The truth about Guitar Center

[sextonmusic]

I usually don't do this kind of stuff, but I wanted to chime in with my experience so far. The jumbled up short version.

Background: I needed a job, didn't like serving at restaurants, couldn't find a job with my B.A. degree. Girlfriend recommended I apply at GC because she knew how much I was into gear. So I applied... Got the interview, and then read this forum. I have to admit, this post alarmed me because there's a lot of hate towards GC coming from it. I got the job after a couple interviews and overall I enjoyed the experience.

In the first week I was getting my feet wet, never having worked a retail sales job before. There were two days that made me feel bad, didn't sell much, and other people were selling lots. I felt cheated and as if I wasn't going to make more than minimum wage. Again, I felt that way for just two days.

I've been there over a month now and I see a lot of potential to make good money, learn a lot about all different types of gear, meet interesting people and make connections. Best of all, I'm finally working at a job where I enjoy the people I work with, especially my bosses. It's a pretty diverse selection of people and they're all people I would hangout with.

Other goods:

1. First month in I made over $1600 - no, not a lot of money, less than what I made as a server, but I'm also working 40 or less hours a week, getting home at 10 instead of 4am, and I really enjoy what I'm doing and the environment I'm in. Some people here, if I'm doing the "commission" numbers correctly, are easily making over $2000, even $2500 a month. You have to be a good sales associate - build your client base by helping customers get things they really need so they come back to you and calling them to make sure everything is working out for them, also answering the phones promptly can help you earn big. One day alone, from a simple answering of the phone quickly, I made $250 in commission. Not bad for one day.

2. If you're smart and a hard worker you can move up quickly in the business

3. Serious discounts, especially if you're a GAIN member. I'm not yet, but I look forward to it after my 90 days here.

4. Seemingly good health insurance policy, including dental. Although I don't know a lot about it yet.

5. You can hook up gigs, consultations and whatnot to make extra money on the side through customers you meet.

6. Once a GAIN member, you also get gig leave where you can basically leave work for 90 days and still have your job when you get back.

Basically, if you work it, you can do real well and I'm glad I didn't let this forum post get to my head.

[garageband]

Glad you're into it and not one of those Gloomy Guses I so often see there. Sounds like you'd figure out a way to make it work no matter where you are. That's a great thing to have going for you.

[mikewell]

You can always get a fair deal and great service at Sweetwater if you don't like Guitar Center or Musicians Friend. They do seem to have reps who are happy working there.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by Styles Bitchley

It's amazing how this turned into such a deep political discussion. As a former retail manager, I can just say that a draw vs. commission pay structure is very common, and obviously should have been discussed up front in the hiring process. This in and of itself does not make Guitar Center a demon. It does however take some of the idealistic shine off the musical apple we'd all like to believe in. The problem becomes that we end up with the choice of paying a little bit more to talk with someone at a small shop with great service, or save a few bucks at the big place, and far too many people opt for that. Businesses like Guitar Center stay open by watching their costs, and payroll is a huge portion of that. It is really not their fault that we in general respond to pricing more than value, but it is sad that so many great small businesses close because they can't compete with the big box.

Don't know about workign there but ours is a pain to buy from.
Fake sales all the time with prices ("discounted") that are still higher than other folks every day priceS.

Resealed boxes being sold as new.
Great to be able to return, I guess, but not so great if you buy that beat up stuff and pay full list price too. An ethical company would sell returns as reseals, bpack, scratch and dent, or somesuch not as new.

Maybe ours is small, but the selection is poor. And its in a city with 9% sales tax. Taht alone would drive me to the web without considering their high prices and low quality (repacks at list).

Best buy just opened up nearby. Small store. No selection either. Nothing for audio/recording -- all home tv and appliances.

Maybe if GC provided value they could make up the costs in larger sales volume. Everyplace tries to keep down labor costs. But labor is not GCs problem. Actually most of the kids there know what they are talking about. It's GCs policies that need to change. Better lots of sales at low margin than NO sales at big profits.

And I have a friend who claims he can print any internet offer and they will beat it by 10%. I am skeptical, but he does know the manager so it may just be a deal for him. But If actually so, the rest of us are way overpaying so some folks can buy below market prices.

As to the political comments, there is no good word that describes the USA today. We have a combination of a kakistocracy [LOOK THAT ONE UP - ITS GOOD!], pseudo-aristocracy, and whatever cracy means to be run by banks and big business.

[garageband]

Seriously, whomper: go the hell away. Even someone as dense as yourself can see you're not wanted here.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by garageband

Seriously, whomper: go the hell away. Even someone as dense as yourself can see you're not wanted here.

+1

[newkid]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

...

Yes, they are the same thing. [ gc and musicians friend]

...

Brandon

A lot of these companies seem to be the same one with different names or owned by the same megacorp

anybody got a list of all the ones who are linked taht way?

[newkid]

Originally Posted by gctruth

I have worked in sales at Guitar Center for about 2 and a 1/2 years now. Let me give everyone the true run down on what this company is about.

When I was hired I was told that it was minimum wage plus commission of 10% proft, 2% sales. I had to find out the hard way about "FADING". How it works is You have to cover all of the hours that you work with this 10 and 2 percent before you get to see any "Commission".

An example would be:

You make $1200 dollars a month from minimum wage. Now you make $1300 dollars a month from the 10% gross proft and 2% gross sales. You're now thinking, "oh that's not bad, I'm going to make $2500 for the month..." NO, how they have it set up is you have to cover that $1200 with the $1300! $1300 minus $1200 equals $100. So you end up with your minimum wage of $1200 for the month and a $100 "BONUS"...if you're lucky. This is just a big loop hole in the law that Guitar Center is getting away with. Do waiters and waitresses have to cover their tips? Does the pizza delivery guy have to cover his tips? NO, so why the fuck do we have to cover ours?

