Why are music store customers assholes?

Talk Cancer » Lung Cancer » Why are music store customers assholes?

Categories: Lung Cancer

Question:

welll here’s my two cents as to why workers in shops are assholes. im sick and tired of wannabe rockstars who think they r in the music business, working in these places They sit around alll day posing . You go to try something out and right away they assume you want distortion. Not once thinking maybe that you want to hear the guitar or amp clean first?? it also amazes me how these guys have the EXAACT same guitar or gear you happen to be trying out!!! they can afford this on a salesman’s salary or commision? It would surprise me since most of them are sitting on their asses/ One year my girlgriend went to buy me a guitar for xmas . She knew nothing about guitars and got very little help from the sales people. She was gonna walkout, but didn.t. However, whenever i mentionn that i might go to that store, she freaks . oh yea, it was Sam Ash.

Response:

I’d have to agree totally with you on this subect. There is a nice, small little music store in the area.. Not a chain, just run by someone. The owner of the store is a real dumbass. I asked to test out a guitar, so he plugs me into an amp, then leaves, and works on something else. Dosn’t bother to stay and answer any questions… It wasn’t untill one of the employees came, who actually understood customer service. Just to make my point, when we did do the sale, the manager tried to take all the creid, so i aksed to for the employee to do it instead.. The manager just dosn’t understand. And he still dosn’t…

Response:

Eh…why are music store salespeople such assholes? Well, the ones in NYC anyway..

Response:

Lucky guy, I have to work 8-10 hours per day. Usually this is accompanied by a few other people playing some bad Metallica riffs and some freaks asking stupid questions.

There are NO stupid question– the saleman’s job is to answer those questions and to assist the customer. That customer is your entire reason for being– no customers, no music store. Keep in mind that, although you’ve been asked the same question 100 times that day, it’s probably the first time that the customer has asked that question, and he/she is entitled to the same courtesy as customer #1…I’d MUCH rather deal w/ a saleperson who was committed to the customer, honest and aboveboard, and couldn’t play a lick than a frustrated "next big thing" musician who could care less about the customer. As for the guy who "Tricked" the guy at the guitar store by wowing him with your guitar playing wonders, get a life buddy, get a life! Don’t you have anything better to do than to waste your time "fuckin’" with store

I agree, courtesy is a 2-way street.

Response:

Don’t worry, Mobees. With your attitude you won’t be bothered by customers for much longer.

Response:

Don’t worry, Mobees. With your attitude you won’t be bothered by customers for much longer.

I think you’ve summed it up. — blaine Push it into third if you know you’re gonna climb a hill Eat plenty of lasagna ’til you know that you’ve had your fill Resist all the urges that make you wanna go out and kill.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As much as I HATE music store salesmen, the same thing is everywhere. I was at Best Buy with my friends, one was planning on buying a car stereo that day. The "employee" wouldn’t talk to my friend. He was "Too busy" helping another Best Buy employee playing with stereos. Well, maybe it’s not really related, it sort’a is. In the last (March 98) Guitar World, there is something about this. It’s basicly about why t owners and workers get pissed. It’s mostly about kids that play only ..teen spirit and Enter Sandman. It pissed me off. Andy Bogner of Bogner Soud and Music in Flint Michigan said this: "We humiliate them as much as we can." Bogner say of offending customers. "Generally someone will walk over or we’ll stand around in a semi-circle until they stop, and we basicly tell ‘em it’s time to get a life. Peer pressure being what it is, they normally chill out pretty quick" That’s directly from Guitar World March 98. What the fuck is that? "We humiliate them as much as possible" That’s good. I hope your little guitar store goes down in flames, Bastard! If that would happen to me, first, I’d turn up. Then if they are still buggin’ me, I’d wanna talk to the manager, then go to the BBB. Then, figure a way to make their business to "Bomb" adgo out of busniess. eople like that don’t deserve to own or even work at a guitar store! Why don’t normal people like you and me work there? Oh right… were not dicks. maybe that’s in the job plan. First day of training they teach you how to make a normal question sound lik it wasthe dumbest thigthey have ever heard like "What’s the difference between strings?" "What size pick should I use?" These are quesions a newbie has! I did! I didn’t have a guitar friend to help me out with the easy questions. The second day, they teach you how to think you know more than you know. Third day, they repeat day one, but this time more emphisis on how to be a dick. Forth day, how to ignore customers. Sixth day, How to stereotype who can play what insturment, (ie: You aren’t good enough for a Marshall and Why are you touching that Gibson? You don’t even know how to play it.) Seventh day, (it’s a week long training) re-cap of day one (again). It’s their own fault for working there. If you can’t stand hearing Enter Sandman 400,000,000 times, either get a new job or deal with it. Maybe they’re jealous because they can’t grasp the intro to Enter Sandman or Smells Like Teen Spirit. Maybe that’s what the whole hoop’la is about. Where I live we got 2 main guitar stores. One is the leading in the city so they raise the price 1/3 at least. There a Gibson Les Paul Standard is $2500! Then there is the other place that sells mainly Fender (also expensive). I found this little store hidden on a side street and the guy that owns it, it’s his hobby. He’s only open 3 nights a week. Sells his strings 1/2 off. Anyway, this guy is nice and poliete. I like going in to see him. He’ll talk you leg off, he doesn’t have many guitars, he’s just a guy who loves guitars and loves selling them. We need MORE of these people! Sorry about the long post. I can ramble on and on, expectally things I don’t like. Matt

