| Well, in Oregon the Guitar Centers are better than pretty much all of the competition. I've had great experiences with GC. They aren't pushy, they are willing to bend the rules if they need to (I bought a e609 silver and hated it and they said I could return it even though it's against policy because I promised I had just used the mic on guitar cabs) and they have OK prices.
My experiences at locally owned stores (and I have been to a LOT of stores in the Portland area) have been terrible. I've literally gone in to a store where I just wanted to make a purchase (I was trying to buy some Fralin pickups), but the guy behind the counter was such a moron and such an arse I had to give up and leave without my pickups. When you're like "so what's the difference in tonal qualities between x and y?" and the guy is ignoring you because his friend is farting and it's funny you know it's not a good customer service experience. :) In another local store (people here call it a**hole music... you Portlanders know what I'm talking about!) I had a guy tell me "look, I don't give a f*** unless my name is on the invoice".
So, my point is: I don't know about other states, but in Oregon you guys are doing great. I don't care how much the guys at your store know about x. I probably know more about what I want anyway, and ANY purchase that I make I do a ton of research before I ever set foot in your store. What I REALLY want is somebody that's not a complete jerk to facilitate my testing/buying process. Because, seriously, I don't trust somebody else to tell me what's what.
However, that's just me, and everybody is different. Some people want to come in with some vague notion like "I want a guitar for my <insert relationship here>" and they want you to say "gee, your daughter is going to LOVE this hello kitty strat!". It's all about listening to what people are telling you and trying to act accordingly. |