Music store experiences

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The city where live does not have any music stores. This makes perfect sense, since we are located so close to Helsinki and to Finland’s second and fourth largest cities.

I am currently on a mission to improve my strumming and playing with a pick. So I needed more picks to experiment with. Purposefully I did not visit the large chain music store where I had bought my Godin, but visited a very small music store in a neighbouring town.

The music store in our neighbouring town is a very small independent store that has existed for a long time. I went there with the idea that I want to support the owner - and if I would receive excellent service, I would ask them to order a guitar for me, should I ever want a new one (I can always test a certain model in the large chain music store before that).

The buying experience I had there was sad and depressing somehow. Yesterday was a grey, gloomy and rainy day. When I arrived at the store, it looked as if they hadn’t even turned on the light. Hadn’t the door been slightly ajar, I would have headed back home immediately. When I went inside, there was no one to be seen. On my left was the service desk, on my right a glass closet (probably locked) with three or four acoustic guitars, one strat and one hollow or semi-hollow.

Then someone came out from the back room and did not greet me. I smiled and said “As much as I would want I can’t buy a guitar, as I have to save money for other expenses at the moment”. No reaction whatsoever. So I asked the guy whether they have guitar picks. He turned around and put a box with various Tortex picks on the service desk. Still no word. I looked at the Tortex and said, unfortunately I don’t like them much, they feel a bit to slippery, do you have other picks as well. He turned around again and offered me a box with cat tongue picks. I took one of them into my hand and said “that’s just what I meant, I’ll take three of each”. Finally he mumbled something in reply.

In the end, I found myself buying the picks and a cheap chromatic tuner out of pity. I explicitly had to ask for a bag, otherwise I would not even have received that.

I really don’t know whether I will visit this music store again. It was such a sad place that seemed to have fallen out of time. I had gone there with so many good intentions, but given that the store is so small, I had also expected exceptionally good service.

These are just my experiences, but I guess many of you must have stories about visits to music stores?

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but did you get the infos you were looking for ?

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Hmm, I really don’t know. Sure, I came home with picks… but no information has really been volunteered during the whole visit.

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It’s sad, it’s such a wasted opportunity. Small music stores can’t compete with the chains, it’s just too expensive to have racks of multi-thousand dollar guitars but they could be a hub for a community that you’ll not get in a chain store. They have to get basics right though, look like you’re open for one and friendliness costs nothing. Maybe today you’re only browsing or buying picks but who knows next time… if there is a next time.

I’m really aware of any good independent stores near me. I tend to go to PMT (part of a chain in the UK) which is about 30 minutes away or buy online. At least with PMT I can see online what they have in stock so it’s never a wasted journey even though otherwise it’s a bit of a soulless experience

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That’s indeed a bad experience… But I don’t think such behaviour of the store assistants is something common, either in your country or anywhere else.
It so happens that I am able to present a point of view from the other side of the counter, as for the last five years before retirement I worked as a shop attendant in a music store here in Warsaw. The shop is located at a particular spot on the city map: the shopping gallery within the City Centre metro station which means there were crowds of casual visitors just passing by and suddenly interested in our assortment, in most cases just browsing without an intention to buy anything. On the other hand we had a large group of regulars purchasing strings and various accessories in a shop they had an easy access to via the subway.
I must emphasise that we treated each customer with due attention and respect, passing information and advice they requested. Unfortunately, we also encountered rude customers on almost daily basis, people who thought respect doesn’t have to be mutual because the customer is always right… Well, most certainly not always.
Our shop didn’t stock the world top brands, rather specialising in affordable equipment so often wanted by beginners and parents purchasing the first guitar or ukulele for their kids. We had a nice selection of inexpensive classical guitars, also in sizes 1/2 and 3/4. To me, as an assistant, the smile of a kid holding its first guitar was the best reward…
Regardless, I can’t imagine showing so little customer attendance by the shop staff as described in the original post.

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That to me says that they are not beginner friendly, also they need a lesson in good manners!
I definitely wouldn’t give anyone like that my custom, it’s just wrong!
Try your next nearest option just for a look see at what they’ve got and if they’re pleasant and helpful!

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You must have many stories from the “other side” Tomasz :slightly_smiling_face:

I suspect, it was the owner. The store is way seems way too small to be able to afford staff. In some way I understand it. It’s almost impossible to compete against internet music instrument dealers or even music store chains. I came there feeling almost guilty only asking for picks. But then… I left with the feeling that someone is apparently digging their own grave in some way.

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How lucky you are if you have a good music shop within easy distance. I tried to support my local shop (40 miles) when looking for another acoustic guitar. Unfortunately I am left handed and they had only 2 to choose from. They were pleasant enough though and suggested I try one of the larger chains/dealers that have a decent returns policy and order online. So much for trying first. I did however buy a guitar stand which I needed. Oh and got what I wanted from And****ns

oops replied to wrong person–never mind

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You are quite right about the ‘many stories’. I could probably write a book, and it wouldn’t necessarily be a comedy. But here’s an example of a lighter nature:
One day to our store comes a lady and very politely asks for a set of guitar strings for her son. An obvious question on the staff’s part is “what kind of guitar does your son have, ma’am?”. Here comes a moment of thinking deeply followed by a flash of joy when she remembered: “Oh, such a nice blue one!..” (a true story, not a joke!).

