GC guitars ripped off the walls

[BreedloveRDMH]

I went into my local GC store to buy some strings and look around a bit.
When I went back in the Martin/Taylor/Gibson room I noticed that it looked very empty and that any guitar over $1,200 was locked into its wall hanger bracket. There were a few of the locking brackets that looked bent and damaged.
When I asked the salesperson what was going on he told me that after Thanksgiving people started coming in the store and grabbing a guitar off the wall and then walked or ran out the front door. He mentioned that after they installed the locks someone even broke the bracket from the wall and stole a guitar.
I thought that the crooks were pretty bold what with modern in store security cameras.
The sales rep told me that GC did not have cameras running in all of their stores.

Well now due to the actions of a few bad apples, we good guys can't simply walk into the store and play a nice guitar.

Too bad for us, and a sad commentary on our current society.

[TBman]

Yes, most of the "good stuff" is under lock and key. The effect of more than a few irresponsible consumers have taken the "guitar library" mindset away from Guitar Center.

[guitar george]

Besides security cameras they should install door sensor alarms like these and have a few big, tough employees to take care of things.

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[JBF_AR]

Yes, when we went to Sam Ash Hollywood they had a friendly but burly-looking security guard at the front door. No foolishness allowed. We had a great shopping experience there, calm and relaxed.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by JBF_AR

...when we went to Sam Ash Hollywood they had a friendly but burly-looking security guard at the front door. No foolishness allowed...

Same deal at the old Kings Highway (Brooklyn) store; guy was there for years - he watched me grow up, I watched him grow old...

[DukeX]

They used to have security checks at the door, then stopped several years ago. Perhaps it's less expensive to claim the losses to insurance or just write them off instead of staffing the doors with security.

[DaveKell]

For some reason this reminded me of a recent experience at a local guitar store in a nearby town. I went to buy some strings and while there checked out the acoustic room. There was another room off it with two french doors. Through the glass I could see a ton of Santa Cruz acoustics lined up on floor stands. I opened a door and walked in, just looking, didn't even pick one up. In a few minutes an irate employee came in and demanded to know how I got into the room. I replied "I opened the door and walked through it, how do you think?". He informed me these doors are always locked and I should have asked an employee to accompany me into this room "full of our most expensive guitars". He held the door open as an indication for me to walk out. I just said "this store will never get any of my business buddy". I drove another 20 miles for my strings.

[Edgar Poe]

A very simple solution is to hide somewhere on each Guitar, a GPS tracking module. Immediately they would know where the guitar is and the crook would not have time to realize the tracker was in place, and not have time to find and remove it. The store manager could follow the perpetrator, while the store notifies the police. Tell them the address, and wait. The manager would not have to confront the thief.
How much would it cost for a new guitar, to have the manufacturer install them during the manufacturing process ?

Ed

[Athens]

GC use to check guitars in and out when you walked through the door. They don't do that anymore.

I was in a local GC a while back and a young girl came into the acoustic room with An empty gig bag. I heard noises behind me and noticed that when she walked out of the room the gig bag wasn't empty anymore.

I notified the sales person and they managed to track the girl down and get the guitar back.

It also turns out it wasn't her first time doing this.

It's sad, but unfortunately it's just part of the way the world works today.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by BreedloveRDMH

I went into my local GC store to buy some strings and look around a bit.
When I went back in the Martin/Taylor/Gibson room I noticed that it looked very empty and that any guitar over $1,200 was locked into its wall hanger bracket. There were a few of the locking brackets that looked bent and damaged.
When I asked the salesperson what was going on he told me that after Thanksgiving people started coming in the store and grabbing a guitar off the wall and then walked or ran out the front door. He mentioned that after they installed the locks someone even broke the bracket from the wall and stole a guitar.
I thought that the crooks were pretty bold what with modern in store security cameras.
The sales rep told me that GC did not have cameras running in all of their stores.

