renin74 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 neo, I meant I was going to Bizarre guitar tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 After all that you didn't purchase the Starfire IV? I'm feel somewhat let down............... All you married guys know what The Look means.... Aaresz' date=' when Mrs. Neo gives me The Look, this means that she has heard a long story and seen a bunch of bullsh!t without the benefit of any supporting logic to base my purchase on. She doesn't care what I buy as long as it makes sense. I NEVER (well, almost never) buy on my first trip to the guitar shop, gun shop, car dealer, etc. If the deal doesn't stand when I come back in 2 hours then it was never a deal to start with. Amazing what that short interlude can bring to the table from a motivated seller.... That's why we went and ate Mexican food, to get out of the store and kick back for awhile, discuss it objectively. On the way out the door is when the [b']used car salesman [/b]tricks started with one of the Assistant Managers. I think I'll give this a Christmas spin and refer to them as the The 12 Wise Assistant Manager Men. That's about how many people work there, and it seems that every damned one of them is an Assistant Manager. We were headed out the door, I was gonna go hit the guy with a price request (this is where they blow it) and see if there was sufficient reason to even consider the purchase for real. I was sold on the guitar, here's their chance. I asked the guy if he had a firm price on the guitar tagged for $1200, meanwhile Mrs. Neo stepped across the store to take a cell phone call. "Well, let me see here....." he says as he starts typing and clicking furiously at the computer. I smiled and told him "I assume a guitar that clean came here in a case, eh?" "Um.... yeah.... the case is fifty bucks...." he said while avoiding eye contact. I sorta joked and said "You're not gonna pull the famous GC bullsh!t of selling me the case the guitar was born in...." Still typing and avoiding eye contact he said "I'm not gonna charge you for the case, it's only 50 bucks." (Important note) He's not charging me for the case, yet he hasn't given me a price on the guitar. How do I know the price didn't just go up another $50 anyway so he could still "sell" it to me and satisfy his manager. Managers don't like sales guys "giving" things away, so it has to show on the books as sold. Important thing to realize when in negotiation. If we had agreed on a price - then he said that was without the case - then he threw it in for free, that would be a little different. I tell him to get me a number, Mrs. Neo are gonna go eat dinner and talk it over. He asks "Are you planning to buy tonight?" Bad move. I say "No, I doubt it. I'm looking at stuff on Ebay and I'm still shopping around. A killer price might make me buy it." :-) "Okay..." he says "looks like it will be just under $1300." (I forget the exact number.) "How do you get that price?" He points to the price tag from the guitar as if needing justification and says "Yeah, I'm giving you the case for free..." He was very sincere at this point, wanting me to believe he had done everything he could. "So, basically I'm paying sticker price plus tax?" "Well, I'm throwing in the case for free..." I smile, thinking that two of The 12 Wise Assistant Manager Men who know me would never have attempted such lame tactics. They KNOW that I consider the original factory hardcase as much a part of the guitar as the paint is. They are NOT separable for ANY reason, and in a logical world they would never sell a guitar without the case. So Mrs. Neo walked up about this time, listened to the price and looked at me. I thanked the Wise Assistant Manager Man for his time, said I would think about it and went to eat Mexican food. Spent $30 total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Why you continue wasting your time on GC is beyond me' date=' man....[/quote'] Entertainment, and to assess the lousy state of retail in this country. Now and then they do have a cool guitar, and once in a blue moon you can actually get a good deal. As I said, I know a few of the guys who work for the chain. GC sucks' date=' but the same can be said about almost all mega stores (wether they sell car replacement parts, pillows, or guitars). [/quote']Sad, but true. I have similar stories from other merchants, furniture stores top them all. ...and they will remember NeoConMan until they die.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 oh' date=' and by the way, if you order stuff from musicians friend, you're just as guilty as shopping at GC, since GC owns them. [/quote']The ONLY thing I've EVER ordered from them is bulk strings. How can they fxck THAT up? :-) And yes, I refer to Musician's Friend as The MFers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 hey Neo' date=' I hear ya buddy. I am going there tomorrow afternoon around 1:30 -2PM. I am gassing for an explorer and they got great prices on them, $200 lower than GC. Maybe I will see you there tomorrow.[/quote'] At Bizarre, got it! I don't know if I'll be in town, but if I am lunch is on me. Be cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sliptrip Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 The ONLY thing I've EVER ordered from them is bulk strings. How can they fxck THAT up? :-) And yes' date=' I refer to Musician's Friend as The MFers... [/quote'] That's freakin beautiful! MFers... Yeah, I play Gibson 9-46 gauge, and I find that's hard to come by, so I'm forced to buy them from MF. Anyone else have a better place to get them from? MF has a 3 pack for $18. really can't beat that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 All you married guys know what The Look means.... Yep I know that look. I don't get it very often but when I do I don't even come close to questioning her wisdom. Interesting lunchtime reading for me. I don't know much about the GC training program but it sounds like it's akin to someone trying to pass a massive