Guitar Center What the Crap
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
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I was recently in Guitar Center and there was a guy in there shopping for a Speaker Cable for his amp. He asked an employee where the speaker cables were, but employee didn't understand what it was the customer needed. After having to describe it, the employee led him to a rack with instrument cables. The employee started arguing with the customer saying this is what the customer needed. I had to step in and help educate the employee the difference between a speaker cable and an instrument cable. Employee said, "oh, we don't have those, we just have these.". The customer and look at each other and share a laugh. He thanks me for stepping in, and then left empty handed.
They probably did have it. You possibly saved an amp! Good for you.
Speaker cables would be over in the Pro Audio area. Damm. Anyone that shops in a GC should know that. So that employee must have been absolutely clueless.
I was guitar center a few days ago. In langhorne, pa. I looked around for an hour, there were 4 employees behind the counter most of the time. One other customer in the store got the same treatment. They were not waiting on anyone. Except to each other. They were having a good time, they lost a sale of a grestch white. Guitar center is going down. The best Paul.
Preferred Sam Ash in KofP.
GC Langhorne represent! 🤘
Go up the road, business Rt 1, to pro line. They may not have what you want just then but ask them. Also, excellent guitar setups.
Just purchased a couple of guitars over the holidays. Staff in Arlington was very attentive. Think it depends on the staff and particular store.
I went to GC in Cherry Hill NJ a few years ago to buy a Les Paul and tube amp. I walked in and was not greeted. I walked around for 10 minutes and was ignored. After looking at the lack of stock except for some custom Les Pauls that were out of my price range I walked out and went to the Sam Ash in the same shopping complex. My son bought me a Les Paul classic for $1999.00 (birthday gift)and I purchased a Fender Blues jr tube amp for about $600. The salesman was great and not pushy. Took his time with me and treated me like a friend. His name was Tom.
there's consistently a 6% chance your local GC will have what you need in stock
“We dont have it but we can get it for you” hasn’t been a thing since 1995 but they still try it. I can get it too……from Sweetwater.
GC is Garbage Collecton in IT)
😂😂😂
And there's a further 6% chance that an employee will sell it to you.
I had the same criticism of Radio Shack right before its demise during the 2000s and 2010s. Back when I first started going to Radio Shack in the 70s and 80s, they were employed by electronic enthusiasts who dabbled with a lot of the items they sold in their stores. Therefore, they were very knowledgeable of the products that they were selling and could help you solve your problem or find what you needed. Before they went bankrupt, they were employed by 18-19 year-olds that knew nothing about the products in the store, except maybe the cell phones.
This is an excellent perspective. I worked for RS for a year in the 80’s. Fun job and loved them and yes, saw this progression but it had a little to do with the changing market I think. They rode the cell phone angle for a while. They tended to move managers around a bit in our region but always treated them well.
In 2007 I got nearly half off a maple & oak Ibanez 'prestige' guitar because the salesman liked my music that I showed him. I'll never forget it (and I still know who he is because he's in a fairly popular death metal band), but of course something like that is impossible today.
Actually I think it was about 1/3 off. But still, I was kinda shocked at the time. It was at the San Francisco Guitar Center. But I'd assume their modern strict policy goes for all guitar centers. My usual place was the Concord CA GS and the changes over the years were certainly noticeable there.
While not at a GC, the best "salesman" I ever encountered at a music store simply struck up a conversation with me. He didn't ask if he could help me, we just chatted about what we do and what we like. After about 20 minutes, I liked him well enough to ask if he had any midi guitar gear in stock. He then went out of his way to bring out a gently used GR50 and explained what he knew about it to the best of his knowledge. I dropped $500 that day on a used piece of gear that wasn't even on display. He has ended up as a lifelong friend. People will generally only buy things from people they like, or at least trust in some way.
Sounds like my store. Some great people.
which is where? Hey, it's the internet my friend, it's all about self promotion!
I should have said ‘store I shop at in my vicinity’ .But.. Kalamazoo.@@mikemorgan4774
Please do not generalize all the stores. I have one next to my place, people working there are nice. We are all love GC. Nice advice.
They have a massive used collection, and I like that I can order something online and pick it up from my nearest store, instead of having it shipped directly to my house which I don't necessarily trust if I'm not home...and like you, my local gc seems like one of the better ones compared to alot of these horror stories I hear
Yes! This is fantastic. I have been able to get some fantastic instruments this way. And it is easy to trade in used gear albeit at less than market of course but sometimes just convenient. @@jasondorsey7110
I do the same usually if it's an expensive item.
