Part of the solution---if you shop at Guitar Center, read this

[dan le]

Like I said, I like Guitar Center.
Yes, I don't expect the salespeople to know the high end stuff, so I do a lot of reading before I come in and order it.
People are bashing Guitar Center, and I bet that a lot of people go there first to look at the stuff, ask questions (aka, wasting the salespeople time), and then do that chicken shoot stuff, which is buying on line to save on the tax. If you do that, then you should not feel too glorified about bashing Guitar Center.
On the other hand, I called Sweetwater once in a while, same shoot. "Oh, I will have to get back to you on that", and the call never got back to me.
So, samo, samo.
Now, what Guitar Center should do, which hopefully they can do now, being a private company, is to pay their people, from manager on down, more money so the good people will stay.Think about it, why should anyone tried to bust their chop trying to learn Pro Tools HD for the same pay as the guy that works for in and out burger? Ridiculous.
And like nymo said, Eli, you should have people clearly identified for their field of expertise (with badges or whatever you have), and at the end, the 2 salespeople can share the credit, 1 for getting the customer to come in, and 1 for getting the customer to buy.
I had suggested this with Victoria a long time ago. I wonder she is still with the company or not.
In the end if you really think hard about it, where else would you go? The music business is not like the fast food business, where there are so many choices of patronizing different businesses.
I am grateful that there is a Guitar Center, and I do live in the Bay Area, so it is not like I live in the boondog, and let me tell you that the other guys are not better, eventhough they claim to be.
I thank Jack Ortolani, Mike Brusseau, Michael Logue, Paul Puri at Guitar Center in San Jose, Roberto in San Francisco (no longer there), and Nathan, somewhere down southern Cal now, Jason in your store (no longer there) for all the help I got all these years.
Keep it up Eli.
dan le

[stevep]

Originally Posted by dasmetre

Eric is currently in the Sherman Oaks store...my old stomping ground! Come on down, I'd love to hear what you think of FV.
Eli
ps: I enjoyed your build thread! Hows that coming?

Cool, after Christmas ill try and get over there

The studio has been done and in operation for around a year and all is well booked solid and sounding great !


peace,

steve

[fross]

Originally Posted by u b k

what saved my sanity was when i stopped thinking of the employees there as salespeople and started viewing them as cashiers.
life got easier, for everyone.

This is very very true. I shop tons online and I occasionally go to GC.
Most of the time the sales folks really don't know shit and that's okay.
Because in this age of internet-imforamation-forums-discussions etc., none of us should be asking ANY sales folks for serious guidance and recommendations, especially with big-ticket items.

What I'm saying (and what UBK so eloquently stated) is that if you don't know what you want/need before going to GC, there will likely be problems. GC works best for those who have done ther homework ahead of time and know what they want or know what they need to try out and audition.

[soundrick]

Originally Posted by dasmetre

I'd also like to point out that if I want to move high end gear, you guys ARE my market. I appreciate all the suggestions I get that will help me gain your trust.
Eli

Hmmm....OK,
Well, in that case, people have hit on some great points in this thread that should help you.

knowledge, knowledge, knowledge. And not just specs, but real-world experience with the gear you're selling. I wouldn't trust anyone's opinion on a preamp they're trying to sell me, if they haven't actually recorded anything through it and did a direct comparison with other preamps. Set up and record some tracks at the store. You've got everything you need: gear, instruments, musicians, etc...
Have the associates participate and critique the sounds....
Do this all the time, I bet some of your guys will soak in some useful stuff that will help them communicate the uses of the gear with customers.
They'll develop their own INFORMED opinions about what they think sounds good/bad, and whether they're "right" or not is irrelevent, as it's all opinion anyway. Kind of like this forum!

good luck

[dasmetre]

Happy Holidays!

-Eli

[dannygold]

Why do people got to GC, or any other brick and mortar store? Two reasons... Because they need seomthing NOW or they want to try something out. My GC (Boston) more or less fails on both counts.

#1: Takes forever to get something because the sales reps (who I have the utmost sympathy for) are busy explaining what an EQ is to someone about to buy a PA... who doesn't know what an EQ is? Car stereos and boom boxes have them! SOLUTION: Let me PREORDER ONLINE and just walk in with a confirmation number, go to the "express desk" where the thing is waiting. NOTE: The express area should be a "Stairway Free Zone".

#2: Trying things out is impossible. At my store at least they've done away the display room where you could push a button and try out diffrent mics... not that that was super effective, but at least you could... you know... try things out. I guess there's some of that in the guitar section, some pedal displays. The real problem is letting people play Stairway at maximum levels so that even with headphones on trying out a pedal you only know what the pedal sounds like layered with Stairway. I used to like Mars Music because it was quiet in there. Of course, they closed the chain so maybe not the best way to go there.

