Guitar Center closes very first store ever

[PaulJSmith]

I like to hang out in guitar stores and book stores but am also part of the problem in that I prefer to buy a lot of things online because the stores typically don't stock what I want.

Yup ... me, too. Last time I went into a local GC - in the STL area we have three - I was looking for a suitable replacement for my favorite drum sticks. I decided to try several that were close in length, weight, taper, and tip geometry. Of the three I wanted to try, they did not carry the one that was closest ... the one I wanted most to try. The guy working the drum counter told me he could order them for me. When I replied that I could have done that myself from home, he got snippy, complaining about people buying everything online these days. I chuckled and reminded him of the irony of the prospect of being put out of business by the success of their own website. He wasn't nearly as amused as I was.
I went home and ordered all of them from Musician's Friend.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Yeah, I'm definitely not going to let a store employee order it for me, when I can do the same thing from home.

 

[electracoyote]

Having a Starbucks inside a bookstore helps bring and keep people in. Maybe GC and Sam Ash need to have concession stands.

Or how about one of those hotdog/brat stands outside, like Home Depot?

 

[SirMjac28]

All of the GC conspirators must have been licking their chops when they read the title of this thread now all we need is a thead titled "Fender cuts production of some of its U.S bass models"

 

[40Hz]

Unless the entire location was closed, they can't just [generically] terminate you alone, even in a right-to-work or at-will state. There needs to be a [valid] reason.

CAN'T - we have labor laws.. and unless some policy was violated.. there's a case for wrongful termination IME (no, I'm not an lawyer)

There's no law against letting people go if you close a location beyond the normal employment rules and notifying employees of their option to buy COBRA for medical coverage. In the absence of an employment contract, employment is generally "at will" in the USA. You can be let go any time - and you can quit any time. Many places don't even require your employer give you notice - or pay you for anything other than your actual hours plus whatever vacation time you're entitled to. Most employers will at least pay you through the end of your work week if you're terminated before the end of it. Which is usually a Friday. But that's also one reason why so many discharges take place on Fridays.

I've worked in places where the people who were being laid off only found out about it when somebody in management (along with one or two security guards) showed up at their desk to escort them down to personnel for "out processing." The strategy was to take advantage of the employee's shock and get them out of the building and off the property before they knew what hit them. Or at least before they did something, or caused a scene. Losing your job is extremely stressful. And you never know how somebody will react when they're given the bad news. On a psychological stress scale, unexpectedly losing your livelihood is right up there with the loss of a loved one for many people.

 

[electracoyote]

I like to hang out in guitar stores and book stores but am also part of the problem in that I prefer to buy a lot of things online because the stores typically don't stock what I want. It's a vicious cycle that will end with only a handful of boutique shops and everything else done online.

The beauty of GC is you can order online and return at the store. No time-consuming re-packaging for shipment and trip to UPS or whatever. Just a trip to the store. No questions asked.

If something is wrong with an item I ordered on-line from GC, I've returned it locally and re-ordered it multiple times until I got one I liked.

GC is a smart-shopper's paradise.

It pays to remember that what you see in the store inventory, even a well-stocked GC, is only a fraction of their total offerings in their on-line catalog. But it can all be ordered and sent to your home or the nearest store. I don't see how it gets any better than this, and I buy a lot of gear and do a lot of research.

 

[40Hz]

Funny thing...so many old "brick & motar" businesses that also have websites are now shutting down stores, and Amazon - who came into existence and was made possible by the web - is now contemplating rolling out 'real' local pickup locations.

 

[s0c9]

There's no law against letting people go if you close a location beyond the normal employment rules and notifying employees of their option to buy COBRA for medical coverage. In the absence of an employment contract, employment is "at will" in the USA. You can be let go any time - and you can quit any time.

