tired of bricks and mortar ripoffs

[otomah]

OK - I understand that bricks and mortar music stores have expenses that the internet stores don't have. Generally, I have tried to support them even when the cost was above what I would be paying over the internet. This last week was the last straw. I order a couple pieces of music, it took a week to get in and when I got it the store had put a price tag over the published retail price. It took the price on one piece from $6.00 to $10.00!

All they did was order it for me - not stock it and have it on hand when I needed it. Comparing prices on reeds, mouthpiece patches - just about anything they're over the top. Like I say, in the past I have bought from them to support the local business, but that's it - never again.

I'd love to hear from some store owners as to why I should rethink this.

otomah

[Saxturtle]

Well, I'm not a music store owner, but I can tell you that for me it comes down to a convenience thing: some stuff's just easier for me to manage on a spur-of-the moment basis, but this is usually only for the small stuff (reeds, bite pads, music etc). I can usually justify their premium prices on a small scale.

For the bigger items, it almost seems they want me to go to the web: no inventory, a host of low-end or last generation design equipment combined with know-nothing/ not interested/ scary sales people (you know who you are :lol: ). Seems to me that most B&Ms are supported (assimilated?) in majority by the good ole public school system, so there's really no incentive to compete for your dollar anyway. Mars music seemed to be oriented towards the consumer, nice store, flashy displays, new (OK at least different...) products: they came to earth rather abruptly, if you remember.

Try taking your best deal from the 'net in and see what they do - you may be surprised at their reaction! Or at least entertained. Who knows, if they recognize you as a regular customer they may cut you a regular deal.

[Saxdaddy]

I ork for a B and M, but in the service department, which is a real good reason in itself to support the B & M, you can bring it in to be serviced, and make sure that its to your satisfaction. I have worked on instruments that folks have bought on the net. They were told that techs had already gone over the instrument, and play tested it. Ok either the playtesters are clueless, or just don't care, and no real tech ever touched these horns. We are talking leaky octave pads, and I mean cocked at a good 30 degrees from level. Or a leak on over 80% of the pads. But anyhow, if this was to happen at our store, you could bring the instrument in, and say "I don't like the way it plays" and guess what, you would be taken care of. No phone calls, packing and shipping, just bring it to the counter. Now we are also lucky in that we can compete with most catalog venders, just by the amout of volume we move, but I will say that we don't stock everything under the sun, in fact not really that much as far as new pro horns go, but you walk in with a add, and the sales people will at least try to match it or come close, heck sometimes we have been known to even beat it.

[clem]

Saxturtle and otomah: Funny thing. I was calling every band instrument store in Houston to see if anyone had a tech to work on mouthpieces. One repair man said he knew of someone in Dallas...oh well.

But I have befriended a store mgr for one of the "chains" here who has been pretty helpful in getting my Plasticover reeds, and at close to an internet price (about 20 bucks with tax). And I've bought several horns over the past few years from a couple of pawn shops that specialize in band instruments. You won't get a great deal from them, but I can usually chisel 'em down to a fair price.

Saxdaddy: But I know Mike Reed! What are you doing in Illinois?

[Saxturtle]

Clem:

I got a set of those itty-bitty 'Swiss' files from Home Depot a few years back; send me your mouthpiece and I can guarantee you a 'Dallas special' like no other... :lol:

[gary]

otomah, sounds to me like old-fashioned retailing and a system that goes on with it. And that the owners haven't changed with the times. How can it cost you more and take longer to get domething from a local store as when you order it directly from a mail-order/internet source? Sad.

I have to take exception to the argument that the B&M provide customer service with repair techs and, therefore, need preserving. If the B&M wasn't there, the only concequence would be that the repairmen would have to set up independent businesses. The results to the consumer are the same. Maybe even better price-wise, since the repair costs would be going directly to the tech and not a cut to the retail store for their overhead.

