Guitaronomics

guitars4you

NelsonP said:

I buy guitars very infrequently. When I do I like to try them out first. I've bought all of mine from shops for precisely this reason.

I am prepared to pay more when I do so because:
1.I can try out various options against each other, in the same place and at the same time.
2. The shop will often throw in extras like maybe a good setup or at least some strings, a strap etc and they generally offer good after sales service and peace of mind
3. The very best shops have dedicated rooms or booths for trying gear out and knowledgeable staff who will encourage you to try stuff that you'd otherwise never consider. If they know you are a serious buyer (and many seem to have a sixth sense for this) they will often indulge you and let you try instruments at a higher price range than what you're considering.

That first point doesnt work if the manufacturers start selling direct. And you would be limited to trying gear from a single manufacturer which would suck.

I hope that the traditional retailers can survive against the online box shifters. In many cases their margin is hard earned and entirely justifiable. I'll continue to try to support this as much as i can.

I was brought up in retail in the old traditional manner - and this was the only way to run a business - The principles are still totally correct - But 3 letters changed all this approach WWW

Good to see that this approach still carries on but alas in diminishing numbers - both as a walk in customer and for many bricks n mortar stores

NelsonP

I've been doing some digging.

Guitar Guitar reported +13% on turnover in the last accounts they filed.
S&T Audio (owner of PMT and the old Dophin) also +13% turnover (weird!)
Gross profit just below 30% in both cases.
This suggests that for the big guys at least, things are just fine.

According to S&T guitar is now the most popular instrument in schools because acoustic and electric guitars have now fallen in price enough to be well within birthday present range. Add Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift into the mix and there are reasons to be cheerful.

Principle concerns seem to be cashflow / access to funds and whether they can compete with other retailers effectively on product range, price, quality and service. Which to be fair is probably the same for every business.