As a GC employee I find it hard to believe that there are still employees out there that are that stupid. The whole reputation of the company ends up being based on the horrible service/lack of knowledge regarding a few people and/or a few different stores in general. In the store I work in we do have a few bad apples, but for the most part everyone I work with knows what they're talking about and are passionate about music and the instruments we sell.
As far as the discounting thing, it is MUCH harder for us in the store to simply discount something for a customer anymore. Our sales staff has it drilled into their heads at all sales meetings that they have no ability or approval level to discount gear. It still happens, but a lot of salespeople are trapped between a rock and a hard place when the customer wants a discount and the management won't discount an item. We also have a percentage we must stay under on discounting in store which will effect an employees hours and could even cause people to lose their job.
A word to the wise...Just about every weekend our circular coupons offer discounts at a fixed percentage or dollar amount that typically will knock more off the price than any haggling will accomplish. The coupons may have a list of exemptions online, but we will honor 99.9% of all coupons in store regardless of brand. There are a few hard and fast exemptions (Fulltone comes to mind) that we simply cannot discount at all due to contractual agreements.
Hopefully this bit of info from the other side helps a little. And I personally don't think anyone is refusing to make commission but with the new structure in place in the company, discounts come out of our commission, not gross sales; we still have to make a paycheck and GC is making that harder and harder for us. And with the coupons available as often as they are it is still very easy to pay less than full retail for most items at Guitar Center.

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Check out my new FB music page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilandMe.Music

One goof working likely part time does not truly represent "the corporation" or "the coprorate policy."

But to you, the customer, then there, that mope did.

Dumb...oh, wait, the auld sage, "It's hard to get good help...."

Very cool Tim, well said, I only wish you worked at my local GC, to be honest they are all pretty good gear-heads, so, you would fit right in.

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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.

Tim I wad told today the it is guitarcenter policy to toss all case ca.dy from all but the high end guitars. A gc employee told me this when I asked for the wrenches for my new dot

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Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.-Khalil Gibran