A story of impulse shopping at its worse
I am an avid guitar player on the side. My "normal" hobby lately is contributing to this blog but music was always my first love. What would be normal about blogging to strangers? All 6700 of you people that is that have visited since October. I am totally digressing...
Saturday, me and some friends, Misa and Christian, went off to Guitar Center of Sacramento, featured in the above photo, to look at some music stuff. They were interested in a PA system for our little music get together and I was, well, lost like a little kid in a toy store.
I wandered through the Marshall Stacks and the death metal wannabe guitars to the back to look at some acoustic guitars. Why? "Did I really need a guitar?" the voice of Kristen reverborated in my head. I already had a few and she complained that I never play them. Anyhow, ignoring the voice like I ignore it when it comes to taking out the trash, I pressed on to the back to find a guitar worth an impulse buy.
And there it was, a jumbo, 12 string, with an eletric pickup and tuner, solid top and bad. "Oh... just what I was looking for," I exclaimed. I picked it up, sat back and wailed through "Lie in Our Graves" to hear the thing groove. The sound coming out this guitar was impeccable. I looked at the price, $699 with a instant $25 rebate off the price. List was $998. So I did my guitar store math and listen up if you ever shop for a musical instrument: List, minus 30% is what you should pay but bargain for 10% off the discounted price. Huh? So they had the price at $699 which was technically 30% off the list but I offered $629. Well... the dude didn't go for it but he was willing to go to $650. So I asked him to throw in the case and well he screwed up, forgetting it was a jumbo and not a standard sized guitar and quoted me $69 for a $149 case. Fine $719 plus tax, which brought this thing up to $770 something. I worked it, the salesdude worked it and we were there....
THEN... the inevitable happens. "Do you take Discover?" I ask. "Of course", the salesdude says. So I pull out my new Discover Card key chain, explaining the card looked funky but it was what Discover sent me as "a new card". Bad news, the thing doesn't fit into the card reader. I quickly dismantle the key chain as any skillful person would in a state of panic. "Dude, "I say,"Just manually enter it!" Then slow motion starts as the salesdude calls in his "manager" to qualify me, my card, and my purchase. About this time, Misa strolls on in to witness this, joyous and all with her and Christian's purchase of the PA. She tries to stuff my card into the reader with her nimble fingers to no avail. "Shit," she says," Dude, why can't they manually enter it?"
"I don't know," I say repeatedly, watching the drama building as a crowd suddenly forms mysteriously in the small acoustic guitar room. Turns out, the manager dude, is the Store Manager Dude. I figure to myself, he's got it. He'll run my card as I spread every known form of identification out along the counter. NO... The store manager dude has to call it in. His exact words to whomever he called, "Dude, am I like gonna get fired if I accept this card?"
Moral to the story: I don't get my guitar. Guitar Center is run by wankers. I sadly walk, defeated, passed the cheaply made, copies of Ibanez death metal guitars, and the blaring Marshall stacks, where every known version of a Korn song is being played. Christian and Misa, say in the car as they drive me home, "It wasn't meant to be, man."
Turns out though it was: Same guitar, purchased on Ebay for $449 yesterday from a dude in Iowa, with 40 bucks in freight added. I'll post a picture when I get it. Ebay is so freaking sweet and my PayPal account accepts any form of credit!
Saturday, me and some friends, Misa and Christian, went off to Guitar Center of Sacramento, featured in the above photo, to look at some music stuff. They were interested in a PA system for our little music get together and I was, well, lost like a little kid in a toy store.
I wandered through the Marshall Stacks and the death metal wannabe guitars to the back to look at some acoustic guitars. Why? "Did I really need a guitar?" the voice of Kristen reverborated in my head. I already had a few and she complained that I never play them. Anyhow, ignoring the voice like I ignore it when it comes to taking out the trash, I pressed on to the back to find a guitar worth an impulse buy.
And there it was, a jumbo, 12 string, with an eletric pickup and tuner, solid top and bad. "Oh... just what I was looking for," I exclaimed. I picked it up, sat back and wailed through "Lie in Our Graves" to hear the thing groove. The sound coming out this guitar was impeccable. I looked at the price, $699 with a instant $25 rebate off the price. List was $998. So I did my guitar store math and listen up if you ever shop for a musical instrument: List, minus 30% is what you should pay but bargain for 10% off the discounted price. Huh? So they had the price at $699 which was technically 30% off the list but I offered $629. Well... the dude didn't go for it but he was willing to go to $650. So I asked him to throw in the case and well he screwed up, forgetting it was a jumbo and not a standard sized guitar and quoted me $69 for a $149 case. Fine $719 plus tax, which brought this thing up to $770 something. I worked it, the salesdude worked it and we were there....
THEN... the inevitable happens. "Do you take Discover?" I ask. "Of course", the salesdude says. So I pull out my new Discover Card key chain, explaining the card looked funky but it was what Discover sent me as "a new card". Bad news, the thing doesn't fit into the card reader. I quickly dismantle the key chain as any skillful person would in a state of panic. "Dude, "I say,"Just manually enter it!" Then slow motion starts as the salesdude calls in his "manager" to qualify me, my card, and my purchase. About this time, Misa strolls on in to witness this, joyous and all with her and Christian's purchase of the PA. She tries to stuff my card into the reader with her nimble fingers to no avail. "Shit," she says," Dude, why can't they manually enter it?"
"I don't know," I say repeatedly, watching the drama building as a crowd suddenly forms mysteriously in the small acoustic guitar room. Turns out, the manager dude, is the Store Manager Dude. I figure to myself, he's got it. He'll run my card as I spread every known form of identification out along the counter. NO... The store manager dude has to call it in. His exact words to whomever he called, "Dude, am I like gonna get fired if I accept this card?"
Moral to the story: I don't get my guitar. Guitar Center is run by wankers. I sadly walk, defeated, passed the cheaply made, copies of Ibanez death metal guitars, and the blaring Marshall stacks, where every known version of a Korn song is being played. Christian and Misa, say in the car as they drive me home, "It wasn't meant to be, man."
Turns out though it was: Same guitar, purchased on Ebay for $449 yesterday from a dude in Iowa, with 40 bucks in freight added. I'll post a picture when I get it. Ebay is so freaking sweet and my PayPal account accepts any form of credit!
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