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What would YOU like from Guitar Center?

#41
I like my GC. Both of em! The one in Clear Lake has always been pretty nice and there are a set of twins who work there with whom I always deal with cause (well first I never know which one is which lol) they listen and don't treat me like a beginner like other stores do.

My GC in houston recently moved. I think they brought in a new staff cause these guys are really cool. They've offered to get me Rics, flea basses (the true ones), and CS jaco sig up off the high rack for me. Hell, honestly, if I had the balls to ask someone there to tryout the 53 pbass... they'd gladly say yes and unlock the rack for me.


I'm pretty pleased with my GCs
 
#42
I love our local GC..it's not a flagship/superstore, so I have no expectation of them stocking every single brand.

I do appreciate the the sales staff who knows me by name and their willingness to let me set up an instrument to my liking (They know if it gets to this point that they will most likely have the sale...I'm not a big tire-kicker/lookie lou)

There are two things that do make it hard to shop, and I'm not sure if it's just this location, or if the sales floor at all GC's are essentially planned the same:

1. I think there needs to be isolation between the drum room and the stringed inst. sales floor. There's a nice heavy glass door that effectivly isolates the acoustic room from the rest of the riff-raff, I'd love to see GC start planning stores with the same isolation for the drum room.

2. The in-store dvd playlist is way too loud and intrusive to demo an instrument or amp. I think it actually raises the overall sound floor of the store to a rediculous level. It's a volume war between the in-store play dvd and the amps. Granted there will always be clowns who turn up way too loud just because they can and it's not their gear, but I think that if the vol. of the dvds was reduced this would be seriously cut back...or maybe not....i dunno
 
#45
I haven't been to a GC for years, there isn't one close by. The old Mars music I used to go to would have clinics and demos at the store. Usually just some b list musician pushing a certain product, but I thought it was cool anyway. Got to spend some time talking shop with Billy Sheehan among others.
 
#46
Saen Naen said:
They need to be able to negotiate prices again. A long time ago you used to be able to walk in there and haggle the sales person down to a decent price. I knew a manager that worked at one store who used to give me large percentages of discounts on almost everything I bought there. After a managerial overhaul a year or two ago, this has all come to an end. Now they need a manager's validation just to give a 15% discount on something.
Click to expand...

I'd like to chime in here on the negotiating prices thing. I hear customers all the time complain that we don't "haggle" as much as we used to. The reality is that with everyone advertising the "Best Price in the Universe", and the mail-order online companys on the web, profit margins have shrunk to be almost non-existant these days. I remember the haggling days as well. What most people don't remember was the gear all having the LIST price on the tag, then you would haggle with the shop owner to get a 30%-40% discount. Well, nowadays most music stores are already discounting their gear 35%-50% off list. That leaves us almost no room to continue to haggle and stay in business.

I had a customer the other day want to haggle over a $300 new keyboard. I said I would take a look and see what I could do. I checked our cost on the piece.... $250!!! That's a 17% margin. Anyone who is in business knows that is awful (compare that to clothing stores where they make 80%-150% margin). I go back to the customer and tell him that I can knock $10 off the price, but that's about it. They leave grumbling that we can't give a better discount.

Now these numbers are the extreme side of the picture, but it happens all to often. Prices of gear is becoming cheeper and cheeper, but the profit margins are shrinking as well. I can't offer discounts like I used to. But what stores can do is offer service. I give free setups with every guitar/bass purchase (within 30 days of buying the instrament), I offer in-house service so your gear is fixed quickly and no shipping to manufactures, I offer trade-up guarrentees on all my gear that I sell. I also offer my knowledge and assistance before and after the sale. Now I know sometimes a discount is nessecary (price matching a competitor, or the gear is damaged) but please, look at what the store offers you besides price. If it was just price, then we would all buy off Ebay :p

Jeremiah: I gotta give you props. GC is one of my biggest competitors (I have one about 1000ft from my store). But I admire your ethic and your desire to make things better in your store. I truely wish there was some way for music stores to work TOGETHER instead of competing with one another, but competition is nessecary. Good luck to you. :bassist:
 
#47
The GC by me is pretty small compared to most others, and given the area I live in, they don't carry much high-end equipment. I don't expect them to have all high dollar instruments, but I wouldn't mind seeing more selection and some higher quality stuff (they have a few Stingrays and some American Fenders, but the rest is all low end ibanez, MIM fenders, squiers, laguna, etc.). I have to drive 1-2 hours to other GC's to get a decent selection usually (luckily I'm in those areas often enough it's not a huge issue). That issue isn't really company wide though of course, just the one by me.

