Some of us saved thousands of dollars on instruments while others payed through the nose.
But my used gear was even cheaper!
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We REALLY need to stop supporting this company.
- Thread starter Got2SadowskyNYC
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But my used gear was even cheaper!
Ashamed to say I didn't even know about it. Thanks for the tip - I'll definitely check it out!
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I've never paid through my nose.
Sorry, this image made me immediately think of this sketch.
And thanks for the tip off, I will scratch MF off my list. It's not like I am a regular or was planning on getting anything American anytime soon anyway though.
oh...i just bought a used bass from there...and strings...and picks...sooorrryyyy.
"It was imposed on us and we have absolutely no choice," Lynch told HuffPost....
huhhh... You do have a choice. Regardless of how you feel about Guitar Center, the bottom line is capital (economics). GC is not a socialist/communist regime.
"What's great is a lot of workers have been individually protesting. They're organizing themselves."...
Organization is the action they should take. An example would be the teachers "sick days strike" in Detroit, which I hope they continue until they get better facilities or the facilities dilapidate completely because no one benefits from working in those conditions.
The problem is that most Americans are afraid to stand up and speak out as a unit and corporations know this. The problem, on the other hand, is that a lot of folks are so tied to corporations they are afraid of losing their jobs because they're in debt (houses, cars, children, GAS), that they have to go along with whatever the company imposes on them, and the corporations know this as well.
GC employees have more power than they realize if they organize across the country, which can easily be done through social media. The shareholders of GC have too much inventory on hand to let sit. We all enjoy going to GC, if its to buy used gear, new gear or just to browse, which sometimes ends in a purchase. Imagine the response if GC was closed for 2 weeks due to an employee strike? GC employees, which is made up of mostly musicians, could throw a benefit concert espousing their cause, and we would support them with donations for their cause. THE CORPORATION WOULD TAKE NOTE! Why, because it effects their bottom line (shareholders/stocks).
However, I'm almost positive the employees will just sign the agreement and then 6itch about it later, which is also what corporations know and exactly what corporations want employees to do... 6itch and receive their weekly or bi-weekly "lunch money."
huhhh... You do have a choice. Regardless of how you feel about Guitar Center, the bottom line is capital (economics). GC is not a socialist/communist regime.
"What's great is a lot of workers have been individually protesting. They're organizing themselves."...
Organization is the action they should take. An example would be the teachers "sick days strike" in Detroit, which I hope they continue until they get better facilities or the facilities dilapidate completely because no one benefits from working in those conditions.
The problem is that most Americans are afraid to stand up and speak out as a unit and corporations know this. The problem, on the other hand, is that a lot of folks are so tied to corporations they are afraid of losing their jobs because they're in debt (houses, cars, children, GAS), that they have to go along with whatever the company imposes on them, and the corporations know this as well.
GC employees have more power than they realize if they organize across the country, which can easily be done through social media. The shareholders of GC have too much inventory on hand to let sit. We all enjoy going to GC, if its to buy used gear, new gear or just to browse, which sometimes ends in a purchase. Imagine the response if GC was closed for 2 weeks due to an employee strike? GC employees, which is made up of mostly musicians, could throw a benefit concert espousing their cause, and we would support them with donations for their cause. THE CORPORATION WOULD TAKE NOTE! Why, because it effects their bottom line (shareholders/stocks).
However, I'm almost positive the employees will just sign the agreement and then 6itch about it later, which is also what corporations know and exactly what corporations want employees to do... 6itch and receive their weekly or bi-weekly "lunch money."
What do we have here? A lynch mob in action.
GC is not a perfect company by any means, I know they don't pay their employees well and that the commission structure recently changed.
Let's step back for one second. How many companies in America have arbitration clause?
Thousands.... and it's not unique to the for profit sector many non profit organization have them as well.
I'm not trying to defend GC but an arbitration clause simply says parties will sit down in front of an arbitrator and talk instead of retaining $500 an hour lawyers and going at it.
It does not strip employees from their rights it simply states arbitration will be used instead of law suit to resolve issues. Think of it as marriage counseling instead of couple using expensive attorneys to resolve marital differences.
It's frequent that employees cannot sue because they don't have the money to retain an attorney. In this instance arbitration can actually be a good thing.
I'm just trying to provide a different point of view here. Now the lynch mobbing may resume.
GC is not a perfect company by any means, I know they don't pay their employees well and that the commission structure recently changed.
Let's step back for one second. How many companies in America have arbitration clause?
Thousands.... and it's not unique to the for profit sector many non profit organization have them as well.
I'm not trying to defend GC but an arbitration clause simply says parties will sit down in front of an arbitrator and talk instead of retaining $500 an hour lawyers and going at it.