Technically it's not even really commission, it's really just a bonus on top of minimum wage! Everyone else that has been hired since I have hasn't been told about fading either, They are hiring people and misleading them into thinking they are getting something they aren't.

Because of this fading system they have set up Guitar Center gets to tell you how many hours they want you to work without having to worry about paying you anymore because you have to cover those hours anyway. These hours include staying late usually past 1am having mandatory merchandising "parties" preparing for sales and making the store look good. During all of these hours that they have you work as a sales person, you are expected to not only sell AND FADE, but also to mercandise, clean (including the bathrooms), take out the trash, count your draws/money before and after your shift, inventory control and be security to name a few. Basically sales people are running the store for minimum wage, oh and did I mention that Guitar Center still expects you to FADE your hours? At most locations a sales person will be fired if they don't fade after three months from what I hear, but I have not faded for over a year and I'm still employed!

Why havn't I been fired even though I'm not fading? Because it doesn't cost GC anything to employ sales people since they have to fade! If you think about it the only employees GC has to actually pay are the warehouse/operations staff and management!

Since they can't keep coverage and the turnover rate is so high the people that have to suffer are:


*The empoyees that stay because they now have to cover the hours that were being covered by the person that just quit or got fired!

*The customers because now the new people that are being hired are not knowledgeable and hence where most of the customer complaints come from!


If GC actually was legit and didn't try to think of every possible way to screw their sales staff this problem with not having knowledgeable employees wouldn't exist! Most of the sales staff at GC have less than a month experience because of this! I know my district sales manager wanted to fire me but they wouldn't because they knew they don't have enough help as it is.

Now on top of this FADING BS you have to deal with stuff like this that makes it even harder to fade:


*If you're opening shift you have to come in an hour early before open which is pointless! These are extra hours that you have to fade against!

*If you're closing shift you have to leave "as a team" with all of the other employees even though it usually means standing around for an extra hour and a 1/2! These are extra hours that you have to fade against!


*So you work @ GC and you think your going to still be able to perform at your gig on Friday night? NOPE, You have to work Saturdays, they are mandatory!

*GC makes their sales staff work 6 days a week during March, August and December on top of even more extended hours every day! These are extra hours that you have to fade against!

*They extended store hours! We get the same amount of business compared to before having extended store hours, it's just spread out over more time! These are extra hours that you have to fade against!

*When you are doing all of the stuff that GC requires you to do like be a telemarketer and call customers, merchandising, cleaning ect...your "managers" are the ones taking the sales because they don't have to do these things.

*Customers saying "what's the best deal you can give me" after spending a 1/2 hour with them and you're now at the
register...Do you say the same thing to the pizza delivery guy or girl?..."What is the best price you can give me for that pizza...oh and is it ok if I don't give you a tip?"

*Marty Albertson creating a letter that goes out to "Only our most valued customers"...(Everyone that has ever purchased even a pack of strings in the past). The first time it was 20% of your entire purchase and the last one was 10% off your entire purchase! WTF! That's all of the profit margin right there and they still expect you to "FADE"!


Guitar Center lies to their employees! COST on the green screen ISN"T really GC's COST! GC makes more profit than what's displayed on the green screen! This is profit we make the company that we're not credited on! On top of this what exactly is the "St Ad Pack" in between "COST" and base cost? I was told numerous exuces such as "That is what pays the bills like rent, electricity, heat..." If that's the case then WHAT THE FUCK DOES GC DO WITH ALL OF THE PROFIT? BULL SHIT... "AD PACKS" are just another way for GC to make profit without giving the proper percentage to the sales person that busts their ass merchandising, being inventory control and the janitors!

Why do you think GC plays 90% of the shittiest fucking music on earth in the store on Guitar Center radio? Because they are looking for the songs with the cheapest licensing fees! This also brings me to another point. GC recently setup a program for employees called "GAIN" where empoyees have a chance to get their music on GC radio. This is just way for GC to not have to pay licensing fees for the music being played on GC radio!

Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to mention for those that didn't know that the Green Screen is just what Guitar Center calls their sales terminal computers. They look like Microsoft DOS from 1980! What the hell does GC do with all of their profit that WE make for them?

When I quit Guitar Center I'm going to send most of what's here in a Green Screen email to everyone in the chain so that I can open most of the employees eyes that are brainwashed!

Pretty usual way to run a commission type job.
Sounds like radio shacks plan, and similar to car dealers and many commisison sales jobs.

If you dont like it then you are free to leave.
Lots of unemployed people willing to take your spot.

I am sure your colleagues already know the drill if they have been there more than a month.

It is self defeating. You all try to screw us customers over to make the quota and we stop coming and go buy elsewhere.

Perhaps they should change - it would help them and you and us in the long run. Wil lthey? I doubt it.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by mikewell

You can always get a fair deal and great service at Sweetwater if you don't like Guitar Center or Musicians Friend. They do seem to have reps who are happy working there.

I even got a good deal with musicians friend.
i know gc owns a couple of web sites but did they really buy out musicians friend?

it is the local GC store that tries to screw me over every time I have gone in to try to buy at their sale price.

Now they are advertising on the radio they will beat other ads by 10%.

What a load of boolsheet . they dont even match their own sale prices. try to sell repacks as new at list when supposedly they are on sale (new ones on sale!) at a big discount.

[bugbrain_04]

Does GC have some sort of deal with Yamaha? It seems like they're ALWAYS trying to push Yamaha gear before everything else.

Luckily I was looking for studio monitors and ended up with a pair of HS-50Ms that I think were a really good choice for my first set of monitors.