It's great that someone from GC is asking though. Too bad the thread turned ugly.

Danny Gold
www.myspace.com/polystarmusic

[Paul Secondino]

Originally Posted by dasmetre

I'm the general Manager for GC in Fountain Valley, CA and have a question for you guys--

What do we need to do better? I want to be a part of the solution.
Thanks
Eli

ps--I hope this doesn't turn into a "you guys suck" thread, because that's not going to help us get better at what we do.

thanks again!

Some practical suggestions related to instruments I have are these :

Guitar Center tends to stock Korean and Chinese guitars and basses.Fine , no big deal. But I know I am going to see the exact same guitars every time I go to the two local GC's. So since I enjoy some of the Ibanez line I'd suggest:

Stock the Korean models but also keep a few of the prestige line in stock.I occasionally see a Satriani or Jem 7VWh but pretty much nothing else from the Ibanez line especially 7 strings.

I also see a wall full of ESP LTD series but none of their Japanese line. The Japanese models are the good ones.

Also , a big problem for me is to see bone headed kids scratching the hell out of instruments and mishandling them .Because of seeing this , I really have no confidence that I am actually buying a new instrument from Guitar Center.

Lastly, and most importantly, I am a music teacher in my own studio and have seen a lot of my students bring in guitars the yjsut bought from guitar center. In one instance, a beginer player bought a Ibanez RG 320. It played poorly and buzzed a lot. I checked it out and the neck had a big hump in the finger board and a frozen truss rod. I couldn't budge it. I recommended he take it back under store policy and get a replacement.

Out of curiosity, I went to the store the next day and I saw the defective guitar back on the wall. I knew it was the one because it had a small chip on the headstock. That guitar should have gone back to Ibanez or should have been discarded. It was junk. Instead , some kid who didn't know any better bought it. I know other stores do this and not just guitar center. But a store with Guitar Center's buying power should be setting the example in selling quality instruements.

Regarding amps

In my local Guitar Centers I see the same Marshall, Krank and B 52 amps along with the same Fender amps.Some guitar centers carry better lines like Diezel, Mesa and VHT . But not the ones in Connecticut. I have no problem spending 2 grand on a quality amp but my local GC's don't carry anything like that.

As a suggestion, I think someone in the store should be in charge of making sure the amps are not abused and are working properly. I have occasionally turned on a Marshall head at the local GC that either doesn't work or has been left on without any speaker cab hooked up.This is a great way to destroy an amp's output transformer.

I'd like to see GC change by putting quality control people on the floor and advertise the arrangement to restore confidence that we wont be buying a beat on amp or one with dead preamp/power tubes.It would be nice to see a GC flyer with, "Every Guitar Center Amp is guaranteed to be in Perfect working condition. Here's Joe one of our quality control staff inspecting and testing this amp before it goes on the floor"



Regarding Pro Audio

Guitar Center carries some decent gear. However I do almost all my pro audio gear shopping at sweetwater. I buy there because I get technical support any time I need it.I might have to wait til the following business day but that's ok. If I ever have any problem at all, sweetwater takes care of it immediately. That's what I expect and need when I am spending 4 or 5 grand on recording equipment.I know there are other places I migth be better off shopping like Mercenary Audio for example but sweetwater seems to take care of me so I feel no need to jump ship.At least not yet.Plus, they seem to carry just about everything.

With Guitar Center's buying power, I see no reason why they shouldn't be constantly training their sales staff how to actually "use" the gear in the store.Most GC pro audio sales people are trained how to give quick answers like "This one has better mic pres" or "this one sounds more 3D" but I know I am being patronized. Anyway, I wasn't happy with my first 2 purchases from GC's pro audio department so I haven't considered buying anything since.

IF GC can get quality control to happen and create the kind of service I get at sweetwater, I'd be pleased to shop at GC's pro audio again.Nothing is cooler than going into a pro audio store where actual pros work.


I hope this helps

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by dannygold

Let me PREORDER ONLINE and just walk in with a confirmation number, go to the "express desk" where the thing is waiting. [/url]

Actually one solution, a mixed blessing for sure, is to Get Old. Call up GC with the gravitas/geezertude of being a Certified Grownup and say, for instance, "I need a Yamaha Motif 88 Key - be there in 15 - AMEX - (your name here)." I did exactly that in the midst of a five-alarm emergency and that sucker was waiting for me on a handcart trussed up like Hannibal Lecter when I arrived two minutes early at minute 13. Very satisfying. And it made being middle aged, for a fleeting moment, kind of a good thing.

