WOW this post got pulled out of the year old hat?

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I'm truly sorry that you folks have had such bad experiences. My stories are quite the opposite, particularly the Guitar Center in Lakeland, Florida. Those folks all treat customers as something special and I can tell you firsthand that they bent over backwards to make sure that I left the store happy. I've dropped some cash there, and have little doubt that I'll drop more over time.

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"To Be Is To Do" --Locke
"To Do Is To Be" --Thoreau
"Do Be Do Be Do" --Sinatra

read my mind CV

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

a few old threads got 'resurrected' over the Easter weekend!!

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I shop at both the Tempe and Scottsdale Guitar Centers and prefer the Scottsdale store. There's a dedicated Fender room and an enclosed room full of high end Gibsons and tube amps. I can also turn around without bumping into someone at the Scottsdale GC.

Hmmm, maybe I'm a snot.

John

I prefer to go to my local music shop(s). Specifically, Hollowood Music in Pittsburgh has given me a great deal on all of my high-end guitars, I've saved roughly $1000 than going to guitar center. Basically they know me on a first name basis and they're a certified Fender (Which means they have Jackson, Gretsch, Guild, Squier, etc..), Schechter, and Martin dealer. They also sell some high end Classicals, Seymour Duncan pickups, a nice collection of production and boutique effects and have a nice selection of recording and mixing equipment as well as PA setups (They are the ones who usually set up the PAs for the larger concerts in the area). So yeah, I never had a bad experience at a guitar store, only my bank account has had bad experiences in those places ^^

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

I think rudeness kinda goes with the territory in alot of cases of music stores.

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08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher

I have had pretty good luck with our local store. The owner is almost always there and plays lead in a prominent local band and also sits in with quite a few other folks when asked.

I bought my Strat, a couple amps, and all manner of accessories right there. I also stop in to look around once in a while and just talk music with them.

When I was thinking about buying a pedal, he said, "You're a good customer but I know you don't like to play in the store" and suggested I take a few of them home, try them and bring them back after a few days time to play them. Then I could buy the one I liked. How cool is that?

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You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

Just an observation- it seems that GC's name pops up quite often in this thread- which is interesting.

Generally speaking, in all customer serviced professions- poor service and low staff morale tend to go hand in hand. I have no dealing with the company, hell- I live in New Zealand. But it stands to reason, if you get poor service repeatedly from a company- the sales teams are obviously not motivated to sell, they probably dont get paid that well, work without a decent commision for a moron. Then again, we dont tip in NZ- so the level of service expectation is not high, but that doesnt mean to say you wont get bad service. Here, you will get genuine service

One thing though, ill put myself in a salespersons (or store manager/owner) shoes for a second. If someone came in and wanted to pull down a $2K something from the wall, Id ask some qualifying questions, try to offer suggestions then Id narrow it down to a few models. Id then do the sell based on features and benefits, then plug it in for some play. Then Id perhaps show some tone tricks, then I would perhaps dissapear for 10mins while the customer has the time of their life, and id let the guitar sell itself too.

Id come back, summarise and then I would ask you if you would like to make the purchase today- I would sweeten the deal with an accesorie if you wanted to do something on the spot today.

Marketing ads in newspapers, TV adverts, websites and the like cost a truckload to maintain and upkeep in order to bring customers through a retailers door. Remember that even though you are a customer, you are still in their shop. Some people will hover around, some will go away. But you are still in their store, and they are there to sell products on their turf. If you want to play a CS strat, a Squier or a Les Paul off the wall behind the counter- they call the shots, remember they own the equipment.

In my line of work, if I take the cost of: advertising, staff wages, overheads (power, phone etc...) and added it all up, and divided that by how many customers walked through that door that given week- then I would make certain that each opportunity is taken to look after the customer in every way, because you would be surprised at what the costs are. If someone left the store without a purchase or at least a decent interaction from a staff member making sure they knew where to come back and knew exactly who to ask for by name- then I would see dollars going down the drain as each customer walked out.

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I have to say that for me I've had good and bad experiences at both big and small shops. I grew up working retail jobs and all I ask is that someone greets me and then maybe after a few minutes asks me if I have any questions on anything. Just yesterday I went to 3 guitar shops in town looking for amps. I spent an hour in Long & McQuade with a salesman who told me everything I ever needed to know about amps and went way above and beyond the call of duty. I went to one of our small boutique guitar shops where I did get greeted but once I asked about some amps I was told to research them myself on the net and then come back to try one. I then went to another bigger privately owned shop where I was simply ignored. I walked by 3 salesmen who were chatting and playing guitars who didn't even acknowledge me. I know that some people say that they want to be left alone but if I can walk around in your shop for a half hour and not even have someone approach me there's something wrong.

Small shops can be just as bad--

For years there was no decent music store in the small town I grew up in; the one "guitar shop" in town had a very small selection, most of which was "not for sale, son...I'm holdin' on to that one for a while."

The owner smoke unfiltered Camels like a chimney, and the one harmonica I bought from him was dang near unplayable, due to the saturation of cigarette smoke (in spite of being shrink-wrapped by Hohner, it tasted like an ashtray). I never understood how that moron stayed in business (rumors of being a drug dealer abounded for years, but I don't know).

A friend of mine tricked him into selling a G&L SC3 that was "not for sale by itself, son...it's a part of a matched set, you see..." There was a non-matching G&L SC2 beside it. They had different fretboard woods, and each of these were student models, so you know G&L didn't put them out as a "Matched Set"; the only thing they had in common was the maker and the color. In those days, we were both single, stupid and flush with cash, so he asked me to buy the SC2; I gave him the money and he went down and bought both guitars that same day (Who needs to eat? There's guitars to be bought!)...the guy nearly urinated himself because he got caught in the trap he tried to spring on us.

It was a weird situation...I think he didn't like us because we didn't play country & western (although neither of us were longhaired metal guys--we were both clean-cut, and we played blues and mid-level rock). I also think he didn't want "these young punk kids" touching "his" stuff. But we weren't rich little spoiled kids; we both worked and had earned everything we owned.

He's now out of business, for some reason.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

our music shops here in scotland are nothing short of excellent in customer care , my local one in wishaw , magnum sounds is the tops , ive been going into it for more than 30 years and never had any bother in there . the only time i've had a bit of a hassle was when i phoned a shop in glasgow for a case for one of my daughters guitars , yes we have one for 40 quid , jumped in the car , went into the shop said to the guy, he brings the case over and says £65 , nae danger i said to him , the manager was 6 feet away and asked what was wrong , explained the situation and he said if you said 40 on the phone give it to him for 40 sorted

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Never mind...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

workers at GC usually tend to treat us kids like crap because they think we do nothing but play the instrument, damage the instrument and not buy the instrument. but at my local shop tringas music were we know the workers (Mr.Tringas, Brad and Dick) i get treated well and they are friendly.

That's no way to treat any customer, young or old. I think you're right, it probably was your age. I would also favor the Tempe GC after that kind of experience.

I have bought a lot of gear from the Scottsdale GC and that always helps improve the sales dudes' mood.

John