RETAIL :: Guitar Center Reviews

Review local and chain retail stores.

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Morrison
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Post by Morrison »

I'll start by saying that at every shop I have worked at, there has eventually been some forum that alternately bashes and worships the durn place. GC isn't for every body... neither is Sweetwater... or Gig... or B sharp. It's all about personalities and relationships.

And Al? I'm sorry for making more money than you while we were both there. You were just too stupid for me to help you any more...

(and I am going to point out that the phrase above was a JOKE. i know how sensitive you folks can be :) )

As someone who has a pretty decent amount of product knowledge, I find it pretty difficult to grab on to find a sales guy who can really educate me. That's not what i go into GC for. I go in for good deals on gear, with a good selection of used stuff, with guys who won't bullsh*t me. period. GC fills that need for me. Are there guys in PA who know very little about PA? Sure. You find that all over, man. Find the guy who is "your guy", and develop a relationship with him so that he knows how you expect to be treated as a customer. You will help him grow, and vice versa.

And no, GC did not pay me to say that. dorks.

Morrison
bassplayer92
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Post by bassplayer92 »

Well about a few days ago I bought me a hardcase. The same guy I bought my bass from is the same guy I bought this case from. It was suppose to be a little over $100 and he gave it to me for around $95. Not a big deal but I got a little off. Everytime I go in and buy something from him he always gets me a deal somehow. So like kimaliz was saying go in there and develop a relationship with one of them and guranteed you won't have a problem as long as that guy is there.
bassjones
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Post by bassjones »

You didn't get a deal, you got a hook. That's the same price he gave everybody else that day, and he told them all they were getting a great deal, and he might "get in trouble" for selling it that cheaply.

That said, I bought strings there Saturday, and I'm most likely going to be buying my next amplifier from GC - only because they're the exclusive US dealer for the amp I want though. I got a good hook on the strings I bought - two sets of DR High Beam 5-strings. Real good price on the second set. Probably the same deal he'll give each of you, but I'm not telling. Go get it yourself.
"brad!
...your tunes and your playing sound really great... all the best to you and god bless-
adam nitti" www.myspace.com/adamnittimusic

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Oliver's Army
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Post by Oliver's Army »

Knowing my product line, giving 'deals' (real or not), remembering customers and shooting straight made me a crapload for years at Lehmans. Especially in car stereo and dealing with uninformed customers.

I was commissioned an HAD to be a pro, or I didn't last long. I can't speak for G.C.,... but retail...especially "high-end" ala' Best Buy and the like, is pitiful.

I *almost* never rely on advice from the salesperson. Do your homework first and caveat emptor.
jschall84
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Post by jschall84 »

i love working at gc. i know ive talked to a few of you and i hope you dont think im an idiot. i love to talk shop and help people find what they need. i dont worry much about profit but its nice when somebody drops $10000 on a pa or $5000 on a les paul. i totally understand about other peoples experiences with some of our salesmen. as an asst manager, ive really tried to get guys to get people what they need, not just what makes the most. and i absolutly hate hearing a salesman lie to a customer...
" oh i love paul reeds, i got my first one 10 years ago, and have had 10 since" .........blah...........
anywho.. that being said, come buy stuff from me, ill be sure to sell you the most expensive thing that you cant afford...hey gotta pay for that porsche somehow...
Last edited by jschall84 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dagwood Lee
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Post by Dagwood Lee »

i absolutly hate hearing a salesman lie to a customer...
It's not the lies that have pissed people off as much as the eye-rolling and the "dude, you-use-so and so? Dude! You are so not using the right gear, bro."

I've been to GC quite a bit and have experienced it first-hand and witnessed it with other customers.

Rule 1: Don't call customers who are not your very personal friends "dude" or "bro".

Rule 2: If the customer likes a certain brand, make him feel it's a good choice and THEN gently and tactfully offer what you consider the "better" option.