[soulsax]

Yea I know Mike Reed too. Sometimes goes by Mike Mulford too. Last time I saw Mike he was the band department manager at Mars on the Katy frwy in Houston. But Mars has moved on, and I suppose Mike did too. The last I remember Mike got that name from the late great blues guitar player, Joey Long. Mike is a hell of a sax player too folks. 8) Nice to hear from you Mike. How long have you been gone?...soulsax,,,, AKA, Randy Burch, 50 miles south of Houston.

[otomah]

Like I say - I don't mind paying extra for stuff that is in stock and on the shelf. In the past I have purposely bought things from the local music store that I new I could get cheaper off the net because I figured if you supported the store they would still be there when you needed them. At the stores in Fort Worth, the selection of instruments is very poor and those that they have for a person to try are generally in need of a trip to the repair department for adjustment.

As for having a tech on site, I think many techs work out of a store and then work out of their homes as well. Take away the stores and the techs work out of their homes exclusively.

I think that the B and M stores need to re-look at what their nitch in the market place really is and what added value they offer their customers. Having a tech on site should mean the instruments being sold out of the shop are in top shape - that is frequently not the case here.

Having sheet music on site means that I can look it over before buying it and I walk out of the store with it in my hand (one trip - not two). If its something they are ordering, why should I pay a premium? In fact the whole concept of ordering printed music is missing the point of technical advancements in publishing over the past 10 years or so.

If they had agreements with the publishers that allowed them to print on-site anything available from the publishers library - then they would have something to really offer the customer. The "inventory" would be far greater than it can be if they are stocking the paper copies. Combine these agreements with multiple publishers, add a knowledgeable sales person that can navigate the systems easily - toss in MIDI preview of the music and there is a reason to go to the store.

If the only thing a B + M can offer over an internet site is immediate availability - I think their days are numbered.

otomah

[awholley]

Like I say - I don't mind paying extra for stuff that is in stock and on the shelf. In the past I have purposely bought things from the local music store that I new I could get cheaper off the net because I figured if you supported the store they would still be there when you needed them. At the stores in Fort Worth, the selection of instruments is very poor and those that they have for a person to try are generally in need of a trip to the repair department for adjustment.

If the only thing a B + M can offer over an internet site is immediate availability - I think their days are numbered.

otomah

The trial instruments in the DFW stores are in poor adjustment too. Like you, I am willing to pay more for off-the-shelf convenience, but the limited store hours don't work well with my day job. It's often just as fast to order off the internet as it is to "schedule" a trip to the local store, and then there's the fact that most of the time it's cheaper too.....

If brick and mortar retailers want to survive, they better offer the one thing you can't get on the net, face-to-face service. However, the level of service I am talking about requires people who know what the heck they are talking about, and more inventory variety than just 2 or 3 kinds of mouthpieces and 2 or 3 brands of reeds. That's why the internet retailers are killing them. They have the variety, and while they don't generally offer very personalized service, the people at the other end _do_ seem to have a clue, and the businesses are generally pretty efficient. The net result is the internet is currently offering better prices, equal (or better) service and sometimes, as noted above, equal convenience.

[Woodwindguy]

I own a B & M woodwind shop, I have a repair tech\facility(myself) in house and try to carry the most popular items at discount prices. My instrument inventory consists of mostly used\reconditioned instruments. I sell reeds,mouthpieces at discount prices as well, but I have lost sales because I would not discount something to match WW & BW pricing. I cant afford to sell things at cost. It is getting harder & harder to convince potential clients that "customer service" is worth paying more for. Brands like Cannonball, Stephanhouser allow stores like us to carry something different that the WW&BW's of the world can't.

Brian D. Topolski
Woodwind Enterprises, Inc.

[Bnatural]

I think it depends on where you live... I live in a fairly small town so there are two small family owned music stores... one of which is all teenagers weekend job... so i stay away... the other one... is my weekend job... so there are people out there trying to make it work... but if people aren't willing to spend the extra money then all the stores are gonna go under... my boss just rebently put up the store on the net and has begun to produce instrument stands that are sold through our website and WWBW so maybe that is the future of music stores... there has to be some way to keep them afloat... I spend that little bit of extra moneyjust because i like the service and just the idea of standing around w/ people who have the same kind of interests as me... maybe the music stores are going out just like school music programs.... i no from looking at the budget that we got most of our money from that... so maybe the real problem is interest... if interest goes up then the stores would have a reason to stock more things sell more of it, bringing cost down, and then they would have the money neccesary to get decent people on staff...

