Speaking of Guitar Center... Is this how they all work?

Herb posted this thing about GC earlier which made me think about my latest experience w/ them.
 
Last Wednesday, my wife bought a Squier bass there, off the rack. She asked the cleck if she could get a box or something to protect the instrument while we drove home. After looking around for awhile a bit perplexed, they gave us this huge rectangular cardboard box. Interesting, I thought. Oh well, cheap guitar. Though back home, every instrument at least had some sort of cardboard packaging.
 
The following day, having decided that I wanted a particular Les Paul, we went to the other Guitar Center, the one in Town Square. After trying a couple of guitars, I grabbed the one I wanted and said: this one! 
 
Now, usually, when you buy a guitar, say, over at Sam Ash in NY, the clerk gets it from the storage room for you, conveniently warped and packed in its cardboard box, with all its accessories. For example, an Epiphone will typically come w/ the warranty card, a cheap 1/4 cable, a hex key, a sticker, a poster of the current collection and such.
 
If you buy the specific one on the rack, they still have all that stuff in the back that they'll get for you. And because they know that in NY, you will have to walk for a while even if you came by car, they'll even tape the box and offer to make a little handle and such. Every instrument I bought there I brought back home walking, under my arm, in its own original box, w/ the Epiphone logo on it.
 
At GC here, nope. The guitar was put in my hands as is - no cardboard box, no warranty card, no cable and none of the typically included stuff. Not that it matters much, though, unfortunately, in this particular case, the package should also have included strap locks, which were part of the online sales pitch, something I just didn't think about until I got home. Oh well...
 

Good to know.
 
In most cases, I'd buy one (case). I do find it rather lame though that they throw away the accesories - not that I'd car much for yet another cheap 1/4 cable, but the strap locks would have been nice.

Most of the time when I go into GC I end up educating some young clerk on the guitar I am holding. Kind of sad.

Rain
Good to know.
 
In most cases, I'd buy one (case). I do find it rather lame though that they throw away the accesories - not that I'd car much for yet another cheap 1/4 cable, but the strap locks would have been nice.

If you were supposed to get strap locks, then I would definitely go back and point that out.  Usually, strap locks are two-part jobbies.   One that replaces the stock knob on the guitar and another that goes on your guitar strap.  So, if the guitar has the one part already, then it won't work with a normal strap and the other side is required.
 

Every time I'm tempted to walk into the GC in Manhattan I'm reminded of the fact that you have to check your bag at the door and I just keep walking. The last time I was in there, I seem to remember some freaking ordeal just buying a packet of strings. 

I still remember one notable GC visit. 
 
Me - "Do you have any Line 6 Variaxes in?" 
Rocks For Brains - "Yeah, we just got a bunch in"
Me - "Can I try one?"
RFB - "No, we're going to have to return all of them"
Me - "Why's that?"
RFB - "None of them work!"
Me - "That doesn't sound right, can I see one?"
RFB - "Sure, they're all right here.  I tried them myself!"
Me - "Do you have a TRS guitar cable I can use?"
RFB - "What?"
Me - "A guitar cable that has two rings on the plug instead of one?  You can't use the normal cables with a Variax."
RFB - "Oh...  We're not allowed to use those on the floor, they get stolen."

Remember the good old days where you got a case no matter how cheap the guitar was? It's total BS that you have to purchase a case separately for a guitar you paid $400 or more for. I remember my first electric I got in 1982 was a Sears strat copy. It was $179 and came with a hard case. It should still be that way. Companies are so worried about their profits that they're fine with hosing the customer. Disgusting. Okay, I'm done. Thanks for listening. :)

I take my kids there, leave them running rampant throughout the store, and return an hour or so later.
 
GC=-11
Bubba=3

I just go in, pick the most expensive guitar I can find off the wall when they're not looking, find a loud, solid-state, mass-produced piece of crap amp, plug in and wiggle the cable until I hear some crackle, turn the amp way up, pick a horrible preset, then do my mash-up rendition of Stairway To Heaven / Elenor Rigby / Crazy Train.
 
Then I pretend to get a phone call, leave everything on, lean the guitar against something and exit the store.
 
Should the absolutely rare event of a salesdweeb stopping by to ask if I wanted anything actually happen, I love to ask if they have any of the green-coated, square wound accordian strings in stock since they're store is the only place I was able to get some last time.  As soon as he goes in back to look it up, I get that phantom phone call...
 
It doesn't make up for the dozens of times I walked in ready to spend a LOT of money and couldn't get one of the salesdweebs to leave their broke, pimply faced, horribly pierced and tatooed friends long enough to get what I wanted, but there is some satisfaction in it.

Mesh
I don't go into G.C.........(unless I really need something ASAP)

As Sucky As Possible?

Rain
By the time I walk into a music store, my homework is done and I'm usually not looking for guidance or suggestions. In fact, at this point, I probably know at least as much about the product I want as any sales guy ever will. I'll have all the pertinent names and models numbers memorized and I already know that it's either this or that. 

Yep, and it's at that exact moment when there isn't a salesdweeb to be found!

I never had to mail order guitars so far - except as a teenager, when buying cheap guitars from Sears. Judging by how different the 3 LP Traditional Pro I've tried last week were, even if the only difference should have been the color, I'm not sure I'd trust my luck w/ that. More than just minor set up difference there. But nice to know that you were lucky w/ yours. :)
 
The only other store I'm familiar w/ here in the US is Sam Ash, that's where I bought my stuff back in NY. It was the closest to home and I walked in front of it practically every day on my way to Radio City Music Hall. I loved that particular store, it had some kind of vibe which worked for me. I later found out that it used to be the legendary Manny's, which I guess further contributed to it becoming one of my favorite places. 

Leadfoot
Remember the good old days where you got a case no matter how cheap the guitar was? It's total BS that you have to purchase a case separately for a guitar you paid $400 or more for. I remember my first electric I got in 1982 was a Sears strat copy. It was $179 and came with a hard case. It should still be that way. Companies are so worried about their profits that they're fine with hosing the customer. Disgusting. Okay, I'm done. Thanks for listening. :)

Its called the add ons where  all the markup is... so much competition with the main item (guitar/keyboard/drumset) that profit is shaved thin and the money t be made is cables, cases, accessories, stand, strap, blah blah

The guitar store I used to hang out at, when I was mostly an unemployed musician..... sold mostly organs and pianos with a rack of maybe a dozen guitars....and a few amps tucked in the alcove.  It was either that or the various pawn shops which really didn't want long haired unemployed musicians making their stores a hangout.
 
To go to a "real music store" we had to drive 2 hrs to Raleigh, NC or longer to Silver Springs Md.....
 
But usually, early in the morning, before lunch, we could hang out there and drink coffee and shoot the breeze and on occasion even have the impromptu jam session. It was at this store that I met some guys with whom I formed a few bands through the years, and also where I bought my Gibson "The Paul" when my SG was stolen the first time. Being located just around the corner from my house made it convenient too.
 
Thanks to google street view...... I have discovered that this music store is now a bus station.

5piced, eh?