[A-List]

^
I always try to call ahead and have the gear waiting. Otherwise its a 45 min minumum commitment making a purchase there.

[ohoen]

Originally Posted by Steffmo

1)
3) Clone that guy. Put two in each store.

No, I'm not Chua, but he was an intern of mine, This guy should be the model got every fear sales man, except he's overburdened and you don't pay him enough. Sooner or later you will lose him, but for now he probably accounts for 30 percent of the stores gross.

Why....thats the important info.

Because he's a HighPoweredMutant. He can't be cloned, the machine will break and burn your whole house down while the resulting shockwave will give your distant relatives strokes and other fatal clenchings.

If you talk to Chewy please tell him Oliver says hello.

Oh, and two Chuas in one building... are you kidding?

[dasmetre]

Originally Posted by Paul Secondino

Some practical suggestions related to instruments I have are these :


I also see a wall full of ESP LTD series but none of their Japanese line. The Japanese models are the good ones.


IF GC can get quality control to happen and create the kind of service I get at sweetwater, I'd be pleased to shop at GC's pro audio again.Nothing is cooler than going into a pro audio store where actual pros work.


I hope this helps

You bring up some great points in this post Paul, and I am addressing these issues as best I can within the confines of my store. I do agree with you on the fact that having Pros in Pro Audio is ideal, and in my own store I do have a few. I am a Pro Audio guy myself (why else would I be in this forum?), and trying to extend my personal level of professionalism to my crew is a challenge. But a challenge I am happy to undertake.

On a side note, we don't carry ESP guitars. However, I do agree that our selection does cater to the entry to mid level buyer, being that most of the general playing public falls into those categories. I am also fortunate enough to have a Platinum Reserve room in my store that houses some amazing instruments, as well as a few great vintage peices. We also carry a full range of American Fender and Gibson products.

Thanks for your input!
Eli

[dasmetre]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Actually one solution, a mixed blessing for sure, is to Get Old. Call up GC with the gravitas/geezertude of being a Certified Grownup and say, for instance, "I need a Yamaha Motif 88 Key - be there in 15 - AMEX - (your name here)." I did exactly that in the midst of a five-alarm emergency and that sucker was waiting for me on a handcart trussed up like Hannibal Lecter when I arrived two minutes early at minute 13. Very satisfying. And it made being middle aged, for a fleeting moment, kind of a good thing.

Awesome!

Glad to know there was a positive experience, and that somebody was on the ball.
Eli

[Jose Mrochek]

Raise the payrate ALOT, will have more resumes on the table.. have a strict interview process. thats it.

[wyndrock]

take away the "incentive" from the sales person. turn them into clerks. place greater signage with clearer information as to what the customer can do with each object in the store.

reward your sales team with periodic bonuses instead of incentives or "spiffs" on certain items. let the sales team know which items have been floored the longest and if you have to, have them do a meeting and emphasize that you would like for them to promote those items, but not to push them. there's a difference in a pushy sales team and an informative and aggressive sales team. both are irritating to the personality type of a musician. remember that... don't let that leave your mind when you're working through this. "sales persons tend to act directly the opposite the way that a musician's mind typically works, and that has the potential to drive away business."

and get the sales guys out of the stodgy clothing. no more khakis. let them wear the jeans in. have a golf shirt uniform. get some lanyards with their names on both sides and the company logo, and let them loose. let them roam, play guitars, explore and have fun and they will sell when the time comes and they will be more in the mindset of the customer walking in the door than the underpaid sales person that they really are.

use psychology. let them have a three beer lunch once in a while or something. use your imagination, or pass the job on to people that have the energy to update the shop. it all starts with the individual shop. not in the corporate office. you're the least important person in the company.

[dasmetre]

Originally Posted by wyndrock

it all starts with the individual shop. not in the corporate office. you're the least important person in the company.

I am starting with an individual shop--the one I run. I'd like to think that I am somewhat important...



Eli

[wyndrock]

Originally Posted by dasmetre

I am starting with an individual shop--the one I run. I'd like to think that I am somewhat important...



Eli

oh, pardon. i meant that the job starts with the corporate office... sorry, lol. i mis-typed.

you're doing a fantastic job of communication with the public. i like that. a lot of people like that.

[Randall]

Hire me as a $300,000 a year consultant with absolute hiring and firing power to roam all the Guitar Centers and report my experiences and interactions with staff.. kind of like a hit-man, spy, shadow shopper.

