What you'd like to see in music stores

Dublin Guitar

Hi all users. I run a music store and was just wondering what you look for when you're visiting your local music store, and what would make your shopping experience better?

PM or respond here. Mods, hope the q is ok

RICARDO1982

I hate when you go into the guitar shops to try out guitars and they have been just taken out of the box and hung on the wall, not set up and play like ****!! If the instruments have been set up and play nice you are much more likely to buy it:)

Owen

From shopping in NYC, I'd like to see :

A selection of professional equipment at competitive prices. Generally, I don't need an educated salesperson, I've done my research online before I go to a shop (If I go to a shop). I just want to be able to play something that isn't a budget electric or acoustic, or something that's guaranteed to sell so that's the reason the shop stocks it.

Also, sell things seasoned/professional musicians will impulse buy- DiMarzio clip lock straps, Dunlop Flush Mounted Strap Locks, guitar stands that fold into gig bags, even some apparel from manufacturers (I'd love an Ibanez Hoodie, that sort of thing).

A decent policy on soundchecking gear.

Employ a decent guitar tech, who is fully trained in setting up instruments. I'm lucky enough to be able to setup my own, but others can't, and a good drop off and collect service would be a good profit earner for any shop - no consumables used, only labour = €€€. If he's handy with electronics, all the better.

Run demo days, show people the latest amps, effects, show how easy it is to setup modern multi-fx units, invite in serious guitarists to show off equipment - Ireland's got some incredible players who'd be happy to help out I'm sure.

Do open days where bands gig at your shop - that works very well in the States too, gets a crowd in, and gets everyone in the mood to impulse buy/think about changing up.

Be friendly. Knowing everything about every piece of kit isn't a neccessity, but being able to pick up a guitar without someone tut-tutting is becoming rarer and rarer here. In the States, I picked up a 15k Acoustic in NJ, and no one batted an eyelid. Friendliness is the most important aspect of selling, people buy from people and a customer will decide in the first 15 seconds if the salesperson is someone they want to buy from - product knowledge quickly becomes secondary after that (I'm not kidding, I've done dozens of sales courses and this is drummed in, it doesn't mean product knowledge isn't important, but it is secondary to a damn good attitude and developing rapport with any prospective customer).

darrenw5094

Every guitar on display, should have a proper setup or at least decent action setting. What is the point of display guitars if you can't play them.

Squidgy Black

More pedal based gear, like a few boards like pedaltrains, powerbanks like dc bricks or voodoo labs,

I'd like to see some more budget pedals too, waltons do cheap ones, but they're absolute pieces of s**t, and some of the behringer or danelectro stuff would be nice to try out.

Do you guys do a 30 day money back guarantee on pedals and stuff? A lot of places in america do it, so it means you can actually try out the gear at home or at practice with your full rig

stephenshields2

As stated already, every guitar on display should be set up to a comfortable, playable standard.

Have a good selection, of both brands, and types of guitar. A few Metal guitars? A few jazzy guitars? A few nice Les Pauls? A few stratty guitars?

You get the picture anyway, nobody wants to walk into a guitar shop and see many, many cheapo guitars, make sure you have a selection for the more seasoned player!

Rigsby

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Be friendly. Knowing everything about every piece of kit isn't a neccessity, but being able to pick up a guitar without someone tut-tutting is becoming rarer and rarer here. In the States, I picked up a 15k Acoustic in NJ, and no one batted an eyelid. Friendliness is the most important aspect of selling, people buy from people and a customer will decide in the first 15 seconds if the salesperson is someone they want to buy from - product knowledge quickly becomes secondary after that (I'm not kidding, I've done dozens of sales courses and this is drummed in, it doesn't mean product knowledge isn't important, but it is secondary to a damn good attitude and developing rapport with any prospective customer).

Good post PaintDoctor, but for me, this paragraph is by far the most important from a customer point of view. After that, what I would like to see is a little more choice. I can only speak for bass, but every shop in Dublin stocks Fender. Granted they are a big seller, but a little more choice would be nice. Some higher end brands, for example, Lakland, G&L (in fairness I think "Dublin Guitar's" shop has some of these ) Spector etc. Also, I find the choice of bass strings here to be very bad. For example, I have yet to see a set of flatwounds in a Dublin shop.

