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Here we go again...theoretical GC doom'n'gloom...
- Thread starter Michedelic
- Start date
i have noticed their inventory is "fluffed" in chicago suburbs. the herd is thin and filled with cheap stuff. this time of year they used to be stacked to the ceiling with good stuff and good deals. i went in for a strap and some locks a few weeks ago and they had a rack with 500 straps and not one of them was priced. the guy told me to bring him any strap i fancied and he would then tell me the price. ***? i think they have retail management problems.
In most of the ones I get to, i’ve noticed they’ve done away with soundproof “vintage” rooms that also hold what ever boutique stuff they’ve gotten in. Converted over to lesson rooms, usually. This push for lessons programs seems fairly recent; they couldn’t be bothered with it before, yet now it’s a big deal. Oddly enough, lessons had become a cash flow necessity for all the old mom’n’pops when GC went on their expansion kick and started drinking everyone’s milkshake.
The haters are at it again.
The sharks have been circling for a while, and the company has made some mistakes, but as I told the OP of the video on YouTube, there is little chance of the entire Guitar Center chain vanishing before the end of 2018.
The company needs to make some changes and a chap 11 filing might be right for them. They need to lose some stores and reevaluate their store models. They should look into expanding services like guitar repair\setup and amp repairs. The guys I have to take my gear to are backed up sometimes for weeks. I've noticed that Sam Ash is starting to rent gear. On the surface this looks smart and I like it. Yes, so gear will get dinged up, but people rent gear by buying it and returning it all the time, at least this way they can get a few dollars out of it.
It may be time to reorganize their stores as well. Home studios are where it is at these days. They should move the Pro Audio sections of the stores to a more prominent locations with better visibility and stock.
What they should NOT do is start focusing too much on these in-store brands. F Mitchell, F Acoustic, F Laguna. I know what I want, and it isn't your knock off.
If the worst came to pass, someone would buy the Sunset location and keep it open under the Guitar Center name.
The sharks have been circling for a while, and the company has made some mistakes, but as I told the OP of the video on YouTube, there is little chance of the entire Guitar Center chain vanishing before the end of 2018.
The company needs to make some changes and a chap 11 filing might be right for them. They need to lose some stores and reevaluate their store models. They should look into expanding services like guitar repair\setup and amp repairs. The guys I have to take my gear to are backed up sometimes for weeks. I've noticed that Sam Ash is starting to rent gear. On the surface this looks smart and I like it. Yes, so gear will get dinged up, but people rent gear by buying it and returning it all the time, at least this way they can get a few dollars out of it.
It may be time to reorganize their stores as well. Home studios are where it is at these days. They should move the Pro Audio sections of the stores to a more prominent locations with better visibility and stock.
What they should NOT do is start focusing too much on these in-store brands. F Mitchell, F Acoustic, F Laguna. I know what I want, and it isn't your knock off.
If the worst came to pass, someone would buy the Sunset location and keep it open under the Guitar Center name.
Eh...they seem to have a lot of business problems. I don't want to see them go under. I have options, but it's still better to have more. I've bought my fair share of stuff from them and I've had decent experience. I've also heard horror stories. I wish anyone in the music business success. Except for [person|band|company you dislike]. [He|She|They] [have no talent|sold out|have no ethics|my friend met them backstage and they were jerks].
I've been wondering about them the past few years.
A decade or more ago I'd stop in and there would be some higher end instruments either used or in the vintage rooms, as well as some new stuff such as higher end Warwicks. The last few times I stopped in over the past 2-3 years their inventory just sucked. All lower end instruments with maybe a higher end Fender hanging high up on the wall.