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Manny's Music owned by Sam Ash

#21
I don't have anything against corporations as a whole. The strong arming of manufacturers and crap treatment of employees definitely pisses me off. My 2 big issues with the Sam Ashes and Guitar Centers are the crap product they seem to be carrying, including instruments that are not set up properly, and only the cheaper units from a given manufacturer's line. Also the general attitude in most of those stores that i have been in is high pressure sales talk and downright deception, very little willingness to assist the customer in trying equipmant that might need a moment of the salesman's time to make accesable (they refused to find me a power cord for an SF-2 once - if i could have tried it i would have bought it), general lack of knowledge about the equipment they sell, and in some cases blatant refusal to let the customer try the "top shelf" items.
That's why i wont shop there unless absolutely necessary. I don't need to be treated like crap. I always reccomend G Guitars in New Haven and Milford Music in Milford CT because of their attitude and helpfulness. G Guitars is a boutique store run by 2 friends of mine. They have a lot of top end gear and will let you try anything you want. Milford Music varies in what gear it has, but has top end gear of one sort or another, but these guys have become my friends because they let me try anything, answer my questions, and offer you coffee if they're gonna drink some. Guys actually hang out there and give each other feedback on how a given bass or amp sounds. Kinda like a local drugstore or barbershop back in the day.
Not every store has to be like that, but don't offer me crap to buy and treat me like dirt. :mad:
 
#22
I tend to buy things locally either here in Lafayette or in Indy. I've found a local place where i can get strings for a no questions asked 50% of list all the time no matter who you are-so magically they get all of my string business unless if they're sold out.

The main problem i have with the 2 local places here is-one overcharges in my mind-i remember paying $30 a set for 2 sets of EB Slinky5s when i was desparate for strings. That same store doesn't have much in the market of "high end" [meaning American Fender, EB, upper end of the Fender line] basses let alone any 5s. I think the most 5s i've seen there is 3 at one time. I do understand their reasoning though-not many people in our area want a 5 and it seems like there isn't much of a market for gear. The other local place-they don't have many basses period. I buy my cables [just starting to] and strings from them.

When i want a new bass-i head to Indy or if i want to try out a GOOD bass, i head to Indy. There's 3 stores within about 10mins of my dad's house that stock Ernie Ball, Warwick, G&L, along w/usually have some odd ball bass-whether it's a Parker Fly [tried a 5-sorry but yuck] or a Fodera. I think for my next bass-i will go to one of those 3 stores w/priority given to the store i bought my Ray5 from, and if they don't have it [the 3 of them] i'll call Gard and be done. :)

The last time i went to a Guitar Center-it wasn't all that bad, if it was closer [it's in Indy], i'd probably end up buying more stuff from them since they're the store version of MF.

That's all
 
#24
Hmmm.

I guess I'm the mutant then. I hate shopping in the small boutique shops. The last time I was in a boutique shop I was looking for some electronics, pedals and amps worth about $800. I knew what I wanted, they had what I wanted and I had the cash. All someone had to do was fill out the paperwork and hand me a pen.

But the salespeople were talking about a gig the night before with some kids who evidently had a good gig. Id' have called for the manager but that was the manager.

Never been back. I prefer shopping online or GC. I go, I look, I buy. And if anyone asks me if they can help I tell them a very polite "go the hell away".
 
#25
I know this is an old thread, but I'm in NY for a month and a half and today I entered Manny's, surprised by the clearance sale posters on the doors. They are closing on Sunday, and by the few comments I have heard from the workers, they are no longer working there and looked quite pissed off. I don't know anything about the original ownership of the shop, but possibly it was not a fault of its workers.
 
#27
Not regarding Manny's, but Joe, what would your friends say (after 8 years to think about it) if they discovered that the owners of the mom and pop shops they love so much had incorporated their businesses, as any wise business person would? What is with people? They get so hung up on the word "corporation" not realizing that almost every business is a corporation.
 
#28
Munjibunga said:
what would your friends say (after 8 years to think about it) if they discovered that the owners of the mom and pop shops they love so much had incorporated their businesses, as any wise business person would? What is with people? They get so hung up on the word "corporation" not realizing that almost every business is a corporation.
Click to expand...

Yes Indeedy

Blanket hatred of all corporations is a sign of sloppy thinking IMHO. That particular legal construct was specifically designed to encourage innovation, much like the establishment of the Patent system. The fact that a couple of hundred years later, the system has deteriorated to the point it has is down to steady erosion of the built-in controls over bad behavior that were put in place when it was first adopted, not the basic idea itself

Most people are unaware that corporations used to be restricted, by law, to a clearly defined lifespan - rarely longer than a decade or two - and also limited to a very specific purpose or goal which had to be clearly laid out in the Corporate Charter. The kind of 'omnivore' concept that brought us abusive and/or incompetent holding companies like Norlin (cement manufacturer gains control of breweries and moves on to gobble up a major manufacturer of guitars - say what?!) is actually a very new idea from a historical perspective

I can't really go into the subject further because it would absolutely require delving deeply into politics, but suffice it to say that the current situation doesn't have to be this way and it could also be changed back to something much closer to the original concept with nothing more than a few strokes of the right pens

Whether or not that is still possible at this stage is an open question
 
#29
This whole hatred of corporations and "the rich" sickens me! It's just another way for people to complain...wanting more for doing less! GC hires kids and pays them dirt as a part to keep their prices low. Honestly, who goes to GC for advice? Mom and pop places have either evolved to high end or low end. Fine! 90% of small stores survive on lessons anyway.

I love people who claim they want to support small businesses...it's BS! So you go buy a Fender at a premium price to make yourself feel good, then drive to Target to shop for groceries and go home and plop your ass on an Ikea couch! That ass, by the way, that's in Gap jeans. And the carpet the couch is on from Home Depot...BS!

Sorry for the rant...this whole "woe is me, I'm middle class" mentality that is around now is disgusting!

I'm not poor because someone else is rich!

/rant...I probably should drink my morning coffee now :D
 

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