Gaspode

A reasonable selection of left-handed instruments would make me happy!

fguihen

I have 3 asks of music stores in ireland:


1.Guitars set up properly. im never gona buy a guitar that plays like sh1t, i dont care how good reviews are. if i pick it up and it plays like crap, then as far as im concerned, its a crap guitar.

2. Choice. I find more and more music shops have maby 5-10 fenders, the same or less gibsons, a few epiphones and a bunch of 100 euro guitars.
Im all for affordable guitars, and getting people into music but 6 different types of les paul copies for 100 bucks just doesnt appeal to anyone who has been playing for any length of time.

3. Testing booths. Having a few amps spread out around the shop floor is not a way to test amps or guitars. You cant crank the amp up to test it without getting repremanded. the only reason not to buy online is you cant test gear before buying but as im not really getting to test the guitars/amps in the irish shops anyway why bother buying here?

fix those above points and il be much more likely to keep my money in the irish music shops and irish economy instead of sending it to the UK or Germany.

eagle10

I'm in gawlay things you cant get here.

Matched valves.
Guitar spares eg proper machine heads saddles.
Proper selection of pedals
Proper selection of anything infact all here is good for is getting strings the odd lead and maybe something good seconhand.

It really bugs me that you cant get matched valves here.

You cant really get anything here come to think of it just normal run of the mill stuff like your bog standard fender.

Everything must be ordered online

Dublin Guitar

Great suggestions guys, keep em coming. I'll post replies to individual ideas shortly. The feedback on forums like this is invaluable to stores like ours, and is greatly appreciated.

Any particular brands you'd like to see available? Also, how often to you visit bricks & mortar stores?

gerarda

Hi all, not sure what people will think of this but it might be a good idea if your waiting on an instrument to be setup or maybe just chill out and talk to fellow musicians?

rcaz

stetyrrell wrote: »

More pedal based gear, like a few boards like pedaltrains, powerbanks like dc bricks or voodoo labs,

I'd like to see some more budget pedals too, waltons do cheap ones, but they're absolute pieces of s**t, and some of the behringer or danelectro stuff would be nice to try out.

Do you guys do a 30 day money back guarantee on pedals and stuff? A lot of places in america do it, so it means you can actually try out the gear at home or at practice with your full rig

This post!

It's not as bad any more, but not so long ago it was like you were out of place in the guitar section of a music shop if you weren't into metal or blooze. There's a lot more to guitar music than what gets represented in our shops I think.

There seems to be lots of gear for people starting out looking for a cheap way to learn to play, or professionals from other areas who have a lot of money to spend on a nice guitar that will see little use, but people who don't have a lot of money and need more serious/particular gear (particular power supplies, daisy chains, specific replacement parts etc.) have to shop online. Ever try getting an AVRI Jazzmaster vibrato unit in a shop in Ireland? I had to buy online. I hate to generalise, but it seems like the recreational musician is better catered for than the one trying to be a working musician.

Particular things I'd like;
Guitars I haven't seen before, shops being more adventurous with the brands they stock)
(relatively) Cheap vintage guitars (Teiscos, Grecos, 90s Squiers etc.), things that are old, weirdly charming, unknown, interesting. Not all vintage guitars have to cost a bomb.
Bulk cable and jacks to build your own cables with. I haven't been able to find anywhere in Ireland stocking good quality cable like Mogami or Canare or anything. I bet more serious guys would definitely look into building custom cables if they were more readily available.
More computer gear. Decent selection of interfaces at decent prices, same for MIDI controllers and keyboards. I know it seems like I'm for a perfect world here but any time I've looked through Music Maker, Tower Records, or that shop on Liffey Street whose name I've forgotten, the music technology stuff has been limited, and very expensive.

seachto7

Baritone electrics!!!

Plus, brands that aren't Gibson or Fender but are good and look cool, like Reverend, Eastwood etc.

