Would you pay to listen?

The more I think about, the more I think, what an excellent idea. Prpixel, the point you make about you needing to sell listening space for 8 hours a day for 3 years, to break even, seems to miss the point. I presume we are talking of dealers opening up there top listening rooms to the poor unwashed. They do'nt have to cover the cost with selling listening time as you are selling the kit too.

I personally wo'nt go to a dealer unless I am in the market to buy, it is'nt fair on them. It does'nt mean I am going to buy, just I might if I am impressed. Yes a live gig might be better, but only one artist and not playing what you specifically want to hear.

So the more I think about it, the more intersting an idea it becomes. Dealers do this already with open evenings to listen to a particular set up. Why not offer listening sessions when they are quiet. They build a relationship with potential clientele and you get a guilt free audition. Everybody seems to win here.

Mitch4 Sorry, that is'nt going to happen. It would'nt be a viable business model, to set up premises just to sell listening time for HiFi. It would have to be in a store selling kit as well, to make it viable. High end stores have the time. When have you ever been to one where customers are fighting to get assistants attention.

The store has fixed costs in terms of rent, the kit itself, salesmen, why not sweat the assets by selling listening time.

I repeat, I do'nt think it is fair to go to a store and audition, if you are not in the market to buy, at least without being upfront and saying why you are in the store. If the manager is happy to help foster good elations with a customer, that's fine. I for one, would frequent a store with that outlook. It never ceases to amaze me, how many shops are downright rude and dismissive of potential customers, howdo they stay in business. You have to encourage your customer base, say with open access demo evenings, with coffee or a few beers.

I agree with you wolf garcia, about retailers being more inventive in looking for custom and I think some are. I went to a small 4 room show run by a local retailer recently and it was great. Frequent cycling of kit and music meant I spent 5 hours there happily. There was also a local vinyl shop there with lots of used vinyl.

I think some retailers are trying but they are caught between a rock and the proverbial. High margins mean few sales which means higher margins and fewer sales. I would love to know how many sales of kit, not accessories, your average retailer in a moderate sized city makes. I suspect it is very few and they have fixed costs, rent, salaries, utilities to cover. If any would be retailer produced an honest business plan about starting a HiFi shop, he would be laughed out of the door by his banker.

The internet, sites like Audiogon and the shrinking interest on 2 channel high end music reproduction, means that the retail industry is sadly, dying on it's feet. It is sad for all of us, even if we do'nt tend to use them. Fewer stores mean fewer new entrants to our interest/obsession. I suspect most of us started out with an interest in music and wandering into a helpful hiFi store, on an impulse. Then we followed a similar path of obsession, guilt, ruinous expense, relationship breakdown, drugs and penury.