It’s the time of year for saving money!
Where to buy audio equipment and how much one should pay are major issues in audiophilia. Like everything else in our lives, we want a good deal. No big surprise there. So much of what we buy is done without negotiating. When buying groceries, not many of us will barter with the checkout person by offering $35.00 for $50.00 worth of food. Asking for a discount on other products, like cars for instance, is not unexpected. I recently purchased a couple hundred dollars of art glass and whereupon asking for a discount surprisingly heard the sales clerk tell me “sure, no problem, I can give you 20% off.” Audio dealers can go hot and cold.
I sometimes wonder if most consumers really care that a dealer, for the most part, is an independent business person and needs to make a profit to remain operational. This is especially true for those dealers in commercial spaces. Some dealers, in my opinion, get it right. They will try to work with customers on discounts. They deliver purchased equipment and set it up for free – all as part of their service. Many dealers understand they are in a service industry and are selling a product no one critically needs to own. We don’t need an audio system in the same way we need food and transportation, although some might argue the point. Other dealers I wonder about.
Over the years I have traveled extensively for business and whenever possible, tried to take time to visit a dealer if one was nearby and located in a commercial space. I did not want to intrude into someone’s home when I was not really interested in buying anything. I have felt welcomed by some dealers and some have paid me absolutely no attention whatsoever.
I occasionally wonder if cynicism is not creeping its way into the retail side of our hobby. From both sides, are consumers being too critical and suspicious of dealers and are dealers doing the same? As a consumer, what expectations are there when we walk into an audio dealer? Do we expect to have someone standing at the door to greet us like might be found at Wal Mart? Do we expect to have multiple sales people fawning over us like a 1950’s gas station? Do we expect to have a red carpet rolled out for our arrival, regardless of whether or not we intend to actually buy anything? And if we do not receive any or all of these things, do we assume the mantle of being mistreated and leave the establishment? If we are not offered a huge discount do we storm out of the establishment in a huff?
On the other hand, when we enter an audio dealer, are we met with a friendly hello and told if we have any questions to please ask? If the offer of a demo is given, and we are then left to our own devices, do we relish being able to browse as we see fit? And if we do express interest in something, is that interest met with the immediate attention of a salesperson? If we are treated kindly, intelligently and respectfully, are we likely to return to that dealer?
I have been in many different retail audio establishments selling audio gear. I once visited a dealer dressed in shorts and a tee shirt. I was wandering around one of the more expensive rooms looking at gear and no one would event talk to me. No one ever attempted to discern if I could even afford any of the equipment regardless of price. My guess is they made a snap judgement because I did not look like some preconceived notion of what they expected a person interested in a $50K set of speakers should look like. On the other hand, I have been treated with respect and concern by numerous dealers. I once visited a dealer in the Midwest and could not have had a more pleasant experience. Did I buy anything? No, I didn’t and informed them thusly in advance. In spite of this, the salesman hung around talking equipment and the hobby in general. That was about five years ago and the mere fact I still remember the experience leads me to a definite willingness to do business with this company should the opportunity arise.
As consumers move ever onward towards online purchasing exclusivity, audio dealers might be wise to investigate their marketing strategies. Hyper expensive gear is almost a world unto its own. Most dealers make their bread and butter on lower priced gear – products selling for $5000.00 and less. Many of those components can be purchased online without too much risk. Their sonic capability is generally pretty much known. Some lesser priced gear can even be purchased from Amazon. If dealers want to maintain a local presence in their customer base, they should provide a reason for their clients to do so. That inspiration typically comes with great customer service and that includes purchase price and service before and after the sale. Anyone who feels like they got a good deal is far more likely to be a repeat customer. And that is how businesses thrive, by creating loyal, repeat customers.
I realize this sounds patently obvious. Anyone in business selling anything knows how important customer service is to the overall business scheme. However, as long as audio consumers are treated like they don’t know anything or can’t afford anything, it shouldn’t be surprising when consumers look online for their audio purchases. Having a customer visit and do business with a retail establishment is predicated on what type of an impact is made on that customer. A positive experience will usually create a repeat customer. Treat someone like an ignorant, second class citizen and it’s likely that customer will go elsewhere – whether the Internet or a competitor who actually understands selling.
