Sound levels at GUITAR CENTER today... Wow!

[Phil O'Keefe]

My advice is that if you are ever mistreated at any retail store, music or otherwise, ask to immediately speak to a manager.

 

And remain calm and reasonable when you do.

 

Great advice El Jeffie.

[G Geezer]

Shouldn't they have an amp room for that?

 

 

Yes, unfortunately they call it the main sales floor

[blue2blue]

My advice is that if you are ever mistreated at any retail store, music or otherwise, ask to immediately speak to a manager. And remain calm and reasonable when you do. Great advice El Jeffie.

 

And great addendum... not always easy to do, of course.

 

With regard to iso rooms and C.A. (customer attitude)... I've had some great treatment from both GC and SA people. (And some quite mediocre, as well -- although more at GC.)

 

I've found that going in having done your homework, knowing what general price to expect, and not wasting the salesperson's time either arguing about the product or haggling/wheedling unnecessarily over price makes you a B or B+ customer for the salesperson who cares. (Obviously, not all do, at least not all the time. Some give the same lousy service to everybody.)

 

And that's often what makes a salesman go a little extra for you... cut that super-low deal, or throw in something, or give you an iso room even when you're looking at a $400 guitar and there's some self-important fatcat waiting to try out some tarted up 2 grand thing from the Fender Custom Shop.

 

I don't mean butter anyone up -- that's often counter productive. It makes people nervous.

 

I mean just approach being a customer like a professional -- someone it's easy to do business with.

[Lucky #9]

I keep cotton balls in the car. Whenever I go to a location where there may be threatening noise levels of any sort (ie, music store, etc.), they always go in with me.

[Billster]

Jeff, Phil,

 

I appreciate the conundrum of having to accomodate all customers, and being undersold by stores that don't put as much effort into the customer experience. I still insist all music stores should have the following sign displayed in the guitar racks:

 

10 minute limit on guitar and amp demos. If you need help with the features, an associate can help. No Freebird, no Stairway, no Smoke on the Water.

 

Of course the sales staff would actually have to understand the products to offer "guided tours" of the amps and such. I do a lot of homework, and usually know the features better than the sales people. Car dealers really hate me.

[flemtone]

10 minute limit on guitar and amp demos. If you need help with the features, an associate can help. No Freebird, no Stairway, no Smoke on the Water.

 

I approve of this message.

 

Moreso if you add Crazy Train.

 

[bbach]

 

I completely, 100% agree that the stores can be laid out to better accommodate this. But I'm going to walk you through a little scenario that any of you with any background in business will understand. 1. Customer says, "Man, I hate shopping at store X! I can go over to Store Y and audition gear in private soundproofed rooms!" 2. Customer goes to Store Y. Gets great service. Enjoys a great private demo room with a friendly, knowledgeable salesperson. 3. Customer finds out that the $799 he played at Store X goes for $999 at Store Y. Goes back and buys amp at Store X. See, Store X laid out the store in a retail planogram that allowed for more gear of different variety to be on display at all times. Store X was then able to then sell more gear, and then purchase even more gear from the manufacturer, allowing them to get high-volume discounts and thereby offer lower retail pricing. So the rest of the story goes... 4. Store Y eventually goes out of business, and everyone says what a shame it is, and complains about the environment of Store X, but still buys gear from there because at the end of the day, 90% of people make purchase decisions based purely on price when comparing two identical items. You can't have it both ways. GC's choice to use more of their store square footage to sell more things (even at the detriment of creating the perfect environment for musicians) makes good business sense. There are always boutique places in most cities where people can pay a premium for the better environment, if that's what you define as being important to you.

 

 

There are those of us who will pay more for good service. I like a nice deal, but it never has to be the lowest price. I prefer good service and a really helpful salesperson will get my repeat business over and over. However, there are more people out there who will do exactly what you describe. I'm in rv sales. We are not the cheap guys, but we have an incredible customer service oriented store. People travel to us from all over the place. However, after doing all the selling, educating, demonstrating, etc, we often lose a sale to the price leaders out there. Funny how they end up back on our door step seeking service when they have a problem though.

[Outkaster]

 

I've thought of that too, but room dynamics change a lot between set up and the arrival of a multitude of adoring fans. It seems you'd have to have the sensor up front somewhere. We went to a Jamaican restaurant last time we went thru Kansas City. They had an enormous house PA that was uncomfortable from the get go. I think they wanted to be a dance club and ethnic restaurant at the same time.

 

 

 

That is common in JA resturants. Reggae is firmly rooted in our culture and you will see that a lot. I am not saying it is right but very common.

[Jeff da Weasel]

I prefer good service and a really helpful salesperson will get my repeat business over and over.

 

And good for you! If you understand all the implications of post-sale support and all that, it can be better for you in the long run to pay a little more up front for the long-term benefits.

 

People travel to us from all over the place. However, after doing all the selling, educating, demonstrating, etc, we often lose a sale to the price leaders out there. Funny how they end up back on our door step seeking service when they have a problem though.

 

And there you have it. It's the typical scenario whether we're talking about RVs, flat-panel TVs, Les Pauls, or PCs. As grown-ups, we're all capable of making these decisions regarding the trade-offs of price versus service. Choose the one that makes the most sense for you, because NO PLACE is going to offer that trifecta of good, cheap, AND fast. Pick one.

[MikeRivers]

Mars used to have soundproof rooms for just that sort of thing. That's why I always preferred Mars, back in the day. RIP.

Well, maybe that was the intent. I taught a recording class at our local Mars store and they didn't seem to understand that it wasn't a good idea to hold the recording class just down the hall from the drum class. The manager told me "Well, we could schedule the next class you teach to Sunday morning. They don't start getting too loud here until after lunch." No thanks.

[Duddits]

 

Pack plugs. Seriously. If I am going anywhere that I even suspect will get loud, I take some earplugs with me. I've got a small plastic container for them, and they fit easily into my pocket. Concerts, clubs, shooting ranges, music stores, auto races... anywhere I suspect the noise levels will be too loud for too long, I take the plugs. Which means I have them with me a lot.

 

What kind do you use?