Horrible/dumb music salesmen stories thread

[Joose]

Hey! I work at Guitar Center!

That sucks. I used to as well. Until I was told that if I didn't sell enough guitars, I wouldn't get commission for the ones I did sell. And out the door I went; I was 6 days in. I'm not much of a salesman, so that probably wouldn't have worked out for me anyway.

 

[TedEH]

Not sure if it was better to start a new thread or bring one of these back from the dead-

Was in a shop in Ottawa this weekend and overheard one of the guys behind the desk tell a guy something along the lines of:

"EMGs sound terrible in the studio, nobody would ever record with those. Everyone knows that." And he said it completely seriously. Had to share it.

I know I shouldn't have expected much from this place, cause they have a reputation for being that sort of "unless you're playing an American Fender, your guitar sucks" kind of place, it boggles the mind just how clueless they are. And it's not some new kids that just got hired saying these things - these are people who have worked in this store and been part of the music community here for decades.

 

[MrYakob]

Not sure if it was better to start a new thread or bring one of these back from the dead-

Was in a shop in Ottawa this weekend and overheard one of the guys behind the desk tell a guy something along the lines of:

"EMGs sound terrible in the studio, nobody would ever record with those. Everyone knows that." And he said it completely seriously. Had to share it.

I know I shouldn't have expected much from this place, cause they have a reputation for being that sort of "unless you're playing an American Fender, your guitar sucks" kind of place, it boggles the mind just how clueless they are. And it's not some new kids that just got hired saying these things - these are people who have worked in this store and been part of the music community here for decades.

I'm curious as to what shop this was, Lauzon??

 

[TedEH]

I'm super surprised anyone has to ask. Obviously was Steves.

The location is super convenient, but nobody there ever seems to know what they're talking about. Not on the main floor anyway. Never had trouble with the PA or drum departments but all the guitar and tech people on the main floor tend to spout all kinds of outdated or elitist nonsense. It's been a lot of the same people at that store for a long time, so I've come to expect it from them, but it's still disappointing.

I've never actually been in Lauzon.

Honestly, the only place I go into and have productive conversations with anyone is the L&M locations. They're the only places I've been to that I can go and expect people to be up to date on their product knowledge, or have an open mind about gear or music in general, or things like that.

If I go into Steves and ask about 7 string guitars I get "you sure would look funny playing country on that amirite? lol". I can go into L&M and have a legit conversation about the difference between a standard ibby and an iron label, or get opinions on different pickups, or have a conversation about the different gain characters in certain amps, etc.

 

[MrYakob]

I'm super surprised anyone has to ask. Obviously was Steves.

The location is super convenient, but nobody there ever seems to know what they're talking about. Not on the main floor anyway. Never had trouble with the PA or drum departments but all the guitar and tech people on the main floor tend to spout all kinds of outdated or elitist nonsense. It's been a lot of the same people at that store for a long time, so I've come to expect it from them, but it's still disappointing.

I've never actually been in Lauzon.

Honestly, the only place I go into and have productive conversations with anyone is the L&M locations. They're the only places I've been to that I can go and expect people to be up to date on their product knowledge, or have an open mind about gear or music in general, or things like that.

If I go into Steves and ask about 7 string guitars I get "you sure would look funny playing country on that amirite? lol". I can go into L&M and have a legit conversation about the difference between a standard ibby and an iron label, or get opinions on different pickups, or have a conversation about the different gain characters in certain amps, etc.

Wow, you know what's really funny is that Steve's didn't even cross my mind as an option cause I stopped going there many years ago because of the snobbery So I guess that says enough in itself!

I've only been to Lauzon once just recently and it was incredible, but they pretty much only deal in Fender/Gibson/PRS stuff so that's why it came to mind

 

[NotDonVito]

Hey! I work at Guitar Center!

Well I'm a Bailey Brother's guy myself, but who the hell wants to drive 280 for strings?

The only bad music store experience was this small shop in my home town. The guy who ran it was a total weirdo and kept following me around like I was stealing something. I was there with my grandmother buying piano books for her students on top of that.

 

[extendedsolo]

I remember when I was 16 and just got into guitar playing, I went into a small local guitar shop. Keep in mind this was right before online guitar shopping really really took off so I knew almost nothing. This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to buy the guitar. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident. Anyway, the owner was kind of a jerk so I'm not surprised.

In Wisconsin here most of the guitar stores are fine. People leave me alone when I say I'm just looking and I rarely try stuff out since I've tried most of what is carried in stores now. One music store here, that is now closed has LEGENDARY stories about the owner. Faust Drum Center is now closed, but the owner there apparently was impossible to deal with, but had some amazing drum sets. I think I read a story about how Charlie Watts tried to get into his store and the owner told him that he didn't care to see him. It wasn't a store you could just walk into, you had to knock and he would let you in.

 

[Ebony]

Years ago, I went to this music store for some repair stuff on my Warwick ST vampyre 5-string bass.
I bought it used, with loads of belt scratches and chipping and although I treat it with care I don't baby it in the same, obsessive manner I usually treat my instruments. Lucky for them.

When I came to pick it up all the guys in the backroom were having Big Macs for lunch. As the pecking order suggested, the youngest of them got up and without even drying his hands he grabbed my bass and stuffed it into the bag.

I didn't even bother saying anything, naturally I haven't been there since but I think (and hope) they've gone bankrupt since then. I should also mention that the "repair" they did lasted 2 weeks...

The funny thing is that this store lay a hundred meters away from an actual music store that services violins in the million-dollar class along with all sorts of insanely valuable stringed instruments.

 

[endmysuffering]

Not sure if it was better to start a new thread or bring one of these back from the dead-

Was in a shop in Ottawa this weekend and overheard one of the guys behind the desk tell a guy something along the lines of:

"EMGs sound terrible in the studio, nobody would ever record with those. Everyone knows that." And he said it completely seriously. Had to share it.

I know I shouldn't have expected much from this place, cause they have a reputation for being that sort of "unless you're playing an American Fender, your guitar sucks" kind of place, it boggles the mind just how clueless they are. And it's not some new kids that just got hired saying these things - these are people who have worked in this store and been part of the music community here for decades.

Not as bad as that 8 year necro we had the other day.

 

[Rawkmann]

I remember when I was 16 and just got into guitar playing, I went into a small local guitar shop. Keep in mind this was right before online guitar shopping really really took off so I knew almost nothing. This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to buy the guitar. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident. Anyway, the owner was kind of a jerk so I'm not surprised.

I'm actually always curious how stores handle situations like that. I'm EXTREMELY careful when trying out guitars in a shop because I if I dropped or damaged one I'd expect to have to buy it. Can't say I blame the shopkeeper for being upset for somebody sending one of their guitars through the wall like that though.

 

[TedEH]

Not as bad as that 8 year necro we had the other day.

I feel zero shame. It's a good thread.

 

[auntyethel]

I was buying acoustic strings for a friend, asked the guy behind the counter at the local store what gauges they carry, he looked confused and asked, "What do you mean.... gauges?" I had to inform him it meant thickness, and then had to tell him that that is what the numbers on the pack represent.

 

[bostjan]

I'm glad this thread is back.

I worked at music stores in the Detroit area for years, when I was younger, and there were a variety of music stores still. I never tried to sell anything, though. If someone asked for a recommendation, I'd try to give three totally different starting points and see what people liked best and then go from there.

My sales numbers were typically lower than my coworkers'. I watched them BS people all of the time. So, I'm fairly convinced that BS'ing people equates to higher sales, and that 99/100 customers don't really know any better anyway. I just don't think that is ever an excuse to fraudulently make a sale.

I've overheard sales guys say some really stupid and hilarious ...., though.

My favourite exchange I overheard at a guitar center:

Sales guy: "Here are the Strats. We got all kinds, American and Mexican."
Kid: "What's the difference between the American Strat and the Mexican Strat?"
Sales guy: "Well, you see, the American Strats are made in the USA, and, well, um, you know, the, um..., the Mexican Strats are made overseas."

If I was unacquainted with the sales guy, I would have thought that was a pretty good joke. But, sadly, I really think he was trying his best to give an educated answer.

 

[TedEH]

^ I see two sad bits there.

One is that I fully agree there's a lot of BS in pretty much every sales environment. I can't stand salesmen for that reason. I don't believe 90% of what they say. I've never been a good salesman 'cause I tell it like it is. Sometimes the best recommendation I can give someone is NOT to buy something. And I refuse to make up nonsense "hype" for something I don't really believe in.

The second sad bit is when I think the people working in music shops start legitimately believing their own BS hype, leading to comments like "EMGs sound terrible in the studio" or "just buy a strat, it's the best guitar regardless of what you're playing". If I had a dollar for every time I've heard a sales guy convince someone to choose one bit of gear over another "because x famous guy uses it, and they ONLY use the best", I'd have enough money to buy into all the hype too.

 

[DistinguishedPapyrus]

It absolutely drives me nuts when people have that attitude that they can't venture outside a Fender guitar. This one guy years ago said something like "in my opinion there's only two real guitars ever made, an American made stratocaster and a les paul". Now, I can appreciate guitars of all types, though some may look horrible to me, I just say to each his own... but I've nearly developed a vice toward strats and les pauls for the amount of stuff like this I've heard. I own a strat and les paul actually, they're alright, they got their place in certain settings, but probably my least played guitars. Some times I wonder why I haven't sold them yet.

