GC guitars ripped off the walls

[Athens]

Originally Posted by 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

I have enough trouble accepting UST's and other electronics that crud up the interior of a guitar. I certainly wouldn't want this, and I certainly wouldn't want to pay for it.

Sorry, just my less than humble opinion.

[rwmct]

Originally Posted by ii Cybershot ii

Hard to find a balance in a guitar store with allowing customers easy access to playing a guitar and protecting the instruments.

I know. I look forward to tying out guitars in stores. While there I will buy a couple sets of strings, some sheet music, whatever. If guitars in the range I like to try are not easily available, I generally won't bother going. I have a store with $200 to $400 guitars ten minutes away. I can buy strings there (and often do).

My range, realistically, is $750 to $2,500, something like that. That is the price range for guitars I might actually buy. Though I would have to fall in love to get to $2,500.

But I see where the stores are coming from in restricting access. It is a perennial problem with no good solution.

Anything, I mean anything, would have been better than what most GCs chose to do: put in those locking hangars. I don't mind the guitars are locked up, they've generally been looking in better shape now, but try getting someone to get over there with a key to unlock one. Maybe you can get one unlocked within 5 minutes, maybe not. Maybe you'll get ignored. Let's say you are successful and then want to try a different locked guitar—the process starts all over again.

It's so frustrating for me that I have stopped going to GC altogether and only visit Gryphon, Sylvan and Guitar Showcase now. I don't even buy strings there anymore since I get those online now. Someone may have stolen a few guitars, but isn't that what insurance is for? They should have opted for some other solution, any other solution.

Originally Posted by Athens

I have enough trouble accepting UST's and other electronics that crud up the interior of a guitar. I certainly wouldn't want this, and I certainly wouldn't want to pay for it.

Here here! I like to gut my guitars too. Preferably I like them naked from the factory.

But, what he's suggesting is probably one of those security devices they'd remove at the checkout stand, not something that would stay with the guitar. Now that is something that would get me back to going to GC again.

[Steadfastly]

Sad. Very sad.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by BreedloveRDMH

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.
.

Doesn't sound like putting inventory tags on the guitars would be quite enough to discourage that sort of activity.

[MikeBmusic]

GC has been 'cutting expenses' for some time, we've all read about their financial troubles. They got rid of the person who sat at the door checking in and out instruments. The number of sales people has been cut. Inventory has been reduced.
They're certainly not going to invest in $20 GPS tags (BTW for those unaware of them, they are about the size of a quarter), even when they can remove them from the guitar when its sold. They don't have a 'manager (or multiple guys) who can 'follow the thief while waiting for the police to arrive'. The stores can't afford a video security system, and don't have anyone to watch the screens anyway.

[bogeywon]

I used to work at a GC in Michigan in the early 2000s. we had a door checker and nothing on lock down... we would rotate on the door checking gear in and out. managers told us if anyone steals a guitar or anything else and runs for the exit to just let them go. also as far as being able to play anything and it not being under lock and key, our high end guitars had scratches all over them from people just grabbing them with no respect.

[guitarmac62]

I’m always amazed and disgusted at how I see some people treat guitars at my local GC. However it did work in my favor last Monday. I tried out a Yamaha A1M that I was so impressed with I decided to purchase it. I took the guitar up to the counter and asked if they had one New in box. Nope, none left in any color or at the warehouse. In fact they said they were back ordered and would take a few weeks to get. Then I noticed 2 very minor dings on it and pointed them out. Sales clerk said they he could or knock $25 bucks off. I said no but if he would knock $100 off I’d take it. He took it to the store manager and he accepted my offer. NGD for me!

[menhir]

As a person who owns and has owned several businesses, I wouldn't even remotely consider opening a guitar store. (Although in my greener days, I often though it would be fun.)

Because...
We want our guitars to be spotless and pristine or we want a discount and they should be easily accessible but not to just to anyone after all because someone who is less considerate than us may easily damage them but we don't like being questioned or given the hairy eyeball when we walk in to try because after all the salesperson should somehow know or take our word the we're one of the good guys and please leave us alone in our quiet spot but make sure you are all on hand so all our questions can be answered to our satisfaction even though we know the answers anyway because we're smarter than the sales staff and everyone else in the place should just shut up for our convenience while were listening for the smallest nuances so why don't you construct an extra room for me anyway and it's too bad the people are stealing your guitars but how dare you lock them up and why don't you just install some expensive security systems instead but I'll be darned if I'm going to pay a higher price that would result and....and...

Yes, I understand all the things we'd like, but I'm willing to compromise on my convenience for the sake of the business considerations of the owner. If he takes too many losses he'll close and we'll all be worse off for it and then there'll be much wailing and gnashing of teeth and we'll all be taking our chances buying online.

[Mr. Jelly]

Many moons ago a friend of mine owned a music store. They used to have a display window with guitars on stands etc. Until one night, after hours, somebody pulled up, broke the windows and took all the guitars. This was before cameras. And though the windows had alarms they were long gone by the time anyone showed up.

[golfreggie]

Originally Posted by 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.

Here's hoping her cellmates enjoy her guitar playing, oops, I forgot, no guitar, they caught her!

[6L6]

Two days ago, thieves walked into the Nordstrom Store at Stanford Shopping Center (Palo Alto, CA) in broad daylight.

They cut the cable that held Gucci purses together and made off with $100,000 worth of them. An employee who tried to stop them got beaten up badly.

The bad guys all got away.

Brazen but not unprecedented here. Years ago thieves drove their car up to a side door at the Nordstrom store in San Mateo, CA and stole a whole rack full of expensive suits. They got away and it moved Nordstrom to remove the door there and put up a brick wall.

The cops said these items will most likely be sold on the black market in LA.

[L20A]

I have to chuckle over this.
Half of us don't like GC locking up their guitars to protect them and the other half don't like the way GC allows their guitar to be played by anyone that wants to play it.

We are a fickle group aren't we?

[menhir]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

Many moons ago a friend of mine owned a music store. They used to have a display window with guitars on stands etc. Until one night, after hours, somebody pulled up, broke the windows and took all the guitars. This was before cameras. And though the windows had alarms they were long gone by the time anyone showed up.

There's a music store not far away that has crudely made homemade cardboard cutout guitars in the display window. It probably won't stop someone from breaking in and stealing something, but it must stop smash and grab theft because they've been doing it for years and their windows are still intact...

...at least the last time I looked.