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10

I dont know if the owner was at fault …

I mean , when I go to my local music store , I ask for the items needed , they give it to me and thats all
If I want specific advice , I have to ask and then they will help me on something more than just items

did you ask for a specific thing you wanted to know ? what did you have in mind ?

here … its advice requested … thus my previous question , did you try to start a conversation with him ?

Its hard for a seller to tell if a customer wants to be left alone or not … most customers are rude

just explain a little bit more what happened in the shop please

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I did. I did all info is available in my initial post. As said earlier, I understand that times are tough and that life of microbusinesses is hard, but I do expect to feel welcome in a small shop as a customer. Alas, I didn’t.

That’s what I will do @Darrell. Next time it’s back to the store where I bought my Godin. It’s a big chain music store, but strangely the service was good.

Did you ask the woman to call her son to verify @Coda ? Or did you persuade her that given that she does not know exactly, she should be on the safe side and by nylon strings, steels strings for acoustic and electric guitar strings?

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oh you updated again the frst post i didnt see it :sweat_smile:

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@DarrellW: That’s exactly what happened, as soon as we explained to her that in order to sell her the right strings we need to know the TYPE of her son’s guitar. Indeed, she made a phone call, and the guitar turned out to be a blue steel string acoustic…

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I find the customer experience in different stores is oddly backwards, I’m not specifically talking music stores but more of a general observation. I often find that bigger store or chains have a very friendly but anonymous vibe and that you are new customer every time you walk through the door.
Small businesses, if they are good, often feel awkward the first time. It’s as if you are treated with suspicion until you get to know the owner/staff but then you build relationships and it becomes the kind of place where you spend more time chatting than actually making the purchase you went there for.

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Hmm… There is surely a lot of truth in this…

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Hi Nicole,

Sorry to hear that your first impression with the shop was a bad one. If I were you, I would give them a second chance after waiting a month or two. Whoever was tending to the shop that day may have been having a bad day themselves. Perhaps their spouse of 30 years said yesterday that they wanted a divorce. Or their favorite aunt died yesterday. Or if it were the owner, perhaps they had the only other employee who ran the shop every day quit yesterday. You don’t know.

After the month or two wait, revisit the shop. Is the same person still tending to the shop? If it is, do they have a different demeanor today than last time? Regardless of who is there, ask if they are the owner. If they are, or maybe even if they aren’t, tell them you felt unwelcome the first time you had visited the shop a month or two ago. Ask them if everything is okay. Ask questions that require them to answer with more than a yes or no answer. Do your best to engage in a conversation.

Then assess the situation. Was the first visit different than the second visit? If so, how do you feel now? Then determine if you will patronize that shop again. You might be pleasantly surprised. That shop may be where you go for all things guitar in the future. Or maybe not…

My best to you in finding a guitar shop that you like.

Pastor Dave (Wheelin_Rev)

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Thanks for your wise words, Dave, I think you gave me very good advice :hugs:

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Can’t say that I’ve ever had a truly great music store experience. Usually it’s a cacophony of discordant guitar riffs --played way too loud with fairly clueless store help in attendance. There are so many variables at play here that any conclusions you draw (playing in a store) may not apply to your room or situation.

I do my homework on Youtube, listen to experienced players on the message boards, and buy from a reputable online vendor with an excellent track record and return policy. I’ve bought a few guitars, amps and other gear sight unseen from Amazon & monoprice.com. No regrets and no music store headaches.

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19

This is good advice. My favorite shop had a rough beginning. The first time I went in took several calls to figure out if the place was open. I finally got the guy on the phone and yes, he’d be open a couple hours. He was surly and not what I intended to go back to, but he had a lot of stuff to look at.

I did go back a few months later and got a (free) lesson on playing just being chatty, the guy as friendly as could be. Turns out that he is often surly after doing a gig the night before, especially when it ends in a 4 hour drive back home before getting to go to bed.

It is my favorite shop now, used gear all over the place, more like an obstacle course than a store. Always something interesting to look at, and I forgive the owner his moods. :slight_smile:

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Yeah this is what happened to me the first time I visited my local store. It’s basically the husband’s store but his wife was behind the counter and she wasn’t friendly in the least while her husband was the opposite. However, my husband and I bought a few things she recommended, and she did find me a nice little used Peavey amp for me, (I wrote about all this in my learning log last year), but the second time she was there by herself, and we must have spent over an hour happily chatting away while I tried out some acoustic guitars. It’s very possible they had a fight right before I got there, who knows?

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