Music store prices in Canada.

[MikeStrat]

I have pulled a few boners

I thought we told you to stop doing that.

[zeegler]

We could very possibly see a number of music stores closing up shop soon, if they don't smarten up.

[fett]

I thought we told you to stop doing that.

Nope. I just have to reel it in a bit.:ROTF:

[outsider666]

There's a dealer a couple hours from me I just found who quoted me some pretty decent prices on Jacksons, ie. equal to or less than most US dealer quotes in but in Can. dollars......has fuckall in stock tho, and I don't like to wait............

[Snoogans]

There's a dealer near me that has an old BC Gunslinger (Plain colour 7/10 condition) for £695. That's about $1400.....

[sakeido]

We could very possibly see a number of music stores closing up shop soon, if they don't smarten up.

Hilarious!

Selling things just for the sake of selling things, as you are describing, is a very bad idea. Extremely bad. Who in their right mind would say "well damn this cost me $90 back when the dollar was bad, and I was only trying to make $20 off them, but now that this same item is $60 from the states, I better sell these at a $30 loss just so I don't look bad!"

A very large portion of customers do not trust the internet for buying things. I would say an even larger portion of customers do not trust the internet for buying big ticket items like a guitar or a TV. They want the reassurance of an easy exchange policy, local warranty service, to see the thing before they buy it. Being able to see what you are buying is especially important with musical instruments.

I predict that no more music shops will go out of business than normal..

[zeegler]

Hilarious!

Selling things just for the sake of selling things, as you are describing, is a very bad idea. Extremely bad. Who in their right mind would say "well damn this cost me $90 back when the dollar was bad, and I was only trying to make $20 off them, but now that this same item is $60 from the states, I better sell these at a $30 loss just so I don't look bad!"

A very large portion of customers do not trust the internet for buying things. I would say an even larger portion of customers do not trust the internet for buying big ticket items like a guitar or a TV. They want the reassurance of an easy exchange policy, local warranty service, to see the thing before they buy it. Being able to see what you are buying is especially important with musical instruments.

I predict that no more music shops will go out of business than normal..

Obviously you are not in retail. It's not a matter of selling things for the sake of selling things. It's a matter of preventing dead stock from accumulating, and keeping inventory, and cash moving. It's nothing to do with how bad you look to the customer either. Take your example. You've got an item which cost you $90, and you sell it for $110 (pretty small margin by the way. our mark ups were always between 40 and 100%). Suddenly you find that due to the strength of the dollar, this item is now selling for around $80. Yes, it's $10 less than you paid (obviously an extreme situation). However, what you are failing to consider, is that when you need to order more stock, it's going to cost you $60 instead of $90 like it used to. So you have a choice, leave the item on the shelf marked at $110, in which case it's very unlikely that it will sell at all, or sell it at the loss, and recoup that loss on future sales. This is also beneficial in the long run, because the more volume you do, the better deals you get from your suppliers. Anyone in the retail business knows that sometimes you have you eat a small loss right now in order to maintain your relationships with customers and suppliers.

It's a good thing you don't run a store, because you obviously know nothing about it. You'd be out of business in a month. :ROTF:

Unfortunately, your small mindedness, and inability to see the big picture is very common among small business owners, and probably why the majority of them fail.

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

more importaintly, i no longer get as much Bang for my Buck with strippers using US dollars in Canada. But are the strippers charging you less for the same dance now the loon is worth more?

[sakeido]

So you worked retail? You sound like the guy working the till who is convinced he can do a better job than his boss. I have met an awful lot of those idiots in my day. Music stores can handle low inventory turnover with no problems. If the item isn't selling, why are you ordering more stock? Why are you competing with stores in another country? Why aren't you leveraging the other strengths of a brick and mortar local business (like trying before buying, one on one consultation with a knowledgeable person, etc.)? Why are you competing solely on price, and not making it worth it with service? If the item has changed price, offer a free install to make it up, etc... I don't see the big picture? Real observant dumbass

Like most guys who worked retail as a salesman, you think it is a lot easier than it actually is. Most people think it is a lot easier than it actually is, and that is why they fail. You oversimplify the problem and just give a knee jerk reaction "I'll drop the price!" instead of thinking outside the box...

[zeegler]

So you worked retail? You sound like the guy working the till who is convinced he can do a better job than his boss. I have met an awful lot of those idiots in my day. Music stores can handle low inventory turnover with no problems. If the item isn't selling, why are you ordering more stock? Why are you competing with stores in another country? Why aren't you leveraging the other strengths of a brick and mortar local business (like trying before buying, one on one consultation with a knowledgeable person, etc.)? Why are you competing solely on price, and not making it worth it with service? If the item has changed price, offer a free install to make it up, etc... I don't see the big picture? Real observant dumbass

Like most guys who worked retail as a salesman, you think it is a lot easier than it actually is. Most people think it is a lot easier than it actually is, and that is why they fail. You oversimplify the problem and just give a knee jerk reaction "I'll drop the price!" instead of thinking outside the box...

Not really worth responding. I've worked the last 8 years in a hugely successful retail/wholesale environment as a consultant, with over a million in personal sales last year, which was 50% more than anyone else in my company. What are you? High school kid? That's what you sound like. Idiotic corner-store mentality.

[sakeido]

Not really worth responding. I've worked the last 8 years in a hugely successful retail/wholesale environment as a consultant, with over a million in personal sales last year, which was 50% more than anyone else in my company. What are you? High school kid? That's what you sound like. Idiotic corner-store mentality.

Really? I'm the president and founder of a multinational brewery that has seen 20% sales growth annually for the past five years and took in $40m of revenue last year through purely word of mouth advertising. Isn't the internet great?

Not responding = complete copout. Break it down for me point by point. You might have to bust out all your latest periodicals for me Mr Consultant so you can squeeze in all the buzzwords you will need to sell me on your idea.

[fett]

Yikes It's really quite simple. Cost basis+markup=selling price. If the consumer is willing to pay that. Add in changes of taste; new models; a bad economy; a glut of guitars and the ability of the saleperson to sell it and if the stuff is still hanging on the wall you have to cut prices. "Below cost" is BS. These guys know how low they can go. Any dealer want to disclose the cost basis of an average guitar?

[fett]

And about the beer. What if people stop liking your beer because someone else comes out with a better one. All of a sudden your Premium stuff ends up in the discount bin. It's the same with any product. What is hot today get's lukewarm real quick when they beat you on price. Of course, I drink Natural Ice. I'm no marketing genious but when times get tough, there is always PBR.:ROTF:

[åron]

Really? I'm the president and founder of a multinational brewery that has seen 20% sales growth annually for the past five years and took in $40m of revenue last year through purely word of mouth advertising. Isn't the internet great?

Not responding = complete copout. Break it down for me point by point. You might have to bust out all your latest periodicals for me Mr Consultant so you can squeeze in all the buzzwords you will need to sell me on your idea.

Send me beer, please.

[åron]

.... Of course, I drink Natural Ice. I'm no marketing genious but when times get tough, there is always PBR.:ROTF:

I want to like PBR, I really do. Can't argue with 2 dollar beers at a bar/club. If only they didn't seem to come with a headache, I'd be sold. My favorite beer out here is Anderson Valley - they can do no wrong. When back east, it's all about the lager. Yuengling is tops.