Guitar Centers New Pricing

Huntlabs · Post by **Huntlabs** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:30 pm

Anyone run into GC's new pricing system yet? They have essentially done away with "preferred" customer pricing and have locked their prices. The only exception seems to be if you have a price match, that is in stock and doesn't involve shipping. I was getting great deals there but no more.

It was kind of quiet in there tonight. Should be good news for the smaller stores that have been competing with GC. Perhaps the mom and pop music store will make a comeback.... but I doubt it.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:26 pm

I used to work in music retail and GC and all the other discount joints fucked up a lot of things for a lot of people trying to make a living. Everybody was forced to follow their lead. Now they are trying to put the Genie back in the bottle. It will probably take them out of the game, but I'd love to see them actually pull it off and let the salespeople actually make some money. Maybe customer service will again matter.

You can't go into the grecery store and say "I buy a lot of food here will ya take $100 for my $135 worth of food? I'm a loyal cutstomer and I'm gonna need food again next week." Yet I heard that shit ever week when I sold music gear. I hope it works!

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:34 pm

I've known about this since February. They've been test marketing it in some ares and it's been doing surprisingly well. While it'll piss some people off at first, it won't make a bit of difference because they'll still have better prices than most average customers can get at mom and pop stores, so they'll continue to shop there, because people just HAVE to have their fucking deals, regardless of service or quality.

It does kind of suck for me because I always got cost+ten even though I never asked for it. AT the same time, they haven't really stocked the sticks or head that I like or any type of pro audio gear (for the most part) that I buy on a regular basis for several years. I'll still buy the few goofy things that they carry from them, but only as a service to the guys there who've hooked me up for years. They sold enough stuff to me without making the commission that I can afford to put some dough in their pockets. (In fact, the guy who sells me the most stuff there also brokered my house and didn't take much of a commission on that, either, God bless him!) At the same time, special-ordering stuff is such a pain that I won't be doing any of that king of thing through GC.

I've witnessed some ridiculous stuff there, though. I watched one guy gripe about something ridiculously insignificant and rant to the sales guys, saying, "Do you know how much money I've spent here?" What this guy didn't realize was that as soon as he left, the employees looked up exactly how much money he'd spent there and found out if was a whopping $18 in like two and half years. I can't feel too sorry for anybody about this.

PLUS, GC just go bought out by a larger corporate company, hence the change in policy. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

weatherbox · Post by **weatherbox** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:28 pm

They've canned commission as well for salespeople. Apparently, a lot of long-time leading salesfolk have been getting canned and replaced with underpaid kids. I'm told they're moving towards not even being salemen, more "sales consultants" who'll be helping you place orders on kiosks?! So I'm told. I'll believe it when I... no. I won't see it, since now that I can't get deals there's not much reason to bother driving all the way down there anymore...

aitikin · Post by **aitikin** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:32 pm

I have a job interview lined up there as soon as school lets out for the summer and two of my friends work there already (basically I have the job). They have known for almost a year now that GC corporate was planning on changing this, and as such have been buying everything they could as soon as their paycheck came in. I have as well, seeing as they'll pass the savings they get on to me, so everything comes into my possession at their prices.

Granted that's only what they have in stock, so my matched stereo pair of 414 XL-IIs weren't bought through them, but anything else I want that they have, I've been buying. The fact that they're actually changing this finally bugs me, cause I was really looking forward to having enough gear to record bands all at once with some stuff left over by the end of the summer. I'll probably still be able to afford all the gear I want right now, but the gear I'll want in 2 months, I'll probably be screwed out of. Why couldn't they have hired me a year or two ago!?

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:50 pm

GC will soon be even more like Best Buy.

i'm still not giving them my money.

ledogboy · Post by **ledogboy** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:06 pm

Honestly, I'm kind of stoked about this. I fucking hate Guitar Center, and now I have 0 reason to ever go there again. We have had some amazing deals from them (the former owner of the studio bought huge amounts of gear, all from the same sales guy), but I prefer to support a small company- of which there are plenty in this neighborhood. Fuck 'em. Let 'em rot. Cheers,
Ryan
ps. There was nothing lamer than having to convince a GC dude that you deserved a discount while on tour on the other side of the country. I much prefer to just know the damn price up front.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:28 am

ledogboy wrote:There was nothing lamer than having to convince a GC dude that you deserved a discount while on tour on the other side of the country. I much prefer to just know the damn price up front.

