Bad experiences with guitar stores

I'm a having an official Schmange Day tonight and just wanted to relate some bad experiences I've had with music stores over the years.

You know.... the kinda stuff where you go into a music store and things are going smoothly and then suddenly, some asshole salesperson or customer makes out and acts like a total dick and ruins your day.

Like.... picking up an acoustic guitar off the wall and accidentally banging it against another guitar.... every body looks at you and the owner of the store makes you look like an assole by pointing you out and saying 'please be careful with the guitars! they're expecsive".

Having temporarily moved to London,I have been in the market for a small bedroom amp...you know, just a 10watt marshall or summin,just to give me some noise...anyway, walking into store asking for small amps such as these, it is really funny as most salespeople assume I am a beginner and speak to me like I have no idea what an amp does...it's really amusing...try it sometime... :p

See it from the salespersons point of view... if you dont explain your not a beginner then short of telepathy hes not gona know.

Also I worked in a guitar store for a bit and the amount of people that come in, play the guitars, but have no intension of every buying one is unbelievable.

You get guys that come in on the way home from school, perhaps they have time to kill before their bus arrives and they just sit their messing about with stuff.

Every shop has its jerks, probably because the general public have scalded them at work over time. Its hard working in a shop, you gota put up wi a lota crap from customers. Ive worked in a few shops on n off during uni and you get people, particularly old people, just coming in looking for arguments. Theyll spot price mistakes then cause a scene either trying to get things cheap or purely to show you up and be smart. Or they ask for refunds on things that work fine!! I remember one old guy brought in a weather vane, asked for a refund, I looked at the reciept and he had bought it from us 4 years ago!

I have nothing against old people, and Im not agist! But theres a definatel correlation between older people and demographic of annoying customers!

Yeah, I think it's ok to assume the customer doesn't know as much as you when you're a salesperson and all, but there are lines to that. Like, say, the point where you practically condescend the customer because they don't have the salesman's job. I don't really go into music stores as there are very few near by my home, but some I've been to I recall a guy trying to convince me that the cheapest you could possibly get bagpipes for was $5000, which I later that day looked online and found a few for about $1000 at the most expensive. My main problem is when you're just browsing but not in the market and the salesman can't cope with that. I was looking at drums and people that know me know that I am by no means a drummer, nor do I have the desire to play drums. I even blatently said "I don't like drums". I told the guy I wasn't buying, just looking and I said if I did anything percussion-wise I'd get a drum machine. So the guy drags me around, galavanting through the store to find a guy preoccupied with other customers so I can talk to him about something I don't want to buy. So after that I just left the store.

When I walk into a guitar shop where no one knows me (i.e. outside of Iowa City or Newcastle), I will introduce my self to the sales person with words like

"Hi, I have been playing for 20+ years and Im looking for a... or a something like...."

The only problems I usually have is that they don't have what Im looking for.

I also make a point of knowing the going rate for what I want. If they are not willing to at least match the on-line price then I can always walk with my Visa card still in my pocket and fully loaded.

Originally Posted by: Axl_RoseSee it from the salespersons point of view... if you dont explain your not a beginner then short of telepathy hes not gona know.

Also I worked in a guitar store for a bit and the amount of people that come in, play the guitars, but have no intension of every buying one is unbelievable

I have also worked in a few stores and agree with you on most of these points. The thing with the small amp tho, some of those guys tried to sell me some really bad amps, telling me that they were really great..."I am actually going to buy one of those myself" is a common line...

As for other funny customer things,when I was working in a video store, we once had a lady come in and ask where we kept our horse movies...? that one had me rolling about...because of course our films were displyed according to the animals that feature in them...then we had a special section of farm animals,where there was more than one animal in the film...

another favourite is when someone walks into a fully staffed store,with an open door, and asks if we are open...or when people returned dvds that were broken clean in half...how the hell do you do that?

I rele can not stand going into the music store by me. I had taken lessons from them in my earlier days, and we had 3 big hurricanes hit land in our city, and ever since then they have been disorganized, and since they are the only music store within a 50 mile radius, they have very high prices, and a lack of anything good in thier store. I have never seen an Epi, Fender, Gibson, and very rarely do i ever find an Ibanez in stock. The staff seems like they have done way too much weed to know what I am saying. I went in and asked for strings and this guy just looks at me with this....why is she looking for strings here face. I now have to buy all my stuff online.

I would be very weary buying any guitar online...usually it is no problem, but I like to play a guitar before I buy it...sometimes guitars vary even tho they are the exact same models with the same specs...I find this particularly true with low-end instruments(like Squire in particular) and in Gibsons(I own a really nice Gibson Les Paul, but the consistancy of Gibson is terrible, I would never buy a Gibson before trying it...but if you get a good one...then its good!)

Many on line stores (like Music123.com) have a sale or return policy for just that reason.

If the neck is bent or the neck housing is cracked, just send it back !

(this is a cool thread)

Im one of these people that ask if the store is still open, simply because sometimes you go in and you cant quite tell if they are about to close. If they are about to close they give you evil looks and make you uncomfortable.

Everyone hates the local guitar shop in my town because, and Ive heard several people say it, and man its sooo true, when you walk in there you feel like your interupting a conversation between the 3 guys that work there!!

I HATE IT WHEN THEY DONT GIVE YOU A DISCOUNT FOR CASH! I always ask what they can knock off it If I pay in cash, on things that are expensive, TVs, Guitars, you know, electrical stuff, worth £500 or so. And so many numptys say no! They lose about 2% in admin when things are bought by card so the staff should all be aware that for cash, they should knock about 2% off. Try explaining that to a sales person! They never believe you!

I also hate when you get hounded by the staff. A lot of clothes shops in the UK are like this, the staff get paid by comission so as soon as you walk through the door they run up to you asking if they can help!! Just say hello to us!! Its friendly and makes you approachable!

Originally Posted by: Axl_Rose(this is a cool thread)
by card so the staff should all be aware that for cash, they should knock about 2% off. Try explaining that to a sales person! They never believe you!

I also would have thought so, but the guitar store in which I worked here in London actually encouraged card payments, as all sales staff were ablse to process cards, where as for cash, we had to lead the customers downstairs to the cashier...by paying in cash, customers forced us to hire a cashier and therefore cost the shop more...if you follow what I am saying...

Before I worked there I was always wanting cash discount, but I guess I now understand why it is not always available.

Originally Posted by: Andrew SaI find this particularly true with low-end instruments(like Squire in particular)

How very true. My squier bass (being my first instrument ever), despite the being about as low end as it gets, plays quite well. The neck does anyway... for what it is mind you. It could be better, but I dont' feel ripped off by any means, but the second I get a new bass that one's going right into retirement. Until then it's crappy bass sound in my recordings. Still like it though.