Back in the late 80’s, I used to travel to LA several times a month on business. I used to hold off my purchases so I could buy at the Guitar Center on Sunset. Whenever I would ask about the price of a particular item, they always asked me how much I would I like to pay for it. We would negotiate for a while and they would end up giving me a price too good to pass up. I walked away a new toy and the feeling that I had made the deal of a lifetime. They were friendly, courteous, and very knowledgeable. I spent thousands over the course of a few years and was given some killer deals. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I would occasionally run into one of my guitar heroes shopping for gear there as well.
GC is aimed at mass consumer and not musicians anymore. True musicians are a secondary market for them. It's been that way for well over a decade now. I haven't purchased anything from GC in at least 15 years. Glad we have a few really good independent dealers nowadays around here and also Sweetwater.
This video is old! You should show the whole thing cause I think this guy stood on a stool to bring down the guitar. If that customer fell, Guitar Center would have been sued and employees would have lost their jobs. I can see you have a hatred for GC but sometimes the customer is NOT ALWAYS RIGHT. Ive been in music retail for almost 30 years and sometime you have to reprimand your customers when they do something that could cost them their lives. Just like if they are your children! If they get upset and dont want to come back, then maybe you dont need them as customers.Also I see alot of you comment on employees not helping customers and that is disappointing but sometimes you get customers that just come in to stare at the wall. You ask them the first time they come in and the second and the third and the fourth and you finally realize this guy is just hanging out, so maybe no ones helping you when you come in cause they know by now your not buying anything!
Barry, you are a good ambassador for the world of music. Thank you.
I did have one experience that turn me off I went into a guitar center in New Hampshire with 3,500 cash wanted to order a custom Yamaha drum set and they completely blew me off and then found the The smallest local retailer I could find and gave him my money instead took me 6 months to get the drums but I was happy to do it
You gave CASH to the littlest company that could go out of business tomorrow then wait SIX MONTHS for delivery!!? You’re a trusting soul….
Alot of these problems are because of upper management not giving a damn about any of us. We tell them that we have problems with things and nothing ever gets fixed. They wont hire enough people to help with customers either, We had like 3 people working the floor on a saturday with 15 customers in the store! Dont even get me started on our register system. They still use dumb terminals!! Theyre the slowest thing on the planet. It takes like 30 minutes just to do a trade in/order for a guitar.
Exactly
Good morning Barry,
If that guitar was up high enough that the customer had to crawl up their rolling ladder to get to it, the employee likely felt the need to make a firm point on the issue. There are insurance liability issues (for the customer, the company and the inventory) that are going that come into play but I get the feeling you are fully aware of those issues.
The employee should have taken your approach without question. I agree 100%. Unfortunately, that employee has likely had to deal with a mountain of idiots and carelessly entitled people and has simply had his fill. I think many of us have.
Happy Saturday!
I could see where you're coming from if I had never been to the "old Guitar Center". It makes perfect sense honestly (though he still had no right to talk to that young man that way), but they used to somehow find a way for anyone to be able to access any instrument at any time. They've gone backwards.
Were there signs clearly Posted : " For service ask the Lazy Punks looking at there iPones to handle Guitars 🎸 "
"Yes, AND..." What occurred to me, and what is in alignment with the video are: 1) Employees are not PAID ENOUGH to attract the best talent. 2) Employees are not adequately trained. 3) Employees are treated like S*** and I strongly suspect that there is a policy that if a manager catches a customer on a ladder on your floor watch, you're FIRED. 4) Not enough employees around to maybe put the ladder away, or, better, help customers out, so customers have to help themselves (HomeDepot). 4) Guitars displayed out of reach. All leading to: 5) Employees are unduly stressed out. It should be a fun job. That employee doesn't look like he's having fun. He seems like he's in a panic. Over his basically minimum wage job. And, yeah, Barry, you're right - Wall Street doesn't understand customer service. Warren Buffet bought See's Candy in 1972 and it still has original headquarters and in-store customer service up the wazoo.
You make valid points. However, you can make your point without scolding the customer or using a tone like that. The guitar wasn't damaged. So a polite conversation is all that's needed. It doesn't matter about the mountain of idiots you had to deal with in the last 30 years, 30 days, or 30 seconds. It's a business. Act like a professional. I've been in mom and pop stores where you're dealing with the guy that owns the WHOLE place and whose name is on the sign. If that guy can handle these situations without losing his cool, then the guy that's just working there for a check can do that as well.
Even if he did the dumbest thing ever, if he did not do it with malice or bad intent (but rather, just young ignorance), he should have talked to him like a human being. Talking down to him that way to belittle and embarrass him is not the way to get the point across. I've spoken to (and corrected) many people effectively without having to go to that extreme and I wasn't even on the job when doing so.