With all due respect, did you actually read my post? The one BEFORE that excerpt you quoted?
I said if the individual (OP) was let go, there needs to be a reason... you can't just fire someone who's been out on medical leave for no reason.
I'm well aware of the right-to-work, at-will employment rules, and I was referring to an individual NOT a group release like a RIF, layoff, etc.
If the individual was part of a layoff, that just happened to coincide with his return, that is a completely different scenario. And yes, businesses do it all the time. Employees are resources now.. just like desks and computers. NO loyalty.. all about the bottom line.

 

[kuuuks]

Did he also let you know that they might impeach President Clinton?

Nope....

 

[GIBrat51]

Funny thing...so many old "brick & motar" businesses that also have websites are now shutting down stores, and Amazon - who came into existence and was made possible by the web - is now contemplating rolling out 'real' local pickup locations.

I wonder if this is going to become the norm in a lot of retail businesses - order on line, and pick it up at the "Store". Unfortunately, I've seen this idea fail, too, a couple of times here in Vegas. Although, to be fair, you had to order from a catalog, as the Internet wasn't much of a thing at the time. Still...? And, for s0c9 - Yes, they can do exactly that. They do have to wait until the Federally mandated "sick leave" has expired, but the day that's over? Bye bye... I know, because they tried to do it to me. The bank vault manager where I work was literally counting the days (according to several people) untill she could terminate me; and I was trying like crazy to get my doctor to let me go back to work before that happened. Made it with one day to spare; and, man was she pissed...

 

[Killed_by_Death]

The beauty of GC is you can order online and return at the store. No time-consuming re-packaging for shipment and trip to UPS or whatever. Just a trip to the store. No questions asked.

I've done that more than a couple of times.
I would do the same with Sam Ash, but their used site isn't so great & their prices aren't either.

 

[wintremute]

Seeing this in other stores as well.

I heard that Fender cut production of some of its U.S. bass models.

 

[40Hz]

With all due respect, did you actually read my post? The one BEFORE that excerpt you quoted?
I said if the individual (OP) was let go, there needs to be a reason... you can't just fire someone who's been out on medical leave for no reason.
I'm well aware of the right-to-work, at-will employment rules, and I was referring to an individual NOT a group release like a RIF, layoff, etc.
If the individual was part of a layoff, that just happened to coincide with his return, that is a completely different scenario. And yes, businesses do it all the time. Employees are resources now.. just like desks and computers. NO loyalty.. all about the bottom line.

I did, but inadvertently thought you were speaking to thebassguy - who is the OP. I didn't notice the quote from the "previous post" person you were actually responding to. My bad. Side conversations sometimes confuse the best of us. Apologies.

And yes, you can't be arbitrarily discharged coming off medical leave. But you can be discharged "for cause" as you pointed out. Employment rules are pretty clear on exactly what an employer may and may not do in situations like that. So I'm in complete agreement with you on that.

 

[Robroy]

I have a little trouble believing that they've never closed down a store for rent or not-profitable reasons before, but I suppose it is possible.
It seems like in the last few years the rent on commercial spaces have pushed a lot of businesses out. I've seen locations that do good business and are part of large chains get squeezed out of location because of the rent.

As to the treatment of these GC employees: that's retail. You're treated like crap 24/7 and reminded that you are disposable, right up until you are. The store released the employees to avoid getting ripped off by angry employees. As far as severance, that's just too funny. They will get their vacation time, any remaining hours, a pat on the head, and told "don't let the door hit you on the way out."
If you want to know why any store anywhere has surly employees, the answer is always the same. They are treated terribly and are only there because they have to be so they can pay the rent or eat. They'd as soon stab you in the temple with a pen than help you because it doesn't matter to them, because they don't matter to the company or the customer. It is a lose-lose. Plus, you get minimum wage while you're getting DPed.
And one Holiday season in retail is enough to make anyone hate Christmas forever.
Retail truly ruined my already shaky faith in humanity.

