Music store salesperson disgust today

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Milkmansound
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Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by Milkmansound » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:03 pm

I stopped into one of the stores in my town just to poke around today with some friends. I found an old symetrix compressor tucked away and decided that for $80 what the hell... So anyway the salesperson is taking it out of the rack and I say, "You can never have enough compressors, right?" Then he shoots me this look like I know nothing and says that I am wrong. That he would never use compressors on anything except maybe drums. Here is a quote "in my friends studio we never use compressors" ok dude... I said something along the lines of why I have so many, and they are kinda useful to get a nice thick punchy sound, and that if I had a rack with LA2A's in it I would be in heaven... WTF? I guess this is why I usually go to the other music store in town. I mean, was he trying to sell this thing to me or what?

Meanwhile I got it home and played with it for 2 hours. Its a nice destructive comp! Totally worth the money, and at home with the other 8 channels of compression I have collected over the years. Just thought I'd share.
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Mark Alan Miller
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by Mark Alan Miller » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:09 pm

I like compression.

Sorry for your bad experience.
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hearnoevil
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by hearnoevil » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:14 pm

Well, you know, since he works in a music store, he obviously knows more about gear than you do, right? I mean, that's why they hire people like that in music stores- because they have a vast product knowledge and infinite skill. Right?

:roll:
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ape32
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by ape32 » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:14 pm

Kinda like the music store guy that told me my SVT was useless because you can't get 6550 tubes anymore! The funny thing is this is the same store, that used to be considered unpleasantly corporate, is my relief from Guitard Centre

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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by kcrusher » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:20 pm

No compressors in his friends studio?

Yeah, they're REAL engineers!
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by Cappy*tan » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:23 pm

What are compressors? :rofl:

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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by chema » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:34 pm

look, i'm not justifying any asshole's actions (or words), but not everyone that works in a music store falls into the dumbass/jerk category like i often see posted around here, i work in a music store ("boutique" acoustic guitars) and there are some benefits to doing so, it pays my bills when doing bands is slow, my rent is paid, my bills are paid, i have health insurance and i can do as many bands as i can hustle for whatever profit i want to make, i don't have to pound my ears doing live sound in a club, i don't have to sit behind a desk, blah blah blah, and i did work pro audio sales at a large independent store, and chances are if something like that came up, i'd've bought it myself like all the other cool crap i pulled for myself or people i knew would be interested before it even made it to the floor, and then there's all the free education that i gave out to folks that bought stuff from me because i felt it was only fair to show people how to use their new stuff, i'm rambling but the point is that it bums me out when people group together music store employees as not knowing what they are talking about or as all being greedy, yes, those folks exist but most of us are just people trying to make a living, i can also say that you do spend a lot of time talking to complete and utter morons and that can make you a little jaded, i should also mention the built in and instant clientele base that you get from talking to musicians all day (invaluable when you're broke), so next time someone in a music store pisses you off, either shoot them yourself, or rest comfortably in the fact that they are idiots and you are not (making an assumption there) and that's punishment enough in and of itself, but bitching about it and lumping them all together is one-sided and unfair, anyhow that's just the devil's advocate's side for some perspective...
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by yardleyone » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:41 pm

There's one music store employee that I by stuff from, and I've followed him through 4 different stores. Right now he even works at the dreaded Guitar Center, so I go there. But my point is, is that he''s a good music store employee, so I've been loyal to him for at least ten years now. Maybe that'll cheer you up chema.
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by hearnoevil » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:46 pm

I totally agree. My boyfriend works in a well-known music shop in NYC & he's not an asshole. He's actually GREAT with customers- helpful, not condescending, knowledgeable, and not afraid to admit when he doesn't know something. However, even HE will say a lot (if not most) of music store employees are dumbass, misogynist jerks. Of course, half the customers are losers with no jobs who come in to the shops to kill time while these poor bastards are living on commission only paychecks! Damn. It's a loose-loose situation!