In Los Angeles they have gotten rid of the layaway program. You can grab their credit card and buy it through credit, but they won’t do layaway anymore.
I always get no interest for x amount of months. Usually 24-48. I pay it off in a year but I know if I lose my job or something that minimum payments are small enough I won't default. Used is 6 months. I do that with musicians friend and Sweetwater also. It's like layaway but you get it now.
Ya, I do that with Sweetwater, but I try to limit the number of credit cards I have, and I don’t want both a guitar center and Sweetwater card. The only thing it’s a bummer for me is for guitars. Maybe the the ocasional used gear too.
I agree with you Barry. Ive been to the one in St.Louis Mo. And the employees there didnt have a whole lot of knowledge about the gear that they were selling. Nor did they attempt to help or ask us if we needed any help. I was there with my son's who are also musicians and they said it was a complete waist of time being there. We get Extremely better customer assistance at Sweetwater. I wont ever mess with GC ever again. So, yeah I agree 100% with you.
I have been to many Guitar Center stores many, many times; not LA, but I have been to Nashville (as well as Manhattan, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and I could go on. I have always been treated with respect. I also have seen most employees go out of their way to help. I have also been to Sweetwater and was afforded the same helpful, respectful treatment there. Sure it is shameful that the video showed what it did. But it WAS an isolated incident done in the heat of the moment, I’m sure without much time to think. In retrospect the employee could have, may have, maybe will from now on, handle things differently. I just felt that I should speak up, because there is good and bad in everything.
Apparently you've not been to any in New England. If you did you would understand.
How long ago were you in a Baltimore store? They haven`t had good customer service in any of the Md. Stores for the last 10+ years.
Last Fall I applied at a brand new Guitar Center store. It was opening in a few weeks after I applied. I have 35 yrs experience in playing guitar & doing set-ups on many American brands. I was offered $9 hr on the sales floor. Yes you read that correctly $9 hr. Even Walmart pays $19 hr here. The pay structure should tell you all you need to know about where they direct their value & in what direction they just don’t care. The front line customer facing sales force is clearly not a GC priority. This is about as upside down as the rest of the country currently.
GC employees are products of their leadership and management. That’s where it starts. I believe in supporting my local businesses. The GC in my area has pathetic customer service so I stopped going there. I am fortunate to have some good mom and pop stores in my area. Yes, they are more expensive but there’s a reason they are still in business. They are engaged with their local communities. They also tend to have better luthiers too. RIP GC
Could not get help in central Chicago, the employees can’t spin customers and that store is busy. I climbed a ladder for my fog machine and had to beg a guy to quickly check me out. You want to buy something from them they automatically make you wait an hour. I know what I need, take my money, and NO, I and no one else wants your junk warranty
Some music stores are good, some are bad. Some days they are crowded and employees are stretched to their limits (Saturday's for example) and some days employees have the time to wait on you and give you good service.
What if that was the third time that kid did that? They were filming it. If it was a setup, you may have just cost GC thousands of dollars in revenue that they won't get because people respect your channel and opinion and now are further swayed away from GC- ( I personally did not need your video to already be swayed away from GC, they earned my sway-away )
Happy to say the GC in fort Collins Colorado has been pretty good but they (surprisingly) have had the same manager for years
I would be looking to close the sale on that high end instrument. I would never bother chastising someone once the horse has bolted I’d be too busy hooking them up with product, you know selling 🎉
My local GC is pretty good. Not much of a selection, but nice, helpful guys.
I have had bad experiences at both guitar center and Sweetwater. Retail customer service has been in decline for some time everywhere. But I must say the culture at Guitar Center really is bad. Wildwood Guitars is where I shop these days.
That was very rough on the youngster. He deserves a free guitar from the Fender or Gibson range for That.
Guitar Center NJ stores are GREAT!!!!! Great service to!
Like I said there are still a “few” good ones.
My old time friend has worked at GC Natick for more than 20 years and he is the best - inventory on Keyboards or Pro audio is not what it used to be but I still love GC because of him.
Guitar Center has gone from bad to worse! I’ve spent so many thousands there throughout my life and they treat me like I don’t exist. I only expect to be treated decently. They would all just look the other way as if I were a kid without my parents wallet nearby
I should also add… this happens when the place is empty! Bunch of employees standing by doing nothing.
Agreed, that’s why I shop at Sweetwater! Guitar center has lost its way
Guitar center used to be IT!
But you nailed it. Custom service is crap now.
