This will be interesting. Our GC is right next door to our Best Buy. I can't wait to see some price wars!! This decision makes sense. Since Guitar Hero came out, there have been a lot of kids I know who like rocking out in the virtual world and have shown interest in picking up a real guitar or bass. I have had several kids in my church who love Guitar Hero ask questions about my gear or lessons, etc..This is a national phenomenon. There is suddenly a new, very large market for beginner -to- lower level instruments and amps for these newly inducted "rockers" LOL!! I think it's great to see these kids suddenly into old Motley Crue, AC/DC, etc...Long Live Rock and Roll!!!!
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Best Buy selling musical instruments
- Thread starter Funkdrawer4
- Start date
This is how the big stores run out the good ones. A large part of the population thinks that price is the only standard. Personally, I think that, when the day comes that my local music store has been replaced by a WallyBestMart, it'll be a sad day.
As it is, I can drop in on the guitar tech here, and he'll give me a few pickup screws or whatever to bring my neighbor's crappy electric back to life; the amp tech will tell me how to treat my aging collection of tube amps to improve their reliability; the manager will tell me where gigs are available and will tell others when I'm looking for one myself.
If I pay an extra $20 for an axe, so be it. My community is a better place for them being there...but, as a matter of fact, they'll match internet prices without a quibble.
Riverside once had some pretty cool music stores. Paul Barth had a shop out in La Sierra, and there was an all-acoustic store downtown. =sigh=
We have two local music shops here in our little town of 7000 people....One I seldom go into because he caters more to the bluegrass and country music crowd but the other I visit at least once a week. And like yours, he'll match Musician's Friend on any piece of equipment he carries. The problem is, being small, his lineup is somewhat limited though he is trying to branch out some.
You are a customer to be treasured. Unfortunately, you are in an extreme minority. In America today, service is an undervalued commodity. It is expected but sways few people in their buying decision, if it ever did.
The big box retailers will be successful. The strategy has worked for every other segment of specialty retail. Quite frankly, they have the resources to do it better than the mom and pops. What they can't do better they will make up for in favorable pricing. Their people do not have to be the best. They simply have to have more people. And they will win the war. If you own a MI retail store right now you should be looking for a guerrilla strategy to put into action immediately. If you wait you will be out of business.
nah, I dont believe that and I am in the music trade
it all comes down to running a good store and focusing on what you know and do well.
it all about service and after the sale support!
how many times have you gotten a guitar set up at a best buy or guitar center?
not to dog them because they do what they do well
the reason so many mom and pops go out of business is because they dont know how to manage money, Buy poorly, or how to run a store !
That is the cry of the undead.
You are involved in a war for your livelihood. The army with the most soldiers and artillery wins. They have it. You don't. If you can find or create a niche you will be able to survive long term. That is, as long as they do not change their minds and decide to that they want your niche.
It is time to don the black pajamas and find a create a strong hold in a place that they do not care to attack. Otherwise it will just be a matter of time before you are correctly managing a lot less money.
This is definatly going to change the face of Music Retail. I won't lie and say I'm not a little worried. I work in MI Retail and my store has a GC one block away and a Best Buy right across the street (they haven't got into stocking music gear yet). I don't know what will happen if BB starts stocking, but I am thinking ahead and trying to find my own nich in the market. My store focuses on used gear. That is something BB or GC do not do well. I am also making a push to start stocking higher end gear. It's worthless to stock Squier and low level Ibanez when GC has them and can put a better price on them. But they don't take as many trades as I do, they don't have better prices on used gear than I do, and they don't warrenty their used gear like I do.
BB will but a bunch of Mom and Pop stores out of business, but it's the stores that refuse to change with the times that will go under.
BB will but a bunch of Mom and Pop stores out of business, but it's the stores that refuse to change with the times that will go under.
In many cases they can sell entry level product for less than the mom and pop pays for it. To the average customer it sounds like hogwash. But it is true.
You said a mouthful. Your success, while not guaranteed, is highly likely. Don't forget the internet.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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+1
I'm certain there is some truth to this in that most small retailers are facing similar problems (think WalMart, if you wish). Yet, don't you see local music stores that flourish, too?
Just curious where your information/certainty comes from...
It's from the habit of predicting the past. I'll wait and see...but in the meantime, it would take a major change (frontal lobotomy, for starters) for me to start shopping at a big box store for ANYTHING.
Life's too short to spend it in the aisles of Wally World.
Life's too short to spend it in the aisles of Wally World.
They are both publicly held companies. As of today, they are separate entities. With the consolidation going on at the manufacturing level it would come as no surprise that a merger would happen in the future. But it would be BB that would gobble up teeny tiny GC. That would be a bad thing. At least GC hires musicians. At BB, the chances of talking to someone who has no interest in guitars at all will be great.
one time i walked into these bb with instruments..and i asked the guy if i could try out the danelectro pedal board they had set up and he said yeah ..so i went to play and the pedals werent plugged in ..i told the guy and he said he couldnt help me ..i said cant you just plug em in for me ? and he said no he doesnt know how!! i asked well what if i wanted to buy all off these right now if i could play em and he said ill go get my manager!! so i just walked out
almost as bad as guitar center ...almost
almost as bad as guitar center ...almost
Not true. GC was bought out by a huge private firm. They paid about 3.4 billion for the company (that's including the 90mil they had in debt). So the bad news is that they are debt free and privatly owned.... The good news is that they anounced 40 or so store closings. Just I just read it in MMR about a month ago.
Not true. GC was bought out by a huge private firm. They paid about 3.4 billion for the company (that's including the 90mil they had in debt). So the bad news is that they are debt free and privatly owned.... The good news is that they anounced 40 or so store closings. Just I just read it in MMR about a month ago.
Didn't see that. Who bought them? Do you have an online article? I'd love to read it. The only thing I've been able to find is an notice that GC purchased Music and Arts back in 2005, adding sixty two stores.
I'm certain there is some truth to this in that most small retailers are facing similar problems (think WalMart, if you wish). Yet, don't you see local music stores that flourish, too?
Just curious where your information/certainty comes from...
Of course there are exceptions to the rule. Right now there are many. It will not be so in the future. This is a phenomenon that happens fast. In the next ten years it will become hard to find a small retailer who isn't looking at an exit strategy. That is, unless they implement a plan for niche marketing soon.