You seem nice, though. I'm sorry guys like you are getting a bad reputation- you're not all bad! :D
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by Milkmansound » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:01 pm

yeah Chema - if more people were like you this would never be an issue. The fact is, I was kind of condescended to by a kid who obviously knows little and I thought I'd make light of the situation. Its not like I went in there to bust balls - something I could very easily do if I wanted to - I just wanted to buy this cheap ass comp and destroy audio with it in my bedroom. Its funny to me that this guy had a problem with that and it seemed like he was trying to not sell this thing to me. Who knows, maybe he was just bsing because his friend with the studio wanted it for himself or something. Music stores are fun to go into period - its the good salespeople and employees that are going to keep them in existance as opposed to Mucisians Fiend and online catalog stores being it - so keep it up!
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by Ronan » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:03 pm

You can usually get good info from guys (or gals) at the smaller non corprate music stores. Its pretty dodgy at the big corporate banjo marts. I had a buddy at guitar center whose only recording experience was recording one song with his guitar on a cassetter recorder. They moved into Pro audio sales.

Last week i was looking for a guitar volume pedal at Sam Ash and asked to look at the "Steve Vai" Morely model. The sales guy told me it was designed so that if I did not play exactly like Steve Vai, then it would be useless for me.

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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by andyg666 » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:17 pm

hearnoevil wrote:Of course, half the customers are losers with no jobs who come in to the shops to kill time while these poor bastards are living on commission only paychecks! Damn. It's a loose-loose situation!
Woah, rewind... commission only?!?!? If you don't sell you don't get paid? Is this how it is in the big music shops?!?!? damn...

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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by Randy » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:26 pm

Another voice saying "yeah, chema!" I only go to GC when I need it NOW, and 50% of the time the folks are great. They are kinda nervous, as if they have to say "do you want fries with that" and don't want to say it, but they often know what's up and aren't afraid to admit it when they don't. I just ignore the other 50%. Try doing that, it's really easy.

All other times (which is most of the time) I order from my guy at Full Compass because he steers me right and will take the stuff back if it doesn't work for me- which hasn't happened yet. I have returned countless things to GC, and not for the "free rental" purpose that gets abused.
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by JGriffin » Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:49 pm

I generally go through my sales rep at Sweetwater Chicago. I have a similar relationship with him that Randy seems to have with his Full Compass guy--I've bought lots of stuff from him over the years, both for work and home, and he's always taken care of me.
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phait
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Re: Music store salesperson disgust today

Post by phait » Tue Dec 28, 2004 10:19 pm

chema wrote:look, i'm not justifying any asshole's actions (or words), but not everyone that works in a music store falls into the dumbass/jerk category like i often see posted around here, i work in a music store ("boutique" acoustic guitars) and there are some benefits to doing so, it pays my bills when doing bands is slow, my rent is paid, my bills are paid, i have health insurance and i can do as many bands as i can hustle for whatever profit i want to make, i don't have to pound my ears doing live sound in a club, i don't have to sit behind a desk, blah blah blah, and i did work pro audio sales at a large independent store, and chances are if something like that came up, i'd've bought it myself like all the other cool crap i pulled for myself or people i knew would be interested before it even made it to the floor, and then there's all the free education that i gave out to folks that bought stuff from me because i felt it was only fair to show people how to use their new stuff, i'm rambling but the point is that it bums me out when people group together music store employees as not knowing what they are talking about or as all being greedy, yes, those folks exist but most of us are just people trying to make a living, i can also say that you do spend a lot of time talking to complete and utter morons and that can make you a little jaded, i should also mention the built in and instant clientele base that you get from talking to musicians all day (invaluable when you're broke), so next time someone in a music store pisses you off, either shoot them yourself, or rest comfortably in the fact that they are idiots and you are not (making an assumption there) and that's punishment enough in and of itself, but bitching about it and lumping them all together is one-sided and unfair, anyhow that's just the devil's advocate's side for some perspective...
That was hard to read. PERIODS and PARAGRAPHS, PLEASE! :!:

I wish I worked at a music store, but they hardly ever hire at the ones here. But I would be honest with the customer if I didn't know anything about such and such gear. I'm not a bullshitter.

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