I do have to say this however; about 2 years ago I was in GC Hollywood and I was admiring a 58’ Les Paul Jr that the employee had behind the counter when he just says, “ here ya go have at it man”. Hands me this vintage guitar to enjoy and walk back behind the counter and tended to other business and said, “if you need anything please let me know”.
Wow, $18k price tag. Have fun!
I went to the one in Memphis to purchase a new Jackson guitar. They proceeded to take the display model off the wall and attempted to sell me that chipped up, scratched, and used by everybody within the mid-south area guitar for a brand new price. I told them what they could do with that particular guitar, and the employee told me, "Well, we can take another 20 bucks off if you want." I voiced my demand that if they didn't have a new one in the box, I didn't want it. They had one sent from their warehouse to my front door. Gotta watch em. If you're not there to see them bring your guitar from their stock room, you're likely paying a new price for a used guitar.
When I bought my P.A. I went into GC to check out what they had. The salesman had no clue about P.A.'s and most of it wasn't working. He grabbed the manager for me. The manager told me most of the speakers Arn't connected, didn't know when it would be fixed said its been like that for months. I was sorta blow away. He said GC doesnt own the displays and that's why it's dilapidated. What?!?!? Think about that for a sec. That's coming from the manager. Geeezzz
I dont know. Personally, I just dont see all that much terrible about the video. Sure it was strong, but we dont know the context here. According to someone else in the comments, the kid was on top of the stool pulling the guitar off the top rack. Now personally, I see that as grounds already to come in strong like this but odds are these kids have probably been the type to laugh off your approach and joke around, especially considering how they were already laughing in this guy's face. They were probably causing trouble already and then that one kid decided to pull the stupid shit and grab that guitar, which was enough for the GC employee to come in hot like this. To me, that seems perfectly fair and I can't see your approach having any level of effectiveness with kids like that at all, unfortunately. I'm sorry man, but I'm not with you on this one, GC employee is clear in my book
The people that work there now, do not know a thing. I found myself teaching them that the "Player" Fender Stratocasters are made in Mexico. That is pretty bad when this is/ should be common knowledge. Especially a GC employee. It gets worse. I will not bore you. I was born & raised in Los Angeles. Yes we went to the store in Hollywood, It was not or first stop. There were better at that time. I was born in 1961. Much has changed. I have been buying my guitars grom Kiesel these days. 10 X`S the quality. Yes they loose their value. But I get what I want at what I want to pay for. I recently bought a LP style guitar for 2,400.00. Gibson custom shop could never come close to that I wanted and received. I saw a post somewhere on the internet several days ago, it was reffering to the price of Gibson Les Paul Standard guitars. It was very "Right on and to the point" Gibson charges what they want, as they know you will pay for it. So ugly & true. I rest my case.
I work as a tech there, it sucks! They are all about profit margins and not what it used to be back in the 90’s. They totally stopped paying commission so I couldn’t fathom working for $13/hr only, people keep shopping there so they keep opening the doors.
@robowenmikels Well as my father before me, I tried to be upfront and honest with customers but my managers wanted me to turn more restrings into setups deceiving the customer and just wouldn’t do it, so I received a year end evaluation only being there for two months that said I sided with the customer and not with the store. So I already knew I wasn’t going to last more than a year there. Then you add sales reps repeatedly coming in my room to mid repair ask me (45) about gear being that I’ve played and owned a bunch of stuff through out the years since the 90’s and I was just about fed up with the setup there. Plus you add the store sales and repair competitions which made it even more toxic and the absolute worst place to work at, that’s coming from 14 years of hospital medical billing and 4 years of working on the NYSE trading floor (there for 9/11).
Ha, I was also a fan of guitar center, and I was so happy when they opened one store close to my house in The woodlands Texas. I was looking for a bass amp and some effects, I walked in, tested a few and didn't like any, no sales person approached me until I was trying to reach for a bass of around 1K. ( I am 50 years old I have three bases more expensive at home, I need it something similar to test sound) Then a supervisor ask me if I need help I mentioned I was looking for an amp but it was online only, I ask if they could bring it to that store to test otherwise I would buy other model that qas already there, he said no, then he said he will ask, I sat the I saw him checking his phone a few times then walking around, each time he saw me he walked away. i left the store, drove a couple miles to a Sam Ash store, they were great, they offered me the same thing I ask in Guitar center, they brought 3 different amps for me to try on a different day. I spend about 3K on equipment. Never walked again inside that Guitar center. I rather drive further for a place that care about they musicians customers.
I almost forgot about Sam Ash. Haven't been there in years.
