Guitar Center Tips

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bitcrusher_76

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As former Guitar Center employee I would like to shed some light into the interworkings of GC

First off there are a lot of ass holes that work for GC and there are a lot of very nice people as well. In every store there is the guy that will bust his balls to get you what you need and there is the guy that really could give a **** about you.

There are quite a few reasons for this. GC is not really the best place to work for and there is a lot of turn over. If you last over 6 months you are referred to as a veteran. Guys are all on the verge of quitting or burring out. That is no excuse for the rude behavior in any way but there are a lot of pissed off people that work for GC.


Money hungry commission jerks

Not every store actuality runs on commission the way that you think it dose. Most are based on a "Team Bonus System" . Departments share it sales and receives a bonus on a goal that is set by management. This is why if you asked me if I was on commission I would say no. But you better believe that I was. Sales are the single most important thing to Guitar Center. Unfortunately the staff is under a lot of pressure to reach unreal goals. My pay depended on it . In order to eat I needed to make things happen. Your average sales guy at GC makes on about $8 to $10 bucks an hour and you really cant live on that. The only way to get a raise is to be the top sales guy. And that means you sell a lot of ****.


What a bunch of idiots.

Will there are more then a few people that really don't know **** behind the counter at GC. This is because they are new. As I said earlier the turn over rate is quite high and there is always new blood coming in. Trust me nobody really wants to know what is expected us to know about gear. It took me years to figure out this stuff and you are always learning.

Why did that take an hour for me to get a cable?

GC has on of the most complicated systems ever to do sales. If you have ever been in a GC you have no doubt have seen a guy staring at a computer screen hitting 3 C repeatedly on the keyboard. This is our wonderful system. The system is a wired maze called a green screen because the screen is usually green. In order for me to do the most simple transactions I have to have your name, address and phone number. I will always ask you even if you were buying a 2 dollar Hosa cable because management knows if I don't. If there is something complicated like a store transfer there will be at minimum 4 step's.
1. Search inventory of stores in my area. I need a manager to do this. 5 min.
2. Call store be on hold talk to a guy that can do the transfer.
5 min
3. Transfer the stock into the stores inventory. 5 min.
4. Finish the transaction take your cash. 3 min.

Hint- just ask the sales guy to take credit on account to pay for it and call him when you get home to make sure that every thing went smoothly.



The GC attitude

80% of the people that came into my store were scared to be there. They were usually insecure about the whole place because there's all this stuff that they don't know anything about and nobody wants to look like an idiot in a room full of the uber-hip producer types. 8 hours a day of this and you may start to hate those noob's that go straight to a grove box a few months of this and you start to think that every one is an idiot that cant read the ****ing manuel and if some one asks me one more time how to make FAT BEATS I am going to kill them. I know that it sucks, but this is what happens to the best of people under the circumstances.

Tips

1. Do not ask what should I buy questions. Ask questions about specific gear, that way if the guy doesn't know anything he well just tell you and not try to sell you some lame ass thing.

2. Don't assume that any one is really knows what they are talking about. Hate to say it but every now and then some one will just plan out lie about something This is really quite a rare thing but it happens. Also something to keep in mind------
If I use Logic at home I am going to try to sell you Logic in the store too, just because thats what I use and know, but Logic might not really suite your needs. Nobody knows anything about every thing.

3. Do your research. The best thing to do is just check out whats out there. That way you can just walk straight up to the counter and get what you need. Rember software is non-returnable.

4. You can always talk down a price if you are up for the task. The easiest way is a price match form the web. Just print out the web page with the price and they will match it.

If you are spending over $300 bucks then you can grind the guy down. Software has a high mark up about 20-30%. Hardware 5-15%. The sales guys try to keep there margins at 10% so this is as low as they will go. If you really want to talk the talk just say that you get a 10 up deal and see what they say. 10 up means I get 10% above cost on all of my deals. They will nod there heads and more then likley do somthing for you. Only grind down the price if you are going to buy that same day.

5. Don't be a @ss hole. If you are very angry try to be cool. Do not deal with your sales guy go straight to the manager. If you really have a big problem write the company a letter. This really works, it scares the **** out of management and they will do what ever it takes to fix the problem.

I hope this helps-


;)
 
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All that just to buy something at GC. Rules and etiquete . Sad... really sad... It really paints a pictue of how horrible it was to work there. At Sam Ash, I have been seeing the same people working there for 6 years. It seems they have a formula that works.
 
