guitar stores & salesmen WHY...rant

[Black Mariah]

Re: guitar stores & salesmen WHY...rant

Damn, dudes. Am I the ONLY person here that hasn't been treated weirdly because of the way I look? I mean, I've got mid-back length hair that at one time was green (part still is). A lot of times I have it done up in braids too. Yet nobody has ever given me ANY s**t about it. Umm... except the guys I worked with, but they don't count. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] The one time anyone has ever given me or my friends hell at GC or any other music store was one night we went up to GC and the singer in my former band was taping us for a school project. Here's me with my green hair, the other guitarist had bright red hair at the time, the singer looked like he just walked out of "The Basketball Diaries" (the trenchcoat thing, not the heroin thing), and the bass player just looks like he doesn't know a damn thing about gear. Someone sees us taping stuff in the store and gets the manager. He comes over and starts talking to our singer asking him why he's taping in the store. He explained that this was for a school project, we're in a band and he's doing a documentary thing on us. Much to my surprise, the manager actually didn't get pissed and let him continue filming. He did tell him that they prefer to be asked first, but he was really cool about it. I thought we were going to get our asses tossed out before I had a chance to buy what I came for in the first place. I haven't run across any actual salesmen there, just the dudes behind the counter. Damn, last time I was at GC the guy behind the counter actually wasn't a total moron.

[Newc]

Re: guitar stores & salesmen WHY...rant

I've never been to a GC - they have different departments? Like Target or Wal-Mart? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Anyone who builds a Mini-Mall for music gear and expects to make a constant profit is smoking some serious stank.

For my personal experience:
My old band had reformed in like March of 2000, and we were going to Missouri (from TN) to play at some rinky-dink hole in the wall in a rinky-dink town outside of Poplar Bluff (population of like 250 people - they all worked at the lumbermill). So we stop at the local Mom-and-Pop Guitar Shop that was mounted in the rear of a Super WalMart, and I spot a Danelectro 12-string DC-3 (the black and white one like Jimmy Page used for Kashmir, but with 12 strings). All they had was Epiphone, Squire, and Dano stuff, so I'm ogling the 12 on the rack, and the old guy/owner asks if I'd like to try it out. Then he takes the guitar and finds me a cord and hooks it into a decent-sized Fender combo (1x10) and HE sets the volume on the amp ("you get a better tone if it's kinda loud") and me and the singer are going through some of our clean pieces just to see how they'd sound with the electric 12 string. So I'm digging the guitar, not being really obnoxious or getting artsy-fartsy - playing stuff that would go over anywhere from Amish country to L.A., and I notice the younger salesguy is now looming over my right shoulder.
I figure at first he's admiring my skills ( [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ) and then realize he's there to ask the big question.
So I'm about to wrap up my noodling and buy it when sure enough, he opens his mouth: "Are you planning to buy?"
I hold it up, admiring the Caddillac Black finish and Yin-Yang appearance that the white pickguard creates, and I say "Yeah, I'll take it" like I was ordering a cheeseburger and fries.
They had it WAY overpriced at $399, so the guy starts stuttering in shock that I can play AND pay, and he checks the price tag and stutters "I think that's actually supposed to be on sale for $389...err.. $369" so he goes and "checks" and rings me up a total price. I lay down the CC and he sees that $5600 limit on his little card reader, and he throws in the $80 tweed/vinyl gigbag and a $25 Gibson strap and a set of $15 strings (store prices), and he's just basically falling over himself.
The other guys in the band are equally shocked that I would just drop the CC on the counter (especially since I had bought a used amp head earlier that morning when we were heading out).
After we left, the singer told me that the old guy/owner that hooked me up with the guitar and set the amp's volume to begin with had sent the salesguy over because I was "playing too long and too loud" [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I was looking around the store (half gear and half tapes/CDs), not really looking at anyone's faces (except to watch the salesguy sweat) so I didn't notice the owner standing in the corner, but my singer said the guy's jaw was on the floor from the time I said I'd take it till we left [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

That's one great thing about a CC - even if you don't want the item, when you can walk out with it that day just to shut some asshole up [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Newc

[AlexL]

Re: guitar stores & salesmen WHY...rant

I see lots of people ranting aginst GC, which I can understand, because their in-stock JAckson seletcion by me was always weak. They never had Rhoads models of ANY price in stock.

But what kind of experiences did you guys have with Mars music (when they were around)? Whenever I went in, they were always super cool about letting you play ANY guitar, even the ones with the commas in the price, and encouraged you to grab a cord, pick, and find an amp to cozy up to. I never bought a guitar from them , just the odd accessory here or there, but they sure seemed to treat their customers right. Now if they only would have carried Jacksons...

- E.

[xenophobe]

Re: guitar stores & salesmen WHY...rant

Yeah, I'd have to agree... most of the small mom and pop shops here won't do anything better than 5-10% off suggested retail.

Guitar Center, on the other hand, is always willing to bend over backwards and make me a deal I can walk out of the store with a smile on my face.

I'd rather give the money to the mom & pops over here, but most of those shops don't have any decent selection, and as Sunbane said, have the worst attitudes.

[xenophobe]

Re: guitar stores & salesmen WHY...rant

Originally posted by Newc:
I've never been to a GC - they have different departments? Like Target or Wal-Mart? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Anyone who builds a Mini-Mall for music gear and expects to make a constant profit is smoking some serious stank.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually it works well that way. One department for guitars and bass, another for keboards and studio gear, another for drums...

If you've never been to a guitar center, you should definitely go take a look. And if you see something you want, don't be afraid to make an offer. 90% of the time that you make a reasonable offer, they'll take it.

[Black Mariah]

Re: guitar stores &amp; salesmen WHY...rant

most of the small mom and pop shops here won't do anything better than 5-10% off suggested retail.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">More like CAN'T. The profit margins are a lot smaller for the local stores.

It's really weird how people are treated sometimes. Shreddermon gets the third degree in a suit and tie, while my green hair, steel-toed boots, jeans, and random band t-shirts haven't ever received a second glance at any music store.

[shreddermon]

Re: guitar stores &amp; salesmen WHY...rant

Just to clarify - I am clean cut, short hair, & goatee. Heck, half the time, I'm stopping in after work. Hence, dressed in a professional suit & tie. And still some of these clowns treat me like crap.

[Sunbane]

Re: guitar stores &amp; salesmen WHY...rant

There are stores and then there are stores. I wear my hair long and dress in army pants, black denim jacket, etc...but I haven't had many problems like that at all - except in music stores(!!!).

Around here, the small places that are run by old trumpet playing gits are the worst ones. You see from the moment you step in what they think of you. I ordered a gigbag for my Rhoads in such a place (it was the nearest one and I had the guitar with me). The guy made a phonecall to the distributor to check availability while I was standing at the counter:
"Do you have gigbags for those...uhh...Jacksons? It looks like a flying V...only worse!"
[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

The large stores I've been to have been really cool though. One even had small sound isolated rooms just for the purpose of trying gear out. That rocks. =)

'bane

[xenophobe]

Re: guitar stores &amp; salesmen WHY...rant

No, more like wont. I know a few small shops that are completely willing to match prices, and do so happily. Any sale you make some profit is better than no sale at all.