I agree with you. I used to love going to GC. It was honestly my Disney. Now GC is the last place i go to if i need drum gear. Besides
2/3s of the drum gear they have is absolutely terrible. Rock on Barry
All I have to say is the closest guitar store to me is a GC and it’s the one in Times Square. I needn’t say more.
never been there and never will. Never bought a guitar online either, and never will
1 more GC story-The day I knew I was going to ask for a divorce was when my G7th capo totally craped out on me which was weird cause theyre soo good. I knew they were guaranteed for life so I went back to GC thinking to swap it and the guy told me Id have to deal with G7th directly. I then asked if thats the case then why shouldnt I just start buying things online and he agreed.... Now mind you my guy was not working that day. I believe he would have given me a new one. Ive only spent 50k plus over the years so I would hope so. I mean, I used to buy him Christmas presents every year! Ah the good ole days. Long gone! Norbs my guy now. If you know you know.
I must be lucky. Champaign, IL guitar center is great. Friendly employees and a competent guitar tech. Also well stocked.
Maybe he was shouting just to be heard above all the Enter Sandman and Seven Nation Army riffs.
As painful as it is, comes with the job.
to be fair, if they paid decent wages then maybe their staff would be more engaged. I'm so embarrassed by you boomers.
They still have the best selection, good used guitar prices and a very good return policy. Could they be better? Yes, but there isn't a better store around where I live. If you don't like a guitar from Sweetwater, you have to pay shipping both ways. That doesn't make any financial sense. If anyone knows a good independent store that carries Fender guitars near Huntington Beach, CA, please let me know. I'll give them a try. Otherwise, I'll see you at GC. Also, if you haven't noticed customer service is going downhill in every industry. That is the world we live in.
Customer service does not exist in any store anymore.
I don’t agree with that, at least in my experience.
I haven't been to Guitar Center in 10 years, and it's 3 minutes away from my house. I'll rather purchase gear online and watch TH-cam videos for help and demonstrations
Agreed took me twenty minutes just to buy some strings cause they are too busy smelling their own farts
A trip to the guitar center is like insanity. You keep doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. I went to one of their "premier" stores in my area just a few days a go. The amp selection was nearly zero. Guitars on the wall, no USA guitars except for 3 Gibsons (and all three were LP Studio's). No PRS, except for two SE's. They had a room dedicated to Fender, but the small open door room was near the front door, so all guitars were locked up, not to mention, more susceptible to climate. All the finishes were checking. Fender amps were stacked with cardboard boxes behind them. The acoustic guitar room is a nightmare. I picked up a J45 that needed more repair and restoration than Willy Nelsons guitar. Nothing plugged in, no guitar cables, and one employee to be found. And when I found him, I wasn't sure he was an employee as he looked like a homeless person. (no offense to homeless people, I'd hate to insult them by confusing them with GC employees). It was an absolute waste of gas money. If GC was smart they would stick to the Sweetwater model. One central location, dedicated sales associates and distribution centers (not stores) across the country for fast shipping. My Sweetwater rep has been the same person for the last 15 years! With that said, I miss mom*pop boutiques. My last MAJOR guitar purchase was from Norms Rare Guitars in LA and I was so well taken care of by Mike and Norm, they went out of their way to help me, they went above and beyond. If I lived closer, that's the only place I'd go, and maybe run into Joe B. :)
Hey Barry! Yeah, the only time I actually go to a Guitar Center store is generally to pick up a used guitar I bought off their website. They’re still good for that. For example, a hard to find guitar might’ve been traded in in a different city. If it had an issue or I just don’t like it when it shows up, I can just return it. It takes the risk out of buying used instruments online.
I do this frequently - great program.
I always have a good experience at Guitar Center. No problems at all.
I rarely go in a guitar center any more. They have Bern a disappointment for some time rarely having anything I want or need. But hands down, poor customer service is why I lost love for the store.
I will take this opportunity to share the last instance I recall a GC employee going the extra mile to help me. It was when the moog sub 37 had just been released and was hard to get a hold of. I had a GC employee check the nation wide store inventory and get one shipped from another state. I know this is common place service they should provide but at this time the sub 37 was hard to get. I had contacted multiple chains including sweetwater and been told it would be two to three months to get one. That GC employee got me one within a week. That effort was greatly appreciated but also all too rare.
I can't complain about the GC in my area. The employees are very helpful, and they spend time with new guitar buyers. The guitars on the top row are up there for a reason.
"If you need something from the third row, please ask next time. We have ladders so no one gets hurt and no inventory gets damaged." - the appropriate response.
Everything you said but worse. I live near Kansas City, and purchased a nice used 5-string bass in "great" condition (and it looked pristine). Got it home, but something was wrong with it. It had an active preamp, and the electronics were fried. Very low volume, and adjusting the tone just caused the volume to cut out. Returned it, and the kid at the store checked it out and verified that it was damaged. But the next day I noticed the same guitar was up for sale online again!
