It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:41 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 26 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:23 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 5
I would love to know why Fender has change their buying requirements for stores to carry Fender guitars. The new requirements tend to put small town brick and motor stores at a disadvantage due to the amount of money they have to put out to carry Fender.
Before the internet, these types of stores are where most people went to purchase their instruments because of the service after the sale. Any more though, unless you live in a large metropolitan area you do not find new Fender guitars or amps.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:49 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:51 pm
Posts: 25353
Location: Witness Protection Program
The times, they keep a changin'...

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:54 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:51 pm
Posts: 93
you said it all, it's all about money. sence when has the greed in america ever not out weighed everything else. just keep this in mind, if those mom and pop companys ever go national they will be the same. welcome to capitalisim, not that i'm against that(i hate this socialist experiment we're in today). fender has an agenda just like everyother company. i own several strats because they are the S#i!, period.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:00 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
I have no idea what's required to have some "skin in the Fender game" now but back in the day, to acquire a Fender franchise a potential dealer had to agree to accept one example of every major item in Fender's catalog at the wholesale price. At the time that was roughly twenty some-odd instruments (including pedal-steels, basses, and acoustics), about a dozen or so amp models, plus three or four different keyboards. Because the wholesale prices then were privileged information (just as they likely are now) I will not reveal what they were but a potential franchisee had to put that buy-in money up front -- in cash.

Today, Fender offers triple or maybe even quadruple the number of catalog products and if the same franchise guidelines remain, the cost of that franchise could run close to six figures. That's a lot of $$$ for even a well-heeled mom & pop operation to come up with. Coupled with the contemporary business climate, few entrepreneurs today are that daring.

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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:06 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 5
I know times are changing, but to me if Fender was hurt financially, it would seem that maybe they should go back to their roots that helped make them into the company they became.
Gibson has also done this to Mom and Pop's with their offerings. The buy in for these companies to do business only works when you can sit on a huge investment and the only ones that seem to be able to do this is the big corporate chains.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:10 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 5
Retroverbial wrote:
I have no idea what's required to have some "skin in the Fender game" now but back in the day, to acquire a Fender franchise a potential dealer had to agree to accept one example of every major item in Fender's catalog at the wholesale price. At the time that was roughly twenty some-odd instruments (including pedal-steels, basses, and acoustics), about a dozen or so amp models, plus three or four different keyboards. Because the wholesale prices then were privileged information (just as they likely are now) I will not reveal what they were but a potential franchisee had to put that buy-in money up front -- in cash.

Today, Fender offers triple or maybe even quadruple the number of catalog products and if the same franchise guidelines remain, the cost of that franchise could run close to six figures. That's a lot of $$$ for even a well-heeled mom & pop operation to come up with. Coupled with the contemporary business climate, few entrepreneurs today are that daring.

Arjay


You are correct, a friend of mine that owns a store says the new requirement is 8 of each item to be able to sell Fender.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:27 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:29 am
Posts: 4238
Location: Pgh Pa
I would guess that fender and gibson does it to protect the big stores since they have so much invested. Kinda forces people to buy guitars from then to keep there inventory moving. I could be wrong but that the feeling I get. Most of them mom and pop stores around me have a good selection of used guitars but the usually want darn near new prices for them. It's a tough business to be in these days.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:07 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
It's an unfortunate side affect of the capitalist system that small businesses eventually get pushed out for they are the backbone.

_________________
Image
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.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 1:28 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:46 am
Posts: 1019
Location: State of Confusion
coppadab wrote:
You are correct, a friend of mine that owns a store says the new requirement is 8 of each item to be able to sell Fender.

I don't profess to know exactly what the requirement actually is, but I'm fairly confident that it isn't some number of every catalog item. The small store that I sometimes visit carries the lower cost Fender items. Seems like around $800 is the top street price (they match internet prices) for stock they carry. I wanted to buy a BDRI from them yrs. ago, and a Supersonic 22 more recently, but I would have to purchase it without seeing, on special order. The most expensive amp I've seen in their stock is the Hot Rod Deluxe. I've never seen one of Fender's top of the line amps there; rarely an American Strat guitar; never an American Tele. Usually it's Squiers or the lowest end Fender brand model guitars.

My guess is that there is an annual $$$ amount committment based on what I see there. OR, maybe some larger company, such as Musician's Friend (purely speculation on my part) wholesales to the smaller stores?????