I think this was well said, Matt. twang! patrick f. coleman and worth a repost, as well.. so I kept all of it here. TWANG!

Response:

Hey – like it or not, your job is a "service-oriented" position. Obviously you knew that when you got in to it. If you still haven’t learned how do deal with all types of customers, then maybe it’s time you started thinking about another career… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Music store customers are some of the most annoying people in the world! You people complaining about store owners being dicks…..better think twice the next time you walk into a store. The owner or employee has probably been sitting there for 4 or 5 hours listening to people who have no clue what they are playing. Usually this is accompanied by a few other people playing some bad Metallica riffs and some freaks asking stupid questions. As for the guy who "Tricked" the guy at the guitar store by wowing him with your guitar playing wonders, get a life buddy, get a life! Don’t you have anything better to do than to waste your time "fuckin’" with store

Response:

I buy $3000 worth of gear every year. I had been buying from the same salesman every time. Then one day I went in for a set of strings and found that I lost the 40% off punch card I got with an American Standard Strat the month before. Do you think this prick would give me a new card? No. He wanted me to pay full price for the $4.00 strings. Well, the next month guess who didn’t get the commission on a Tascam and a new Hamer? I also told the store manager who gave me a new card. I don’t know how much his commission is but if this is how he treats other customers I imagine he must be below the poverty line. The original poster should get into a line of work where he doesn’t need to deal with people. Mark

Response:

ok, i had ta get in this one… i dont mind kids playing metallica riffs, or smoke on the water, or soundgarden or the millionth version of some nirvana tune. these are the kids who will be lifelong customers if you treat them right.

I think you nailed the bottom line right there…

Response:

to make the profit, you have to part with some of the coolest guitars you’ll ever run across, and probably never will again.

I think most of us would really have a hard time dealing some- thing we love. I know I would. I’d buy guitars until all my startup cash was used up and then I’d stare at ‘em and play ‘em and drool over ‘em… but SELL ‘em? Arrrhg! If somebody walked in and actually looked like he might try to buy one of my beau- tiful guitars I’d probably chase him out with a Peavey. (And he’s go away wondering why music store guys are such assholes.) should i sell my 66 tele? we could really use the cash flow…….hmmm, jeez, i sure like to play it, and it sounds great, but we do need groceries… maybe if i could just sell these 6

Somebody buy something from Stu! I got a very respectable set-neck LP clone from him last spring mail order and it arrived on time and in good shape and was exactly as described in his ad.

Response:

Does everybody do that? Sometimes I put my guitars in the living room on stands so I can glance at them every five seconds while watching TV. I thought I was the only nut case who could find joy just staring at a guitar! brad

Response:

Music store customers are some of the most annoying people in the world! You people complaining about store owners being dicks…..better think twice the next time you walk into a store.

Funny, I went to Mobees web site and was considering purchasing a few guitars showcased on the site, and even asking about a few I saw pictured in the background. Then the above employee shows his contempt for the majority of his customers (i.e. the ones who pay his rent, feed him…) and I decide not to. Oh well. That’s what happens when a business very publicly slams their means of survival….. I was just going to post to the general thread saying "if you don’t like your customers, quit your job, you shouldn’t be there", but seeing this last post here, I couldn’t justify just a general "you holier than thou employees need to grow up" message. Todd

Response:

. And they are still treated right. If you want to own a store and treat the customers like shit, then go to China or something.

Either that, or start your own cable and/or phone company.