Demeyes

It's been mentioned already but I'd love to see some half decent mid-range guitars stocked. I nearly always go into a shop and come out without seeing a single guitar I'm interested in trying out. Most shops have a wide range of the usual budget copies as well as some bottom tier ibanez/jackson/ltds. Then they might have some Fenders and a few Gibsons. There are so many people buying decent guitars but most people I know are buying online because the shops don't stock much between 500 to 1200.
A few brands that might be worth looking at are G+L, the PRS SEs, Sterling by MM, Godin, the new Rasmus range by Suhr as well as some of the better import Jacksons, Schecter and Ibanez. I know the beginner stuff sells but there are plenty of gigging musicians that have moved up.

Rigsby

Dublin Guitar wrote: »

Great suggestions guys, keep em coming. I'll post replies to individual ideas shortly. The feedback on forums like this is invaluable to stores like ours, and is greatly appreciated.

It shows some interest when a store looks for feedback/opinions. A "certain" store has got a few threads worth of feedback ( it did not look for) here over recent times, 80% negative. Whether this feedback has been appriciated or not, I dont know, but AFAIK, very little has been done to act. Granted, a store can not be expected to act on every opinion and recommendation.

So thanks for showing an interest and looking for feedback.

Dord

More used gear would be nice, even if its just a handful of guitars in a corner. Weird and wacky stuff! :pac:

Also, pedalboards. Not those plastic Boss ones. This kinda thing... http://www.nycpedalboards.com

seachto7

+1 on the pedalboards!!

Welease

Stock aside..

I would like a decent level of customer service..

If you say you will ring me back.. then ring me back..
If you are going to get me a price.. then get back to me with the price..
If there is going to be a delay then let me know...

Simple stuff that doesn't cost the earth, but it's what most often has made me purchase items abroad.

ciaranmac

Don't underestimate product knowledge. If it's a choice between buying from (a) the cute chick who doesn't know how to plug a guitar into an amp or if that mains buzzing sound is normal, or (b) the obnoxious guy who grits his teeth at every bum note when you're trying out the gear, but grunts the right answers to all your questions, (b) wins hands down. Maybe that's just me though.

Squidgy Black

ciaranmac wrote: »

Don't underestimate product knowledge. If it's a choice between buying from (a) the cute chick who doesn't know how to plug a guitar into an amp or if that mains buzzing sound is normal, or (b) the obnoxious guy who grits his teeth at every bum note when you're trying out the gear, but grunts the right answers to all your questions, (b) wins hands down. Maybe that's just me though.

if you know exactly what you're going in to get, and know everything about it, the cute chick is always a good one

Ravelleman

Customer service is my main gripe. I can understand smaller Irish shops being less willing to take risks on stocking less well known guitar brands but customer service is obviously something that can be changed very easily.

None of these comments are directed at anywhere in particular. It's more a series of observations from all around Dublin, so please don't take any offence!

For example:

Don't assume that because someone is under 25 that all they want/know about is the Marshall MG series or amps or its equivalent. A lot of younger buyers (and by this I mean late teens/early twenties) are actually quite discerning customers, given the free availability of information on the internet. From my experience, it's frequently older customers that will buy on a whim without any kind of research, often paying over the odds.

Try not to state the obvious. I don't need to be told that the Fender Princeton Reissue I'm plugging into "doesn't have the distortion I'm used to" What on earth does that mean anyway? Nor do I need to be told that the SG Standard I'm trying comes with a hard case - it should. They all do! :pac:

Give people access to tuners while they try items out. Few things are worse than trying a guitar in a busy shop only to find that it's horribly out of tune and you can't hear it enough to even tune it to itself. Even worse is watching a staff member attempting to tune by ear for you and then handing you a guitar that is first of all out of tune and second of all tuned so low that there isn't enough tension in the 9 gauge strings it came with from the factory. This has happened to me on a number of occasions.

Try not to overhype mundane gear. Fenders and Gibsons are cool and all but we've all seen plenty of them! One funny thing you always hear is that "this Les Paul is one of the good ones" - bad ones are never encountered in Irish shops!

Anyway, good work on trying to give people what they'd like to see. I think customer service is a place that you guys can really win people over on. Take my comments with a pinch of salt - maybe I'm too cynical.