Rule 3: Don't act like you're a rock star.
Stop.Drop.Roll.
bassjones
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Post by bassjones »

jschall84 wrote:i love working at gc. i know ive talked to a few of you and i hope you dont think im an idiot. i love to talk shop and help people find what they need. i dont worry much about profit but its nice when somebody drops $10000 on a pa or $5000 on a les paul. i totally understand about other peoples experiences with some of our salesmen. as an asst manager, ive really tried to get guys to get people what they need, not just what makes the most. and i absolutly hate hearing a salesman lie to a customer...
" oh i love paul reeds, i got my first one 10 years ago, and have had 10 since" .........queer...........
anywho.. that being said, come buy stuff from me, ill be sure to sell you the most expensive thing that you cant afford...hey gotta pay for that porsche somehow...
I will say this. I've talked to you and you seem to know your stuff. Some of the rest of the staff are complete idiots. The first few times I asked about Mark Bass, I got blank stares and Idunnos from everybody - this was at least 6 months after Mark Bass announced that GC was going to be their exclusive US dealer (not sure for how long, but for now), and after there had been reviews in every bass magazine in the US and UK, so anybody in the bass department should (IMHO) already have been quite familiar with the product line. You actually knew what I was talking about and were honest enough to say that your store wouldn't be carrying them in-house, but you could order it for me from any other store at the same price.

I do wish you would carry it in-house so that I could try it out first - also, I think people around here would buy a boatload of that stuff, since it's a lot cheaper than ampeg, weighs about 7 pounds and sounds better than anything ampeg, GK, Hartke, or SWR ever made. Also, the trade-in price I was quoted for trading my rig towards the Little Mark was pretty poor or I probably would have already bought one.
"brad!
...your tunes and your playing sound really great... all the best to you and god bless-
adam nitti" www.myspace.com/adamnittimusic

www.bradjonesbass.com
http://groups.myspace.com/northeastindianabassplayers
www.myspace.com/bassjones
www.myspace.com/whitehotnoise
www.esession.com/bradjones - hire me for your session from anywhere in the world.
jschall84
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Post by jschall84 »

Rule 3: Don't act like you're a rock star.
so true... yeah man let me show you this guitar.... medily medily medily medily medily medily...........chug chug chug chug chug wee wee wee
adam atherton
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Post by adam atherton »

...and it's pretty bad form when you are listed as a dealer on a company's website to tell customers that they've never heard of the product....


...trust me, the manufacturer wasn't happy to hear it either. i reckon it will get back to the complete idiot i spoke with. the "guitar specialist".


(the product was there when i went in.)



oh, well. taco bell starts at like $8 an hour now.

"oh, you like the tay-coes. good choice. i've been eating tay-coes for years now."


BUY LOCAL. BUY LOCAL. BUY LOCAL.
jschall84
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Post by jschall84 »

BUY LOCAL. BUY LOCAL. BUY LOCAL.
im about as local as you can get, my friend...


from now on.. free hugs with every purchase!!!
bassjones
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Post by bassjones »

I almost always buy local, but when nobody carries what I need, I go to GC. Nobody local has DR strings in stock. Nobody local has Mark Bass, Euphonic Audio or Eden bass amps - my next likely amp purchase will come from this group of high end, lightweight amps (I'm getting too old to lug around that big old rack system)... Most likely, I'm getting the Little Mark, which means I'm going to GC.
"brad!
...your tunes and your playing sound really great... all the best to you and god bless-
adam nitti" www.myspace.com/adamnittimusic

www.bradjonesbass.com
http://groups.myspace.com/northeastindianabassplayers
www.myspace.com/bassjones
www.myspace.com/whitehotnoise
www.esession.com/bradjones - hire me for your session from anywhere in the world.
MrSpall
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Post by MrSpall »

Was really dissapointed on a recent trip to GC. I called ahead and had them hold a new mic for me. They had one in stock, and I was picking it up in 3 days. I went to get it at the appointed time and they couldn't find it. An employee eventually brought up one that was on the service shelf and tried to sell me it - at full price. We checked it, and it didn't even work. Turns out they'd sent my (brand new, unopened) mic back to Shure for service instead of the bad one.

Went to Sweetwater, who'd originally had a much higher price on the mic, and told them of my situation. I told them I had a show coming up and really wanted to use this new mic. They matched the GC price and I was able to buy it right then.

I've had some good experiences with GC, buying small stuff (strings and such), but everytime I've made a large purchase there something has gone wrong. I was however, really impressed with Sweetwater.
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Garr
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Post by Garr »

I stood at the counter on Saturday afternoon in the middle of the day. I was greeted by the greeter; ignored by at least 4 salespeople who walked in front of or behind me; bumped into twice by one salesperson who was almost as fat as I.

Not one of them said a word.

I just wanted to buy picks.

Only one of them was actually with a customer.

GC no longer gets my business, no matter how good the deals are.
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