Response:

A significant other of mine used to make the exact same complaint about retail CD store customers like the ones that hang out at the listening booth for 4 hours auditioning different CDs and tying up manpower and listening booth space, and then not buying anything. HOWEVER, store policy at least for BLOCKBUSTER, SAM GOODY’S, etc., is such that if the customer is annoying as hell, treat them with equal respect as if they were the Queen of England. Whoever walks through those retail doors may not be a paying customer today, but could be a paying customer next week, and most importantly, could be a repeat paying customer for his natural life. Small businesses like local music equipment stores lifeblood is based on repeat customers as well as one-time customers. So why do some music stores continue to piss customers off, even though it would mean the ultimate demise of the business? My only guess is that, let’s say you are in a metropolitan market area. There are probably about 10-15 serious musical equipment stores. The problem is, if you want a specific brand of equipment, there are probably only one or two dealers in town that carry that brand (new).. So if you want a Warwick for examle you have only a couple of stores to deal with, and they know it. Also, most music store clerks, are musicians at night, and most music performance jobs don’t pay enough to live on so here they are at the music store, bitter, depressed, and hung over because they have to work a "day job" to supplement their "art" of playing music they don’t like for people who don’t care and breathe second hand smoke in their face. For these musicans, it’s like getting paid minimum wage to get lung cancer. Hell, under those conditions, I’d be a bitter pill, too, if I didn’t have the outside resources to quit altogether. Finally, musicians (especially amateurs and semi-pros), place a lot of clout on labels and brand names. Thanks to cheesy marketing and trumped up endorsements, musicians think that the label on their guitar and rig is indicative of their musical competence. And that the essence and soul of themselves as musicians is revealed by the brand on their headstock and not by the quality of their playing. I don’t know how many times I have heard, "what kind of guitar (or rig) (or effects) do you have?" as if good equipment is the only explanation for my good playing. For the above reason, musicans are not just buying a tool like a carpenter buys a buzz saw, musicians are buying a positive musical identity for themselves. Which leaves them open to abuse by salespeople since the musicians are no longer thinking objectively about their purchase. RJ "It’s not half-bullshit, it’s half-true."

Response:

http://www.mobees.com. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – PS If You’re brave enough I’d like to know where you work and if your store owner has an e-mail address, I’m sure he’d be interested in your attitude towards customer service. No customers= no job.

Response:

Hmmmmmm, I think it’s called a job which means you get paid for it right? Hmmmmmm, customer, I believe that’s the person thatforks over a lot of cash. Am I missing something here or are the store jerks supposed to help the customer out no matter how mindless, crappy or inane he or she plays, maybe thats the why they’re in the storer in the first place, to buy something practice with it and become better. Unless you know of a secret store somewhere where beginners should go and buy their gear and when they get to a good level of playing, or play something that pleases your magnificent ears, then they should enter your music store. In fact why not put a sign on the door, see how much it helps for business you prick. I was at the Sam Ash in NYC in queens and was returning a gig bag i bought for my epi les paul. had me waiting there for 15 minutes while jerks were standing around doing nothing until finally a guy, disgruntled, took it. Little did he know I was returning it to get a better one and of course a more expensive one. A salesgirl did help me and she was nice too and when I picked out the one I wanted, the first jerk tells her he was helping me and so he should take over and take the commission. Wow, he changed into a totally different person, amazing what money can do. I said uh uh, she was helping me, and that was the last time I was ever going back to that sam ash.

Response:

As much as I HATE music store salesmen, the same thing is everywhere. I was at Best Buy with my friends, one was planning on buying a car stereo that day. The "employee" wouldn’t talk to my friend. He was "Too busy" helping another Best Buy employee playing with stereos. Well, maybe it’s not really related, it sort’a is. In the last (March 98) Guitar World, there is something about this. It’s basicly about why t owners and workers get pissed. It’s mostly about kids that play only ..teen spirit and Enter Sandman. It pissed me off. Andy Bogner of Bogner Soud and Music in Flint Michigan said this: "We humiliate them as much as we can." Bogner say of offending customers. "Generally someone will walk over or we’ll stand around in a semi-circle until they stop, and we basicly tell ‘em it’s time to get a life. Peer pressure being what it is, they normally chill out pretty quick" That’s directly from Guitar World March 98. What the fuck is that? "We humiliate them as much as possible" That’s good. I hope your little guitar store goes down in flames, Bastard! If that would happen to me, first, I’d turn up. Then if they are still buggin’ me, I’d wanna talk to the manager, then go to the BBB. Then, figure a way to make their business to "Bomb" adgo out of busniess. eople like that don’t deserve to own or even work at a guitar store! Why don’t normal people like you and me work there? Oh right… were not dicks. maybe that’s in the job plan. First day of training they teach you how to make a normal question sound lik it wasthe dumbest thigthey have ever heard like "What’s the difference between strings?" "What size pick should I use?" These are quesions a newbie has! I did! I didn’t have a guitar friend to help me out with the easy questions. The second day, they teach you how to think you know more than you know. Third day, they repeat day one, but this time more emphisis on how to be a dick. Forth day, how to ignore customers. Sixth day, How to stereotype who can play what insturment, (ie: You aren’t good enough for a Marshall and Why are you touching that Gibson? You don’t even know how to play it.) Seventh day, (it’s a week long training) re-cap of day one (again). It’s their own fault for working there. If you can’t stand hearing Enter Sandman 400,000,000 times, either get a new job or deal with it. Maybe they’re jealous because they can’t grasp the intro to Enter Sandman or Smells Like Teen Spirit. Maybe that’s what the whole hoop’la is about. Where I live we got 2 main guitar stores. One is the leading in the city so they raise the price 1/3 at least. There a Gibson Les Paul Standard is $2500! Then there is the other place that sells mainly Fender (also expensive). I found this little store hidden on a side street and the guy that owns it, it’s his hobby. He’s only open 3 nights a week. Sells his strings 1/2 off. Anyway, this guy is nice and poliete. I like going in to see him. He’ll talk you leg off, he doesn’t have many guitars, he’s just a guy who loves guitars and loves selling them. We need MORE of these people! Sorry about the long post. I can ramble on and on, expectally things I don’t like. Matt