Squidgy Black

Ravelleman wrote: »

Don't assume that because someone is under 25 that all they want/know about is the Marshall MG series or amps or its equivalent. A lot of younger buyers (and by this I mean late teens/early twenties) are actually quite discerning customers, given the free availability of information on the internet. From my experience, it's frequently older customers that will buy on a whim without any kind of research, often paying over the odds.



Give people access to tuners while they try items out. Few things are worse than trying a guitar in a busy shop only to find that it's horribly out of tune and you can't hear it enough to even tune it to itself. Even worse is watching a staff member attempting to tune by ear for you and then handing you a guitar that is first of all out of tune and second of all tuned so low that there isn't enough tension in the 9 gauge strings it came with from the factory. This has happened to me on a number of occasions.

These two points should be made into laws! I'm sick of walking into a store and looking around, and people assuming I want to buy an mg or a vox vt.

I have to say though, I worked in a store for a bit, and if you'd seem what some of the teenagers like myself do, picking up les paul standards and plugging them into hotrod deluxe's, and then strumming two chords over and over, or the worst I've seen a few times, pick up basses and starting playing them through 700 euro guitar amps. and then the a**holes who sit down with the acoustics and all sing along to a song they play, it really is harder working in a store than you might think, so you tend to get wound up and sick of customers like the one's I've had experiences with.

Ravelleman

stetyrrell wrote: »

... so you tend to get wound up and sick of customers like the one's I've had experiences with.

I understand what you mean. I think that's probably one of the biggest challenges of retail in general!

ham_n_mustard

if you stock bass gear, then stock decent bass gear. i've been to a few stores outside of dublin that stock plenty of mid to high end guitar amps but only stock the likes of roland bass cubes and ashdown perfect ten for bass players.they are all well and good, but not everybody is looking for smaller/low powered gear. How many stores can you go into and find they stock a full bass stack or a 700w+ head? not many i'd say.

dont take the piss with prices. i went into a store in cork city recently that had an Orange bass terror 500 in stock, looking for about 200 quid more than german online stores. (cant remember the exact price but im fairly sure this was accurate) i'm all for keeping my business in the country, but is this really acceptable? even if you cant match the superstore prices exactly, add some value as an incentive. something like heavy discount on a few sets of strings or pedals for customers buying a guitar/amp worth over a certain amount.

again, good customer service doesnt cost a lot but really pays off. if somebody really looks after me in store, i'll go back. if all i get are grunts and a hard sell, then i wont.

Johnny Storm

What cute chicks? Where?
For me main requirement is a wide range of guitars

Orando Broom

stetyrrell wrote: »

These two points should be made into laws! I'm sick of walking into a store and looking around, and people assuming I want to buy an mg or a vox vt.

I have to say though, I worked in a store for a bit, and if you'd seem what some of the teenagers like myself do, picking up les paul standards and plugging them into hotrod deluxe's, and then strumming two chords over and over, or the worst I've seen a few times, pick up basses and starting playing them through 700 euro guitar amps. and then the a**holes who sit down with the acoustics and all sing along to a song they play, it really is harder working in a store than you might think, so you tend to get wound up and sick of customers like the one's I've had experiences with.

It's good that you no longer deal with people. Your attitude is terrible. If I'm a paying customer and I want to sing Kumbaya, so be it. Unless you are psychic and can tell by look alone that I am not buying your attitude is terrible and symptomatic of the problems in shops in Ireland.

Would you not have come over to the person and set up the bass for them? Did that not occur to you? Perhaps you couldn't hear them over the sneering.

The quicker shops root out the likes of you and fire your asses the sooner people will have more regard for them.

Seziertisch

ham_n_mustard wrote: »

dont take the piss with prices. i went into a store in cork city recently that had an Orange bass terror 500 in stock, looking for about 200 quid more than german online stores. (cant remember the exact price but im fairly sure this was accurate) i'm all for keeping my business in the country, but is this really acceptable? even if you cant match the superstore prices exactly, add some value as an incentive. something like heavy discount on a few sets of strings or pedals for customers buying a guitar/amp worth over a certain amount.