[clem]

I don't think B&M music stores even TRY anymore to cater to professional musicians. They look to school band rentals (very profitable!), accessories like (school approved) reeds (no jazz reeds please!), and cleaning and repair on student horns to stay in business. I buy a box of Plasticovers every month or so (they order them for me and give me their internet price) and have my horn adjusted once a year.

The days of the pro shop with autographed photos on the wall and a zillion mouthpieces to try are probably done for. I know of one such place in Houston that caters to symphony musicians and pros, but even they don't carry any kind of selection of mpcs, and if you buy you pay close to list price. And oh yeah, they don't stock Plasticovers and want $30 a box to order 'em.

[LBAjazz]

Let's try to be realistic here.There are hundreds of brands of mouthpiece.Most come in soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. Each of these come in many different facings, tip openings and materials.Dozens and dozens of brands of reeds; again, SATB and many different strengths.Dozens of brands of horns, SATB, many different finishes.Just to have everything an alto player wants is almost impossible; then you've got soprano, tenor, baritone, clarinet,bass clarinet players.Now... how many sax players within driving distance? How many of those are above the grade school or high school level? Remember, anything that you stock that you have on hand at the end of the fiscal year, you have to pay tax on.How can they possibly have what you want? Plus now you want it at a very steep discount.There's just no way to make it work except in a few huge cities.I'm amazed anybody can pull it off in today's market.However, on the issue of ordering sheet music for you and then marking it way up, I'm going to have to agree with you completely.That's b.s.

[clem]

LBAjazz I don't disagree with anything that you say...I really didn't mean to sound so angry about all this. But when I started playing sax I had a choice of two reeds: Ricos and Lavoz. There were lots of mouthpieces, but like the Tonalin alto I bought in 1959 cost something like $8.95.

Having been a store manager in one of my previous lives, I do understand inventories, taxes, turn,...all that stuff, and yes, it must be impossible to profitably run a well-stocked music store. But couldn't the chain operations--like Brook Mays who owns H&H in Houston--designate one store in a large city that could stock a better selection? I guess the realistic answer to that is "Why should they?" As I mentioned before, one store mgr is willing to order my Plasticovers from his distribution center so I guess I'm reasonably taken care of.

[awholley]

B.M. in Dallas has designated its store on 635 as a saxophone center, and it was for a few months. I think it didn't work like they wanted it to because people came in and tried all the brands back-to-back, then purchased on the internet. I was one of those folks. I saved $1000 bucks off their price and $300 (plus tax) off the best price I could beat them up for. As for the 1-year of free maintenance, well, judging by the floor models, I could do a better job myself on most things.

I agree they can't stock everything one would want, but they could certainly stock more than Selmer C*s and Vandoren Blue/Hemke.

And what ever happened to "give away the razor, so you can sell the blades"? If I got a great deal locally on my horn and they had a reasonable assortment of reeds at a reasonable price, I could be a regular customer. Heck they could find out what people like just by looking at the "best seller" icons at WWBW.

[saxmanjack]

At least with a local B & M, you can deal face-to-face if there's a problem. It has been my experience that some internet/mail-order retailers can't, don't, or won't correct the situation if something goes wrong, even if it's their fault. I'm involved in a situation right now where I returned something for a refund, agreeing to the merchant's "policy" of a 15% restocking fee, and he refused delivery of the package, telling me that he would accept the return only if I agreed to "store credit" !

Ironic that retail exists to serve the consumer, but is evolving into something that is less and less consumer-friendly...

[Saxturtle]

The state of the business is dictated by the business climate. The B&Ms didn't develop their business model in a vacuum: experience tells them that the way they're doing business now tracks the historical behavior of the local and/or global musically oriented population. I think it's a case of not enough enthusiasts in the same geographical locale to support the B&M to the degree that is satisfactory to an enthusiast. This is why the web is successful: global market<=>global competition<=>everything available to everyone (for a price :lol:).