Well now due to the actions of a few bad apples, we good guys can't simply walk into the store and play a nice guitar.

Too bad for us, and a sad commentary on our current society.

It probably wouldn't work well for business, but I'd like to see a store that let's you preview all inventory on-line (most actually do this, including GC) and schedule a time to demo one or more guitars. The guitar store would just need a private room. Sales staff could have the guitars for demo on stands ready to go along with a acoustic amp, vocal and acoustic guitar mic, etc... Appointments could last some fixed of time like 30 minutes..

Advantages to guitar store-

Expensive guitar handling becomes completely audited by sales clerks. The sales staff are 100% responsible for looking over the guitars before setting them up and reporting damage and responsible for reporting damage and holding customers who damage product accountable. If a guitar is damaged the manager can easily see which employee handled the guitars and hold the employee responsible if they missed damage done by a customer.

On registering for a scheduled demo, the shop could gather information about the customer's interest in gear, guitars and time frame for purchase. This kind of customer data is a commodity these days and of great value to the retailers.

This helps sales staff not waste time on customers who aren't interested in buying on the day of demo.

Advantages to the customers-

Ability to go to the guitar store and try out some potential buys without worrying about other customers making a lot of noise.

Customer can demo guitars without interruption and unsupervised by sales staff

Ability to demo the guitar through an amp/PA, sing and play with the guitar, etc... in private setting.

There would have to be some rules. That could be formalized or left to managers discretion.

[aknow]

Originally Posted by BreedloveRDMH

I went into my local GC store to buy some strings and look around a bit.
When I went back in the Martin/Taylor/Gibson room I noticed that it looked very empty and that any guitar over $1,200 was locked into its wall hanger bracket. There were a few of the locking brackets that looked bent and damaged.
When I asked the salesperson what was going on he told me that after Thanksgiving people started coming in the store and grabbing a guitar off the wall and then walked or ran out the front door. He mentioned that after they installed the locks someone even broke the bracket from the wall and stole a guitar.
I thought that the crooks were pretty bold what with modern in store security cameras.
The sales rep told me that GC did not have cameras running in all of their stores.

Well now due to the actions of a few bad apples, we good guys can't simply walk into the store and play a nice guitar.

Too bad for us, and a sad commentary on our current society.

How could any business sell that large # of products and not install cameras to view employees and thieves? I find that really irresponsible for such a large company. Way back in 1979 I had to take a job at Harrah's Casino in So. Lake Tahoe. You wouldn't believe what you can see through those magnified cameras, even 40 years ago!

[aknow]

Originally Posted by DaveKell

For some reason this reminded me of a recent experience at a local guitar store in a nearby town. I went to buy some strings and while there checked out the acoustic room. There was another room off it with two french doors. Through the glass I could see a ton of Santa Cruz acoustics lined up on floor stands. I opened a door and walked in, just looking, didn't even pick one up. In a few minutes an irate employee came in and demanded to know how I got into the room. I replied "I opened the door and walked through it, how do you think?". He informed me these doors are always locked and I should have asked an employee to accompany me into this room "full of our most expensive guitars". He held the door open as an indication for me to walk out. I just said "this store will never get any of my business buddy". I drove another 20 miles for my strings.

I hope the guy you talked to was the owner

[mr. beaumont]

Our local GC has a counter as you walk in/out, if you're walking out with something, you're going to be stopped. Then, two sets of glass doors to slow down runners, I suppose.

If somebody really wants to grab and dash, they're gonna, but I'm pretty sure there's cameras pointed right at you at that exit...smile!

[Woodstock School Of Music]

A store in my area posted a video of a guy stuffing a stratocaster down his pants and walking out

[ii Cybershot ii]

I'm glad guitar center is doing this. The nice guitars used to just get ruined over time otherwise. I've seen so many little kids just running around the store mishandling and bumping every guitar. It's sad. Hard to find a balance in a guitar store with allowing customers easy access to playing a guitar and protecting the instruments.