+1

Ravelleman

Orando Broom wrote: »

The quicker shops root out the likes of you and fire your asses the sooner people will have more regard for them.

There's no need to ruin an otherwise constructive thread!

I think shop's need to find a balance between offering good customer service to people who really want it and obviously protecting their staff's sanity. We all know what musical instrument shops are like; we've all seen how some people treat their stock. I do have a lot of sympathy for some of the people who work there. I think it can be a difficult environment to work in.

But to be honest sometimes they don't deserve sympathy. One occasion springs to mind in particular. I was in a shop trying out something on Christmas Eve, thinking about a late gift. I felt sorry for the guy working there because obviously he just wanted to get home but when he wouldn't believe me that the pickup switch was broken all my sympathy evaporated. He told me that he had fixed it and that it had worked when he played the guitar - it hadn't, he didn't even check.

Anyway...

thewintermute

I'd be happy if the bias wasn't towards guitars only.If this is the shop I think it is, then despite the name there's a good supply of other stringed instruments at mid-level prices. (I'm thinking ukuleles in particular, may have seen a dulcimer at one stage)A shop where you can have a go on a banjo, bouzouki, harmonium, xylophone, marimba, dulcimer or whatever would appeal to me. Some diversity of instuments would be good. Even diifferent typres of guitars, parlour, renaissance, etc might be fun.The Cigar box guitars are a nice touch too, I'm not anti-guitar, but they are hugely over-represented in shops.tuppenceworth

Rigsby

thewintermute wrote: »

I'm not anti-guitar, but they are hugely over-represented in shops.tuppenceworth

Agreed, but this is where the bulk of the demand is, and teenagers make up a lot of this demand. I have yet to go into a shop and see teenagers trying out banjos, dulcimers, xlyophones, etc


On the subject of grumpy staff : I suppose everyone can have a bad day, but I always seem to encounter staff on such days. :rolleyes:

Maybe it can be a hard environment at times to work in, but we all encounter this, and have to make the best of it. Who ever said work was easy ? No good taking it out on a potential paying customer. Without him, the shop assistant would not have a job at all... be that job good bad or otherwise.

spoonbadger

Classical nylon guitars over the 400E price mark.

Less of the same old generic guitars, there's only so many fender mexican/american standards and gibson studios any one store needs. I'd like to see a little more variance in both models and manufacturers on display tbh.

Likewise with pedals, displays full of useless boss pedals and digi-crap. The same stuff everyone always buys when they dont do research. I'd like to see some boutique or even just some different pedals. Guitar stores never cater for the guys who like point-to-point wiring, or vintage correct or even just unique pedals.

Same with amps, i mean how many people actually buy a marshall full stack these days? How about some interesting boutique combos? If stores started stocking some of the boutique stuff (cornfords etc.) that are aimed at bedroom volume tube-powered jamming, they'd definitely up their sales and make consumer's lives easier.

rcaz

Ravelleman wrote: »

I think that's probably one of the biggest challenges of retail in general!

Exactly it is just a challenge of retail, nothing to do with the music shops in particular. Other shops don't suffer the same problem to the same extent. What gives with (majority of) guitar shops?

Owen

El Pr0n wrote: »

Other shops don't suffer the same problem to the same extent.

Try selling cars!! There were days I would visualise myself murdering people in the most imaginative ways possible - BUT, I'd still stay pleasant, chatty, and try to see past the wall people put up. I don't know why people do it, but some people try to pretend to be assholes in order to get the best deal possible - when the opposite is easier for everyone and actually pays dividends.

rcaz

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Try selling cars!! There were days I would visualise myself murdering people in the most imaginative ways possible - BUT, I'd still stay pleasant, chatty, and try to see past the wall people put up. I don't know why people do it, but some people try to pretend to be assholes in order to get the best deal possible - when the opposite is easier for everyone and actually pays dividends.

No, what I meant was, of course it's a problem for everyone, but most people (like yourself) do a decent job of not letting it show.

Welease

El Pr0n wrote: »

Exactly it is just a challenge of retail, nothing to do with the music shops in particular. Other shops don't suffer the same problem to the same extent. What gives with (majority of) guitar shops?

True.