I get that same feeling when browsing through StewMac. They've got plenty of nice tools, but as far as parts and hardware they cater so heavily to the rockabilly/Clapton/blues scene that it's a bit of a turn off. Makes me think of never playing or building a 6 string again.

 

[domsch1988]

I'd like to throw in something from the other side of the spectrum. I regularly visit Music Store for Strings, accesoires, cables (yes they cost a bit more than online, but i looove the opportunity to play all the guitars and amps).
Few months ago i went in with 2k burning in my pocket wanting to buy a guitar. I would call myself well informed and generally a tough customer to deal with. So normally i tell the staff i know what i want and let them take care of other people.
This day, the staffer took me by surprise. After playing 20 guitars, i decided none was for me and started looking at amps. When the kemper came into the frame, he showed serious knowledge about the product, went out of his way to bring in a 4x12 and a FRFR Cab to show the differences. He advised on spending extra for the power head which i didn't intend to do (and am gracious now he "talked me into it"). After 45 minutes of playing, some great conversation on tech and back and forth on powered or not, he sealed the deal for the power head by getting me 300€ off the price of a toaster (which made it only 50€ more expensive than non powered). I left with a great product i still like and with new found respect for a sales person there. Whenever something's not clear, i go to him and he'll figure it out.
Don't get me wrong. He has a bit of an attitude, and some strong opinions on certain things. Don't try to get an 8 string from him, or anything EMG. But, for knowing his stuff, he's great.

Oh, and they do have a "custom shop" for the expensive stuff. A really nice room with sofa's and nice lighting. Feels like grandpa's room full of guitars. I went there to play a strandberg and a mayones. The sales girl(?) was really nice! She knew everything about the guitars in question, made sensible suggestions for alternatives and gave some great advice in general. I talked to her about fans and scale lengths for some time. Really great discussion. Loved that experience. I'll sure be going back for my next higher priced instrument!

So, all in all, i feel it depends on what guy(or girl) you deal with. Some just don't care, others love their job and are genuinely interested in what they sell. It's just about finding those rare, nice to deal with sales persons...

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I remember when I was 16 and just got into guitar playing, I went into a small local guitar shop. Keep in mind this was right before online guitar shopping really really took off so I knew almost nothing. This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to buy the guitar. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident. Anyway, the owner was kind of a jerk so I'm not surprised.

Where can you go to a store, trash merchandise and other various wares they are selling, and go, "Whoops, it was an accident!" What the heck?

 

[USMarine75]

One time I visited a local guitar store. He sold me on buying a Caparison HGS, Diezel frontloaded cab, and a Herbert. I made an appointment to come back the next day with cash in hand. The dealer also had a surprising amount of lefties in stock and my friend had been looking for a high end lefty guitar, so he came with me and was planning on dropping up to $5k himself. I arrived about 15 minutes early and the store was closed (he operated mostly by appointment). I waited, thinking maybe the owner was running late? After 30 minutes sitting in my car, I called him. No answer. Called back several times and left a voicemail. An hour later he called back and said he was at band practice and that I'd have to reschedule.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

This guy comes in to play an acoustic and sits on a bar stool to try it out. Well he loses his balance and knocks a guitar through the wall. The guitar isn't broken, but it's scratched up pretty good. The owner was the one working at the time and forces this guy to buy the guitar. I'm pretty sure you can't force someone to buy a guitar like that when it was an accident.

He probably couldn't force the guy to buy the guitar, but he could call the cops, file a police report and then take him to court.

Unless it was a pretty expensive piece and there was a lot of damage to the guitar and wall, I don't see how any of that would be worth it. But like I said, it's within the store owners rights to get made whole again on account of someone not knowing how chairs work.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

One time I visited a local guitar store. He sold me on buying a Caparison HGS, Diezel frontloaded cab, and a Herbert. I made an appointment to come back the next day with cash in hand. The dealer also had a surprising amount of lefties in stock and my friend had been looking for a high end lefty guitar, so he came with me and was planning on dropping up to $5k himself. I arrived about 15 minutes early and the store was closed (he operated mostly by appointment). I waited, thinking maybe the owner was running late? After 30 minutes sitting in my car, I called him. No answer. Called back several times and left a voicemail. An hour later he called back and said he was at band practice and that I'd have to reschedule.

You've GOTTA be ribbing us. Someone couldn't possibly value a shitty band that probably makes chump change after expenses over selling a Caparison, Diezel half stack and a lefty to your friend. What a twat. I take it you didn't reschedule.