Not wanting to waste my time again on a used bass, I ordered a brand new bass that they had in stock and went to pick it up. Took them a while to find it, turns out if was a floor model that had been used by countless previous customers. I wasn't happy about it, but it was the only model they had in stock, and it looked fine, so I took it home.
It played very nice and I was happy with it. But whoever had set it up wasn't very good. So I did a setup and everything was fine except it was IMPOSSIBLE to intonate the G string. I thought about putting a new set of strings on it, but noticed that there was a screw missing from the cover plate. Someone had actually had this thing opened up! So I returned it and won't be replacing it from GC. But what a shock- the same guitar showed up again on their website, still being sold as NEW!
They are absolute trash. If you buy something new from them make sure it comes out in a sealed box. Otherwise it's likely used.
Yeah, happened with a schecter I bought. It showed up in a fender box. To be fair they emailed me before sending it and I didn't read it. It was pristine. Not a scratch on it. Plays fine but I didn't even get an allen wrench let alone any schecter stickers and such. I guess they were on backorder so rather than wait I kept it. Still I don't buy anything new from them anymore. MF or SW only for new items.
I went to Guitar Centre in Orem Utah last month. They didn’t know what a DI box was. I asked 4 different children. I mean young adults who worked there. Never again. Also you knew when GC was on the slide the moment the Sunset Blvd location basically moth balled its pro room. Such a shame.
I wouldn't assess the entire Guitar Center chain based on this specific incident. Instead, I believe it serves as an example of the prevailing culture that we are currently navigating.
That was an example, I talk about the long decline that happened over 20 years, check out the other comments. I don’t ever do knee jerk reactions
Guitar Center is in a death spiral. The employees just had their wages chopped and their hours cut, making bonuses largely unobtainable. Its a job, and in its best light it could be something to resume-build into a more selective position at a niche boutique (or any other retail outfit). I expected them to be out of business at the end of 2023. While you may not get great service or treatment at one of these, bear in mind that the employees are not pissed at you nor do they hate customers. Theyre mostly pissed at themselves and hating the life that comes with low wages, low hours, and weird schedules that drag them in for half a shift...just long enough to derail side gigs. Im heard of guys who have to come in for 3 hours, go home then come back later to close. Private equity sorta does this thing to box retail where the souls sucked out of the employees feed the executives right up till another private equity group comes in to reorganize and "save" the company.
GC sold me a bass with a hidden fault (one of the tuners was not set in correctly and damaged the neck) and want money to fix it. Poor customer service on top of that.
I absolutley HATE Guitar Center.
The employees are there to get paid and thats it.
LMAO with that Dracula bit 😂
Guitar Center Call the cops on me for some BS..since then I will never give them another dime…
It's gone downhill where I live. I went there once to buy a hardshell banjo case and walking out the door, some spike haired kid with a nose ring whistled the theme to Deliverance as I was leaving. I almost went back and let him know how that comes off to a customer but instead just chuckled and next time I went in there, he didn't have a job there. Some things I have to go there for but I wouldn't let them work on my guitar if you paid me.
GC phone sales is still good. A rep took the time to walk to the actual locker where they kept a certain mic, and verify certain characteristics I couldn’t see from the online photo. I was impressed by that.
100% agree. I asked a guitar tech a question a question there and he berated and belittled me. It was a legit question and he was so rude. I ordered a Gretsch from them and the neck was cracked from the nut running down a few inches with paint coming off. Some guys are great there but some are horrible. It's not worth it to me anymore to do business with them. Makes me sad. Thanks Barry for calling them out. I appreciate what you do.
The service is why I no longer visit GC. It's bad bro.
I took my Fender Mexico Jazz Bass 5 string to Guitar Center, I only Got $ 350 for it Which I think it was an Absolute Joke
I Traded for a Ibanez SR250 Bass for $ 349
I will never sell or Trade a Bass Guitar 🎸 at Guitar Center ever Again
It's 100% a Sham and Garbage
I Agree 100% that Guitar Center is Fallen
Sad 😔 😟 Footage of a Guitar Center Worker being a Dick
😡😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬
Love your channel..👏👏👏👏
Never had a problem w/ GC. Always found their staff helpful and knowledgeable but you do havta know who to talk to. The guy checking out your strings n picks at the register isn't going to be nearly as knowledgeable as the guitar tech who that's his job to tear down, maintain, and do actual service work. The techs at my local GC have always steered me right and habe always been super helpful.
