the other day and a worker there was telling me how thier wages are actually LESS than they were ten years ago! Now how should that be possible when Home Depot is fucking exploding with its highest profits ever and record new store openings? Its all about the stock market I'll tell you. Once a company becomes publicly traded and starts to do well, its true loyalty always ends up being only to its shareholdes and thier insatiable expectations of higher dividends at any human cost. Just the wave of the future folks, and it aint pretty.

If you dont like it then shop those mom and pop stores as much as possible, but complaining about seeing GHS stings on sale at Walmart is just a contridiction to even being in Walmart to see them on sale in the first place. One really cant have it both ways if they expect to have any weight behind thier beef about it.
 
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