How many people who work in a music shops want to (really want to) have a life in retail?.. I'd imagine very few, and that most want to be musicians..
Very different careers, with vastly different skills.. I've often wondered how many music shop owners have trained their staff on good customer service. To me, it seems very few

I don't care if you are an awesome guitarist.. if said that you will get me a price on something, then get it and ring me back.. anything less is s**t service.

Irish Guitarist

I'd like a soundproof booth where you can try out an instrument without having to worry about other people listening to what you're playing or being drowned out. It's seriously annoying trying to play an acoustic guitar when someone is shredding through a fifty watt amp a few feet away.

If a music shop sells a stringed instrument they should also sell the strings for it. I bought a bouzouki last year. It now needs new strings and the shop I bought it in doesn't sell them. I'll probably get them online but I'd prefer to just walk into the shop and get them.

These may sound like basic wishes but the music shop here is pretty bad so anything would be an improvement.

Somnus

As someone who enjoys playing guitar/writing songs but who is not very technically proficient friendly staff is very important.

I would like to try out gear in store when possible but often feel like the staff are judging what you play. So I definitely agree with the earlier comment that that technical knowledge is important but secondary to friendly staff. There needs to be a balance. A staff member might know everything there is to know about guitars/amps, but if they're not friendly it would put me right off.

Rigsby

Dr.Poca wrote: »

A staff member might know everything there is to know about guitars/amps, but if they're not friendly it would put me right off.

Maybe it should become a prerequisite for them to know everything there is to know about good customer service, before being considered for a job. Just as, if not more important IMO.

Squidgy Black

Orando Broom wrote: »

It's good that you no longer deal with people. Your attitude is terrible. If I'm a paying customer and I want to sing Kumbaya, so be it. Unless you are psychic and can tell by look alone that I am not buying your attitude is terrible and symptomatic of the problems in shops in Ireland.

Would you not have come over to the person and set up the bass for them? Did that not occur to you? Perhaps you couldn't hear them over the sneering.

The quicker shops root out the likes of you and fire your asses the sooner people will have more regard for them.

These were a bunch of 16 year old teenagers who were all singing like a gospel choir. I did actually run over to the customer and set him up through an ampeg.

And for your information, I wasn't sneering at anybody, I'm 15 man, I was doing my work experience. After working there for a week it gets tiring. So many teenagers come in to have a sing along, I spent the whole week serving everybody if they needed a guitar, leads, amps.

I've no problem with people coming in and trying out a guitar and singing quietly by themselves, but when a group comes in and sings at the top of their lungs for 15 minutes it's not okay in my books.

Seziertisch

Welease wrote: »

True.

How many people who work in a music shops want to (really want to) have a life in retail?.. I'd imagine very few, and that most want to be musicians..
Very different careers, with vastly different skills.. I've often wondered how many music shop owners have trained their staff on good customer service. To me, it seems very few

I don't care if you are an awesome guitarist.. if said that you will get me a price on something, then get it and ring me back.. anything less is s**t service.

That is the crux of the matter.

And as for the staff feeling that a life in retail is beneath them, there are plenty of other people doing jobs which they feel are beneath them but do them anyway because they have to. And what's more if they decided to openly show their dissatisfaction with their lot in life at work, they know that they probably wouldn't have a job for much longer.

rgjmce

Myself I'd like to see better quality equipment with cables and such, far too many shops in dublin have an awful selection and mostly are crap pointless cables, just really better quality in the small stuff. also as i'm sure loads have said, well set up guitars, their is nothing worse then playing a guitar that hasn't been set up *cough* music maker........:P

I know setting up guitars is a pain but if you had someone employed to specifically do just that and they just set them up as they come in, i think you'll do just fine

Orando Broom

stetyrrell wrote: »

These were a bunch of 16 year old teenagers who were all singing like a gospel choir. I did actually run over to the customer and set him up through an ampeg.

And for your information, I wasn't sneering at anybody, I'm 15 man, I was doing my work experience. After working there for a week it gets tiring. So many teenagers come in to have a sing along, I spent the whole week serving everybody if they needed a guitar, leads, amps.