spending bill through congress without giving people time to read it (he he he). "You'll just figure it all out later as you go through our job." I've said this before, but I think it's important. I stop by our GC every week on the way to church choir rehearsal. They are very friendly but generally have no clue about the equipment there. When I want real advice I drive 60 miles to the House of Guitars in Rochester. When I once asked about a Les Paul, Bruce, the co-owner, pointed to a 20 year kid and said "he'll take care of you." Boy did he ever. I think if you collected all the great information from the "giants" on this forum and put that into one person...it would be this kid!! Giving me an offer of $900 less than GC was the icing on the cake (this was the Premium Plus purchase). This is how you sell guitars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Neo, that's a beautiful sunburst! They want $1,199 advertised on line. I'll bet you can get it for $750.00 plus tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
?_? Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 DYNAMIC PHYSIQUE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 DYNAMIC PHYSIQUE WTF!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
?_? Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 WTF!?!? I can NEVER find rocker shirts big enough to fit my dynamic physique so I decided to pick up a couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mick Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 This guy keeps looking at me creeps me out. >?_? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Oh, OK... Yeah, I'm a part of that club. You know 6'2, 290-300 LBS. Yes "Dynamic Physique". My problem is I have a long torso so they have to be XXLT. If they are long enough... well you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yep, same here California Man... There's some flesh nobody really wants to see, and having a bunch of fur on the keg it doesn't seem to help. I find women rarely encourage me to pull my shirt up and display my more-than-adequately insulated abdomen..... That's freakin beautiful! MFers... Yeah' date=' I play Gibson 9-46 gauge, and I find that's hard to come by, so I'm forced to buy them from MF. Anyone else have a better place to get them from? MF has a 3 pack for $18. really can't beat that.[/quote'] Is it RichCI that is always talking about Webstrings.com or something to that effect? He swears by them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 I hope you have the same success putting GC out of business in Phoenix that I had putting CompUSA out of business here in Nashville. Hmmmm.... Do tell.... I'm always willing to learn a new trick or two' date=' please share your wisdom and experience.! just leave my GC here in Nashville alone... they rock! And yes, if ever I'm in Music City and visiting YOUR GC I'll behave myself - unless my presence triggers something in them... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantha Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Damn... I really want to join in and bash, but I just haven't had a bad experience with GC yet. Granted, I've never bought any guitars from them.. only strings and accessories etc. I bought a bum tuner from them once, and exchanged it with no problem. The few guys I've talked to there seemed extremely knowledgeable. Not sure if I ever will buy a guitar from them. There's a Musician's Superstore not far from where I live that I've always liked. I guess I just don't expect much as far as service or knowledgeable employee's at BIGSTORES. Kinda sucks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmartem Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Neo...This might make you feel a little better.I decided I had to have a Breedlove guitar a year ago I was going to spend no more then $600 .I tried a bunch of them out at the 3 local G.C 's got to know the brand and decided which one I wanted.I was going to order it from Elderly Music (same price no shipping ,tax,or B.S.When I noticed they had the top of the line Atlas series on the wall priced at the same price as the guitar I was going to buy.It should have been $300 more but this was brand new ,just put it out,no sale price' not a scatch on it . G.C.computer screw up.The guitar sold every where else on line for$899 not $599.With out hesitation I went to the youngest guy I could find in the store ,told him I wanted to buy the guitar,let him know that the hardshell case was suposed to come with it and bought it. Later that day I called another G.C. in the area and asked him if he had the same guitar.He said he did'nt but he could order one for $599 Wait no thats not right They are $899 yeah $899.Score!!! But my friend this is not where the story ends.The next day I recieved the G.C.10 percent off coupon in the mail .Mustering all my balls I went back to the store with my receipt and asked for 10 pecent to be put back on my card.The guitar came to $549 with tax. That will make up for all the time I've had to wait while they call the manager so I can buy strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 The GC near me is awsome...mabye i should work their since i played every guitar their and know most of the specs of em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 The GC near me is awsome...mabye i should work their since i played every guitar their and know most of the specs of em. Wow... another reason not to shop at Guitar Center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callen3615 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 More stories! I like. :D Last time I went to GC the amp I plugged into was dead, I walked up to ever amp they had, all dead. 4 assistant managers watched me for about 10 minutes. I told em either my cord was broken or all the amps were dead. They said, "oh!, there not on."