The one thing I would really love to see is private testing rooms. Maybe set up a few amps (guitar and bass) and be able to bring in an instrument and test it out without bothering other people or having to turn up to hear over other people. I think it would let us get a better feel for the instrument or amp you're testing by being able to hear the full tone.

And of course, as others have said, keeping the instruments set up better would be nice. Sometimes they are set up very well and I have no complaints, but other times they're awful. Either way too high action or they buzz everywhere across the board. I don't mind if they're a little dusty or dirty, but when you can't even play the instrument it's hard to want to buy anything.
 
#49
Their lack of Effects really bothers me. Everytime I go to find something (that I think is standard) they don't have it. I always love posing the question "Do you guys have any bass pedals in-stock other than a Sans-amp"...It always comes back with a "no". And this is at the Nashville GC...figured they would have something?
So I always go somewhere else...tried the whole order online thing through them...3 returns later I learned my lesson.
 
#50
Nice post logicman69; now that's the kind of value a good customer wants
To me sales is all about building relationships to the point that a customer would never buy elsewhere even if it saved a few $$

In house service, free set ups, and trade up guarantees would make me a customer in a heart beat if I were local
 
#52
logicman69 said:
I'd like to chime in here on the negotiating prices thing. I hear customers all the time complain that we don't "haggle" as much as we used to. The reality is that with everyone advertising the "Best Price in the Universe", and the mail-order online companys on the web, profit margins have shrunk to be almost non-existant these days. I remember the haggling days as well. What most people don't remember was the gear all having the LIST price on the tag, then you would haggle with the shop owner to get a 30%-40% discount. Well, nowadays most music stores are already discounting their gear 35%-50% off list. That leaves us almost no room to continue to haggle and stay in business.

I had a customer the other day want to haggle over a $300 new keyboard. I said I would take a look and see what I could do. I checked our cost on the piece.... $250!!! That's a 17% margin. Anyone who is in business knows that is awful (compare that to clothing stores where they make 80%-150% margin). I go back to the customer and tell him that I can knock $10 off the price, but that's about it. They leave grumbling that we can't give a better discount.

Now these numbers are the extreme side of the picture, but it happens all to often. Prices of gear is becoming cheeper and cheeper, but the profit margins are shrinking as well. I can't offer discounts like I used to. But what stores can do is offer service. I give free setups with every guitar/bass purchase (within 30 days of buying the instrament), I offer in-house service so your gear is fixed quickly and no shipping to manufactures, I offer trade-up guarrentees on all my gear that I sell. I also offer my knowledge and assistance before and after the sale. Now I know sometimes a discount is nessecary (price matching a competitor, or the gear is damaged) but please, look at what the store offers you besides price. If it was just price, then we would all buy off Ebay :p

Jeremiah: I gotta give you props. GC is one of my biggest competitors (I have one about 1000ft from my store). But I admire your ethic and your desire to make things better in your store. I truely wish there was some way for music stores to work TOGETHER instead of competing with one another, but competition is nessecary. Good luck to you. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Excellent post.

:)
 
#53
Someone from my neck of the woods. I worked at that store up until my back surgery. Great people. We've probably talked to each other. I agree about te drum room. Needs better isolation, like the acoustic room.

big90sbasshorns said:
I love our local GC..it's not a flagship/superstore, so I have no expectation of them stocking every single brand.