At Sam Ash, I have been seeing the same people working there for 6 years. It seems they have a formula that works.
Click to expand...
Not In any Sam Ash I've been to. In my expierience Sam Ash on its best day is still worse that GC. The guys in the Sam Ash that I've been to will outright lie to make a sell. They are also real bastards about returns. It could just be me, but over all I have had a better expierience at GC. Over all it still comes down to doing some research and not just buying what any salesman tells you to just cuz its what he likes.
 
Yeah, it's better to go in there knowing what you're gonna get. Sometimes, I drop by Sam Ash just to mess around with gear- play their keyboards or guitars, not really wanting to buy anything, and they've never fussed about it. But at Guitar Center, they're total d****! Asking you to lower the volume or hounding you with comments like "Are you gonna buy that?" Are you kidding me? Is that salesmanship?
 
It has been my experience that saying Sam Ash is better then GC or vice versa doesn't relay work out too well. Music stores will vary from store to store and it relay comes down to who you are dealing with. Some people are cool some people are just assholes. Just like in real life.

Some stores have ass holes running the department and soon every one picks up on their social diseases. I have also worked at Musicians Friend back before it got bought out by GC. And trust me it was relay the same deal.
 
question..what's the first three numbers of your employee number?
 
I would rather be anonymous. The GC brass might not be so happy I posted this. :bigeyes:
 
Guitar Center

Thanks for the behind-the scenes info..

I'd like to add some things...

Guitar Center seems to be second only to Home Depot in having the largest array of dumbass salespeople who stand around and have perfected the art of not making eye contact in order to avoid assisting you.

There will be 4 sales counters in the store, with 3 of them empty and 11 employees behind one counter ignoring a line of people being helped by one guy at the register.

My local store has the keyboard room arranged so that the high-end models of both of the top-selling keyboard brands are in a V-shape in front of a single chair on an elevated platform. This brilliant display assures that only one person at a time (or a person and their gay lover) can look/play with the four most popular keyboards in the store.

As expected, there is always one annoying rock-star-wannabe sitting behind this keyboard tree, who has $11 to his name and will never buy, but auditions these keyboards for 5 hours straight. Any time someone walks into the keyboard room, he has to play the same stupid riff he's been practicing all afternoon. These morons should be taken out back and beat into a bloody pulp by an overpriced PRS bass guitar.

Speaking of losers, it seems the degree to which you lack money and have intent to buy a big-ticket item is directly proportional to how quickly you can get the attention of a salesperson. The only excpetion to this is when someone's parents show up, which causes all the salespeople to start drooling.

Why is it that Guitar Center has also become a day care center? The store is often full of kids playing on everything in the store. Legitimate customers can't think over the roar of some idiot beating on the drums trying to show everyone he knows Steve Gadd's lick from "50 Ways..."

$25 buck for a goddam six foot cable. What the **** is this ****? And the salesguy says he can't make a deal on it? Yet every time you come in he talks to you like you're his cousin? Screw you *******. With "friends" like you I don't need enemies in prison.

You're totally right about asking what the salesguy thinks you should buy. Every time I've inquired, I get the absolute worst, bone-headed response. If there are two pieces of equipment, and one looks like it was built by blind epileptics, you can be sure that's the one of the two the sales guy will recommend.

Also, who set the hours for these stores? Let's close at 6pm on Sunday because most of our customers are likely to not be up late....
 
I live near a Sam Ash and the sales people leave me alone, which I like. I don't like their over inflated prices. The used gear they bought or had (on a trade in) was in terrible condition. What make it bad is the fact that they sell the crap like it was new.
 
i work at guitar center

i've been there for a bit over a year now. i work at the second largest store in the chain. i take hella pride in my job there as many of the sales associates do there too, we have to, it's the only way to make money in that business. dropping balls in LA is not acceptable. the competition in this town is fierce. if you don't build a relationship with customers, big or small spenders, you will loose them to a guy down the street. happens every time. i have to say it's a blast working there. our clientele is pretty amazing. the valley houses most of the practice rooms, studios, and homes of many high profile artists. all big stars aside, i like the people i sell to, and they like me. you can ask the half dozen or so people i've sold gear to on this forum as well.

i guess it's just different. i've only worked at one [big] store so it's hard for me to know what it is like in the smaller cities. i'm curious to know what cities you guys are shopping in. i wonder just how they treat customers. after reading this post, i guess it's obvious.