Seems like their business is heavily weighted to the 'student' market.

_________________
The quintessential sound of 60/70's R&R:
Fender Tube Amps
Gibson Guitars


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 6:42 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:50 pm
Posts: 4602
Location: ˚ɷ˚
I'm sure Fender does it for logistical reasons - it's cheaper to supply a smaller number of stores with a larger number of items. But, it's certainly sad.

And while beneficial for Fender in the short term, not so in the long term.
Large suppliers initially makes it easier for suppliers, but with competition being reduced, the big retail chains get in a position where they have real power over the suppliers, and can dictate prices. Margins become smaller for suppliers, and larger for the retail chains. Smaller margins leads to cutting costs on the production end, which harms quality and reputation in the long run.

Any unregulated free market will invariably converge towards monopolies. That's the nature of the beast. Which is why there are super-chains like GuitarCenter who owns both Musicians Friend and Music and Arts, making it hard in many areas to find a store that isn't GC.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 8:21 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 7:11 am
Posts: 318
Back in the '50's, '60's and even the 70's small music stores were full of the "good stuff" for us to drool over, much like the bakery or ice cream parlor of yesterday. Back then it was all about the customer, for the most part, who was able to plug in and try what he or she had their eye on. Les Paul's and Strat's covered the walls while hand wired tone machines lined the floors beneath. Now we are no longer referred to as customers but rather ........ consumers. Like cattle in the pasture, the well dressed farmers feed us their financially chosen food, never minding where it's coming from, while back then we all ate at the same table.

If I have to die in a winged '59 Impala....what a way to go.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:24 am
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:29 am
Posts: 213
The mom & pop music store in my town caters to a low-end clientele so they carry Squiers and other cheaper stuff. Plus the fact that companies like Gibson & Fender require some pretty high minimum orders that they can't afford.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:35 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:01 am
Posts: 2842
My friend who is a music store owner commented that he couldn't afford the requiered amount of money to be able to carry the line (orderwise). He just could not sell that many Fender guitars at his store. At least that's how he explained it to me.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:49 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:48 pm
Posts: 2315
Not too many Mom & Pop stores around here.
And even some of the non-Mom & Pop Stores around here don't carry Fender--although most do.

It would be a shame if people in smaller areas have to either travel to the Big City or order online to get the gear they want.


Then again, I am in Canada--and the parameters might be different up here--but it doesn't mean I can't have empathy for the US based members here outside of big cities, or who still have a Mom & Pop store they like to buy from.

_________________
It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: What happened to Fender at Mom and Pop stores?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 11:04 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:10 pm
Posts: 2261
Location: Elay
IM4Tone wrote:
coppadab wrote:
You are correct, a friend of mine that owns a store says the new requirement is 8 of each item to be able to sell Fender.

I don't profess to know exactly what the requirement actually is, but I'm fairly confident that it isn't some number of every catalog item. The small store that I sometimes visit carries the lower cost Fender items. Seems like around $800 is the top street price (they match internet prices) for stock they carry. I wanted to buy a BDRI from them yrs. ago, and a Supersonic 22 more recently, but I would have to purchase it without seeing, on special order. The most expensive amp I've seen in their stock is the Hot Rod Deluxe. I've never seen one of Fender's top of the line amps there; rarely an American Strat guitar; never an American Tele. Usually it's Squiers or the lowest end Fender brand model guitars.

My guess is that there is an annual $$$ amount committment based on what I see there. OR, maybe some larger company, such as Musician's Friend (purely speculation on my part) wholesales to the smaller stores?????

Seems like their business is heavily weighted to the 'student' market.


Is the mom and pop store you are referring to a Fender Authorized Dealer? Any independent store can buy Fender products wholesale from another dealer and sell them. But, there is no Fender warrantee unless they are an Authorized Dealer. I think the minimum buy in requirement is to be an Authorized Dealer. Or, it's possible some mom and pops that have been around a long time are grandfathered in by their original agreement, and as some of them close up, we are seeing the thinning of the herd.

_________________
'10 American Deluxe HSS Sunset Metallic
'10 JA-90 Thinline Telecaster
'15 Music Man JP-15 Blueberry Burst
'07 Les Paul Standard Faded LCPG #82
'14 Carvin ST300
'12 Carvin CS424S
'66 Guild Starfire IV w/Bigsby
'14 Warmouth Partscaster Daphne Blue


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 26 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: