ok so guitar center has a deal where they match any price
(as long as its not a ebay store) then give a extra 10%
of the difference.

ok so i was there the other day looking for a 5 guitar stand.
the guy goes on to tell me that they dont have them and can only
order them. so i asked about 3 more different stands that they are
advertising to carry, but again told they can only order them.
so i brought it up to the manager and he led me over to some stands packed in box's for sale. then he kinda looked at me like i was an idiot.
so i told him "hey its your guy here in this department that said you
didnt have any" and all the while they were there 10ft from the counter.
so we went over to the "customer" computer to see if we could beat the price.
well the computer wouldnt bring up any of the local stores in the area.
we left w/o the stand. to much BS to deal with.
so a week goes by. i found a strap, nice leather, and it didnt have a price.
the sale clerk couldnt come up with a price so he guessed at $65.
so again my girlfriend hit the computer just to see if he was in the ball park. again she couldnt pull up any of the local stores.
so then she hit the manufactures website and the computer wouldnt allow access. i found a manager and asked him
how was a customer expected to pull up anything if we couldnt access
any local stores sites, or even the manufactures site.
he said that the computer was set up like that to keep the sales staff
at bay. (whatever that means) so again i said well how am i expected to find a price for you to beat if i cant access any sites on the guitar center
provided computers. he said that it was corp that set them up that way that they had no control over them.
what kind of BS is that?
they offer to match and beat and advertised price, but you can bring up but maybe 1 in 8 sites on their provided computers.
what a freakin scam. they get you in there, you see something ya want
then you cant access any compitition website to beat their prices.
so you either buy it then and there, buy only what you came for, or go home, do your quick research, then travel all the way back to the store to prove the found price. or, you just dont buy it altogether.
anybody else dealing with this at their GC?

i believe in local store support up to a point.
last time between myself, the harp player and his son, we save just over $400 together, buy using GC price match offer.
thats a lot of coin bro.
at some point you gotta draw the line though.
if i can save some cash im gonna do it.
$3, $5, $10 or even $15 isnt a big deal ya know.
its when i can save by their very own offer to price match,
im gonna do it.
a good friend just quit working for a couple guys that own a GC.
he worked for them in one of their other non-GC stores.
he suggested i use that computer every time i go in.
he said that the mark up on most of the stuff would blow my mind.
he just sold me my GC exclusive ash body tele
at an amazing price. he said he neither lost nor made money off the deal.
i was blown away. i can believe theres that much mark up on that stuff.

I think if I knew what I was thinking of getting.....I'd check out the prices on MY computer at home........make print outs of the items and prices, then go to the store and have them match it. Also.....some phones have internet.....could use that as a source for information.

_________________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

yeah but some stores they dont accept for their price match.
so if you print out at home its a 50/50 chance if they take it or not.
nonetheless, thats what the provided computer with all the signs surrounding it at GC if for.

At that point I would not believe any of their sale advertisements or offers to match a price. I once bought an amp at GC. They wanted more than I saw own their own website. I told them I wouldn't buy the amp there if they would not match their own website. Told them I'd just order it online. They matched the price. I had already checked the price at home. They went on their computer to verify what I said was correct.

_________________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

its just shaddy business if you ask me.
its this one store too. im gonna go see how the others are over the next couple weeks. i'll report back on this.
just wanted to see if anybody else has been experiencing the same problem.

they all suck man, GC is evil... go local

_________________
Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
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Wipers
Pixies

GC is local. i have 3 different stores in a 15 minute drive from me.

Try the GC over in Avondale, LAS. They never really had much that I was interested in buying but the staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable enough.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I think he likely meant go with a locally owned store rather than a national chain.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, my GC has a great staff and one of the guitar salesman is an old blues buddy of mine... never had a problem and I love having the 30 day option.

I once went into a GC looking for employment. I have reasonable knowledge in the guitar tech area. No one would even talk to me at all. Then last summer (about a year later) I was looking for a new bone nut and a Gotoh 201 bridge for my Jazz bass. They didn't have it at the local store I always buy from, so they suggested I go to that same GC to find it. The guy at the parts counter looked like he just got in from smoking a left-handed cigarette behind the store and had to lean his head way back because he couldn't see through his "post-sleep" looking hair. After I told him what I needed, he said something to the tune of "Uuuuuuummmm....did you say bridge?"




...and they looked at ME like I was an idiot for asking for a job app...

Now I just wait for my local store to order whatever I need. I'd just rather wait a few days for the part.

Disclaimer: I judge no one for their looks or lifestyle. I DO however reserve the right to point out when someone looks to be in danger of forgetting to breathe.

Snottsdale For kicks and giggles, if you ever start a band, you might
suggest the name for it.
Snottsdale LOL that's funny.

As for Guitar Center
In my area, it's the big box for sure.
I'd love to help the smaller mom & pop shop but they told me they couldn't get the instruments or devices I was looking for.
We have an amp shop that is authorized fender service center but they don't sell amps nor guitars.

Make sure that you understand clearly why your favorite music shop doesn't carry the brand you are interested in. They might tell you that
the brand will not sell through them due to minimum purchasing restrictions. Also I've found that while Model A guitar of Brand X may be sold through a given shop, for Model B guitar you have to go elsewhere.

I suspect this is manufacturers way of helping protect their retailers.
I've even heard of rotations where Model A may be available at Shop A but next year the same model A will not be available to Shop A but Shop B across town.

This prevents retailers from lowering their prices so low that nobody makes a profit.

When you see a Strat list price say for $1500 and the retail price is $900
that is price war to get your $.
Fender could advertise a AM STNDRD Strat MSRP of $10,000 but the stores
will mark it down to whatever the consumer is willing to pay.

The catchy retail advertisment may look like:

Brand New Fender Super Duper Deluxe Bozo the Clown Stratocaster!
Specs
MSRP $20,000
REDUCED to $2000!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU SAVE $18,000 DOLLARS!!!!!!

You buy it because a) you like it b) you really believe you saved 18 grand.

See how that works?


No electric guitar should cost over $3000. Let alone those $10,000 status
symbols for the elite.
Those that do should have a real good reason such as exotic woods and pickups.

The people at the GC I go to have been very nice to me and informative.
Maybe it's a freak store but they have a lot of foot traffic and courtesy
goes a long way in keeping repeat customers.
It may be that if you are experiencing negative experiences at your local GC you should contact GC headquarters and file a complaint.
Sooner or later that store will see a shift in attitude, especially in this economy.

Nevin is on the mark. I also never go into the big chains except if I go in the Sam Ash 3 minutes from my house if there is a string emergency. I go to my friends store and hang out all day.First if I ever need a repair I get it just about for cost and never have to wait a day. Second we have a ton of laughs with the regulars and other musicians that come into the store, and you also get first crack at buying someone's guitar for a great price. If there is a guitar I want from a GC he has a close friend that works in one and I save a bundle.The chains are just horrible and most of the staff is mentally challenged as they are clueless most of the time. The only edge they have is they buy in huge bulk so they have a big inventory. I would rather buy on line if need be.