They already filed bankruptcy i don’t know how many times. Thats not a place anybody wants to work. They hire with the perks of getting gear at cost, but you dont make enough so it doesn’t matter. It’s music, so they kinda sell the dream. Weird. I worked there in 2003 when i got out of the navy and came back home. I was an ops asst mgr and worked like 18 hours a day every day. (Try doing cycle counts on guitar strings in guitar center, then trying to reconcile differences when you’re missing $1000 in strings. 💩 show it was.. why i left). Your coworkers are divided up by young new kids with SpongeBob attitudes, to cynical middle aged wash outs trying to be relevant ripping on nickelback all day. Bumming cigarettes and crushing spirits lol. - Bunch of elitist buttholes that missed their shot or thought they were legends in their own minds. Nobody cared about anybody there and they still don’t give a crap sounds like. Place just needs to go away already, they can’t afford to operate.
I worked at a GC in '05-'06. There were a couple people that worked there, that just weren't friendly. Most were. Just like anywhere, some people are not pleasant, some are just having a bad day. I would bet, most GC employees would be a little nicer in that situation.
I visited Guitar Center in New York back in 2008. Bought a Flying V there. Still have it ;D
Has your voice gotten lower and your dialect changed?
I go into Guitar Center to try guitars, then I go and buy it elsewhere.
Barry, you are tilting at windmills here. As right as you may be, GC doesn't care about what you have to say. Every time I go to a GC, they have less product and less employees. pretty soon they'll just have self-check outs like the grocery stores all do…
Their used items are in terrible condition; I recently ordered a vintage sampler/drum machine, I called to ask for for the information, no one had any knowledge of the machine. I placed the order nonetheless because it was the only way I’d be able to check it out and answer my own questions. Upon trying to take the unit out of the box, screws and loose parts were rolling around and sliding back and forth. Upon inspecting the back of the unit it was rusted, scraped. I didn’t bother to finish taking it out, I simply lifted one side from right to left; left to right and heard more of the same.
Why on earth would they post and accept a beat up unit and then ship something that was in such poor condition?
I used to work at Sam ash (the original store, RIP Mr ash) and I still visit from time to time, they have never had an item like this in the store nor would they accept something in poor condition for resale.
Even back in 1999 when I worked at Sam ash, guitar center was a cookie cutter corporate outfit that hired people that don’t know sh-t about music or the process of creating music from performance, production nor engineering.
God help us, the whole industry itself has changed
He wasn't yelling at the guy about the guitar. He was likely in a dangerous position to get that high. I wonder how MSN customers get hurt each year falling off ladders. Not even employees, but customers that jump on ladders. I suspect that video is slightly out of context.
I love this whole thing of shitting on private equity involvement and that being the main reason Guitar Center is a skid mark in the music retail game only to announce 48 hours later that you're partnering with Sweetwater, a company being run by private equity that is suffering in many of the same ways Guitar Center has been. Everyone is a company man now and if they're not, it seems to be the #1 goal for some reason. That and to just be a c0nTeNt cReAt0r. TH-cam is a wasteland for sponsorship commercials and affiliate links, art be dammed. I'm only here commenting because this just showed up on my feed and I felt inclined to see what the commentary here was. The burning hypocrisy didn't disappoint. My algorithm hasn't updated after the unSubscribe last night.
Can't complain when I got a $3200 drum set for $1500 when it was very lightly used. I feel like I robbed them.
I can't even believe Guitar Center is open anymore! I'd be happy to see the doors close tomorrow!
Um, as someone who has cringed seeing how random ppl grab and bang around new instruments, I actually think this employee cares.
@@SuperMBARutgers2013 sure, it's a valid concern, but there's another way to go about it. This is just terrible customer service that lacks professionalism and panache.
Called them for a usbC to 3.5mm male adapter in a pinch. You’d have thought I was calling for nuclear launch codes. No clue what I was talking about.
The 1 in Westminster Colorado is looking more and more like a flea market every time I go in there. 25 years ago it was the chocolate factory for musicians. I over exaggerate a bit, but….
I don’t normally comment but I had you on this one. I hate Guitar Center today. GC use to be a familiar place to visit when I was traveling. I remember standing in line for hours for the big sale. Or visiting Pat Leonard at GC in Chicago area before he went on tour with the Jacksons in the 80’s. I had my first home studio wired by a GC tech who went on to work with Prince, Herbie Hancock and Phil Collins . These kids now, they know nothing. And you wait for hours to find out they know nothing. I haven’t been in a GC store in years and have no reason to go. It use to be a musician community. Someone thought it would be more profitable to cater to soccer moms and snotty nose kids! 😡
Only Music Stores I'll ever trust are
Sweetwater 🇺🇸
Thomman EU
Quality Ltd 🇯🇲
It's been many years since I've been to mine and I really don't have a reason to go back. It seems like most of them have gone downhill. SUCK IT GC!! Thanks for sharing!! Much ❤ BJ!!
