Local Shopping - The Edge

 

The other day, I went to Guitar Center needing some strings, lemon oil for my fretboards, some picks and maybe a few other knickknacks. 

It’s been YEARS since I’ve stepped into a Guitar Center, maybe over a decade. I used to visit all the time, just for fun. I’d go there just to browse and see what might catch my eye. I’d sometimes end up buying some affordable, reasonably priced music instrument: I bought myself a couple Djembe drums and taught myself how to play them, I bought a pan pipe, an Udu drum, harmonicas and taught myself how to play them. Irish tin whistles. You get the picture. 

As I pulled up this time, I had this vague memory in the back of my mind. Somewhere back there I recalled and remembered: sales people at Guitar Center were rude, indifferent, arrogant and not helpful. Jerks. Nah. Must be memories from a couple bad encounters. Besides, it was over 10 years ago and there can’t be the same employees still working there.

As I stepped in, I had that almost euphoric feeling I can also get stepping into a bookstore. The sights and sounds, but most profoundly, the smell. I walked to the back of the store to the acoustic guitar room (they have a room that’s sectioned off from the rest of the store, just for acoustic guitars), and there it was, the smell. A great memorable smell of rich wooden, crafted guitars hanging on hooks just waiting to be picked up and played. A guitar that’s never played is like a candle that’s never been lit or that island of misfit toys. Sad. I could almost feel the guitars calling as I walked into the empty room: “pick me, pick me!” I spent about 15 minutes there, playing different guitars. It was fun. Some of them were beauts, others junkers, but still in need of a home. 

But I had to move on, I wasn’t here to buy a guitar today. I was in search of strings, lemon oil, picks and anything else affordable that caught my eye. The first thing I noticed was how all the sales people quickly walked past me, as though they had somewhere to get to. Not making eye contact and certainly not asking if I needed help or even saying “hi”. OK. No big deal, I knew what I was looking for. 

I found where the lemon oil was but only found one brand, about $8. A little more than the $4.5 that I’d pay online, but that’s OK, I’d be supporting a local shop and I’d get it now instead of having to wait. I wanted to see if there was another brand they had so that I could compare. Choices. I went up to a counter and asked a salesperson. He seemed irritated that I was bugging him. He pointed in the general direction and said there was another brand. I walked back and checked again. I couldn’t find any other brand. I looked and looked but couldn’t find anything. I went back to the annoyed salesperson and said, “Could you show me where, ‘cause I just can’t seem to find it?” Heavy sigh. Walked quickly over, looked then said. “We’ll it should be here, but it isn't. People (other salespeople) here mis-stock things, put things in the wrong place or shoplifters come by and steal stuff.” He said “Well I guess that’s all we have”,  pointed to what I had in my hand and tried to walk away. Before he did, I stopped him (heavy sigh) and asked what he would recommend to clean /  polish the satin finish on my guitar. He asked “Is the finish Nitrocellulose or Polyurethane?”. “I don’t know,” I replied. Heavy sigh. Rolled eyes. 

He shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I guess you could get this” (picks up a bottle and starts reading it). I take the bottle, look at it and sigh-man sees his chance to escape and does so. 

Then, what must be, the manager comes out and yells, “Where is everybody!?”. “Why isn’t anybody out on the floor?!”. Salespeople eventually emerge, maybe half a dozen. Note: At this time there were maybe 4 customers in the entire store and I was one of them. Annoyed sighing man walks by, grumbling that he couldn’t find a ladder and that he wasted his time looking for one because some other salesperson didn’t put it back. I got the feeling he didn’t like his job and didn’t want to be there. I moved on: time to find my strings. I knew what I was looking for. 

I got to the string section and was sorely disappointed to see a very low stock. Many slots were empty and what they did have was a pretty low selection of brand names and types. Then I couldn’t find classical guitar nylon strings. I asked a different, sighing salesperson (who I was obviously bothering and annoying) who came over and showed me where they were, mixed in with the steel strings (no wonder I couldn’t find them). He walked away before I could ask about the different string types and what he’d recommend. 

Maybe it was because I was shopping for inexpensive items (strings, picks, guitar cleaner) and not browsing the overpriced (read $2500 or more) guitars they had on display, but the treatment I got was of disdain and annoyance. Not a single person asked if they could be of help or seemed to want to stick around once I got their attention. I was apparently an annoying bother. 

I put back the bottle of lemon oil I was holding and walked out of the store, likely for the last time.

I went home, did some online shopping, found a HUGE selection, got exactly what I wanted for a lot LESS cost AND it’ll get here in 1 day. 

I gave the local store a shot and left frustrated and disappointed. I know times are tough, but online shopping is their biggest competitor and local shops need to find that edge: killer customer service and great attitudes. Otherwise online shopping will continue to pummel the brick and mortars. Some will close their doors for good and their sighing, eye-rolling salespeople will have to find some other place to be grumpy.