So, what makes being on tour worthy of a discount? If you'd rather know the prices up front, then why would you feel the need to demand a discount. Technically, their stuff IS discounted. Thousands of people tour every year. Why should one guy touring be eligible for a discount in a tore where he doesn't know anybody?

I'm with Tony. I don't go into a grocery store and start haggling. Why should I do that at a music store? Maybe it's because I don't so this that I was always treated well at GC.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:28 am

i hate haggling. just quote me a reasonable price and i'll hand you my money. easier for everyone.

Huntlabs · Post by **Huntlabs** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:13 am

cgarges wrote:
ledogboy wrote: I'm with Tony. I don't go into a grocery store and start haggling. Why should I do that at a music store? Maybe it's because I don't so this that I was always treated well at GC.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
Some places, some country's you do haggle over grocery's and everything else.

Some of my earliest memories are haggling with the owners of Music 6000 in Olympia, WA. I learned how to do it when I was about 14. Can't say I really enjoy it but it has been part of the musical purchasing game since 1977, at least. (F-ck now I feel old. F-ck I am old, Crap crap crap)

I've spent loads of money at GC over the past years. I always had someone there that I knew and liked and they treated me well and I treated them well. It was so nice to be able to call and just get quoted a low low price with no haggling.

I'm just loving the poll results!! Making me laugh! UFO's and Satan are tied, ROFLMA

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:49 am

music equipment stores are not the same as grocery stores.

not in the least.

*wonders when the GC Pro banners will start appearing on TOMB*

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:03 pm

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:i hate haggling. just quote me a reasonable price and i'll hand you my money. easier for everyone.

You pay a premium for the privilege of not haggling. At those no-haggle car lots people pay an average of 7 percent more than they would at a traditional haggling lot.
Gc is smart to eliminate haggling, considering their target demographics (soccer dads)

DefD · Post by **DefD** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:04 pm

Tatertot wrote:
MoreSpaceEcho wrote:i hate haggling. just quote me a reasonable price and i'll hand you my money. easier for everyone.
You pay a premium for the privilege of not haggling. At those no-haggle car lots people pay an average of 7 percent more than they would at a traditional haggling lot.
Gc is smart to eliminate haggling, considering their target demographics (soccer dads)

and semi-retired rock stars with no money problems.

dsw · Post by **dsw** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:48 pm

PostPosted: Fri 11.04.08, 11:26 pm Post subject: Re: Guitar Centers New Pricing
I used to work in music retail and GC and all the other discount joints fucked up a lot of things for a lot of people trying to make a living. Everybody was forced to follow their lead. Now they are trying to put the Genie back in the bottle. It will probably take them out of the game, but I'd love to see them actually pull it off and let the salespeople actually make some money. Maybe customer service will again matter.

You can't go into the grecery store and say "I buy a lot of food here will ya take $100 for my $135 worth of food? I'm a loyal cutstomer and I'm gonna need food again next week." Yet I heard that shit ever week when I sold music gear. I hope it works!

Amen Brother!!
But I think the GC policy will only last a little while. The Genie is really hard to put back in the bottle and these days anybody with a computer and a garage can start a muisc gear business. Those guys are the ones who drive the "I can sell it lower than anybody else" craze because price is the only marketing tool they have.
I understand that a lower price is attractive to customers, but in the long run its bad for the music community at large because well trained informative sales help will be harder and harder to come by. One thing I hear a lot from "newbie" customers is "Gee, I wish I'd talked to you before I bought my blah blah blah from those idiots at GC....you would have saved me a lot of money." And most of the time I sell for the exact same price as GC!

farview · Post by **farview** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:52 pm

Maybe it will take less than two hours to buy a set of strings now that the sales guy doesn't have to fight the outdated computer system to get you an extra 20 cents off.

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