I've no problem with people coming in and trying out a guitar and singing quietly by themselves, but when a group comes in and sings at the top of their lungs for 15 minutes it's not okay in my books.

Those teenagers evenutally become working adults, a positive experience for them with a shop will stand to you business.

You have loads to learn about making a shilling; no matter what you think of the people who grace your door they are your bread and butter. Alienate them and you are out of business. I am speaking from a self-employed background (family business).

The best way to get rid of gangs of teenagers is to start selling them stuff. Engage with them, chat with them, show off the product, demostrate it capabalities. If they are interested you may make a sale if they are in for the mess they'll leave. Standing in the corner grumbling about them messing achieves neither.

slavetothegrind

this isn't aimed at op as i don't know what shop he has.

When i walk into your not busy shop acknowledge me!
Take a second and say hello, welcome, any questions or need to tryout i am here!

you have all day to chat to your pal, if you are on the phone a nod and wave would even do!

i walked up to the till in a shop last year with a pedal in my hand to buy.
the two behind the till were talking to each other about their friends and stuff and ignored me, for a full minute, so i put the pedal back and left. Forever.

actually what shop are you op as i will use it just because you cared enough to ask on here!

Squidgy Black

slavetothegrind wrote: »

actually what shop are you op as i will use it just because you cared enough to ask on here!

I'm pretty sure it's the Dublin Guitar Centre on Exchequer street

fret_wimp2

I'm pretty sure it's the Dublin Guitar Centre on Exchequer street

based purely on the topic of the thread, and the treatment ive received each time ive been there i would agree.

They have always gone out of their way to make me feel welcome, be helpful and let me enjoy browsing through their shop.

Tested a vintage Les Paul ( peter green lemon drop one) in there a few weeks ago, and i was looking for reasons to buy it, in part because its a nice guitar for good money, but also as they were so helpful, i wanted to give them my custom.

Cynical folk among you may think im taking the p1ss, but seriously, I wanted to see them do well due to how helpful, informative, knowledgeable and nice they were, and if they can get gear that i want, then il give them my money over any of the other dublin music stores.


(when i say helpful and knowledgeable i dont mean like some shops where all they know is "well its a fender/gibson, which is the best company so you know its good", i mean they knew specs such as fretboard radius, pickup details, pros and cons of different features on the guitar etc.)

Welease

These type of posts always seem very one sided, and I'm not sure anyone actually benefits

I would like to see the owners of shops actually take part in these threads and tell us the customers, why they run their shops in the current manner..

I imagine there are very valid reasons for the levels and type of stock, the sometimes reluctance to offer more variety, the sometimes poor levels of customer service, and the sometimes great customer services and response to customers (because it's not all bad)..

Maybe customers needs to be educated to the reality of not having the purchasing power of a superstore (like Thomann), and a beneficial middle ground may become apparent for all..

Just my 2c.

Rigsby

Welease wrote: »

These type of posts always seem very one sided, and I'm not sure anyone actually benefits

I would like to see the owners of shops actually take part in these threads and tell us the customers, why they run their shops in the current manner..

I imagine there are very valid reasons for the levels and type of stock, the sometimes reluctance to offer more variety, the sometimes poor levels of customer service, and the sometimes great customer services and response to customers (because it's not all bad)..

Maybe customers needs to be educated to the reality of not having the purchasing power of a superstore (like Thomann), and a beneficial middle ground may become apparent for all..

Just my 2c.

Maybe I am just unlucky, but my experiences in most Dublin music stores ( customer service wise ) have been bad. Granted there is one or two who are great.

I think Irish people are only too well aware that local shops have not got the purchasing power of the Superstores. That is why a lot of people buy on line.


As for the beneficial middle ground : Beneficial for who ? If I have done my research and have my heart set on a particular ( fairly expensive) item and am prepared to pay my hard earned cash for it, I'm hardly going to opt for something different ( and pay more than I would on line ) in order to give a local store a dig out, much as I might want to do so.

Welease

Rigsby wrote: »

Maybe I am just unlucky, but my experiences in most Dublin music stores ( customer service wise ) have been bad. Granted there is one or two who are great.