I grew up in a small town of 20,000 in Northeast Georgia, but even in the Seventies, we had a small audio store. They sold a range of equipment, from modestly priced Technics (my first amplifier purchase) to much more expensive gear, and even LPs . The two guys who ran the shop were always friendly, rarely very busy, and always happy to let a totally broke nineteen-year-old listen to expensive gear and chat about just about everything for hours on end. Over the years, I made a number of purchases from them and the good will they showed me helped embed the audiophile bug deep within me. That has not always been the case, however. As an aging hippie, I tend to pretty much look the part, and regardless of whatever demographic I might happen to fall into financially, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been completely ignored in higher-end shops, usually when I was ready to pull the trigger on a major purchase.
Tom, that’s unfortunate. Our industry should know better.
Thanks for your comment.
I’ll have to give a shout out to The Sound Environment in Omaha. I was there last summer just to see what the inside of the store looked like, and I had my wife and three kids in tow. Not only was I treated with kindness and respect even though I’m sure they probably sized me up as someone who didn’t have much expendable income, they took all five of us into the demo room and demonstrated for us a stereo that was easily worth north of a quarter million dollars. It was a fantastic listening experience we all enjoyed, and I left with some speaker wire that I spent less than $30 on. I didn’t buy much that afternoon, but next time I need to update my speaker wire or interconnects or have a long lost relative leave me a lot of money, they will be the first place I go to.
Timely discussion. I’m a member of a Hi Fi Club here in Boston and recently a friend of our club was asked to leave a local shop because of the way he smelled or something completely off the wall like that. He went back with someone else with him and apparently they swindled him into actually buying a very expensive piece of equipment. I dont know the whole story but it sounds like it was a nightmare. I don’t think it is representative of the typical dealer experience though. Although I do most of my shopping online these days, in the past Hi Fi dealers have always been very fair and treated me with respect.
I read about this story. The guy was farting uncontrollably and apparently the shop owner asked him to leave because he thought he was doing it on purpose. I’m not sure anyone is able to do that on demand, but it’s a private business and the shop owner can kick out who ever he wants as far as I care.
An old friend of mine was recently asked to leave a Hi Fi store for passing gas.
I dont know your friend, but I live in Cambridge MA and there was a story here recently where the same thing happened. They kicked out an old timer because of the way he smelled. It’s been in the papers.
I heard about that. When I first read this article I couldn’t help but think of the guy who farted in the store in Boston. That story is so sad.
I have been following the bizarre thread in this comment section concerning the incident in Boston. To set the record straight, I know 2 of the employees at the shop in question and Mr. Barkins was farting at will every time he was approached by a salesperson. He was also farting loudly and obscenely every time he walked near a high priced piece of equipment. There is more to it surrounding a lawyer friend of his grandson and a caricature of a popular person in high end audio being either sold or given to him. Either way, nobody should have sympathy for this man. He has a history of farting in shops around the Boston area as well as the North Shore. It’s high time somebody put an end to it. Dont believe what the newspapers are saying. He is a local menace.
I think you’re confusing 2 recent stories. The guy in Boston was going around squeezing people’s mid sections until they farted. He’s been apprehended and is awaiting trial. It had nothing to do with high end audio.
I recently was interested in a $4k piece of gear. I could get it online with free 2-day shipping and 60-day return, but I wanted to give my local dealer a chance. This wouldn’t be their biggest sale of the month, or most likely of the week, but definitely a high-ticket item for them.
They started out by saying it was special order & couldn’t be returned, and shipping would take 10 days. After a little gentle arm twisting, they offered free 3-day shipping and 45 days to return at no cost. I wound up buying from them. I did not ask for a discount.
But why did I need to tell them what was needed to be competitive? The online prices and terms are not hard to find. And how many customers would bother with what I did? It would have been easier and more expeditious to order online.
So yes, I think that often, dealers can be their own worst enemies.
And I have to say, my thoughts afterward were only whether maybe, just maybe, I was unfair to the online dealer.