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I have known the odd 'supplier' loan additional stock at times to assist a promotion, but this is not common ground
The two nearest music shops to me both already employ techs for their own setups, and staff who are happy to give tuition - I've asked in the shop, got their numbers and arranged things privately because the shops only want to sell stuff (more accurately, they just want people to come in and buy stuff).
I always buy something whenever I'm through the door (might just be strings, but I've picked up interesting 2nd hand pedals and an impulse purchase bass before), I'm mostly just wanting an excuse to get through the door.
Perfect storm stuff really.. and I certainly don't have the answers..
Si
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
One thing I would say is, the idea that its cheap and easier to sell online rather than in-store isn't always correct.
My shop I would say is 80-20 in-store to online. We have a strong website , decent instagram/ social following and have received very kind national press in our sector about what we do. We are in based in quite a desirable area and our social channels definitely bring people into our store but generating online sales can be tough.
You have to remember the online world is the worlds busiest high-street and annoyingly now its controlled by Google and their Adwords police and Shopping sheriff so unless you are prepared to put as much money into their pockets as a months rent your products aren't going to get the exposure they should.
To my mind music retail hasn’t really recovered from the 2008 recession. We’ve had 10 years of public sector pay freezes. Which if you live in the midlands and the north is still the biggest employer. I’m from Derby the home of Rolls Royce, Toyota and Bombardier. The NHS is still the single biggest employer in the town. Why everyone is in denial of this I really don’t know.
Now with so many retailers going to the wall. I’m amazed the whole retail sector isn’t lobbying the government. I mean how can you have a service economy of people have an ever shrinking disposable income?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I have Amazon Prime, almost everything I buy from cables, strings, t shirts, kids toys, jelly moulds etc.
Anything non food essentially, is Amazon.
I pay £79 a year and get free delivery, as much TV as I can watch and all my music.
I have not visited a high street for months.
And im cool with that, I know more about gear than any music shop staffer (at least the gear I like) it’s the way the world moves and changes.
case in point, I visited my local Mothercare recently to buy some nappy bin refills, they don’t stock them despite selling the bin itself, ok fine, was informed that they could have them in within a day, while I’m waiting for the girl to get a till to take my order, a quick visit on Amazon, ahhh in stock, a quid cheaper delivered in the same time frame ‘to my house’ no brainer really.
I don’t browse guitar shops and haven’t for years, I see what I want online, I research it, watch the demos, read the reviews, then order it from a shop or get it online, if I don’t like it send it back.
I dont and never ever have really bought on impulse.
I think I’m prob quite representative of a lot of people.