It does not strip employees from their rights it simply states arbitration will be used instead of law suit to resolve issues. Think of it as marriage counseling instead of couple using expensive attorneys to resolve marital differences.
It's frequent that employees cannot sue because they don't have the money to retain an attorney. In this instance arbitration can actually be a good thing.
I'm just trying to provide a different point of view here. Now the lynch mobbing may resume.
One problem is that an arbitrator will probably never see an employee/individual customer again, but is likely to deal with the company repeatedly... And companies get to choose from a pool of arbitrators- meaning that arbitrators who find against corporations are less likely to be picked to arbitrate again. So the system turns out being biased against the little guys.
Problem is that single plaintiff lawsuits against employers are rare. No one person can afford the legal freight. That's why the class action suit came about. Bundle all the same claims together with one lawyer or firm doing the heavy lifting.
An article in Huffington post is about as reliable to be skewed as a segment on Fox or MSNBC.
Man, this sucks super hard. I've heard nothing but bad things about working at GC. This is just the latest in a long tradition of treating their employees terribly, ever since Baine Capitol bought it out. I've got to say, for how much people get payed there, it seems the only good part about working there is the employee discount. That might be worth having it as a very part time job.
Thank God for sweetwater, I love those guys. Not to mention their headquarters is only one state away from me, so I get free one-day shipping on practically everything I buy from them.
Thank God for sweetwater, I love those guys. Not to mention their headquarters is only one state away from me, so I get free one-day shipping on practically everything I buy from them.
I used to live in Kansas City, which has a large MF warehouse north east of the city. I soon noticed that anything I ordered from MF, GC, or Music 123 all came from that same warehouse. Luckily I'm back in Nashville, which has several great local music stores (Corner Music is #1). I feel bad for people who live in areas that only have GC. Although, I will say the guys/gals at the Nashville GC in 100 Oaks are all very nice.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
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- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
Never been in a Guitar Center in my entire life, and therefore have no firsthand idea what kind of company they are to work for, but if I were so unhappy with my employer to the point I needed to join a freakin' class action lawsuit, hell - I'd just simply find another job and quit.
Well, if none of the employees sign the arbitration agreement, Guitar Center will either have to back down... or shut down. The employees need to stick together.
As much as I enjoy and benefit from the goods and services offered by guitar center I can undoubtedly say that I do not support their business model, business ethics, or treatment of employees.
Guitar Center is a prototypical example of the excess and misdirection of our modern capitalist socio-economy. Guitar Center is representative of the growing wealth inequality both in our great nation and abroad. They pay and benefit their employees poorly while driving small business competitors out of the market. There was a time in the country, before I was born, when a local music shop could sustainably support the livelihood of the owners and the employees. This isn't the case anymore. Guitar Center's employee turnover rate is probably about 1-2 years, right there with the rest of big box retail America, leaving the common working American jumping from one low paying job to the next, hoping to secure a future, a decent standard of living, and the ability to send their children to higher education.
At 22 years old this is simply my humble and naive opinion.
Guitar Center is a prototypical example of the excess and misdirection of our modern capitalist socio-economy. Guitar Center is representative of the growing wealth inequality both in our great nation and abroad. They pay and benefit their employees poorly while driving small business competitors out of the market. There was a time in the country, before I was born, when a local music shop could sustainably support the livelihood of the owners and the employees. This isn't the case anymore. Guitar Center's employee turnover rate is probably about 1-2 years, right there with the rest of big box retail America, leaving the common working American jumping from one low paying job to the next, hoping to secure a future, a decent standard of living, and the ability to send their children to higher education.
At 22 years old this is simply my humble and naive opinion.
In a country based on the rule of law it should be. However, with the weakening of unions these types of contracts have been slowly popping up across the US. Texas has been attempting to get rid of a worker's ability to sue under worker's compensation laws. So while doing a job a worker is injured, has to go through arbitration with an arbiter chosen by the company, and that arbiter decides how much money the worker is entitled to all while serving the interests of the company. The idea that most companies are going to do the right thing by their workers out of the kindness of their hearts is about as naive a belief possible.
But they won't, taken individually people are pretty spineless, especially when facing the loss of income. That is why GC can get away with this.
If only the workers in some way united and demanded better working conditions...
The employees have a choice. If you don't want to sign, quit. Find other work. Lot's of jobs out there. Not everyone works their dream job at the moment, do what you got to do to pay the bills until you find the right job. There are much better paying jobs than GC, maybe not easier, but suck it up buttercup. There are many other jobs I would rather do than mine, but either I don't have the talent, or they don't pay the bills.......
But the job I do have, I'm good at, it has a union, it's a good job, and it pays the bills. Such is life. Now get of my porch you youngins......
But the job I do have, I'm good at, it has a union, it's a good job, and it pays the bills. Such is life. Now get of my porch you youngins......
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