I'm kinda curious. I have that girl at my GC too but she doesn't know anything at all beyond the most basic questions. However, she is always more than willing to bend over backwards to help out.Of course.
That's why SHE still works there.
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I'm officially boycotting Guitar Center
- Thread starter Spirit of Ox
- Start date
I bet it is in their management handbook.THAT girl works in every G.C. !
AND is the only decent employee the have.
"Hire one female at a time. They must have an uncontrollable obsession for musicians to ensure the highest quality of customer service. Looks are optional. Quite honestly, we're Guitar Center. We can't be picky. No hot girls aren't going to apply anyway."
I think that girl is a clone,
and is part of the franchise deal.
THINK about it.
That exact same babe is at the front door of every single G.C. I have ever been in.
Have you been to a G.C. and seen a different girl?
and is part of the franchise deal.
THINK about it.
That exact same babe is at the front door of every single G.C. I have ever been in.
Have you been to a G.C. and seen a different girl?
Sorry, looks are NOT optional.
They have an extremely rigid policy.
Full list of minimum requirements are
Nasty, un-bathed, goth, pin cushion babe.
mismatched eye color a plus.
Really? They've price matched me on little stuff a couple of times. I got a (nice) mic stand that retailed for $70 for $20 because of a Zzounds printout. Coupled with a loss-leader and a cheap cable, I paid $55 for a $70 stand, a $100 mic, and a $20 XLR, all name brand with lifetime warranties. Even the most ardent online bargain hunting wouldn't have gotten down to that pricing and shipping eats up little discounts pretty quickly.
In general, I'm of two minds about it. There are two GC stores in my town which present a fairly noticeable juxtaposition.
I hate GC. I would say that nearly a dozen mom-and-pop type shops have dropped out of the local market or become online only due to the market saturation caused at least in part by the Walmart of Rock. The new equipment is always in a used condition and they seem to be offended when I cherry pick (does that make me a d*ck?) Most brands aren't well represented and even the axes that are there aren't setup very well, so they don't play very well at all. I saw a $500 used bass that was misidentified for $850 the other day. I told the guy, but the price was still there a couple weeks later. One of the stores in my area has bored morons on the floor who wouldn't know what DI means with Google and three dictionaries.
I like GC. Discounts everywhere, layaway, good financing, 30 day returns on used gear, internet price matching, in-stock accessories and connectors, and loss-leader type specials that sometimes tickle my wallet. The online used section is GIANT when compared to local stores and pawnshops and no local store would take a used instrument back 29 days later. Also, you can actually hear (some of) the gear that you're buying, which is a big deal. They also ship new bought-online products to the store where you can pick 'em up without paying any shipping. I saw a $1500 used bass for $1150 the other day. One of the stores in my area has excited, dedicated musicians that have discovered that the way to keep customers is to find out what they DO need and sell it to them at a good price prior to selling them anything that they DON'T need (yet) at a not-so-good one.
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Sims Clothing (worked there as a kid). They went out of business due to lack of customers. That's pretty telling, right?
Hopkins
Commercial User
There are a few "mom and pop" music stores in my town that are pretty good, but they are all pretty large stores that have been in business for a long time. If anyone is visiting Houston, do yourself a favor and visit Rock 'n' Robin guitars, or Danny D's Guitar Hacienda.
That being said the vast majority of the "mom and pop" stores sell low end gear for way to much money, and only stay in business because they supply band instruments to schools. They stock very little as far as parts go, they only carry Ernie Ball bass strings and the prices are outrageous, and they all close at 5 or 6 P.M. GC has shut down a few of them, but I don't miss them at all.
That being said the vast majority of the "mom and pop" stores sell low end gear for way to much money, and only stay in business because they supply band instruments to schools. They stock very little as far as parts go, they only carry Ernie Ball bass strings and the prices are outrageous, and they all close at 5 or 6 P.M. GC has shut down a few of them, but I don't miss them at all.
"There was a men's clothing store that used to say at the end of their ads "an educated consumer, is our best customer" Very true in this instance, I think."
