Well, thank you! The feeling is mutual. Here, have a virtual Guinness (sorry, I'm out of Heineken).
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Best Buy selling musical instruments
- Thread starter Funkdrawer4
- Start date
Well, thank you! The feeling is mutual. Here, have a virtual Guinness (sorry, I'm out of Heineken).
Maybe not you but....
we have a thriving bar scene here and I buy all of my picks, straps, cables, fret dressing, polish, strings, sheet music etc. from my local Mom and Pop (and so do all of my bandmates and just about every other player in town that i can think of), not to mention they can order just about anything i may want and frequently do....i always give them as much business as i can before going elsewhere. They always scratch my back, so i scratch theirs....and i have bought two instruments in the past year from my local Mom and Pop at the SAME price i could get them from GC and I didn't have to drive two hours both ways to do it. Not to mention all of the support they offer to all of the local churches and nightclubs. and all of the local activities they sponsor (which BB does not)
maybe your BB is selling Fender, Ibanez etc....mine does not only Starcaster, Maestro and Silvertone...all POS beginner stuff, which can also be bought in a slightly different form down the road at Mom and Pop in a box complete with amp and all accessories.
again all of us in town do all we can to support our local indie music store, and as long as we keep doing that BB won't be selling much to anybody other than the occasional uninformed and uneducated parent. But if kids are anything like i was they will do their homework and not end up with a starcaster POS. (My first Bass was a B.C. Rich Mockinbird NJ and first amp was a Peavey TNT-130)
Which i still own (although they amp crapped out last year, and that was 25 years ago) guess where they were bought? Yep Local Mom and Pop music store...
ok I got to visit the first non test Best buy music store today !
and I took photos I will post them after I get back off the road because I forgot the cable for my digital cameras
ok I was somewhat presently surprised .. all of the people working there had retail music experience and new the product pretty well.. man they had alot of stuff around 70-100 guitars and basses ranging from $100 - to a couple of thousands
they also have sound proof rooms for drums and amps
and a group lesson room for every guitar you buy you get 4 free lessons
they had over 12 types of bass strings in stock, lots of effects and anything from 4 channel to 32 channel sound boards
they also had alot of computer recording programs, and some great mic choices
this in totally much nicer then I expected, if they keep it up who knows but from what I saw it was cool.
***they were also running a promo that for every $50 you spend you get $10 coupon ***
and I took photos I will post them after I get back off the road because I forgot the cable for my digital cameras
ok I was somewhat presently surprised .. all of the people working there had retail music experience and new the product pretty well.. man they had alot of stuff around 70-100 guitars and basses ranging from $100 - to a couple of thousands
they also have sound proof rooms for drums and amps
and a group lesson room for every guitar you buy you get 4 free lessons
they had over 12 types of bass strings in stock, lots of effects and anything from 4 channel to 32 channel sound boards
they also had alot of computer recording programs, and some great mic choices
this in totally much nicer then I expected, if they keep it up who knows but from what I saw it was cool.
***they were also running a promo that for every $50 you spend you get $10 coupon ***
Like I said in an earlier post, I welcome Best Buy into the fold. It is right next door to our Guitar Center and I hope the competition helps to improve our GC. Our GC leaves something to be desired. I went in there two days ago to look around and I over heard the very loud door guy totally ripping a previous customer who did not know who Dimebag was. Very unprofessional. I also hope that Best Buy DOES NOT hire the local musicians or wannabees that the GC has rounded up. They think that they know their stuff so well, that you are an idiot if you have to ask about something. Best Buy, bring it on. I also belive that the Mom and Pop store has been dead for years and this is a non-issue.
- Feb 3, 2005
- 7,331
- 10,199
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Bergantino Audio Systems and GHS Strings
Wow, despite the comments of that GC manager, I think this scares GC more than the small independants (at least the ones that serve a niche such as high end, vintage, used, etc.).
Best Buy's website could use a musician for their copy though:
"Jam out to your favorite tunes with the 6 steel strings of this electric guitar."
Best Buy's website could use a musician for their copy though:
"Jam out to your favorite tunes with the 6 steel strings of this electric guitar."
Please read carefully. I have only commented on what will be. I have not expressed an opinion on my personal preferences. My preferences are unimportant because no matter what I do or how I feel it will not change what is going on in the MI industry today.
Again, you should be a treasured customer by your local B&M. But what is going on in the industry has nothing to do with the customers. More importantly, it cannot be changed by the customers.
Fender is huge. Gibson is huge. Davitt and Hanser is huge. Hal Leonard dominates the print market. They are growing every year. The same is true for every large player in the industry. They have the ecomomies of scale. They have university trained management. They have large resources. Naturally, they want to do business with other large entities that are structured the same way. Why would they want to try to wring a thirty, fifty, or a hundred thousand dollars a year out of a thousand little dealers when they can do the same volume with a half of a dozen large, financially stable retailers who have the ability to market the products effectively from existing class A retail locations? If you were them, what what you want to do?
