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GC Memorial Day Blowout .... Yawn...

#21
They had some decent prices on stuff at the local (Fairview Heights, IL) GC, but nothing that blew me away. I may come back and get a bass that is not on sale. It is a short scale Squier for $140, tax included. My oldest daughter is getting interested in bass.:)
 
#22
edbass said:
Cool! Another "Dump on GC" thread!
It's been about 15 minutes since the last one, and I was getting worried they would stop completely. :rolleyes:

Seriously though, I've bought a fair amount of gear over the years, and have shopped GC since there was only one of them. It's changed dramatically, but one thing that has been consistent is competitive pricing.
I can't seem to get better deals anywhere else, particularly anyplace where I can walk in (albeit past the kids hammering on Dean products and generally inexperienced sales people) and actually play the gear I'm interested in.
I'm not exactly sure why posters here are so overwhelmingly negative in matters concerning GC.
Am I the only person that thinks they are convenient, fairly well stocked and very competitively priced? :confused:
Click to expand...

Not another dump on GC thread. I have spent a lot of money at GC over the years. It's almost like a hobby - my weekly trips to GC. But lately I'm having a hard time finding anything interesting there. Usually there have been some decent deals during the Memorial Day sale, but there was very little on sale today in any of the departments. It's still good for strings, I guess.

Rather than a dump on GC, I miss old GC.
 
#23
Remember that GCs really vary from location to location. The one closest to me is pretty new and has a rather bland inventory. The two GC in Missouri tend to have a fancier bass inventory. I bet they have some nice stuff on sale today, but I'm not tempting myself again with one of those Pedullas.:ninja:
 
#25
I will say that I'm completely disappointed with the sale this year. Really like any other day, it seems like. Nothing much marked down, not a lot in the form of The List (in fact, the email didn't even mention it at all). However, I got an 18.5 ft Monster Cable, as well as four 1 ft ones for $10 each. I thought it seemed kind of overpriced to pay $10 for patch cables, but that's really all I went there for. I pretty much bought the last cables I'll ever need!
 
#26
Shovelbone said:
I honestly don't expect things to get any better at GC. I have a friend whose sister works for a Bain Capital affliliate and the word is that GC is going to be liquidated. When Bain bought GC they assumed about 200 million in debt so they are going to liquidate the inventory to cover the debt. Then they will sell off all of the 210 store locations, which most are in prime commercial areas. Supposedly this is all to happen over the next 12 to 18 months. If this is in fact true I don't know so take it for what its worth!
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Your friend's sister probably knows a lot, but I find it hard to believe that Bain Capital would spend 1.9 billion for Guitar Center with their 200 million debt just for the real estate. That's not what they did with Toys 'R' Us or Domino's Pizza. If my math is correct, they would have to get $10 million per store just to break even, and they are not in business to break even.

They will probably close some underperforming stores, but an infusion of cash from a ~50 billion dollar company should help. But, time will tell.
 
#29
Fortunately for those of us in the greater Atlanta area we have the Bass Gallery!
Jim Rubio and his crew do a fine job supporting the bass playing community as well as carrying the best gear possible!
Disclaimer: I do not work for the Bass Gallery. I am just a customer!
 
#30
After a couple years of being extremely disappointed, I vowed not to bother this year. BUT...

Was just there a week or so ago, trying to find a Peavey Zodiac Scorpio DE. Lo and behold, they had two of 'em. One was on clearance for $539, I think, other was the usual $679. Knew there were reports of others bought on clearance, so figured I'd take my chance with the Memorial Day sale coming up.

Long story short (too late), they were there this morning, both on sale for $331. Snagged one, love it. Other one was still there if anyone's looking (Tukwila, WA)

They did charge me for the gig bag, thought that was a little tacky (it has a specific gig bag with the scorpion on it). But ah well. Was still about $400 out the door.

Other than that, same experience everyone else is reporting, no list, nothing really jumping at me. And they were playing hip-hop really loud over the whole store... kinda kills the guitar/bass buying vibe, ya know.

Not really a bash, just how my morning went. Back to the new toy :D
 
#32
Yeah I thought they were a little unorganized. The guy was gonna charge me $70 for my cables (and should have been $50). I guess they didn't put it in the computer that they were $10 each. Seemed a little slackish, but I didn't make a big stink about it.

On a good note, they played Ana Ng over the PA system while I was looking at basses. That was sweet.
 