Speaking of business cases, perhaps the answer is for the B&M owners to begin implementing a more agressive strategy of partnering with the giant 'net entities to present a local touchy feely to the musicians without having to deal with the issues of inventory, taxes, etc. That way, the B&M can focus on what it does best: maintenance and accessories. If this presents a win-win for both sides it'll definitely be good for the unwashed masses...(that means US :wink: ).

[Saxdaddy]

Ok, who are you Clem? Email me if you want. Where do you know me from?

[Sigmund451]

There are occasional good deals to be had at local shops too. Most people that visit B&Ms want new instruments so occasionlly some nice things get left behind. My local store had an original lacquer, in near prestine shape, freshly overhauled, 1958 The Martin Tenor. In fact the finish looked so good I was convinced that it was a relaq until 2 different techs informed me it was original. It sat and sat for months at least. I finally bought the horn for $1200. Someone will have to pry it from my cold hands. I love it. That just wouldnt happen on the web or even on ebay. I do have to admit everything in the shop horn related is largely refuse (reeds aside). However, that day I was thankful for my local music shop.

[Saxturtle]

Awholley: do you know of any N. Dallas (I'm actually Richardson) or metroplex music stores dealing in vintage such as Sigmund mentions? If I knew there was even a chance to snag a deal like that I'd make a weekly pilgrimmage to every spot...

[Sigmund451]

I just got lucky. Right place, right time. Havent seen anything interesting there since but you never know.

[Jazzed]

As the former owner of a failed retail shop (CDs, LPs) I try to support my local shops whenever possible. But there comes a point when the internet discount and selection thru WWBW, et al is so drastically better that I cannot go to the local people. I do try to give the local shops my business when it makes sense and doesn't cost too much more, even though I know I'm not getting the best deal. It's nice to know they are there and I can walk in and get what I need immediately.

[awholley]

Awholley: do you know of any N. Dallas (I'm actually Richardson) or metroplex music stores dealing in vintage such as Sigmund mentions? If I knew there was even a chance to snag a deal like that I'd make a weekly pilgrimmage to every spot...

When I read that post, I immediately thought of the MARS down by SMU, but that's no more. Richard's Band Instrument Repair in Carrollton is the only place I know that even remotely has a connection to vintage horns here. I have sold a couple of them through him, and he seems to have a
dealer friend somewhere (not necessarily DFW) that takes them off his hands.

Alan

[Hurling Frootmig]

I'm in Chicago and we are lucky enough to have a handful of local music stores that carry pro grade horns from the Big Four at reasonable prices. We also have a couple of nice vintage shops. I can get to wwbw in a couple of hours if I want to head over and play anything they have in stock as well.

[DaveKessler]

Wow this is a loaded topic.

My reply is simply in response to the original post about the sticker over the puclishers printed price.

I know that Hal Leonard (huge print publisher) will sometimes do that at the company.

So the local dealer may or may not have actually repriced it. There is a possibility that it came to them that way from the publisher.

Just a thought.

[otomah]

So the local dealer may or may not have actually repriced it. There is a possibility that it came to them that way from the publisher.

Just a thought.

In this case, the sticker had the name of the store on it. I did get on the website of the publisher, and the price they had there was more than the price first printed on the music and less than what the store was charging.

Part of my frustration is that I don't want the local stores to fail. I think they are an important part of our community. I think that the business model has to change to deal with the realities of the internet and by change I don't mean just mean that they should lower their prices. That's not realistic - they have costs that the internet stores do not have.

They also are in a position to deliver services in a way that the internet stores can't. I can't help but believe that their suppliers have to be part of the solution (my earlier comments about shipping sheets of music around rather than doing the printing at the store) for example. Consignment sale of vintage instruments would be another area of revenue (and service) that would not be a big investment for the store. In the DFW area we have more pawn shops than you can imagine (or visit). If a store could make a deal with a large number of these pawn shops to sell on consignment the vintage horns that the pawn shops sell, they would become the place to go to for and try vintage horns. Most of those horns need some work. This store would be the logical place to get that work done once a person bought the horn (plus they would have an idea of how much it was going to cost before they bought the horn). Since there would now be a single place to find these horns, the pawn shops would get a better price (some of the vinage horns go for a song if you find them) and move the horns faster.

