Did my part too to help keep them afloat. Bought a pack of Rotosounds from my local store in February.
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I did notice they started putting back up a lot of the gear on their used site.
If 6 instructors got 40 hours worth of lessons a week between them, I'd be very surprised.Figure 40 hours a week of lessons times 6 instructors, that's a nice chunk of change.
Some stores have more instructors, some less.
Most folks take the $199 per month package...every 5 people at that rate is a Grand.
So yeah, lessons definitely keep music stores going.
Yes true, but it would certainly should help them especially when online ordering because you're out of state.That's purely a result of retail locations allowed to either open or open for curbside pickup.
Tried to buy pickups from them 2 years back, they didn't dispatch for so long my bank auto withdrew the payment. GC wouldn't communicate by email, so bought from BestBassGear.com instead.
No sympathies for a business that doesn't value my custom
Very true.Guitar Center has been in financial distress for years now. This is nothing new. They have billions in debt that they will never be able to pay off. I'm surprised they have lasted this long. The pandemic is just one more nail in the coffin.
I hear a lot of bad about GC but in my humble opinion their used gear alone is worth the price of admission as well as their generous sales and return policies.
Their new inventory for bass generally sucks though.
I don't see the allure of Sweetwater, sky high prices , obnoxious follow up calls and emails
basically, except when * you * want to talk to them lolYour comment made me think of this
View attachment 3842418
basically, except when * you * want to talk to them lol
My grandson and I were supposed to be there right now.I bought a Digitech multi-effects pedal at the Honolulu/Pearl City store just a day or two before the guv and mayor shut down the entire state and Honolulu. Got some great customer service from the salesperson and store manage on duty. (Nothing but good things to say about that store and my local San Antonio store.)
When I left Hawaii on the 15th they were still closed. Sheesh, those folks really got hit hard out there. The tour/entertainment business is really going to have a hard time.
Here's what the airport looked like Fri. May 15 @6:00PM on my way out, this is the Delta and United counter:
View attachment 3841612
At one point in time I spent a bunch of money in that store... I don’t know about locations other than the Denver ones but the customer service went down the drain hard... I don’t care if you don’t greet me when I come in or ask if I need help, but if it takes me 20-30 minutes to check out because no one ever is around or in any hurry I get irritated. Also... every time I have asked for an opinion or had a legit question I never got a strait answer or they lied to me. So sorry to the good guitar centers everyone talks about but let the ones in Denver fade away. We got a few local music stores that are much better anyhow.
With all due respect, I remember when the locals ruled the roost with an iron fist if you didn't like the prices tough luck! and before the internet, many musicians couldn't afford instruments or equipment GC has allowed millions of people the opportunity to make music also they pay taxes and hire locals who also pay local taxes helping whatever community they live in. The shops that survived are shops that have great reputations and offer services GC does not.No love for the chains. Support the locals. They are your friends and neighbors. They are the ones who have been a critical backbone of your music scene. So IMO I don’t care at all if GC is struggling as they are usually built on the ashes of the small business who sold you or your parents your first bass.
I’m also not shocked that Sweetwater is doing well because they have a high service model.