Walking Into A Brick & Mortar High End Audio Store

I have a question....if your local audio shop offered leasing would any of you be interested? I know I would and I have often wondered why this isn't a common practice in the B&M's.

My friend and I make the rounds in the twin cities audio shops once or twice a year and are always met with the same contempt by the sales staff. Neither of us have intentions of buying mostly because I would rather spend money elsewhere than with a store that treats customers like they are a nuesance. In the last year we have both spent combined around $18000 dollars on audio this year and not a penny went to a local brick and mortar store. Every time we go in we are usually the only customers in the store and the consignment pieces sit in the shelves for months. I am not suprised these stores are becoming extinct.

Here's the thing though....when I go into the HiFi shops the sales staff as well as the owners are more often than not aloof and apathetic unless you tell them you are planning on making a purchase. That's insane. The equipment is on display for a reason. If I ask to hear something I do not expect to be met with eyes rolling and the the sound a pop can makes when you open it. Its your job Hello.

Christ I may not have the money today but who knows in a week a month or a year I might. Maybe I catch a financial windfall and I come back and buy a whole system. But if In our get lousy service I'm not spending it in that store. Often times I see sales staff migrate to the customers with suits and ties and ignore those in casual dress. That is a big mistake. I know quite a few blue collar workers that spend a lot of money on this hobby and they all say the same thing about the shops. Entirely too much snobbery so they spend it elseware. I'm not saying all the audio stores are like this I'm just stating my experience as well as many others I have spoken with.

No offense Bcgator but you just contradicted yourself by comparing Ruth's Chris and Applebees. That's like suggesting enthusiasts avoid spending money at Radio Shack and spend it at Best Buy instead. Unless of course you were kidding in which case my sincerest apologies. Good day sir.

I don't believe anyone on here is advocating the op go in and waste the salesman's time. In my experiences with shops most of the time store is empty and if the sales staff is busy I wait until they are finished before I ask questions. Most often I want to sit and listen to something that is set up already. How is that wasting their time? When I visited the shops in Seattle every sales person told me essentially the same thing. Go ahead and look around and feel free to ask questions or let us know if you would like to hear something. Is that so hard?

Say what you want about the "grease balls" at guitar center but in my experience they are always welcoming and enthusiastic as well as down to earth vs the stick up the a%% stiffs at the HiFi shops who appear to only be concerned about making a sale. I guess the difference is the staff at guitar center are all muscisians passionate about music and it shows in their customer service.
I had gone in there a few months ago to check out some Adams monitors and the store was packed. Anyway the guy helping me was extremely gracious (tats and all) and spent almost an hour with me talking music and gear and It was a blast. During our conversation I asked him if it bothered them that so many people where in there playing the instruments and messing with all the gear with no intention of buying it and he looked at me and said "nah man we love this place we get paid to do what we love and when they have the money the always come back and buy it here"

Needless to say I did not buy any speakers that day but I have returned a few times since to buy some for my daughter, and per my recommdation a few friends have purchased Adams from there as well. Sure I could have got them cheaper online but why would I when the service is so good and the return policy is outstanding.

+1 more for B&H. When I lived in Philly my wife and I went to NYC every Sunday and that was always our first stop.

Yes Avgoround you missed the post from roxy where he tried to back track and basicly admitted that he has a low tolerance for people who enter his store due to personality and emotional disorders and wants us to feel sorry for him because he has the typical pretensious salesman mentality where he will only pretend to be interested in you if he feels he can hustle a buck off of you.

In have news for you bud its called working for a living. I am a chef in busy high end restaurant. You want to know about stress, pressure and 90 hr work weeks? Come try and keep pace with me for a week and you will be happy to go back to your job in the store with your douchey pals. Boohoo move and amp here or a pair of speakers there....ooh change a few cartridges....your break in our hearts. I curious to know if you work in that shop because your passionate about audio or do you hop from sales job to sales job? You don't come off like you love your job you sound like a hack who treats it like a business. There in lies the problem with the shops. Long gone are the ee abliwhments with genuine enthusiasts who are happy to have any and everybody come in the door. Echo in portland is a great example of a real shop. The only one I buy from and I'm 2500 miles away. Roxy go work retail at the dollar store no tire kickers in there.

*establishments

Relax buddy that was meant for Roxy... do not pretend to know me or my financial situation. Not only can you not spell but as Roxy pointed out, you seem to have trouble with basic comprehension.