Guitar Center

I went to a Guitar Center Store and here is my opinion 04/2021

I needed a string winder, one of those ones that you put on an electric screwdriver. I had multiple guitars to change strings for an up coming project and being the ‘get er done as fast as possible’ guy that I am, I ran to the Guitar center to buy one of those string winders that will help me get the job done. And fast. Seven dollars and change.

Out of the gate here, I have to say how much I like Guitar Center Stores. They bring the best of both worlds. You can get online competitive prices and look at (and hear) what you are buying. You can actually go to a brick and mortar store and not get the huge markup some of the independent retailers unfortunately have to charge to keep the doors open.

So the story is, Guitar Center has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and seemingly came out the other side.

I’m glad.

So the chain is/was having problems. But it seems hopeful that they’ll keep going.

I hope like hell the Guitar Centers keep going. Great place to check stuff out and make a useful decision on what gear to buy.

But…

For the last few years that I have perused the Guitar Center Stores I have got this feeling of being in a foreign country every time I have walked into one of these stores.

There is hardly ever a friendly ‘let me know if I can help you’ as I came into the stores. Now there have been a few ‘hello's’ as I have walked in, and that is nice.

I am a certifiable senior citizen so I realize my musician look factor is zilch, I do not look like someone who has had anything to do with music. I did once but not now. But I also realize it is the boneheads who have worked hard all their lives (many times in the music industry) like me who have a bit of change in their pocket that can equate to a sale.

I realize that the data from all the Guitar Centers around the country probably show that having cool looking musician types saying cool things will increase sales.

And it may well be true.

Or it may be that having these musicians at minimum wage (a guess) and a pittance of commission (another guess) is working when you think you have the market cornered. (I am not aware of what Guitar Center pays but I do know that many musicians will do almost any music related job for near nothing to get out of working at a mundane regular job)

I’m sure there is a satisfaction as a musician working at a musical establishment.

But there is a segment (including me) of buyers that will end up going to an independent store or ordering on line to get the SERVICE we like. I WILL PAY A BIT MORE FOR SOME BASIC FRIENDLY SERVICE.

If I LIKE the sales person, I am more likely to buy.

But alas, the brick and mortar Guitar Centers (and many other larger music store/chains) seem to believe that fantastic looking display and hip sales force will ultimately equate to sales to the beginning to intermediately focused purchasers. It is where the Guitar Center and stores like them are focused and the formula should have been working. Should have.

There is no reason ANYONE who is looking for a musical item that Guitar Center carries should ever go elsewhere. They have the prices and the locations for any purchaser to walk away with the item on the same day.

The only reason it doesn’t happen is that no one is taking an interest in the possible buyer that walks in the door… aka me. Many times I would have to seek out help to try a guitar or a keyboard. And then the atmosphere was weird at best. As a customer, that is disconcerting.

Maybe I look menacing.

I tend to think if the Guitar Center gurus would go around the country to the Guitar Center locations, and do like that show in which the bosses actually go on sight to see what the hell is going on with their employees and see the way an actual customer is treated, there would be some changes.

Then again, maybe there wouldn’t, and that would be a problem.

You have to wonder about hiring twenty some year olds and expecting them to have any social skills without training. I’m talking musicians here. This is just a part of our culture. Part of the musician culture. At that age, many of them don’t really care about much of what goes on around them, only their music and where it is taking them.

Now, I’m sure they care about their music, but they are selling items worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. You hire a neophyte at Dollar Mart, not in the keyboard department at a major musical instrument retailer. Because the dude or dudette can play a keyboard does not make him or her a salesperson.

You also wonder if they are going to have the real world experience to answer your questions. If they did, they would be eager to help you find what you want, even if you don’t know what you need.

If the attitude is ‘MEH’ something is wrong. Maybe the commission structure is needing some help.

I have had quite a few sales relationships with reps from some of the top online retailers. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars with them.

There was one time, I bought a recording console. A big one. I did the research, bought the darn thing sight unseen and the rep had it set up to have it flown to an airport near me and then brought to my studio.

Well low and behold, the damn thing would not fit through the door of the plane, so the rep orchestrated a delivery by truck right to my ‘very rural’ studio. No extra charge, and was happy to do it. He wanted and cherished my business. Needless to say I exchanged a wallowing bunch of Ben Franklin’s with him. Not only with that purchase, but because of the lengths he went, I was a CUSTOMER. I bought a stupid amount of stuff from this guy.

He bent over backwards. That is what sales is all about. Thank you Jeff.

Many of my sales people became friends, and we forged relationships. They were musicians also, and I learned about their projects and they learned about mine.

What Guitar Center needs, in my opinion, is people who WANT to engage the customer.

Yes it helps if they can play the instrument that they are selling. Happy, fun, full of answers to questions about the gear the salesperson is selling goes a long way. A person walks in the door, help them. But you don’t have to play the instrument to be able to figure out what the basic customer needs.

Don’t be a used car salesperson and hover over them, but be there to help and show what you offer.

To be fair, maybe all the things I’m talking about are being done by the folks at Guitar Center and I just happen to not be seeing it the multiple times I’ve been there. They may be well aware of the stuff happening, and I have just not read the staff well. It could be just a coincidence. It could be the problem is me. I might be expecting too much.

Or not.

I for one hope Guitar Center stores bounce back and keep going on.

Update 12/2024

First of all I have to say that I have not been to as many different Guitar Centers lately as I used to go to. I use my home town store as a gauge of what might be happening at other locations for better or worse.

First, I’ve had some very good service as of late. A person greeted me and asked if they could help me find anything. I had to do a return of something I bought from GC online and the process was smooth.

I do think that their online used equipment re-sale division is a great addition and their return policy is like none other in the business. Their used equipment inventory control sometimes is a little skewed, but that’s okay. They got what they got.

Speaking of used equipment, the last two or three times I’ve been to my local GC store, there were more folks bringing in items than taking items out. Maybe they were selling, trading or having repair work done. Don’t know.

One of the things I have found is that from time to time, especially on smaller things like strings and such, the online price is different than the in store price (usually lower cost online). I assume they would price match their own web prices but… I hate tricks.

But all in all, Guitar Center needs to be considered if you are buying gear. Sweetwater is the king but unless you head to Fort Wayne, well, you’re buying online like the rest of us. I like GC and use them.