I would think mouthpiece manufactures should be willing to leave trial pieces at a store if they know that by doing so they will be putting their product in front of a lot of people. Maybe I'm wrong on that - the store would have to demonstrate some serious traffic interested in the products first.

What if they brought in local pros to do clinics (I'd pay to go to that)?

I just think they need to think outside the box.

[MattC]

I think part of the problem here, if I can even call it that, is that you're comparing vastly different business models and applying a level of "fairness" to them. With very few exceptions, I don't know of a brick and morter company that can compete price-wise with internet based company - for a variety of reasons. This does not mean that one company is ripping you off. There is a small local music store in the town where I work. Instead of going there I travel to a large Sam Ash a few towns away. They have good prices, will price match anything and have a great selection. If I'm buyign a mouthpiece or horn, I'll go to Robertos in the city because of what they stock. I make these decisions because purchasing in this manner is in my best interest. Now the little store that I don't go to offers the best prices they can. They're not trying to rip anyone off, but rent in this town is astronomical and somehow they have to pay it. I just choose not to help them do so.

[DaveKessler]

Otomah,

Consignment sales are a Great profit maker for us as well. You charge a reasonable percentage or fee and with little or no cost until the item has been sold.

I actually really like your Pawn shop idea. That is a very good idea and I personally plan on investigating it further.



The overall matter of pricing through actual stores is one that will vary from city to city. WW&BW has a lot of costs as well. They have retail locations, big ones at that. They have a lot of employees. They keep a large selection of everything on hand. How they stay in business at the 7-10% profit margin boggles my mind. Even at quantity, there is still no way that I could see that staying successful in the long haul. I have heard several rumors from very credible sources that WW&BW is in serious trouble. Whether its true or not, who knows but all the fingers point to it.

Theres no good answers and frankly, if your local music store does not want to adapt to the times, then its their own fault for their eventual going out of business. In the mean time, you are more then welcome to call me for all of your musical needs! :)

[Mike_K]

As others have said, two of the major issues are service and availability. The "best" B&M in my area is Sam Ash - which says something about the other B&Ms in the area. Selection is poor as is the service. I don't really have much of a choice but to shop online, as much as I'd rather shop (and browse and try out) in a local store in person.

If I lived in Vegas, and assuming I had not lost all of my money at blackjack :? , I am confident that I would make most if not all of my purchases at Kesslers - in person. There's no replacement for the face to face contact with a knowledgeable, customer service oriented person.

[DaveKessler]

Boy, I am glad that the Sam Ash out here is Terrible in their Band Department.

They basically just assumed control of the MARS building when the fell under. Sam Ash's band department is so insignifigant in their local store, as well as so understocked that I am blown away when I hear Good stories from people outside of my local area.

[Mike_K]

Same situation here - Sam Ash took over the MARS store, and their band department seems to be more of an afterthought. If you want a guitar, it seems like it might be a good place to go, but other than that, forget it.

[Saxturtle]

EGAD!

Otomah, this post caused me to conduct my first search for reeds online. I just shaved $6.00 per box off my #3 Tenor ZZs and $5.00 per box off my daughter's Blue Box VanD Bb clarinet reeds! Does it really cost this much more for the store to take 'em outta the shipping case and hang them on the wall? Order placed :lol:

[Morry]

I have heard several rumors from very credible sources that WW&BW is in serious trouble. Whether its true or not, who knows but all the fingers point to it.

Dave, I certainly hope you are wrong. I find them a very convenient way to buy reeds I can't find locally, and well as test various mouthpieces and horns without getting stuck with a lemon.

[DaveKessler]

Dave, I certainly hope you are wrong. I find them a very convenient way to buy reeds I can't find locally, and well as test various mouthpieces and horns without getting stuck with a lemon.