Agreed.. Since returning back to Ireland (apart from buying strings etc.) every experience in buying amps etc. has forced me to purchase from foreign stores.. Poor service from multiple shops (some of whom post here).

Rigsby wrote: »

I think Irish people are only too well aware that local shops have not got the purchasing power of the Superstores. That is why a lot of people buy on line.

True.. But look at a lot of the posts here.. requests for boutique pedals and high end items.. If shops could turn over enough to make this viable then I would assume they would already been doing it... So as per my comment, there have been lots of posts about this but nothing has changed, whats the reason for that? Is there a middle ground where everyone wins.
It would be interesting to see some of the data (from shops) about how many items they do sell.. Are Fender/Squire etc. stocked because they outsell other non big brand items by 10 to 1? From smaller brands how much have they been able to sell? What was their experience of selling non boss pedal, did they make/lose money? Can they get sale or return from distributors? Do Irish distributors have limited stock available? etc.

Rigsby wrote: »

As for the beneficial middle ground : Beneficial for who ? If I have done my research and have my heart set on a particular ( fairly expensive) item and am prepared to pay my hard earned cash for it, I'm hardly going to opt for something different ( and pay more than I would on line ) in order to give a local store a dig out, much as I might want to do so.

I dont mean middle ground as in buy another item.. I mean middle ground as in sale or returns from distributors. or some other process. If I am purchasing a guitar, could something be worked with distributors whereby on a specific date 5 would be made available in store by the distributor so I can have some choice?
For effects, a similar process..
For a charge of €50 returnable on purchase, could items be ordered in for me to try?

etc.

A middle ground process where the shop understands the type of equipment I am trying to buy.. I imagine a lot of stock is determined by what sells.. but what about the items i buy elsewhere because the shop doesnt stock that.. do they shops get to understand the amount of missed revenue? Would that change the items they stock?

Rigsby

Welease :

I accept your points, and see them as constructive ideas. Problem is do the shops have the interest and enthusiasm to act on these things ? My guess ? A resounding NO !. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong. It remains to be seen.

If an assistant has not got the patience to deal with a customer who is enquiring about something that is there in front of him ( as happened to me on many occasions ), I cant see them ordering in items specially for me to just try out. My guess is that they would consider it too much hassle, even with the 50 euro. I know my attitude sounds negative, but that is because of my experiences. A certain store has had about three threads worth of feed back here, in which they took part. They promised to act on the feed back. AFAIK nothing much has changed. The "this is what we have, take it or leave it" attitude needs to change first. When they have over come that hurdle, maybe then could they consider new ways of keeping their customers happy. I, for one, am not holding my breath.

Welease

Rigsby wrote: »

Welease :

I accept your points, and see them as constructive ideas. Problem is do the shops have the interest and enthusiasm to act on these things ? My guess ? A resounding NO !. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong. It remains to be seen.

If an assistant has not got the patience to deal with a customer who is enquiring about something that is there in front of him ( as happened to me on many occasions ), I cant see them ordering in items specially for me to just try out. My guess is that they would consider it too much hassle, even with the 50 euro. I know my attitude sounds negative, but that is because of my experiences. A certain store has had about three threads worth of feed back here, in which they took part. They promised to act on the feed back. AFAIK nothing much has changed. The "this is what we have, take it or leave it" attitude needs to change first. When they have over come that hurdle, maybe then could they consider new ways of keeping their customers happy. I, for one, am not holding my breath.

Absolutely.. I actually agree 100% with you..

While trying to be constructive, this could also been seen as a put up or shut up to Irish music retailers also.. There have been many threads from retailers on here, asking for feedback but very little action that I have seen (at least from the ones I have dealt with)..
The OP posted this thread, got plenty of feedback, and unless I am mistaken has not posted since or tried to constructively engage with their potential customers here.. So what was the point?

It's not my job to keep Irish retailers in business.. it's their job.. and I will always go where i get the best service and price irrespective of location. I hope they start looking at more inventive customer focussed ways of doing business, but the ball is firmly in their court.

To put it in perspective, if the head of DSG Ireland (Declan) can post on the Curry's forum here and chase up each an every query/problem, then why can't our Irish music retailers do the same?