They don’t have Lay-A-Ways at the one I was at. The service was bad. I used to like Guitar Center. Sam Ash is still good.
Guitar center has hundreds of stores, some great, some not great. There are people's livelihoods that depend on business coming through those doors. One employees behavior should not be directed to represent every store as a whole. If you wanna make a thing out if it then call out the person not the company.
former employee during the glory days..... Top rung guitars? Yep, who are you and what are you doing? It saddens me that they have fallen so far.
Guitar Center is all about profit and could care less about customer service. That went out the window a long time ago. And that explains why the stores are pretty much empty all the time.
Other than recording gear, guitars have become worst. Give me an 80’s Ibanez RG FTW!
Couldn't say it better myself. Guitar Center has THE WORST employees. The problem is across the country, so it's a COMPANY problem. I try and avoid GC like the plague.
The lack of social skills isn’t a GC problem. That is a generational problem that is impacting business across the economy. Young millennials and Gen Z’ers have no idea how to interact with other people with any sort of tact or finesse. Every place is an internet chat room…. As many of them behave in ways the world stopped tolerating from me when I was 14 (Gen X).
But GC itself is a dying business. They are understaffed. Most of their employees don’t know anything about what they are selling. I want to support these local businesses…but going to a GC if your any kind of knowledgeable customer is a SUPER frustrating experience. I’ve walked out several times out of frustration or feeling disrespected.
Ordering from a Sweetwater, Vintage King or even Amazon is a vastly better experience. I once had to return a defective 500 rack to SW…and they made it so convenient and painless it was almost frightening…
I had static with GC. We made peace during the holidays. I currently work with AMS, Sweetwater and GC. GC will improve. Takes Time for influence to pull see? When I first entered this local GC, all they had was gibson and fender stuff. Now dey have Schecter and ESP and Ibanez... They're becoming much more diverse in what they carry now and the prices are more reasonable. They also can order things for customers, a feature they didn't offer when I walked into a GC for the 1st Time many years ago. I wouldn't give up on them just yet. Some of the issues can be fixed and repaired. Some already have been. Must help our local Music scene or it goes out of business. I no intend to let any Music scene I'm a part of go out without a fight 🤟
Good things about Guitar Center now:
1.) The wide selection of keychains, coffee cups, and fridge magnets.
2.) Air conditioning/heat.
3.)The way it used to be.
4.) Avoiding it like herpes.
Guitar Center banned me from their stores in Colorado. Because I didn't want to pay one of their guitar techs for unrelated guitar set-up charge for a electronic repair work.
Then one of their guitar tech messed up on a pickup replacement service and I requested for a refund. Then they all proceed to gang up on me and forced me to sign a form. So they can banned me from entering their stores in Denver Colorado 😑
Went to GC to try and take lessons after not playing for a while. Only two instructors I could pick from and trial with... one was a total metalhead who couldn't teach anything except hard metal riffs. The other was much more talented and had a wider range of experience experience, so I paid money down to set up lessons with instructor 2.. it's only AFTER they take my money that GC informs me that instructor 2 is practically never available, because everyone else wants instructor 2, oh and, I only have 1 month to use the lessons I paid for. Time ran out, lost my money, didn't get a single full lesson. I ask for my money back or store credit, GC throws the book at me and says "no"... they're a company that's billions in debt, I should have figured. Now I won't even buy strings there. GC sucks, shop local!
To be honest, I forget that they are even in my area. The last time I went in there it looked like a flea market. No organization, boxes everywhere, no employees to help. I wanted to buy something but after waiting an hour I just left.
They opened a new one in Santa Maria, Ca. Nobody even notices you are there. I wanted to check out a Yamaha Synth but guess what? Not only no Yamaha but no brand I've never heard of. They only had nutterboads and cheap electric pianos. Also, they forgot to order the good guitars at the GUITAR CENTER. It's so sad what's happened to the music store business. I only shop at Sweetwater now.
GC isn’t what it used to be anymore. I exclusively guy from SWEETWATER, I recently purchased 2 Basses and got them from there because GC has nothing.
I only buy small ticket price items from them, like guitar picks strings, cables, a mic stand. They burned me over a Dsub adapter that didn’t work after I paid $2k for a Rosetta 800 converter..Sweetwater has my business now on big ticket buys..yep they lost me years ago. And I never looked back