I work weekends at a shop. I do my best to not let my back pain and disdain for uptight, lumpy renditions of the intro to "sweet child o mine" turn me into one of these storied horrible shop operators. That said, we're a ton more relaxed when people under 20 come in with their parents and talk in an adult way with us and have us pull down the pro stuff rather than come in with their bandmates all acting like cockey frat boys and shout across the room "can I get this down and do you have a 'patch' and a pick?".
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Is it rude?
- Thread starter Liam McMonigle
- Start date
bongomania
Commercial User
Then say "you've got a nice little shop here... be a shame if something happened to it."I think I am going to go in and explain that I am looking for a high end bass from them in the next year, and I plan buying from them directly, not online
Real musicians comprise a surprisingly small fraction of most guitar shops' clientele. Most customers are hobbyists and are like car buyers- they try the floor model and then want to buy the shiny one in the back and expect it to be every bit as good as the one they tried, but minus all of the "scratches". That is the default that is not bypassed unless we hear something like "this is the majic one, I'll be taking this one here.".
I can't stand when grumpy old farts treat teenagers like crap. I guess it's because I looked liked a teen well into my 30's. It's a Jealousy thing. At 49, I have spent 100's of 1,000's of $$$ on basses. I never gave my hard earned money to some prick who didn't treat me with proper courtesy and respect.
*********Find another place to Shop**********
*********Find another place to Shop**********
Then it sounds like "the customer is always wrong" approach may be the reason that stores like Guitar Center are going broke. When you buy a car, do you buy the one you test-drove, or one you didn't?
If presented as such, I would accommodate you. I'll assume you would buy one from the retailer when the time (...and money!) is right, correct?
Riis
+1
I ordered my '62 AVRI Jazz from a mom'n'pop store after they let me try the Am. Std., MIM, and Hwy 1.
Their courtesy and personal service sold me. They didn't know I was buying from them. They just answered questions with honesty.
I paid a little more than I would have online or at a big box store, but how I'm treated speaks volumes on whether they get my business or not.
My local store not only let's me try out anything I want, they let me take it home for a week. And I don't always buy what I try. I have to sign a form stating that I won't damage anything.
Now, with that said, I've also developed a good relationship with my salesman and everyone else in the store. I sometimes just go in to say hi and hang out.
Now, with that said, I've also developed a good relationship with my salesman and everyone else in the store. I sometimes just go in to say hi and hang out.
- Oct 18, 2012
- 6,683
- 5,538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
Most of the time, I go to a music store with no intention of buying anything. I like to look around, see what's come in to their used section, try a few basses, maybe a few amps and the leave. If I find something that really interests me, I might talk to someone about it.
haha no.. thats totally normal.
meeting up with someone from craigslist just to test drive, thats rude.
meeting up with someone from craigslist just to test drive, thats rude.
Wow. Just wow.
Of course, there are always mitigating circumstances but, all in all, I'd never want to shop there again.
When I was 17, I went in to the local Sam Ash because I had saved up a bunch of money and was dying to buy the Washburn Rudy Sarzo bass. When I walked in, I didn't mention to the salesman that I was there to buy, but I did ask if I could play the bass to try it out. I got a BIG attitude and a "If you're not gonna buy, you can't play it". I pulled my wad of cash out of my pocket and said "Well, I WAS going to buy until you started being rude." Needless to say, his manager came running over to smooth things out.
All I'm saying is, if you're not constantly in there just trying stuff out, never buying anything etc, etc, then there's no reason he should have acted that way.
it's rude, but, its basically an american tradition
probably the same by you too
aspire and dream
probably the same by you too
aspire and dream
This goes a long way! I am very fortunate to live only 1/2 hour away from Elderly Instruments, and it's basically on my way home from work. So, I stop in every week or two and chat, I got my wife guitar lessons from them, and I buy most of my instruments there. And I know every employee by name, and they know me. Frankly, I feel like Norm from Cheers when I walk in. Because of this, when I want to noodle, they'll put me in a practice room with whatever amp I want, and bring me any bass I want to try. When I'm ready to buy one, I tell the salesman that I'm there for that reason, and I can try every example of the model in which I'm interested until I find the one I want. Build a good relationship with the store, it helps.
With all that being said, it sounds like the store to which you're referring is not interested in building a customer base. Their behavior is somewhat less than admirable. If available, I'd find another retailer. If not, I'd go in with your parent(s) a couple times, see what that does for their attitude.
I don't know about "TCIAW", I just do my best to be approachable, and to accomodate everyone who is courteous enough to treat me with the respect that they hope to recieve themselves. If you want to buy a les paul and tune it down to Bb, I'm not going to stop you, but I am going to make sure that you are aware of the potential difficulties and their solutions before I hit the sale button so I don't get the angry "why didn't you tell me?!" a month-year later. Without thorough discourse, the expectations of the customers can only be guessed at, psychic ability is not a requisite for any job but fortune tellers. Also, I only buy used cars from private owners, so...