I used to be a commercial real estate agent. You would not believe the headaches that go with being in a popular commercial space, especially malls. There are triple net leases, there are special sales tax zones. Most successful shopping malls will take a cut of your net if you are not an "anchor tennant".

And on and on. If people knew how much of the price of an item was going to local, state and federal agencies as well as landlords, they'd revolt. It's why I like to use the internet for all my purchases. It's also what has kept me from opening a business.

 

[itsalljustaride]

General rule of thumb for employees leaving at most jobs: two weeks notice
General rule of thumb for a good portion of major companies (and some minor) for terminating employees: two seconds notice

This is how we get terrible customer service and a workforce that takes apathy to new lows. If my employer couldn't care less about me, beyond making numbers, I won't care less about them, beyond collecting my paycheck.

 

[itsalljustaride]

If people knew how much of the price of an item was going to local, state and federal agencies as well as landlords, they'd revolt.

Don't forget theft. An old SO worked retail at a women's clothing store and had endless stories of people stealing, and she was told not to do anything unless she saw them with her own eyes put something in a bag and could call mall security fast enough. Otherwise, just write it up as a loss. Obviously nobody ever reported any of it, because the burden of proof was so ridiculous. People would walk out with hundreds of dollars of merch. Daily.

 

[Michedelic]

There's no law against letting people go if you close a location beyond the normal employment rules and notifying employees of their option to buy COBRA for medical coverage. In the absence of an employment contract, employment is generally "at will" in the USA. You can be let go any time - and you can quit any time. Many places don't even require your employer give you notice - or pay you for anything other than your actual hours plus whatever vacation time you're entitled to. Most employers will at least pay you through the end of your work week if you're terminated before the end of it. Which is usually a Friday. But that's also one reason why so many discharges take place on Fridays.

I've worked in places where the people who were being laid off only found out about it when somebody in management (along with one or two security guards) showed up at their desk to escort them down to personnel for "out processing." The strategy was to take advantage of the employee's shock and get them out of the building and off the property before they knew what hit them. Or at least before they did something, or caused a scene. Losing your job is extremely stressful. And you never know how somebody will react when they're given the bad news. On a psychological stress scale, unexpectedly losing your livelihood is right up there with the loss of a loved one for many people.

Track down a George Clooney movie from about 7 years ago entitled "Up In The Air". A hard reality bath storyline, although it's nominally a dramedy. If you do a lot of flying you'll be amused by it also.

 

[mdogs]

you can't just fire someone who's been out on medical leave for no reason.

I suppose I should have quoted Jimmy M's post as well... You don't need a reason to fire someone, period end of story. If someone is out on medical leave and they return to active duty and are then fired, this is perfectly fine. Now, if they were fired during their medical leave, that is a horse of a different color. But, get over this whole, "there has got to be a reason to fire someone" attitude. The reason that it doesn't happen more often than it does is that employers don't want people they fire getting unemployment. So, as a good employer, you build a case against people you don't want working for you and then using the evidence you fight against that person's unemployment claim. As an employer, I fight these cases all the time and I win them all the time because I am consistent and keep great records. But, when I really want someone gone, I just fire them and bite the bullet on the unemployment.

 

[FourBanger]

With all due respect, did you actually read my post? The one BEFORE that excerpt you quoted?
I said if the individual (OP) was let go, there needs to be a reason... you can't just fire someone who's been out on medical leave for no reason.
I'm well aware of the right-to-work, at-will employment rules, and I was referring to an individual NOT a group release like a RIF, layoff, etc.
If the individual was part of a layoff, that just happened to coincide with his return, that is a completely different scenario. And yes, businesses do it all the time. Employees are resources now.. just like desks and computers. NO loyalty.. all about the bottom line.

There is a difference between someone being terminated from a job that continues to exist and someone being terminated because the position is eliminated. In this case the position was eliminated when the store closed. The laws about each are different.

 

[blastbass]

Whatever the reasons, this sucks.