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> Yes, but it is worth pointing out that COVID is killing already-sick businesses. 100% agreed. I should have written that COVID-19 has been a killing blow for

> Yes, but it is worth pointing out that COVID is killing already-sick businesses. 100% agreed. I should have written that COVID-19 has been a killing blow for many already-sick companies. Still, if you're running a distressed company, your attitude must be, "we are not dead until we're dead." Channel your inner Dylan Thomas and rage against the dying of the light. I have a mid-60s relative who teaches music privately, via Zoom. Her business is more active now than it was when she was teaching in person, due to fewer costs for transportation and less downtime between lessons. I'm not sure how sustainable that surge in activity will prove to be, but she has at times asked me to help her buy musical instruments online for new students. It's anecdotal evidence that suggests music education isn't going away just because brick-and-mortar retail is under pressure. School closures aside: if someone is going to sell guitars and drum kits, why can't it be Guitar Center? Amazon has put retailers in the position where they have to compete on price, information, ease of returns, and shipping speed. A dedicated retailer (music store vs general store) should be better at competing on price and information. A local store should be better at competing on ease of returns and shipping speed.

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leetcrew 6y ago
> if someone is going to sell guitars and drum kits, why can't it be Guitar Center? why would it be guitar center? I don't see anything that would give them a competitive advantage. I only ever go there to try guitars. if I really like one, I'm probably just going to go home and order a pristine example online. there's no way I'm gonna drop $800+ on a guitar that's been sitting in the open air and manhandled by customers for an unknown length of time. it's not a local business, so I don't even feel bad about it. as I see it, a brick-and-mortar retailer has three possible functions: an inventory, a showroom, and a service center. it's hard even for a large physical store to beat an online retailer on inventory. guitar center in particular does not seem to be trusted as a service center. musicians I know would only take their guitars there for repairs/setups if there was literally no other option. this basically makes it just a showroom. it's hard to make money showing other people's products that can be bought cheaper elsewhere. it seems to me that the only way forward for third party brick-and-mortars is to somehow monetize the showroom role. maybe they could get paid directly by the manufacturer to show their products or have some sort of referral system. integrate it with a service center and let the customers play with the display guitars while you fix theirs.
- hugey010 6y ago
  If Guitar Center hadn't tarnished their service reputation those retail stores would at least have maintained that stream of revenue. Hobbies of all kinds seem to be booming with an influx of beginners who actually need these services.
- eoinbmorg 6y ago
  Small counterpoint: many people who buy instruments want to buy the actual instrument they try out. Quality in guitars (and other instruments) is wide enough that one might play well, while another of the same model plays like a worse, cheaper instrument. Buying a guitar untested/online (even the same model you tried in store) has a large amount of risk that decreases with the instrument price, but not always and not as quickly as you might expect.
lostapathy 6y ago
I placed an curbside order at Guitar Center for some in stock items. When they told me it was 3 days before I could pick it up, I canceled and ordered on Amazon. Talk about a fail.

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leetcrew 6y ago

> if someone is going to sell guitars and drum kits, why can't it be Guitar Center? why would it be guitar center? I don't see anything that would give them a competitive advantage. I only ever go there to try guitars. if I really like one, I'm probably just going to go home and order a pristine example online. there's no way I'm gonna drop $800+ on a guitar that's been sitting in the open air and manhandled by customers for an unknown length of time. it's not a local business, so I don't even feel bad about it. as I see it, a brick-and-mortar retailer has three possible functions: an inventory, a showroom, and a service center. it's hard even for a large physical store to beat an online retailer on inventory. guitar center in particular does not seem to be trusted as a service center. musicians I know would only take their guitars there for repairs/setups if there was literally no other option. this basically makes it just a showroom. it's hard to make money showing other people's products that can be bought cheaper elsewhere. it seems to me that the only way forward for third party brick-and-mortars is to somehow monetize the showroom role. maybe they could get paid directly by the manufacturer to show their products or have some sort of referral system. integrate it with a service center and let the customers play with the display guitars while you fix theirs.

hugey010 6y ago
If Guitar Center hadn't tarnished their service reputation those retail stores would at least have maintained that stream of revenue. Hobbies of all kinds seem to be booming with an influx of beginners who actually need these services.
eoinbmorg 6y ago
Small counterpoint: many people who buy instruments want to buy the actual instrument they try out. Quality in guitars (and other instruments) is wide enough that one might play well, while another of the same model plays like a worse, cheaper instrument. Buying a guitar untested/online (even the same model you tried in store) has a large amount of risk that decreases with the instrument price, but not always and not as quickly as you might expect.

lostapathy 6y ago

I placed an curbside order at Guitar Center for some in stock items. When they told me it was 3 days before I could pick it up, I canceled and ordered on Amazon. Talk about a fail.