Response:

Music store customers are some of the most annoying people in the world! You people complaining about store owners being dicks…..better think twice the next time you walk into a store. The owner or employee has probably been sitting there for 4 or 5 hours listening to people who have no clue what they are playing. Usually this is accompanied by a few other people playing some bad Metallica riffs and some freaks asking stupid questions. As for the guy who "Tricked" the guy at the guitar store by wowing him with your guitar playing wonders, get a life buddy, get a life! Don’t you have anything better to do than to waste your time "fuckin’" with store

Response:

ok, i had ta get in this one… this is my 3rd year in business as a retail music store, you know me, mostly good used gtrs and amps, with some vintage stuff sprinkled in. i had never worked in retail before, but i can give my view of the biz in general, (at least in my very small corner of the gtr-biz). i dont mind kids playing metallica riffs, or smoke on the water, or soundgarden or the millionth version of some nirvana tune. these are the kids who will be lifelong customers if you treat them right. (i give away free picks and strings and throw in 20′ cords for free all the time when anyone buys a gtr). i have had a problem lately with buying stuff. (I cant afford to carry too many new gtrs and most of the ones available to me are junk). I have 2, 50’s Les Paul Jrs in my shop, just hangin in a nice display case, and an older gentleman came in a while back, pointed to the single cut and said "whats that goin for? i told him they werent for sale, but a 50’s LP jr, at that time (‘96) was worth about 1500 bucks. "Oh, NO, i got one of those at home, bought it new in 1949 and my brother-in-law told me its worth about 10 grand. all them old les pauls are worth 8 to 10 grand". OK, well, wadday say to that, ok, thats cool, i told him he could buy both of mine for 3 grand! and have 2 more 10 granders to keep at home, he didnt go for it. I also have a guy with a 63 strat, finish stripped who thinks his gtr is worth 15 grand! too bad too cause it used to be blonde (and if it was orig you could get 2 for 15 grand). but he scrapped the "paint" off because it was yellowing and chipping a little", oy-vey! a while back i did an appraisal for a guy on an early 50’s ES-5 w/3/P-90’s, he got it at an estate sale, and knew NOTHING. i found one in mint cond selling for 3500 in an ad in VG, and blue book was around 3200, so i wrote the appraisal for 3500, it was pretty clean, and the guy flipped, he told me his brother had seen one sell for 8000 bucks, i told him he was crazy, was his brother privvy to the sale, or did he just watch form the side, was it an ES-5, or a super 400, or an L-5, or it could have been an ES-5 w/PAF’s in blonde, It coulda been a freakin DeAngelico for all he knows, he didnt play and had no idea of the difference between these gtrs and their relative prices. or even why one with PAF’s would be worth so much more, since his was "older". this happens w/new stuff too, i get offered squire strats all the time for 250, jeez gtr center sells new ones for 169. yesterday i bought a P-bass. the guy called on the phone to see if i would be interested, i asked his price, and his reply "as much as i can get". so i asked where it was made and what the serial number was, he told me the s# was Bxxx-something, Hmmm a B number???, and it didnt say where it was made either he says. well, i dont wanna make you drive all the way down here if you want too much so HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED? he still wouldnt say a number, and told me he’d be by… he comes in, i unzip the gigbg and what does the headstock say? MN serial # and made in mexico. i guess he just didnt notice when we were talking on the phone when i asked him to look up at the headstock and tell me where it was made. anyway, it was cheap and i bought it. a couple of months ago it was a 25 lb. 78 Les Paul, black custom with a (badly) repaired headstock break, and grover tuners to boot! the guy wanted 1200. what the heck could i do w/that? whats my point? i dont know. maybe its that the hardest part of this biz (for me) is buying stuff. trying to pay folks a fair price, and still be able to make a small profit. and then to make the profit, you have to part with some of the coolest guitars you’ll ever run across, and probably never will again. should i sell my 66 tele? we could really use the cash flow…….hmmm, jeez, i sure like to play it, and it sounds great, but we do need groceries… fly on stu