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"Sims Clothing (worked there as a kid). They went out of business due to lack of customers. That's pretty telling, right?"
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So in relevance to G.C. this business model would be more concisely marketed along the lines of...
"at G.C. a douchebag customer is our best customer. Because we know how you feel".
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"Sims Clothing (worked there as a kid). They went out of business due to lack of customers. That's pretty telling, right?"
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So in relevance to G.C. this business model would be more concisely marketed along the lines of...
"at G.C. a douchebag customer is our best customer. Because we know how you feel".
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One more thing to ponder and this is just how it works with sales. I dunno if GC is still on commission but I'm positive they have a sales quota. Most sales jobs do. Why do you think they beat you up so much over the credit card apps and the extended warranties? They have to get X number of them or else. Being tied up for a long period of time special-ordering a $4 part isn't helping his numbers. Yes I know it's about customer service but at the end of the day he's there to make $$$ and not wanting to be in a meeting with the manager having to explain why his numbers were down. Also sales people are often ruthless and will undercut each other for a sale. He was probably thinking man I'm gonna lose a good sale being tied up with this guy for a half hour. Again yeah it sucks but it's reality.
I get it you felt you weren't taken care of. I've boycotted a store here in South Florida for 20 years because their customer service sucked. There was a time we didn't have GC or Sam Ash and it was pre-internet they were pretty much the only big store in town and they knew it. I stood at the counter one day with a few hundred in my pocket and waited almost half an hour to be noticed. The last time I went in there (the store's counters are in a U shape and you need permission to go behind) I wanted to try out a bass. The sales guy said "Are you serious about buying one?" I said I dunno I'll know after I try a few. He let me behind the counter, handed me one I wanted and literally stood over me. Wasn't a stool around so I was on one knee playing it unplugged. I just said F this I'm not gonna be treated like this, handed it back to him and said I'm never shopping here again. That was like 20 year ago and I've kept my word.
I get it you felt you weren't taken care of. I've boycotted a store here in South Florida for 20 years because their customer service sucked. There was a time we didn't have GC or Sam Ash and it was pre-internet they were pretty much the only big store in town and they knew it. I stood at the counter one day with a few hundred in my pocket and waited almost half an hour to be noticed. The last time I went in there (the store's counters are in a U shape and you need permission to go behind) I wanted to try out a bass. The sales guy said "Are you serious about buying one?" I said I dunno I'll know after I try a few. He let me behind the counter, handed me one I wanted and literally stood over me. Wasn't a stool around so I was on one knee playing it unplugged. I just said F this I'm not gonna be treated like this, handed it back to him and said I'm never shopping here again. That was like 20 year ago and I've kept my word.
Fair enough my friend.
But whose fault is THIS ?
The customers?
Is this a business model used by G.C. only?
If NOT, why do the other stores NOT have the same issues?
AGAIN I ask
HOW many #$@# I hate Sam Ash threads do you recall?
Not personality wise, I was referring more to personal hygiene .OR
lack thereof.
Oh I'm not saying it's right I'm just saying it is what it is. I'm also talking about retail in general. People would always complain when I was at Home Depot that "what happened to all the older guys that were the experts?" They got sent down the road because they can hire 3 stoner college kids for the same money and the bottom line is more important than taking care of the customers.
I've had some less than stellar experiences at GC and had some good ones too. No company's perfect but I have scratched my head when I see the people that are working there and they won't even give me an interview and I have other customers tell me I helped them a lot more than the sales guy.
BTW looks like they did away with the door people so there's a bunch of pin cushions looking for work!
Pro
Gentlemen, may we have a moment of silence.
The end is near.
BTW looks like they did away with the door people so there's a bunch of pin cushions looking for work!
Gentlemen, may we have a moment of silence.
The end is near.
Right you are. Sure the GC guy could have gone on line and ordered the part, paid for it with a company P.O., filed the invoice, made a note on the computer to call the guy when it came in, etc., etc., for a markup of what? Fifty cents? A buck? If you were a business owner would you want to pay one of your employees to spend the time to do that? I wouldn't.
They didn't carry the part. Big Deal. Get it somewhere else. And stop whining.
