Musical Instrument Stores.

[Biggles]

As I have often said there are quite a few stores within a shortish drive of where I live.

I go in, get a friendly Hello Good Morning or Afternoon out of the Sales person often with the question:-

Are you after anything in particular or just browsing?

Generally my response is a thankyou just browsing.

So I mooch around and noodle on this or that keyboard and look at the keyboards, guitars and basses. If I want to play something I will as the Sales person to power it up or to unlock the guitar for me.

I go into A&C Hamiltons and always get a warm welcome same type of welcome at PMT and my fave guitar shop Reidys, Forsyths (distinctly upper class prices and kit yet extremely friendly staff), even Dawsons are sociable, Promenade Music is bliss to go in.

Except there is always one that are different.

When I go into one Store in particular, the welcome is more along the lines of:-

Welcome, can we help ( I do not really mean that but I am forced to say it).

I can feel eyes constantly upon me, yeah as though I could pick up a Kawaii acoustic and walk out the door with it. I can see them staring via the vast array of reflective surfaces that surround the Store.

I go upstairs to the guitar section which is CCTV central, so just for devilment I go to the far end and work my way towards the stairs and as soon as I see a head I walk back to the stairs.

I go downstairs look around the Korgs ( one Grandstage and three arrangers ) then into Yamaha central, Genos, Montage, DX, P series there must be about twenty five different models on display. I do have to admit the Genos and new SX range do look vastly better than previous models.

Not a one of the keyboards is powered up and again all the eyes are upon me and the lurker Sales Guy starts to approach, so in true NFL fashion I feign left then right and walk out the store.

Talk about atmosphere, but it is not just this store its all of them in the chain.

OK so you no doubt think it is me, but today I was the only non staff person in the store and the last three times I called in it was the same, only me, the other stores, yes you guessed it zero customers.

Each time I go into one of their stores I feel like I am entering a Quentin Tarantino movie.

I vow never again, yet succumb, it must be an illness!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

They might be plagued by thefts, if not at that store, then at other stores in the chain.

I once went into a nearby location of a chain music store when I lived in another state, and there was a police car there and a couple of police officers talking to the clerks and taking notes, as someone had just stolen something and gotten away. I didn't lurk and listen long enough to find out the details, as I had purchased something through their web site and was just there to pick it up.

 

[Giner]

I reckon I'm fortunate to have a decent selection of stores hereabouts, from small specialist shops to national chains. Good selection of gear although, being Canada, not really much in the way of arrangers. It seems to be synths that far outsell arrangers.

In the large stores the keyboards are always switched on and you're free to noodle away un-accosted. You'll get a glance from a salesperson now and again, but no hovering over you. I hate that. If I get a sniff of a hoverer, I'm out the door lickety-split.

 

[happyrat1]

I reckon I'm fortunate to have a decent selection of stores hereabouts, from small specialist shops to national chains. Good selection of gear although, being Canada, not really much in the way of arrangers. It seems to be synths that far outsell arrangers.

Whereabouts are you located? I'm down in Clarkson-Mississauga right by Clarkson GO station.

Plenty of music stores in Mississauga and downtown TO but I usually end up ordering from Cosmo up in Richmond Hill or Long & McQuade online. Usually cheaper that way.

The other night I dropped by the Merriam School of Music over on Winston Churchill Blvd. with a half hour to kill before dinner.

Awesome selection of grand pianos in that place , at least 30 in the showroom, but the only thing I was interested in trying out was the Roland RD-2000 they had up front alongside a couple of Casios and Kawais.

No hovering there, but they don't leave the keyboards idling either. I had to get a rep to hook it up to an amp and fire it up, but then he left me alone in the store to my own devices.

BTW, the RD-2000? Really nice action. Very much like my Juno DS88. and my PC3K8. I didn't really try the Kawai but the Casios felt really cheap and plasticky by comparison..

Anyway, you should drop by for a beer sometime if you're in the Clarkson area and we can compare notes on gear

Gary

 

[Giner]

Hey, Gary. I'm just up the road from you in Edmonton. Yep, L&M was the store I was referring to. We've bought the odd thing there, my (now old, but still good, Korg i30), Bose L1 Model II p.a., a few cables, etc. I've tried their '30-day no questions asked' return policy, too, with a Korg Pa1000 and a Pa3x. Returned them both - it's just that I happened to get a sweet deal on a hardly used Pa3x privately.

 

[happyrat1]

Cool. I got a deal on my Kurzweil PC3K8 from Axe Music in Edmonton before they were bought up by L&M. Years ago I bought tons of gear from them before they started charging sales tax on out of province orders.

Like I said, nowadays I get most of my stuff from L&M and Cosmo locally.

BTW, my condolences on the weather you guys have been getting lately.

Snow in September just ain't right

Gary