Music shop RANT

Posted on

Typo Szar
Member Since: Jul 04, 2002


I just need to say this out loud, but im thinkin that all of you have gone to music stores and dealt with something like this.

So i go into a store, with paycheck fully cashed in a part of town i know most musicans dont go anyway, so im thinkin ok, they should be quite refreshed im not just in to buy a pick or some strings. I go in with the intention to try out the new tonecore pedals from line 6. So i shop up and all the clerks r jamming together... fine fine id do so to surrounded by instruments, but they dotn even ACKNOWLEDGE my presence. I have to wait out like two songs before i finally go right up to the guy and say, hey! can u hook this up? even though i was in plain view the whole time. And worse yet of that part is the "band" looks pretty cheesed they have to stop playing. wow guys, id hate to stop playin music to to u know... MAKE MONEY. so yeah, they all stop except for teh guy playin guitar, and the other clerk opens up the case with teh pedals, and i pick out the tremolo. He hooks it up with the guitar guy still playing, he just wont stop (there all wearing the shop shirt, so they work there). They get the thing hooked up half ***, and then boom! they stare at me like. ok happy now? and im like.. uhh can i play it??? and then the answer that killed the sale "its just a normal tremelo pedal man, waddaya want?"
im gonna pause for effect now, coz CMON GUYS! how stupid is that?
so he hands me the guitar as if im stealing his lollipop and then they all just go sit in a corner and talk... no sales pitch or anything. and as im fidgeting around wiht it, i can clearly hear them TALKING ABOUT ME! with things like.. "wats he doin now?" they were really tryin my patience and i already knew i wasnt gonna buy it, but i just wnated to test the sound. I wouldve gottne up and just hurled that six string but my gf was keepin me in check. so, the tonecore had a weird tap system which didn't allow me to shut it off, so i call the guy over and ask "how do i shut it off live?" he looks at me, so i know he heard me, and then he PULLS THE PLUG out. once again my gf has to soothe me with her words. so i plug in the echo park and i start fiddlin. and ok, everyone knows that with a delay pedal, ur gonna play with teh infinite repeat right? start messin with the time knob and get taht squeal goin. but the second i start tryin that. i start to here those monkeys squeal with it! they just kept taunting me until finally i had enough, brushed my gf aside and just plopped their nameless guitar right on the pedal and stormed out of the shop.

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Conjurer of Emotion
Member
Since: Jan 14, 2006


Jul 16, 2006 10:11 am

Damn that sucks man. No music store guys have ever really been rude to me like that, but the small time shop down the street does have plenty of jamming and ignoring going on. The store really relies on music lessons for income so they don't even worry about making sales so much really. The owner will ignore a potential buyer just to have a chat with a parent whos kid is taking lessons, just to ensure long time lesson business. But ewwww, what you described is QUITE an abomination and is one more reason why I don't have any remorse for small music stores that not only don't have what I need, but are careless or rude. Its Guitar Center for me baby lol. I know many people hate the big chains but I know almost every dude at GC and I think its a really great place. On occasion they may be a bit busy, but NEVER rude, always cool.

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Jul 16, 2006 10:47 am

I would certainly talk to the owner of that store, that is inexcusable behavior.

Member
Since: Jan 18, 2003


Jul 16, 2006 01:36 pm

get them fired, dude. they are not doing the store any good and they deserve to be fired for being selfish and unhelpful on the clock. i would have certainly felt anger rising, and i know i would have said something very bad. cuz thats just too much. im trying to learn to watch my tongue, though, because i'm not a big dude and i worry sometimes that i'm gonna get myself in trouble. so maybe i would have tried to make their lives hell for the rest of the day instead. whisper to the girlfriend 'you go home, honey.' and then try out everything in the store. go to the keyboards and play 'when the saints go marching in' over and over (failing to find the note you're looking for and then starting over) with the pipe organ patch. become ponderously slow in your manner of speech and ask lots of questions about everything and as soon as the guy starts answering, put your hand to chin and start saying 'uh huh, uh huh, yeah' in a real serious, thoughful way as he's talking. if he talks, and even if he says nothing. do it even if he doesnt say a damn thing. then start sitting two inches from him or following right behind him. man, that guy deserves something. how about: call the manager and complain loudly. then go back in a few days later and try asking the associate for the same help again. run through the script just as you did the first time, as if you dont remember.

Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002


Jul 16, 2006 02:13 pm

walk in with a handful full of cash and be like "Hey guys, you coulda had this. I'm rich!" lol

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Jul 16, 2006 07:01 pm

Its possible one of the morons may have been the store owner. But its wortha try anyway.

Sorry to hear that crux, no one deserves the cold shoulder from sales people. Even the cold hearted snobby ones at the local GC stores here will at least get a customer hooked up, no matter what they think.

And small one off stores like that really should not treat customers like that. You could easily spread the word that they are rubbish and they will be finished.

Ben, who owns a couple Music Go Round stores and is a good friend of both dB and myself has a policy on that. No matter how bad a kid is, or what you think of them. You need to make sure they get taken card of. Someday, they may be the guy coming to the store for more then just sitting for an hour tinkering with some Metalica riffs. Like dumping cash on some expensive guitar. And odds are good they will remember the guy who treated them right, even when they tottally sucked and couldn't play a note.

Eat Spam before it eats YOU!!!
Member
Since: May 11, 2002


Jul 16, 2006 10:09 pm

wow... and I thought the time I went to buy my double kick pedal was bad... the entire staff at Hauer Music yelled "Oh My GOD! A Customer!" and ran into the back room... 30min later a manager came out so I could buy it for $300. 30 days later they were closed... that was 10 yars ago... still use the same pedal... Gibraltar Avenger... nice pedal... fast... hard to get balanced right though...

Member
Since: Feb 02, 2006


Jul 17, 2006 07:10 am

I don't go to music stores anymore,just for that reason.

I do all my buying at Sweetwater Sound,if I don't like the thing I just send it back and try something else.There realy good about returns and have a realy good support team.

All of their sales people are Musicians and Recording Engineers,so they know their stuff.

www.sweetwater.com



Ken Sutton
www.waterfallrecordings.com
www.sweetkenny.com

Member
Since: Jul 23, 2004


Jul 18, 2006 09:26 pm

Most likely the owner of an actual music store is quite concerned with paying the lease and not letting a bunch of idiot employees screw around and let a sale go out the door.
With the competition they get from Musicians Friend, American Musical, Sweetwater to name a few besides Ebay, I'd be really surprised if the owner did not care about letting a sale go by so the employees could jam.

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