Thats understandable but I wont mind personally. :)

It is because of those type of places that you are seeing less and less of quality specialty stores anymore for the most part.

I believe it too because selling professional items at less then a 10% margin is no way to stay in business no matter what quantity. Granted, I too sell alot of those same items at right around the same price. But there are many items that I buy and sell at a decent price (not ripping off the consumer but rather making around a 20% margin) that occupy more of my sales.

As a businessman, I dont see anyway that WW&BW is going to continue the pricing structure they have and stay in business. Maybe I am wrong. Hes been doing it for a long time.

[WriterMom]

I buy things like music books, polishing cloths, etc. from the local music store. However, they want $35 for a box of reeds that sells for $14 or so from wwbw.com, and I can't afford to pay that much more. :(

[Whatasaxman]

This thread opens a huge can of worms. I am a repair shop owner and have looked into carrying several brands of saxes. The problem here is this: WWBW sells for less than your ordinary store can buy for with a dealer discount.I do work with one manufacturer some, but I still could buy this companies instruments cheaper from wwbw than I can directly from the manufacturer. It would be nice if more manufacturers would go the way of Cannonball where they are not sold through the huge warehouse and internet stores.

[TheChristianSax]

awholley, saxturtle,

I live just south of Ft.Worth and have had many of the same problems. While Mars was in business, I could go and try out some different types of gear side by side, and get reeds at a comparable price to WWBW. The only thing that I can come up with is that stores like Brookmays and Mr.E's do not have any selection because they mainly deal in student rentals. It would be great to have access to a wide variety of instruments and setups like guitarists and drummers, but I don't see that happening any time soon in the DFW area.

[frankbiff]

Whatasaxman, my repair guy is Ricks, but he only repairs instruments, mainly saxes and sells only vintage that he rebuilds himself.

I deal with WW&BW because I cannot find what I want in a store localy. I live near Rochseter NY and although I have not visited every store in the area I belive my experiance wiht American music in Pittsford is typical: my customer is a high school student. They have one Dukoff D8 in stock, nothing else close; but their price is about equal or better than WW&BW. But you can't try 3 or 4 mpcs and keep the one you like. I also have trouble finding good swabs, or more than the usuall Rico, Vandorin or LaVoz reeds.

I used to live in NJ, when I bought my Selmer in 1972 I had to go to Mobel music in Glenn Rock, (or NYC). When I wanted to buy Links in about 1974 I had to go to NYC to get one (3rd floor walk up don't remeber who). Unless you live in a very populated area you will not find a large selection. In a music store.

As far as comparisons, WW&BW is the Amozon com of music, I wish there was a Walmart of music that you could walk into. What we realy need is a BJs or Sams club for Band instruments.

[TheChristianSax]

I second that!!

[pknight]

Well, if all there was in South Bend was WWBW, I'd be there. However, as an alumnus of both Michigan State and Purdue, I'm not sure I would want to live that close to the "other" famous South Bend institution.

[1saxman]

WW&BW will probably be gone soon, but it's not because they're in trouble - they're going to all-internet under the Music 1-2-3 name. I've been getting my accessories that way with online ordering. I really don't like having to talk to bored, disinterested 'sales associates'. I really do like clicking on what I want and having it appear in my mailbox a few days later. If you think about it, this keeps a lot more people in jobs than any local music store. Local music stores just stink, and I've been sick of them for a long time. The forum has replaced the music store of old Saturday morning hang-out, and online ordering with no-hassle returns has replaced the music store's pitiful inventory of horns to try. As far as saxes are concerned, the only B&M store I can see surviving are the small ones specializing in vintage and pro-line horns and mouthpieces, and providing a good repair service. In other words, if I have a chance at a nice Martin tenor on ebay for $950, but naturally figure on a $500 overhaul, it would be worth it to go local and try one out for the same money and know right there if it blows or not, rather than the hassle of buying a stinker and being stuck with it.

[pknight]

If this is true, they need to find an on-line way to offer their instrument and mouthpiece trials. Those are the best features of WWBW.