/threadjack
To the Op, it's only rude if you do it rudely. Be as courteous as you want the shopkeeper to be to you.
I love my Ric, but only because I got to play an older, crappier version of it at a Guitar Center. I played it for well over an hour and talked to one of the associates. They were cool, but wanted 1100.00 for a late 70's 4001, which was too much for me for that paticular bass.
I wound up buying my '03 4003 off Ebay for a very good price.
So I guess I'm rude as well. The guys at Bass Central tried to hand me an Alembic when I asked if I could play a less expensive bass there, a while back. My response: "No....NO. I'm not touching that thing!"
I wound up buying my '03 4003 off Ebay for a very good price.
So I guess I'm rude as well. The guys at Bass Central tried to hand me an Alembic when I asked if I could play a less expensive bass there, a while back. My response: "No....NO. I'm not touching that thing!"
The salesman's job, of course, is to sell. But like all of us over time they try to optimize to minimize work. So they develop little rules. As my dad used to tell me, they like to "peg" people. And this way they won't have to "waste" time on some high schooler who they figure isn't going to buy and may even damage the merchandise, when they spot some older prospect that they figure has a pocket full of money (or at least credit cards) and they can make that sale (commission) with minimum effort.
There is only one problem. The plan is a huge fail, ESPECIALLY when it comes to musicians! A millionaire is as likely to look like a bum as not. Judging books by their cover or musicians by how scruffy they look or their apparent age is just one more way how to fail in life. Somehow they forget that even if a kid has no money (and even that may not be true) the kid has parents who just might buy whatever the kid chooses.
There used to be young technician at one of my day jobs who made more money than all of us. He always looked like he was sleeping under a bridge somewhere. It used to REALLY irritate him when he'd go into a store where he could have bought the whole store and then get ignored or worse the "you can't try it unless you are buying" story. But why strain worrying about idiots. They will fail without your help.
This crap STILL happens to me. I was looking for a car and walked into a dealer. They let me standing there with my thumb up my butt when this three piece family walked in. TWO salesmen about fell all over themselves to try to wait on them. One succeeded and I thought "well at least the other guy will come and deal with me!" Wrong! He turned and went to the John instead. Finally I demanded help so they sicced some part time college kid on me. He tried hard but was a total noob and had zero authority. So he showed me around and I told him what I wanted and asked for their best price. He had to go ask a "real" salesman, natch. So I told him: "Tell the salesman that the price he gives me will determine where I buy this car! I want it to be his "best" deal". The kid comes back and says it's the list price take it or leave it. The funny thing was after I bought my car at another dealer (who did give me a deal) I got a call from the manager of the first place. Why did I buy elsewhere? Was something wrong? He got an earfull! Needless to say, I got $20 that says nothing has changed in the attitude of that dealership. Sometimes in business you are forced to deal with jerks, but sometimes you don't have to.
On the other hand, Joy is when you've got a good relationship with the store people and like the time I bought my Modulus you walk in and the manager is shouting across the store at you: "MAN! YOU'VE GOT TO TRY THIS BASS!" And of course I did walk out with it.
Seems like you've been through it all, maybe one day I'll find a good music shop like that, not just chain music shops like there is here in My part of the UK
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Judging from the OP questions and the follow up of them telling you no you cannot touch a Sadowsky, I did not need to check the profile to confirm you are a teenager. As long as you don't grow up to look like a dirtbag, that treatment stops in adult hood. I personally don't blame the stores for hating on teenagers, usually if they don't come in with their parents they are not here to buy.
It would be rude if they were not a store, but they want to show the wares so it is fine. If you frequent the place only to showcase to others how well you play, that is rude. On that note, you could do what I did to try a rick. Contact a local TBer who has one and see if they want to do a show and tell. I was glad I could try one, I will probably never buy one due to the tone but they don't play as bad as everybody makes them out to be.
It would be rude if they were not a store, but they want to show the wares so it is fine. If you frequent the place only to showcase to others how well you play, that is rude. On that note, you could do what I did to try a rick. Contact a local TBer who has one and see if they want to do a show and tell. I was glad I could try one, I will probably never buy one due to the tone but they don't play as bad as everybody makes them out to be.
The music store treatment I got in my teens and early twenties pretty much sucked.
Now that I'm an old fart, I can try anything I want, anytime, no problem.
Thing is, I developed a lifelong habit of buying used gear, so I rarely go into a store unless I have some time to kill. Yeah, I'll fondle that Ritter, stroke the Alembics, and get fingerprints on the Rics. But if I want one for real, I'll get it from a fellow TB member, for a fraction of the new price.
Those music store guys can get off my lawn!
Now that I'm an old fart, I can try anything I want, anytime, no problem.
Thing is, I developed a lifelong habit of buying used gear, so I rarely go into a store unless I have some time to kill. Yeah, I'll fondle that Ritter, stroke the Alembics, and get fingerprints on the Rics. But if I want one for real, I'll get it from a fellow TB member, for a fraction of the new price.
Those music store guys can get off my lawn!
