GC Pricing...your opinion!!!!!!!!!!

[tkarter]

Marty you are an honest and good man.

You listen well.
Your business stands zero chance if you let us those on the Internet run it for you.

Hell we can't agree on a color of an instrument.



Keep doing what you do and party on.

We will do what we always do and complain


tk

 

[Big Poppa]

nice Marty...Ill be in your office with Brian tommorow!

 

[Big Poppa]

tkarter a world class post!

 

[Slapfest]

I'm in Australia, so I cant say I've ever been to a GC store, but on my last few purchases here, I have been going to a store that tickets most instruments etc with the correct price, ALREADY marked down to as good a price as you will get elsewhere.
Really takes all of the haggling out of it, and has a nice "up front" feel, as well.
And on smaller purchases, they automatically tell you "its this much, but we'll do it for this price".
I dont imagine thats a retailers dream situation, but you feel like theyre working with you, rather than against.
And the place is always packed.

 

[DrewPowers]

Gc

Well, when I was a teenager my dad LOVED to haggle and talk the salespeople down at GC. That's just the kind of person my dad is. We could always leave knowing we got a great deal.

But here's the problem I see with that. Marty, just like you said, two people may have two different prices or ideas of how much to pay, and that can turn into dishonesty when two equal and loyal customers payed different prices for the same item. If the customer is happy that is a plus, but at the same time there is an air of unfairness about it.

The best deals I can think of as close to haggling are throwing in patch cables, a stand, and a beginner book for free for a new buyer. That starts the customer with a sort of haggle-experience, whether they had to work for it or not. After this point, a Loyalty Program would be awesome. Customers will be happy and pleased with their freebies, and then come back for more, even if they don't get many or any freebies in their next couple visits.

Although my dad may not like his loss at haggling, a loyalty program would be best in my eyes, assuming if it was implemented properly. I'm new on the forums and just made an account today to post that I just got a Bongo 6, but I'm impressed with your opinion of your customers, and although GC isn't my ONE and ONLY guitar, bass, and amp shop, I do shop there, and I would consider myself a loyal customer with frequent purchases.

Thanks for caring about your people!

 

[SteveB]

the biggest aspect of haggling that I dislike is the fact that the price can be different from one customer to the next just because one is inexperienced. I find this distasteful and bordering on dishonest. I DO believe that some customers deserve a better price basesd on how much and how often they purchase and we will be introducing some form of a loyalty discount program.

Well said, sir.. well said.

 

[roburado]

All....this has been extremely useful. As always I can count on the knuckleheads for candid feedback. It is clearly a complicated issue and one that we will be testing in our stores over the coming months.

We have two significant goals...one is to provide the best service of any store in an honest and integral way....and second is to insure our best customers always have reasons to shop our stores because their purchasing frequency and volume is rewarded.

As to integrity....there were several points made regarding gear that is damaged or shop worn....we fully expect to always discount this gear approriate to its condition....however the biggest aspect of haggling that I dislike is the fact that the price can be different from one customer to the next just because one is inexperienced. I find this distasteful and bordering on dishonest. I DO believe that some customers deserve a better price basesd on how much and how often they purchase and we will be introducing some form of a loyalty discount program.

As with any change some will like it and some will not.....but at the end of the day one's integrity should guide decisions.

I consider all of you in the ranks of our best customers and therefore I invite all of you to introduce yourselves to the store manger in your area. They have been instructed to help you through any changes or tests so that your experince with us is unaffected until we make a final determination of the direction we are going.

Thanks for all the help.....

Marty

Thanks, Marty. You're a class act.

 

[HybridSlink]

Holy Resurected thread Batman.....
Would you haggle for your groceries?
or shoes? No, thats the price, you can either buy it or not. if you find it cheaper, then you get it cheaper. Theres your haggle

 

[silverburst]

Holy Resurected thread Batman.....
Would you haggle for your groceries?
or shoes? No, thats the price, you can either buy it or not. if you find it cheaper, then you get it cheaper. Theres your haggle

Just curious, but why did you decide to bring this thread back from the dead?

 

[cellkirk74]

He wants to sell something and needs 25 posts? Just a guess...

 

[Mabongohogany]

Well, I hope I don't **** anybody off with a return to a Zombie thread; I wasn't a Forumite waaay back in those days of yore & I missed this thread.

I'm thinking that GC now has a fixed-pricing policy??
Is this now the case? If so, it would be interesting to hear how it's going, both from the buyer's and seller's standpoints-

Been awhile since I made a GC purchase, but all (3) basses I bought -and one of them was a Sterling...
Were made w/out haggling, but at a price I requested, which I knowing the market well, was a good price-
The store Salespeople were polite, professional and accomodating, and it was appreciated.
Reading through the thread, lots of dumping on the stereotypical GC "kid"-
Yes, especially when buying Bass Gear, you may get hooked with a non-bassist who isn't dialed in-
Maybe I was lucky- e.g the guitarist who sold me the Sterling ( an awesome natural Ash H w/ tort) knew that it just came in, it would sell through fast, and felt my offer was cool enough to take to the MGR. who approved.
I went home with that Bass for a GOOD price, and I'm sure an adequate margin for GC (I work as an MI rep btw..)