[motomom]

It is so sad to me to read on this thread all these bad things about brick and mortar stores. I know they don't have as good of a selection as wwbw, and there is no organization that will police the industry repair technicians.

But, folks, sometimes the store owners or managers won't let the repair technicians go over the display horns. They don't want to pay the repair techs the commission for the repair. I know it isn't smart, but it is done.

The sad fact is that most b&m music instrument stores operate on such a low profit margin that they can't afford even the basic service on stock instruments. I am not sure if any of you have noticed, but most of the mom & pop operations have gone under in the past 10 years or so. These were folks who operated all those great shops where you could go and hang out with the pros on Saturday morning, and watch Pop repair instruments. Well, Pop has retired, and Mom sold the store to some bean counter who didn't know a thing about music.

And, Mom & Pop stores that make it know that selling stuff to students is about the only way they can make any profit at all. So, they usually cater to students. Students do things like crash into each other at the football games on Friday night, so they have to have their instrument repaired, and they regularly need stuff like reeds. Not because they wore them out, but because they broke them getting off the bus and running into the baritone player.

The only small independent stores that have survived are the ones who cut costs to the bare minimum and cut service to the bone. And usually they love music so much that they are willing to sacrifice their families welfare in order to keep the store operational. The small store owners that I know are all dedicated to music, donate stuff and money to local music organizations, and pay property taxes and sales taxes. Those support your communities.

OK, I know you can buy reeds for cheap online. But what happens when you have a gig tonight and suddenly realize that you don't have enough reeds to make it through? What will you do when there are no B&M stores to buy reeds from?

Or, what happens when your sax gets knocked off of the stage on Friday night, but you have another gig on Saturday? I have a favorite technician, and he is in business for himself. He drives an old ratty truck that probably none of you would lower yourself to drive, and he lives in a little dumpy mobile home. He is an artist when he fixes my sax, it will play with even the lightest touch. He keeps it in great condition.

How can you begrudge this guy, who literally keeps our art alive, his $7.00 profit on a box of reeds? He showed me an invoice one day for some reeds that he bought, we looked them up online and he could have saved money by buying them from wwbw! But he has to make a living somehow. Otherwise, he will become a greeter in the local Wal-tarded store, and we will lose our artist.

The people you really need to be aggravated with are the manufacturers, who are selling to the internet and big-box stores far cheaper than they do to the mom & pop stores. Just in case you didn't realize this, the MF and wwbw stores get much better deals than the mom & pop stores do, because of the volume that they buy. There is just no way that mom & pop can compete with those and make a living.

For myself, I will continue to shop with my guy that owns his own little music store. He takes good care of me, and my instruments. I never have to worry if something happens to my instrument, I know where to go to have it repaired properly. And I don't mind paying him enough to get by. His little store is interesting, and a fun place to go. I meet lots of other professional players there, and I get to hear them play.

[motomom]

I just don't want to lose the advantage that having a local store gives me. When I buy a horn from them, I can play it right there and find out if it is a dud. Yes, I pay a bit more. But I also get free service for a year!

I don't want my repair tech to have to close his store and open a restaurant, simply because he can't make a living repairing.

When you guys get those cheap horns online, where do you immediately go when it doesn't play? Hmmmm. And where will you go when there are no repair technicians left?

[hornimprovement]

There is no substitute for being able to walk in and try as many mouthpieces or horns as interests you and get the adjustments and customization all done under one roof. It is so much easier for me to guide a player to the perfect products and services in person than it is over e-mail and phone.
Catalog/internet competition has seriously eroded retail profits, but some stores like us have hung in there and offer catalog prices, a thorough selection, personalized service, and local convenience. In keeping with the times, we have recently expanded our website to offer our products and services to those clients that don't have a quality B & M store in town.
Eroded retail profits and all, my B & M shop is a fun place for both employees and clients. With all the crazy sax players coming through, it's like something between "Cheers" and "American Chopper" only with a saxophone theme.
"Brick and Mortar" music stores are as individual as the folks that run them. If you have one nearby that is doing a great job, please reward them with your business.