#33
Woodchuck said:
Probably. Face it, as much as you love GC, there are those who don't. Deal.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that I love GC, I'll spend money anywhere I can get a good deal.
Buying gear is one of the few vices I indulge in.
As I often tell my wife, thank God I'm into musical gear and sports cars and not crack cocaine and hookers.
I suspect that the majority of this animosity towards GC is for the same reason as car dealers and most other big retailers are often scorned by the public.
The percieved promise of a "free lunch" used in their marketing strategy.
Up to a certain point I'm willing ignore sales person incompetence, and I do my own research before I buy.
By profession, I'm way too savvy to believe broadcast marketing hype about "blowout sales" etc.; I've made the majority of the money that I use to indulge my vices by creating and implementing hype driven marketing campaigns designed to get specific brands/retailers the highest possible market share of the disposable cash from our society's "lemmings", aka the average mid to lower level consumer.
I mention all of this not as a condemnation of the American consumer's intellectual prowess, but that because as a result, I'm personally uneffected by the mass marketed perception of a good deal, aside from possibly admiring and professionally critiquing a well planned promotion.
Be it a vintage Porsche or an American Standard Fender, I judge a "deal" on the bottom line.
I'm sure that I'm not alone in this rationale, I certainly don't consider myself an elitist or of mensa intellect.

So...
Aside from the hype, and regardless of incompetent sales or service staff, who sells new gear cheaper than GC?
Over the years they have matched any price that I've found, including their sister MF, on any gear brands they carry that I was interested in buying.
I'm not being defensive of GC, GC has never put a a nickle in my pocket, I couldn't care less about them other than their function as a showroom for actually playing gear I've heard about before coughing up a few grand to buy it.
And then offering me the best, or least matching the best price on that product.
Not to mention GC's almost constant "same as cash" option. I'll take a ride on someone else's money any time I get the chance!

I'm all ears, please educate me about which retailer better performs the functionality that GC does for my situation.
 
#36
WRBass said:
Your friend's sister probably knows a lot, but I find it hard to believe that Bain Capital would spend 1.9 billion for Guitar Center with their 200 million debt just for the real estate. That's not what they did with Toys 'R' Us or Domino's Pizza. If my math is correct, they would have to get $10 million per store just to break even, and they are not in business to break even.

They will probably close some underperforming stores, but an infusion of cash from a ~50 billion dollar company should help. But, time will tell.
Click to expand...

I think it would be extremely difficult for Bain to garner $10M per store from sale of the real estate.
Particularly because as far as I can determine, GC leases the vast majority of their retail locations from various Shopping Mall/Centers, and therefore doesn't own the real estate.

In most states it's illegal to sell and retain the revenue from real estate you don't own. ;)

My guess is that Bain Capital fully intends to make a go of it.

Of course, I don't have a crystal ball, or have a friend of a friend who knows a guy who's brothers wife used to date a guy who works for a guy that used to work for Bain Capitals cleaning service. :D
 
#37
Woofenstein said:
Same old GC "sale" BS IMO. I've never actually seen a sale at GC...I've heard they exist...mostly on the radio commercials.
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+1!

I have seen a few good deals in the past couple of years but nothing latley.

Last year when they blew out the Warrick Rockbass @ $99.00 I was the second one in the door, and the first in the bass dept., and they had already sold it .

Imagine that :rolleyes:
Some employee bought it , I am sure of it .

They did have a mis-priced HWY P bass for $299.00 and a blow out on a Fender '59 bassman 410 all tube combo for $599.00.

I don't get real excited about their sales .
 
#38
cybersnyder said:
You're allowed to love it. At the same time, some people do not.
Click to expand...

And others are allowed to hate it, truthfully I do grasp the concept of the capitalist market.
However, I will again say that I do NOT "love" GC. I've bought gear all over the place, a few years ago I bought a new Ashdown rig from Bass Central, I shop Elderly music regularly, and I buy used gear online almost monthly. I do think GC provides a hard to beat package solution for most amateur and some professional musician's gear needs.
But, I'm always open to new ways to save money.

I am not being snide; I would REALLY like to know which retailer does a better job at selling mainstream gear for a lower price.
 
#39
they have completely put the cabosh on discounts, no haggling whatsoever

yesterday, me and my friend went to buy a condenser mic for 350 plus another 30 for the stand, and 50 or so for tax. we miscalculated how much to bring and had enough for everything but tax (illinois has exorbitant sales tax). in the past, they would have taken off the tax, but this time no. we left without the stand.


I enjoyed the haggling while it lasted, but i knew it wouldnt last
 
#40
I've seen GC decline in some respects over the 25 years I've dealt with them, but still find the need to shop there from time-to-time. Quite frankly, I've found someone who really knows his stuff and is VERY helpful! There are definitely things missing from the inventory, particularly of their "B" stores, but if they're not doing the business to justify the expensive inventory...

One thing that really bugs me is they carry so many products with "locked" prices, products that didn't used to be locked down. There were times I could walk in and negotiate a 45% discount on a Fender bass and much bigger percentage than that on DR strings (I remember paying $16/ set for 4-string Hi-Beams). Even those products whose pricing isn't locked, so-to-speak, there's very little wiggle room anymore.

In my area, if there's a product I need badly and they stock it, I might go there. If I can wait, though, I just assume hop on the internet and support someone else's local ma-'n-pa bass shop (e.g. Bass Central, Atlanta Bass Gallery, Luthiers Access Group, etc, etc, etc)...
 

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