Response:

I cry for these motherfuckers. ya know? they should get another job, or get out of the business if they can’t take the stress. As for the guy who "Tricked" the guy at the guitar store by wowing him with your guitar playing wonders, get a life buddy, get a life! Don’t you have anything better to do than to waste your time "fuckin’" with store

If they’re anywhere near as big an asshole as you, I think he should dedicate his life to pissing them off. I know I’d be willing to pay him for it. twang! patrick f. coleman TWANG!

Response:

Music store customers are some of the most annoying people in the world!

except for you, of course. You people complaining about store owners being dicks…..better think twice the next time you walk into a store.

don’t worry, many of us will…. The owner or employee has probably been sitting there for 4 or 5 hours listening to people who have no clue what they are playing. Usually this is accompanied by a few other people playing some bad Metallica riffs and some freaks asking stupid questions.

You suck. Who cares how tough their life is? If they chose the wrong job, they should get out of the business. As for the guy who "Tricked" the guy at the guitar store by wowing him with your guitar playing wonders, get a life buddy, get a life! Don’t you have anything better to do than to waste your time "fuckin’" with store

I think he should spend his life fucking with you, nimrod. twang! patrick f. never heard such a lame bunch of nonsense in his life coleman ps if this appears twice.. good. TWANG!

Response:

I’d like to do that to someone like you. Do you know why Walmart is one of the most successful companies? It’s because the CUSTOMER COMES FIRST. That’s the first freaking rule of capitalism! And look at the type of people that generally shop at WalMart. And they are still treated right. If you want to own a store and treat the customers like shit, then go to China or something. — blaine Push it into third if you know you’re gonna climb a hill Eat plenty of lasagna ’til you know that you’ve had your fill Resist all the urges that make you wanna go out and kill.

Response:

I hope for your sake you’re close to retirement buddy cause if your not you’re gonna half to put up with it for another 20 or 30 years. Your life sounds sooooo hard, why don’t you quit? There’s lots of jobs out there. Oh, I imagine the orders at McDonalds would just confuse you and that kitchen is just so hot, or sitting there listening to some poor slob ask for a loan for 4 hours when you know he has no collateral would be worse. Or imagine driving a truck for 8 hours, hard to listen to the CB for that many hours. And a cab driver, oh god, everybody wants to go somewhere different. You are the perfect example of what we are complaining about. In an earlier post I mentioned a friend of mine who is a TRUE salesman and has moved into the music store business, he has people lining up to deal with him so they don’t half to deal with guys like you who work in the same store. He takes home more in a month in commission than any bank manager I’ve ever met. (I used to be a banker.) And I suppose when you where born you came out playing like Satch and knew exactly what gear you wanted. Never had to ask a question or try a guitar out. I can’t wait to hear your big breakthrough record. Fuck off and take a look at what life’s really about buddy, listening to Smoke on The Water all day isn’t as bad as holding a jackhammer for 6 hours. Grow up Wolfgang PS If You’re brave enough I’d like to know where you work and if your store owner has an e-mail address, I’m sure he’d be interested in your attitude towards customer service. No customers= no job.

Response:

Hey, that’s annoying to me even when I don’t have to sit there for hours. I’m sure I can sympathize with this. I think people in general have the capability of being quite annoying. On the other hand, I wouldn’t think a decent salesperson would be rude to these customers though. Not if he/she wants to make any sales. And as for stupid questions, I’m sure we’ve all asked them. Should people shut up if they have a question because they are afraid it will be a stupid one? If you don’t know something, you should ask. Besides, I used to do Tech support in computers. You can’t get more stupid questions than that. And yet I had never been rude to a customer. Not that none of them deserved it, but it was my job. By the way, freaks are people too… — This mailbox is UBE filtered. Junk | "Reality is that which, when automatically sent to /dev/null. | you stop believing in it, Disclaimer: "Wasn’t me, dude." | – Phillip K. Dick

Talk Cancer