Went to Guitar Center for the first time.....

you know you can ASK to try out gear right?

If you want to try out anything, make them think you intend on buying it, then they will be extra compliant to your desires.

like you just have to say "I am looking for a new bass, I am very interested in such and such, and I would like to try it out" then while the sales vulture is doing his salesthing, just stay cool, do your thing, then when the time comes say "yes, this is a fine instrument, but I don't think today is the right day, perhaps another time"

 

Yeah, I too checked out that "No minimum, no down, no payment for 18 Month" thing. There are/were minimums. I was looking for a MIM Jazz. Fenders are covered, just the MIA. I saw a mice Yamaha, not covered. I thought the "no minimums" was a little misleading. Oh well.

 

If you want curteous, fast action, tell them you have the cash in hand (even if you don't). Usually ensures prompt service at the megachains like GC.

(Believe me, they'll never ask to see it.)

 

that's what I'm sayin, make them think you are going to spend money, then they will respond to you 110%

the GC vultures work on commission, so the more sales they get the more they get paid

 

Yes they work on commission but they have to sell around $40,000 worth of gear a month to get a commission check. I know.. I was a manager at GC for 2 years.
The commission deal was that your regular salary had to fade against your total sales for the month.
Now remeber they only get $6.00 an hour. If they worked 40 hours a week they would bring home $240.00. that's $960.00 a month. If they only sold $30,000 worth of gear they only get 2 percent of that towards there commission. Thats $600.00.

Now if you do the math...$960.00 a month
$600.00 in comish
You get NO commission check!

You have to had made more in sales then your regular hour pay.....

So next time to complain about them being Vultures..see if you would like to work for a hugh chain and see no income.

Fu@k ..you can't even buy a nice Warwick with that pay.

I'm not defending anybody....just giving the facts!!!!

 

I'm a manager at a GC right now.. This is sooooooo
true. I've been the top sales guy at my store for 15 of the 18 months it's been open. Guess how many comission checks I've seen? Five. I'm not bitching I enjoy my job, but I'm not doing it for the money, that's for sure

 

Top trick that works.

Walk near the counter, pretend to grab something from your pocket and drop a pile of hundred dollar bills on the floor.

Remember to say whoops!

 

Make friends with the People at guitar center. I did and theyve hooked me up with a band, 20 bucks off a set of Blue Steels, always get plenty of help when I come in, and am always told about upcoming deals and junk before its on the radio. I used to despise Guitar Center but if you make nice you will get what you need.

 

edit: I do feel for the guys that are in the your pay depend on your sales situation, but as said if you are doing this for the pay you are in the wrong job.

 

Question for the guys who work at GC, how come the selection of brands is so narrow? Oh, and just a minor rant, the GC by me has one guy who plays bass there, who seems to work part time, and never wants to help me because I don't look like the other teens who come with their parents (or just their parents money) and buy the first Fender that comes in view.

 

I like GC. I get good prices (below the "discount" price), and I know which salespeople have a clue. I avoid the clueless. I try to go to the same guy in each department every time. I guess they help me because I'm going to help them move toward that commission check. So the guy is going to give me a deal even on the small stuff, because he knows I'm gonna look for him when I come in to buy that new PA.

 

I was a manager at a GC, and a corporate purchaser for another chain before that. The reason they carry such a small selection is this: survival. GC is like Walmart. They can't carry cool stuff because only certain types of people will buy certain types of gear. Check out the other thread on how long does the average bass hang in a store, and you'll see that the nice basses sell very slowly. On the other hand, GC sells tons of $200 Ibanez basses. That's what keeps the doors open. As GC gets bigger and bigger, the gear they will carry will become more and more boring. The bigger they get, the more small shops that carry the cool stuff will be put out of business. Then your cool manufacturers will go out of business, and GC will take over the world, and whip your backs mercilessly while barking "Ramming speed!".

That's the short answer, anyway.

 

There selection is chosen by our buyers, they go by who gives them the best deal when buying for 119 stores..
I know the feeling I'm the only bass player at my store as well, kind of nice, but bass questions and help keep me busy as hell

 

Munji, this is the smartest thing you could possibly do. As a sales guy at Gc, I go above and beyond for any customer who shows that they understand the fact that the sales guy is hooking them up, or is not being a total used cars salesman to them and just trying to snag another sale.

 

Thanks for the honesty. I honestly can say if I ever saw a Ric at my guitar center I'd probably faint from surprise (and mind you I don't faint easily )

 

I have a love/hate relationship with geetar center.

I love it that I can get accesories for purty cheap, but I hate the lack of attention. Also, I find that they do not take as good of care of their instruments as they should. Also, they need to stick with staff members. I go in there once a month or so, and they always have a new line up.

 

a guitar center employee may come off as an a-hole for one of two reasons:
1). The employee has to deal with guitarists.
2). The employee is a guitarist.

 

Dude, they have ladders all over the place at the GC in San Marcos. just go grab a ladder ..that's what I do...