[wyndrock]

Originally Posted by wyndrock

oh, pardon. i meant that the job starts with the corporate office... sorry, lol. i mis-typed.

you're doing a fantastic job of communication with the public. i like that. a lot of people like that.

oops! screwed up again... i'm no good at this.

i meant to say "he job starts at the individual shop level" the corporate guys are the least important people in the chain.

[deadheadman66]

keep a jazzmaster in stock...i've been wanting to try an AVRI out for a while, but can't. plus i've never been to a GC outside atlanta, but the one here either has guitars from $100-$500 or $200000 there is no middle ground. also they should make a rule that you can't play van halen wannabe-tapping-metal music for more than 30 seconds or with the volume more than 4

[wyndrock]

Originally Posted by deadheadman66

keep a jazzmaster in stock...i've been wanting to try an AVRI out for a while, but can't. plus i've never been to a GC outside atlanta, but the one here either has guitars from $100-$500 or $200000 there is no middle ground. also they should make a rule that you can't play van halen wannabe-tapping-metal music for more than 30 seconds or with the volume more than 4

at the little mom and pop shop that i worked for (for several years); we were located in a mall. it was great. we kept a running checklist of what we predicted we'd hear from the customers on the floor that day, and we had competitions for after work beers based on how many checks on the list you scored. each song heard, that was on the list that day, was a score.

it was pretty funny when you scored and the store was full. we did it for piano, electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar and just about everything. lol. that was a fun place to work.

we used to have contests, costume days, planned jams on friday nights with whoever showed up. anybody ever heard of FAMUSA? those were some good times. fun times.

you have to keep it loose or the crew gets crusty and they start to feel weird and that's when all of the tension and bad shit happens. just keep your crew loose and they'll be there for you. plan your day out to a certain degree, but don't get too tight on the timing of things. it's a music store for goodness sake... if i gets done in a couple days then great, if not then walk the guy out back and break his knees. lol. j/k. give him a raise and shame him into doing the work on time.

i don't know. i'd say just keep it loose and deliver on your word. don't promise what you can't deliver. that's where you piss people off. this is dreams you're selling in a lot of cases. when you **** with a man's dreams, you might as well've kicked him in the sack.

[8th_note]

I've bought quite a bit of stuff from GC and I've had mixed experiences. Here's a tip that I don't think has been mentioned regarding stocking decisions.

I know you can't stock everything but I have been surprised at some of the gear that isn't readily available. I just went in to the Beaverton, OR GC to buy a CAD M179 and they had a couple of CAD mics but not the M179. The pleasant, helpful salesman looked it up and told me that this mic wasn't stocked in any of the regional stores but he could special order it. This mic is a darling of the forums - I must have seen it recommended 20 different times in the last few months.

Are you able to make stocking decisions for your own store or is that done at Corporate? If I was a store manager I would assign one or two people to check the major gear forums regularly and report on any gear that was generating a lot of buzz. Then I would add that gear to stock and perhaps rotate something out that was a slow mover.

So that's my $.02.

[wyndrock]

Originally Posted by 8th_note

If I was a store manager I would assign one or two people to check the major gear forums regularly and report on any gear that was generating a lot of buzz. Then I would add that gear to stock and perhaps rotate something out that was a slow mover.

That's a really great idea man!

[dasmetre]

Originally Posted by wyndrock

oops! screwed up again... i'm no good at this.

i meant to say "he job starts at the individual shop level" the corporate guys are the least important people in the chain.

Ha!

I get what you're saying and appreciate your input.
Eli

[dasmetre]

Originally Posted by 8th_note

Are you able to make stocking decisions for your own store or is that done at Corporate? If I was a store manager I would assign one or two people to check the major gear forums regularly and report on any gear that was generating a lot of buzz. Then I would add that gear to stock and perhaps rotate something out that was a slow mover.

So that's my $.02.

We have very little influence over what we stock, and frankly with the amount of responsibility we're given I'm glad to not have that on my shoulders as well. However, I do understand what you are saying--and I do my best to at least know what is getting the buzz so that I can answer questions in my store should they arise.
Eli

[jamsmith]

I went in a few years back looking for a Jimmy Vaughan Tex-Mex strat. The guy said they didn't make them anymore so I bought a Standard Strat. A few months later I got the new Fender catalog and there it was still in production. I like my Strat just fine, but being quick to sell whats on the wall just sucks. I would have waited and paid more for a special order

A different beef. I entered your King of the Blues contest. In the contest were a couple of older guys where you could literally hear the years of experience dripping from thier fingers. Your judges picked a kid doing the old "sound like Stevie Ray of the tabulature". I think it would be a better idea to get like the owners of local blues clubs, labels, and maybe even blues musicians to judge these.