My other bass purchases were pretty much the same insofar as I did my research, made 'em an offer they should not refuse, and they did not. Not an ounce of haggle in my transaction.

I get good vibes at GC 'cept for the noise level, but what can you do?
Shut the bangers out & not let them play the merchandise? Guess Not.
The few times I encountered a Salesperson that was mis-directed in his approach to me, I just shut them out- Easy if you know what you're buying and what it should cost.

Anyhow- What's up? Is it now policy to have a "that's the price" policy such as Mesa Boogie has maintained?

Nothing I need to buy outta GC big-gear wise, so....
Works for me!

 

[Jimmyb]

Hello 2008!

I had a job when this thread was running!

What was the outcome? Did GC adopt the 'no-haggling' policy? Personally, I think that it's a great idea, as long as it's even both ways, they don't let the customers haggle, so they shouldn't haggle with their suppliers.

Oh if only life were so simple....

 

[Holdsg]

I didn't even play bass in 2008. But have bought a ton of gear since 2009, all at diff outlets, including GC. Only my first bass was bought off the rack at GC, an impulse buy that started it all. Each major purchase since then has been well researched and has rarely been at "street" price, usually below. I doubt GC ever implemented a "no haggle" policy, or it has not being adhered to. Online sites still have ability to haggle as well, like the "seen a better price?" buttons on MF or Music123, which are both GC-owned. I refuse to pay "street" and have been mostly successful for large items. I still shop GC for strings, straps, cables, and other accessories, due to the convenience factor, and of course, pay retail for that stuff.

 

[ZiggyDude]

It is a lousy idea.

First of all – the posted prices at GC are not always that good. An example are some bass strings. And same for a few other items. So, printing an ad off the internet has saved me money and GC got a sale they would not have otherwise.

I understand that a lot of people hate to haggle – and so do I. But if you keep a friendly attitude and try to understand where the other guy is coming from it should not be all too bad. But I am price driven. One thing to remember is that GC has to charge sales tax. So, if I buy the same item for the same price from MF (owned by GC) I get a 6% discount. The negotiating lets my local GC compete against both MF and non GC owned entities. So, I bought an Acoustic mini-stack. My out the door price was same as if I had ordered it online.

I don’t buy as much as I used to, but apparently (at least in this economy) more than most. There was a time that if I walked into the GC or MARS Music I would just ask “What is my price?” and the numbers just changed. That does not happen now, but the local GC manager has often said “You do your research” and works with me.

Now for what it is worth, little stuff I just pay the price. But when the percentage points make a difference in dollars I do my research. I also tend to work with a small group of the employees who know me.

There are a lot of people that feel intimidated by just walking into a GC. Chances are many of them are also not going to do the needed research and show it to know what a good price really is.

If GC changes the way they do business, they will lose market share.

 

[ivbenaplayin]

BP, I feel the need to ask this before giving an honest opinion of any kind... I apologize in advance for the thread hi-jack too, but does EBMM implement a MAP policy of any kind with it's dealers? I do a bit of retail sales myself, and I've found that the "giants" (and GC is a Giant in my book...) have their ways around these policies, which makes it difficult for the smaller independent stores to compete price-wise. No-Haggle pricing is a great theory and definitely makes the purchasing process a lot more comfortable/easier for both the consumer & the salesperson, but I go up against the same thing in my business, and we little guys can't hold the margins that the big guys do simply because we can't afford to buy in the quantities that they do... just a question - delete this if you deem inappropriate... Eric

 

[syciprider]

I like GC. It's like a petting zoo for gear.

 

[LawDaddy]

I'll chime in.

I've seen some references to used car deals - well it just so happens that the LawMama owns a used car lot. Yes, I know my kids are cursed to have a lawyer for a father and a used car dealer for a mother, but that's beside the point.

You may recall that Saturn tried a no-haggle approach on the their car sales at one point. It was a huge failure. It turned out that haggling was like toothpaste, once it's squeezed out you can never get it back in the tube. The public didn't believe the campaign, and kept trying to haggle. They eventually dropped the campaign. I wonder if the same scenario would play out at GC - haggling may be a paradigm that can't be so easily shifted.

Kudos to GC (and BP) for putting out the feeler.

 

[Disco Batman]

I personally wouldn't shop at GC anymore at all if I couldn't negotiate price to some degree.

But after my visit to my local GC today I may never even go in the store again. EBMM basses that are missing Knobs, been dinged up, have staining on satin finishes from dirty hands and the basses never being cleaned. Basses always way the hell out of tune.

And they won't come down on the sticker price when I can order from a different retailer. No thanks.

 

[ZiggyDude]

Enterprise Car Rentals has a wing that sells their used cars. They also do the "No Haggle" thing. I looked at them for a slightly used truck and the price was such I was better off buying a new one. Before that I did buy an Edge from them - though the price was not as great as they thought.

The problem with the no haggle thing is that a manager somewhere tries to determine the fair market price. Things just don't work that way.

All of my purchases at GC (except trivia) have been negotiated. That even included used gear. Now on the used stuff you need wait a while before they move. But that is fair - see what the market will do.

The reason I could negotiate with GC was because someone else had it cheaper. GC would have lost ALL of those sales.

 

[HybridSlink]

Just curious, but why did you decide to bring this thread back from the dead?

I don't know exactly....I just don't know......