I do appreciate the the sales staff who knows me by name and their willingness to let me set up an instrument to my liking (They know if it gets to this point that they will most likely have the sale...I'm not a big tire-kicker/lookie lou)

There are two things that do make it hard to shop, and I'm not sure if it's just this location, or if the sales floor at all GC's are essentially planned the same:

1. I think there needs to be isolation between the drum room and the stringed inst. sales floor. There's a nice heavy glass door that effectivly isolates the acoustic room from the rest of the riff-raff, I'd love to see GC start planning stores with the same isolation for the drum room.

2. The in-store dvd playlist is way too loud and intrusive to demo an instrument or amp. I think it actually raises the overall sound floor of the store to a rediculous level. It's a volume war between the in-store play dvd and the amps. Granted there will always be clowns who turn up way too loud just because they can and it's not their gear, but I think that if the vol. of the dvds was reduced this would be seriously cut back...or maybe not....i dunno
Click to expand...
 
#54
I'd like to see salespeople greet customers, or at least acknowledge them. I usually go to GC after work while still in khakis and a collared shirt and can stand there immobile in the bass section, staring at a particular out-of-reach (height) bass for 15 minutes and no one will approach me. On the rare occasions when I've gone in on the weekend, un-showered and in ratty shorts and a T-Shirt, it seems to be different. I have better luck when I can corner reps at the counter. Several times, there have been employees talking to each other while I stand there. Maybe it's me... or maybe not, because the folks at Sam Ash are super attentive and helpful without being pushy or aggressive.

I'd like to see a little effort in displaying basses that are somewhat playable. 3 times I have walked in to GC with more than $1,000 to spend, yet have walked out due to either 1.) basses too unplayable to evaluate or 2.) No one ever approached me.

I'd like to see GC hold manufacturers to a higher standard. Refuse to accept and display shoddy basses.

I agree with the others about selection. While it may be nice to have every single Squier Jazz and Ibanez color and board option instantly available, there are lots of other options out there.

My biggest issue with Guitar Center isn't their fault. I'm in California like they are, so tax adds 10% to everything. A 10% off sale isn't really a sale. For anything other than little stuff it is far cheaper to buy online from out-of-state companies with free shipping and no tax. So I may go in and see something in person, then buy it elsewhere. Factoring in the above issues with poorly represented basses, it has influenced my buying decisions.

That being said, I have encountered a couple of genuinely helpful and nice reps there. Unfortunately it is usually when I'm only going in for little stuff like a strap or cables.
 
#56
allotabass said:
Yes they have a lot of stuff but it's the same stuff. In one store I saw four of the same blue Ibanez basses all in a row.
Click to expand...

I gotta admit, sometimes that is not the store's fault. More and more lately manufatures have gotten back-ordered (I just recieved the new Peavey TNT's that debuted at Winter NAMM 2009!!!). We have to make the walls look full, so sometimes we put up what we got in stock (trust us, we hate looking at blue Ibanez GSR200s just as much as you do :hiding:)
 
#57
Although my town doesn't have a GC ... I've lived in many areas that did.

Out of all of the GC's I've been to, I've noticed that ...
Bass String selection is weak. (even at GC's with a high number of basses for sale)
NO vintage basses
High end selection is weak (need a bit more than just Pedulla, MM, and US Fender)



Craig_S said:
What would I like from Guitar Center? I'd like them to move out of Michigan and let the Mom and Pop shops prosper again.
Click to expand...

I'm just about of the opposite, although I don't wish anyone the misfortune of having to close.

We were supposed to get a GC (they are even listed under our local businesses according to our local Chamber of Commerce), but then came the recession. :hmm: We have a few Mom & Pop shops, but none of them carry more than just a few, very low end, basses and maybe (1) or (2) Fenders. And only one, carries a pretty good selection of bass strings.

My favorite tech works at one of those Mom & Pop shops, and he explained that the owner doesn't believe that higher end basses sell, based upon the fact that his lower end ones don't. :rollno: Eventhough, according to my tech, the majority of bassists that bring in their basses for work to be done, are high end basses. The owner, a guitarist, doesn't want to listen. :hmm:


So for myself, I would gladly put up with all of the negative points to a GC ... just to have one. (I'm also in the 4th largest city in NC, metro area with a 365k pop.)
 

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