Unless the small, one location store can find a niche market they can effectively defend they will no longer be profitable in the future. The industry is changing. They must change with it.
There is little economic data to suggest that the arrival of a "big box" store causes a loss of jobs in an area.
The same things were said about Sears 100 years ago. They were destroying small businesses with their catalog. Then with their huge stores.
The only constant in the business world is change. Those who can adapt and serve the customer will survive.
The same things were said about Sears 100 years ago. They were destroying small businesses with their catalog. Then with their huge stores.
The only constant in the business world is change. Those who can adapt and serve the customer will survive.
While it is certainly administratively easier to sell in bulk to a few large sellers - I would suggest that the musical instrument manufactures are better off with strong independent stores and regional chains. The reason being is that when a retailer gets so big it can really grind you down on prices. I saw this happen at the place I worked at in the summer when I was in college (it made pads and notebooks), Wal-Mart and Staples squeezed the margins and the company became much less profitable.
You're right that when the retailer dwarfs the manufacturer that the retailer gains the ability to negotiate price. And sometimes they will negotiate that price sharply. That is good for the consumer and bad for the small retailers who will not be able to compete on price. But will it actually be better for the manufacturers to sell to smaller entities? And for whom will it be better? It will be better for the smaller retailers. It is less efficient for the manufacturer. However, you outline the future very well. In ten years or so it will be large retailers, some regionals, and a few smart and tenacious little guys.
You raise a good question - whether a single (or few) strong buyers is a good thing for the consumer. In the short run, the answer is probably yes in the form of lower prices. I honestly don't know if that is true in the long run. Just because the retailer has negotiating power over the manufacture - if there are only a few retailers - they may not pass along those savings to us.
You give me too much credit - my crystal ball is as clouded as the next guy's. I was describing the music retail scene in Eastern New England as it stands now. Boston is a big enough city that there are a few shops that specialize in woodwinds and one (maybe more) that sell only violins, violas, cellos and DBs.
The Best Buy move is interesting. They are really crossing into Guitar Center's bread and butter market. Maybe they think they will get all the people who are buying guitar hero to buy the real thing. Perhaps, they just needed to do something more productive with their stores than sell CD's.
Great pictures, superflybass.
The layout seems to encourage people to play. If enough people decide to take an instrument home, then they might have a winner here.
The layout seems to encourage people to play. If enough people decide to take an instrument home, then they might have a winner here.
did anyone notice Invalid Link Removed on the site? $89.99 for a 12' Fender Cable...better be perfect!!!
I will tell you its scary because it was not what I expected at all !!
the employees were nice and they had some great rebate promotions going on
it was like ikea meets a music store it was hip but not trendy wannabe rocker like some other stores !!
But I also still love my local music go rounds, uncle bob's and cream city there is just something about trading gear that I love
the employees were nice and they had some great rebate promotions going on
it was like ikea meets a music store it was hip but not trendy wannabe rocker like some other stores !!
But I also still love my local music go rounds, uncle bob's and cream city there is just something about trading gear that I love
This is interesting. Years ago, when I worked in MI sales, Fender had a rule that they would not distibute the same line of instuments to stores within one mile of each other. For example, both stores could not sell American made Fenders at the same time. This also went for Gibson as well. I can't say about the world of electronics. If best buy starts carrying recording software, GC and many others are going to feel the hit due to the computers will be in house and can be customized on site. Here in Indy, we have a GC distribution and warehouse center so most stuff is available with in a day, even if its not at the store. Side note: A lot of defective returned gear under warranty, is just thrown away, I mean whole amp combos are chucked even if its just the power section. Stop droolling...the dumpster is secure and requires a swipe card for access. and they use a private hauling co. But it makes you wonder what the real cost for some gear is.
Wow, worse than I expected. I spooted 1 lefty in all those pictures. 
That is a dope pedal display, though.
That is a dope pedal display, though.
Guitar Center has to be worried.
There are over 800 BestBuys in the US and maybe 120 or so Guitar Centers. In Massachusetts there is no GC west of Worcester so if Best Buy were to add musical instruments say to its store in Hadley (the town with the malls between Northampton and Amherst) and one in the giant Holyoke Mall - GC would probably think twice about entering the market.
Thanks for the tip guys - time to add a little BBY to the retirement account.
There are over 800 BestBuys in the US and maybe 120 or so Guitar Centers. In Massachusetts there is no GC west of Worcester so if Best Buy were to add musical instruments say to its store in Hadley (the town with the malls between Northampton and Amherst) and one in the giant Holyoke Mall - GC would probably think twice about entering the market.
Thanks for the tip guys - time to add a little BBY to the retirement account.