#-o He turned the power on, so went back to the valve king. I turned it on, nothing. the 4 assistent mangers are still watching me, me-"Hey, this cord is broken." Managers- "yeah we know" He put it right back on top of the amp. ](*,) ](*,) I handed him the les paul and I just walked out of the store........the tiny goth chick at the door wished me a good day tho. :D/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 More stories! I like. :D the tiny goth chick at the door wished me a good day tho. ](*' date=')/ [/quote'] Yeah... every time I go into a GC an ugly Goth chick is at the door. What's up with that? Is that in their business plan? I can imagine the management steering committee going over that. "Hey lets have a greeter at the door," Manager 1 says to Manager 2. "Yeah, some chick that looks rock-n-roll with attitude," Manager 3 adds. "No... we should get a Goth Girl or an Emo-chick to do that," Manager 1 says. "Great idea," they all applaud each other and go jerk off in the corner, having just rewritten the stores business plan. Lovely:-k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callen3615 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yeah... every time I go into a GC an ugly Goth chick is at the door. What's up with that? Is that in their business plan? I can imagine the management steering committee going over that. "Hey lets have a greeter at the door' date='" Manager 1 says to Manager 2. "Yeah, some chick that looks rock-n-roll with attitude," Manager 3 adds. "No... we should get a Goth Girl or an Emo-chick to do that," Manager 1 says. "Great idea," they all applaud each other and go jerk off in the corner, having just rewritten the stores business plan. Lovely:-k [/quote'] Na, they're clones. :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Surely you guys know enough about 21st Century retailing to understand the girl at the door, eh? What the tattooed/pierced slutty Goth chick is there for is really security, right? First, you really young guys are supposed to think she's hot and so you will behave yourself thinking she'll like you. She won't, she's already f-ing the manager. She checks EVERY receipt - though she has no clue what she's looking at since she's never used a cash register. The idea is that most semi-honest people will be afraid of getting caught. The real thieves, the high-rolling big-time guys will get around her with no problem. THESE are the guys stealing the knobs and switch tips.... Neo...This might make you feel a little better. Oh' date=' man!!![/b'] You have NO IDEA!!!! Whoo-Hoo!!!! Before ANYBODY says that's not fair, honest, ethical, etc, think of it this way. Kmartem is one of the few customers to get unfxcked by Guitar Center... If that happened to me in MY business, whether it was MY mistake or an employee, I would have to deal with it. Stupidity should be painful, THAT'S how we learn, adapt and survive.... G.C.computer screw up.The guitar sold every where else on line for$899 not $599.With out hesitation I went to the youngest guy I could find in the store ' date='told him I wanted to buy the guitar,let him know that the hardshell case was suposed to come with it and bought it.[/quote']Capitol idea! Thinking fast on your feet! As my Dad told me 35 years ago "You got yer biscuit, grab ya some gravy and go!!!" Kind of like "Seize the day" in Oklahoma Redneck.... Later that day I called another G.C. in the area and asked him if he had the same guitar.He said he did'nt but he could order one for $599 Wait no thats not right They are $899 yeah $899.Score!!! Ah yes' date=' validation. Sweet! :-) But my friend this is not where the story ends.The next day I recieved the G.C.10 percent off coupon in the mail .Mustering all my balls I went back to the store with my receipt and asked for 10 pecent to be put back on my card.The guitar came to $549 with tax. "And what balls he has Ladies & Gentlemen......!!!" That will make up for all the time I've had to wait while they call the manager so I can buy strings. Heh, heh, heh..... I'm fighting a brutal allergy sinus infection, and I couldn't stop laughing! You made my day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I was discussing this post and the ineptitude of most GC employees with a couple students at the school I'm at today. A quiet little 11th grade girl speaks up and tells the greatest GC gotcha story. I was hoping she'd join the forum and tell the story herself. On her way home from her 8th grade trip to Washington DC her mother decides to stop in at one of the southern California GCs and tells her daughter that she's buying her a bass for her birthday present. This was three years ago. What a great mom, right. The girl finds a Gibson SG bass with a price tag hanging on it that matches that of the price of the Epiphone SG, roughly $200.00. She knows that the Gibson should be a lot more, as does her mother. They tell the sales kid that they'll take it. The mother tells them to get the case. Shortly after that one of the Assistant Managers comes over and says something like, "We're sorry, we can't sell you that bass, it's got the wrong price on it." The girl and her mother know better and tell them that the miss-marked Gibson bass is GC's problem. That giving them the Epiphone Bass is bate and switch and against the law. Mom stuck to her guns and her little girl got that Gibson SG bass for her birthday. Way to go Mom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 You mean this one with a list price of $2,419? http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-SG-Reissue-4String-Bass?sku=517540 Couldn't find it on the GC website, but the MFers are selling it for $1,399. Warms my heart... I was hoping she'd join the forum and tell the story herself. 11th grade girl? CM' date=' she'd be swimming with sharks.... :-( Yeah, get her in here if you can, and tell her to list all her "favorite uncles" in her signature line. This could serve as a ready visual reminder that she has a bunch of us old cats to deflect BS for her..... against the law. Damn straight. Way to go Mom! Indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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