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Tagged or not?

To tag or not to tag?

  • Large clearly marked tags?

    Votes: 51 92.7%

  • Play it and sort out the rest later?

    Votes: 4 7.3%
  • Total voters
    55
klaus486

klaus486

Jun 27, 2009
690
37
portland or
Disclosures
sales geek Portland Music co.
#1
As you can see I work in a musical instrument retail store.

I have a question - When you walk into a guitar store do you want to see large, clearly marked tags with Make, Model, and Price?

Or do you want to just look at the basses, pick the one that appeals to you, play it and figure out the rest later?
 
#5
I HATE places that do not put price tags.

There is a place around here like that and I don't shop there. Tired of trying to get a salesperson to price things for me. Just don't need the aggravation or wasted time.

Don't the sales clerks get tired of hearing, really that much, it's way over my budget.
 
#9
Very clear hang tags that are attached to either a tuning machine or the strings on the headstock. As much at that may seem like common sense to most, it's apparently lost on others.

I've seen some shops that used price stickers on the body of the instrument. Really? Do I need to go on a scavenger hunt for the price? So now I have to get some goo-gone in order to clean up the residue from the price sticker. And this also doesn't tell me what model instrument I'm trying out.

And then there's the tag that's attached to the strings over the fingerboard. WHY? It just causes buzz on the fingerboard, and I can't tell if it's the tag or a bad setup. Setups on stock instruments cost the dealer time and money.

Other issues with tagging in stores? Put the instrument's year on the tag, too. This is more important with vintage and used instruments, obviously. But it's also helpful in letting a customer know that the dealer is showing off NOS (new old stock). Some customers want to know how long an instrument has been in stock and hanging in the store. Some manufacturers change features and options in different years. Case in point: Fender made a big shift in the construction of their American Standard series instruments in 2012. The finishes are a little thinner, and they're offering Fender Custom Shop pickups in their guitars and 4 string basses.
 
#12
I absolutely want to see clearly marked tags, or I'll be back out of the shop in seconds.


My least favorite bit is when all of the "affordable" gear is clearly marked and the nicer gear is not. It makes me feel like the retailer wants to look you over and figure out how much they can get out of you.
 
#16
Clearly marked tags. Nothing frustrates me more than when I walk into a music store and have to take a bass of the wall and inspect it in order to find out where the bass is made. This is especially true with Fenders. I only buy MIA and I would prefer to not have to take every Jazz and Precision off the wall to find out where it was made.

Some store owners do not tag there instruments because it forces the potential buyer to speak with an employee. The feeling is that this allows the employee to interact with the customer and have a better chance of making the sale. If prices are clearly marked, there is a chance that the customer will walk out without ever speaking to a store employee.
 

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