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Is Anyone Here Generally OK With Guitar Center?

#61
bertbassplayer said:
I'd like to support mom and pop shops, but when they are charging close to list price and your having to pay almost double for everything it becomes difficult. Tell you the truth I've had as many issues with bad customer service and overbearing sales guys at small shops as I have at big ones.
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I agree with this completely. I have had terrific experiences with professional, well-kept mom and pop businesses which absolutely gave me faith in music retailers. I have also had completely awful experiences with independently owned and operated guitar stores that left such a bad taste in my mouth I don't want to even consider them again. It's impossible to make a blanket statement about "mom and pops" because they are as different from one to another as the individuals who own and work at them. I don't want to lump the good in with the bad and vice versa.

Ultimately, though, mom and pops are usually bad places to go if you want a good deal on new merchandise. They might give you a "pawn shop" style discount on great used stuff but if you want something brand new, they'll charge you almost list price. Amazing. I'm aware it's out of their hands and manufacturers give steep discounts to bulk purchasers but I do not have a lot of money so when it comes time to spend either $40 or $15 dollars on the exact same set of strings, I literally don't have an option. This occurs to me every time the "support your local shops" discussion comes up. Believe me, I want to. In theory, local shops are the lifeblood of a retail market that feels healthy and secure. In reality, though, they are fallible and human and often not even a good bargain.

By the way, about my experience at GC yesterday... my new bass is in and they got me all set up as efficiently and with as much friendly customer service as I could ask for. :) I had a guy ahead of me and their staff was busy with mid-afternoon rush so it was a LITTLE bit of a wait but I couldn't have asked for a better time. Plus, I drooled over some potential new offerings in the Rumble Room (my favorite part, natch) so maybe my next purchase will be from them? Who knows?
 
#62
nocontrols said:
I agree with this completely. I have had terrific experiences with professional, well-kept mom and pop businesses which absolutely gave me faith in music retailers. I have also had completely awful experiences with independently owned and operated guitar stores that left such a bad taste in my mouth I don't want to even consider them again. It's impossible to make a blanket statement about "mom and pops" because they are as different from one to another as the individuals who own and work at them. I don't want to lump the good in with the bad and vice versa.

Ultimately, though, mom and pops are usually bad places to go if you want a good deal on new merchandise. They might give you a "pawn shop" style discount on great used stuff but if you want something brand new, they'll charge you almost list price. Amazing. I'm aware it's out of their hands and manufacturers give steep discounts to bulk purchasers but I do not have a lot of money so when it comes time to spend either $40 or $15 dollars on the exact same set of strings, I literally don't have an option. This occurs to me every time the "support your local shops" discussion comes up. Believe me, I want to. In theory, local shops are the lifeblood of a retail market that feels healthy and secure. In reality, though, they are fallible and human and often not even a good bargain.

By the way, about my experience at GC yesterday... my new bass is in and they got me all set up as efficiently and with as much friendly customer service as I could ask for. :) I had a guy ahead of me and their staff was busy with mid-afternoon rush so it was a LITTLE bit of a wait but I couldn't have asked for a better time. Plus, I drooled over some potential new offerings in the Rumble Room (my favorite part, natch) so maybe my next purchase will be from them? Who knows?
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Couldn't agree more. If I need something repaired, I take it to the mom n pop shop, but I can almost always find 'it' cheaper at GC. $60 for a set of DR strings? Smoke another one, Rubino.
 
#63
I work from home and the 20-minute drive to my local GC (with a Daddy's across the road) is a nice diversion every couple weeks. The staff are mostly nice guys with a total d!ckhe@d or two thrown into the mix b/c hey, it's GC. Decent selection of basses, but the inventory is pretty stagnant. I only buy strings/cables/accessories there and they usually have what I need.

Given the choice between shopping at a GC on a weekend and chewing glass, I'd chew glass.
 
#64
I have no real bad feelings toward them... don't really like the lack of selection on basses compared to guitars.. but they gotta stock what sells.... the only thing I don't like is when the sales people pounce on you as soon as you get in the door. That and I like to patronize the local stores as much as possible... :)
 
#65
For the most part, I've had positive experiences with the staff at GC. The instruments are what they are. Occasionally, something really nice and unexpected shows up.

The only problem I've had at my local Guitar Center (I'm looking at you Winter Park store!) is one of the managers is about as rude and condescending as they get.

She makes rude comments to customers. She's been rude and outright belligerent to me, and I spend money there.

I mean, I'm not one of these kids who sits in the store and bangs on things they can't afford for ten hours straight. When I go in there, it's because I'm planning on walking out with something.

Okay. Venting over. Nothing to see here.
 
#67
i've had good and bad moments.. the bad moments are really bad, like the guy telling me that you couldnt get pickguards for a fender jazz 5 anymore because fender discontinued fender jazz 5's

good moments are good; playing every fender jazz they had in the place (from squiers up to MIA's) to find one i liked (they even had some of those discontinued fender jazz 5's!)
 
#71
Mulebagger said:
I think of GC as a musician's walmart. I have the same expectations for both.
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Except the greeter at wal-mart is more knowledgable about musical instruments...heheheheh
(couldn't resist;))






I'm generally ok with em.

I guess there have been things that Pi$$3d me off from time to time..but I think it was more ..me expecting different results...or "too much"...er suttin.

You really just have to learn how they roll, and take it for what it is, then you'll be okay.


We're good now.:D
 
#73
nocontrols said:
I don't love the place and I'm aware it's basically a giant depository for generic instruments in need of a set-up being sold by teenagers or somewhat clueless slacker-types but I'm not really anti-GC.

In other words: Does anyone here feel anything towards Guitar Center other than burning, venomous animosity?
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The local GC has never been anything but helpful to me. The employees are helpful, they've done computer searches and helped me find gear, and they've always struck a nice balance between helping and staying out of my way. I believe I've had one return, and it was handled courteously.

I have no reason to feel animosity toward any business that treats me well. I suspect that some fraction of the problems others encounter are due to attitude on the customer's part.

I'm in Fort Collins Colorado, a town of about 130,000 located 60 miles north of Denver. This is a highly educated area and the businesses generally are smart enough to treat customers appropriately.
 
#75
Over the years, I've spent several thousand dollars in the various GC's in N. Texas. Most of the time, the folks I've ever dealt with have been generally helpful, friendly, and go out of their way to help me, even though I usually already know that I'm going to buy something in particular anyway.

At one particular store (Central Dallas), some have been miserable pricks to deal with (in Drums). For that very reason, I don't go to that store - ever, even though it's on my direct path home from work. I go out of my way to go to the other 5 GC's in a 30 minute radius of my house just to not spend my money in that bad one.
 
#77
It all depends on the store and more specifically on the people. I’ve done business with one store where the only person worth talking to was one of the salesmen—and in another one where everyone either knew what they were talking about or could at least direct you to someone else who did. In any case, you can always walk out (or hang up, or whatever) and try again later.
 
#79
Alrighty then, our weekly GC thread. I'll bite.

I think your experience with GC directly parallels your experience as a consumer and a musician.

The more experience you have with retail outlets and music gear, the less likely you are to have a bad experience at GC, and vice versa.

If you're new, uninformed, and unaccustomed to the idioscyncracies of the retail format or the gear you seek, there is a chance you will get burned.

If, like me, you are 52 years old and you've been playing a variety of instruments since you were a teenager, you can actually take GC for the ride of your life. I never get burned; if anything, it usually goes the other way.

That being said, GC is way beyond "okay" for me. I have three in my metro area, and GC is one of the Top Three places I look when I need something.
 

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