to be honest, some of you guys have hit the nail right on the head. it all depends on who you're dealing with there. personally, i treat my position there as a personal business. many treat it as just another retail job. [gloat] last month, i broke $100,000 in sales for the first time. that's pretty big. the top three guys (myself included) sold as much gear as some stores in the chain. [/gloat]

MY tip to you, if you're getting bad service, ask for a sales manager. they're usually a good bet that they will either take care of you or get you to the right guy. they are not required to sell, just handle issues. happy shopping people.
 
david lee, do you work at the Guitar Center on Sunset? If so, I have to admit that it's the best GC I've been to. Still doesn't compare to Sam Ash in my opinion, but is the lesser of three evils. The other two I had been to with the worst customer service is the one in Brea and the one in *shudders* Cerritos. The latter being the absolute joke of all music chain stores. One of the sales persons tried to compare his gear with mine. He actually thought that his Korg digital mixer was a better sequencer than my RM1X. Boy, did I have such a laugh. If you can't tell the difference between a sequencer and a digital mixer, you should not be working at any music store.
 
Im sooooo glad bitcrusher_76 started this thread. Ive been going to the GC in Cleveland Hts on Mayfield Rd for 2 and some odd years. Ive spent 1000's of dollars of my hard earned money there. It seems like EVERYTIME I go there I get a major foul attitude from the MANAGER!! Ive spent countless hours there trying out the gear and ive noticed he runs the shop like a 3rd world prission. The people working there are TERRIFFIED by this man, but ill let them handle that, but I will say that this man rolls his eyes when i ask him questions, or makes a grunt in discust of my questions, etc. The last time I was there (8-25-03), I was very, very close to asking this man if he has a problem with me and if he wants me to take my buisnees eleswhere. I am NOT trying to get this man in trouble but......


J.T., YOU NEED AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT.
 
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i would ask guy how would i contact ur boss. aint no reason that he does that. if he grunts or rolls his eyes or whatever like he has some where else he rather be i guess him getting fired or warned or something will be better for him so he can be where he wants to. i never been in that guitar center but the one in my mall seems fine doesnt mind people asking questions or playing with the equipment
 
Excellent post. Although I rarely shop there nowadays, I myself have spent more money than I'd want to count over the last twenty years at GC. My current studio is 90% internet purchased.
Some stores are better than others I agree. I usually go to the store in Concord, Ca. due to the fact that this city is not exactly a hotbed for musicians, and the store is usually not crowded with customers, so you can actually converse with some of the employees (and there are some good guys there). One thing I've learned about GC is that you need to research the products & prices on your own before going there. Go there on a weekday afternoon, so you don't have to wade through the crowd to the "sales bar" to get the attention of the GC geartenders. Tell them you saw the product for x amount of dollars on the net, and that is what you will pay for it. If they start haggling with you, promptly walk out of the store and buy it on line.

I do feel for employees and what they got to put up with over there. I will not go to GC in San Jose or San Francisco, just because it makes me insane contending with crowds of shoppers, kids banging on all the keyboards & drums while there inattentive parents ignore them, and idiot guitar wankers that crank up the Marshall's -even though they suck. It can really push me over the edge standing at the bar contending with the noisy chaos, not knowing if or when I will be acknowledged by the geartender.
 
you guys have the worst GC stores here in houston texas are GC kiks ass man best prices in town the staff here are all awesome ive known them for years they dont stand at the cash register brainless always going around asking people if they need help which is cool they give me alot of discounts this one guy gave me ten bucks off a mic stand and when he rings up the **** i buy at the store he always takes the tax off for me! they also will do little bargains for u like throw in some nice headphones or take 50 dollars off the monitors u want

U WANNA KNOW WHO ARE D.I.C.K.S.?

MARS MUSIC!!!
THEY BLOW C O C K HAIRS! they would never help out if u were lookin at stuff or ask if u needed some help they were always like no dont touch that and **** and the bouncers at the front are major douche bags! one time i bought some midi and mic cables and i was 20 cents short and the guy put one of the cables bak! at guitar center theu would politley say dont worry bro i gott ya covered god even if u have the money alot of people at mars music in houston texas wouldnt give a s h i t and just walk off but H&H MUSIC or in some places called BROOK MAYS SUCK BADD!
 
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