Everything wrong about NYC Audio stores

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by TommyTunes, Jul 24, 2014.

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  1. House of Music. Used to be next to trader joes Bryant Brannan near 9th street but moved last year. In the 70s they were on union street.
     
  2. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Remind me what the high end store was in the Castro. Was it SF Stereo?
     
  3. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    There was a chain of high end stores here in DC at which I had the following experiences:
    1. One day at lunch, a co-worker, who knew of my music affliction, asked me to accompany him to the store to get a new stylus for his turntable. He asked the salesman for a new "needle for his record player." The guy responded with an attitude as if my friend had asked if he could defecate on the sales floor.
    2. Another time, at the dawn of the Digital Age, the store was trying to blow out its inventory of the initial bare-bones Sony 101 players, but still at list price. I overheard a salesman inform an elderly couple (probably my age now), that they'd better move on one of the Sonys because the upcoming models would all cost much more since they'd have way more features. As the couple was quietly mulling this over, I couldn't resist and told them of the Magnavox I had bought down the street for a third of the price the Sonys were going for.
    The chain went out of business a few years ago.
     
  4. lv70smusic

    lv70smusic Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    Yes, I think that was their name...or perhaps SF Stereo Plus.
     
  5. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    How, exactly, were you treated which was perceived as dismissive, etc.?

    I could understand a bit of attitude if hi-end audio stores were crammed with folks not looking to buy anything, but unless I'm wrong there are typically more employees on hand than customers. How do they expect to build relationships if the barriers are up from the first handshake?
     
  6. RonW

    RonW Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    What a boring store to visit.
     
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  7. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    Thats why we have YELP today...so that you can log your experiences like this for others to see.
     
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  8. norman_frappe

    norman_frappe Forum Resident

    I have had mixed reactions at stores. Sometimes I am treated as persona non grata, even when I intend to buy something which is real annoying. I've walked out and just made an online purchase. I have never encountered such laziness in my life, it's like they don't want to make a sale.


    But sometimes they take a ton of time showing off their best systems and shooting the breeze with me for hours even though I am honest upfront and tell them I can't afford it and I am just passing time waiting for my wife who is shopping etc nearby. What's funny is they often say they can't either!
     
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  9. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    You got to careful now with places like YELP. I've heard of businesses suing people who give them them bad reviews.
     
  10. TommyTunes

    TommyTunes Senior Member Thread Starter

    Normally I don't visit audio stores except when I'm ready to buy something right then and there. We only went to this store BECAUSE they listed that they had the table on their site.
    I've been treated like this way too many times in NYC. Maybe it's the city and the attitude, I was born and spent the first 40 years of my life here and still think it's the greatest place on earth but I moved 20 years ago, and while I enjoy visiting every couple of months it's way to intense for me.
     
  11. BayouTiger

    BayouTiger Forum Resident

    We had a store here (now in Baton Rouge) that handled very nice gear that I could not afford at the time, yet every time I walked in, I was helped if I wanted, but otherwise told to "come on in, can we get you something to drink, please let me know if I can help in any way" truly amazing service. I eventually bought a couple things from them, and still visit when I have time in Baton Rouge.
     
  12. RonW

    RonW Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I have both situations here or I should say had...
    The store that paid no mind to my needs went out of business. They were very bad at customer relations.

    The other store which is going strong always helps me with every purchase and pays very close attention to my needs. They know their product lines too. If something is great but pricey they show me something not as pricy that may even be better. It makes a big difference to me and I never hesitate with their recommendations. The owner is an expert in audio going way back. I like that.
     
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  13. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.
    Fortunately, I've never had an experience like the OP's. Having said that, I've never been in a high-end shop. But maybe that's it; in a high-end shop they wouldn't need to be constantly selling their version of bread-and-butter stuff. Half a dozen sales a week may keep them going. The two shops here in Leeds I frequent are low-to-mid-fi sellers but - and this is the important 'but' - they look after each and every customer. In each shop I've been in, they've seen me come in and start looking at stuff; after a minute or two they then have a word to see if there's anything specific I'm looking for. If there isn't, they tell me to come and get them when/if I've decided on something or if I have a question. It's not rocket science, but then again it's not overbearing or distant, either. It's also a good way to get people to come back when they want to upgrade, as happened with me.
    Around fifteen years ago, I went into a different store looking to buy a new VCR. I had cash in my pocket and wanted to buy one on that visit. I spent around ten minutes looking at the different models, desperately trying to catch someone's eye (there were seven or eight sales assistants in the store). Quite honestly, I don't think I'd have caught anyone's attention if I'd been jumping up and down waving bloody semaphore flags; every one of them was watching one of the sports channels on a very large-screen TV. I left with my cash still in my pocket having seen no one, caught the bus into the city centre and bought the very machine I wanted at a discount, having paid for it in cash. Stores LOVE having cash in their tills, why more people don't haggle, I'll never know.
     
  14. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    For myself when I go to demo gear I bring my own music otherwise I have no idea what the gear is going to be like for my needs. Plus its been my experience that all stores usually have is a few audiophile sampler cd's, and few if any Lp's. And usually I demo gear where there exists a possibility that I will buy- so to some extent I can understand a reluctance among dealers to be a show place for people who have no intention of buying, or who will demo at store and then buy on the internet. But the snootiness is a turn off. And its true the New York ones are the worst (it's been awhile but there was a certain exclusive boutique vibe and maybe they'd let you in their club). Not all high end stores are like that. Around DC most are long gone. Soundworks varied by whether you were a "customer" (had purchased before) and who was working there. Bill at Myer Emco would demo anything regardless of price, no questions asked. Others would demo stuff and then snub you when you did'nt buy anything.
     
  15. Apesbrain

    Apesbrain Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Coast, USA
    Sometimes it goes the other way: I recently had a very pleasant experience in a big Midtown store. In the early afternoon I walked in off the street to find the store empty save for a few salespeople. One fellow asked if he could help to which I replied that I was just looking. After 10 minutes or so I asked if I could audition a small pair of Bowers & Wilkins speakers and was promptly set up in a room with a CD of my choice. From there I progressed to another room with a pair of B&W tower speakers and from there to the "big room" with B&W 802D driven by Classé. Other than helping me get set up in each room, no one hassled me in any way and left me alone to listen to my heart's content. I was from out-of-town and waiting while my wife attended a luncheon and I'd say I was there for well over an hour; most of the time in the big room listening to Kind Of Blue. When I left, the salesman asked for my thoughts and wrote down my name, number and what I'd been auditioning. I hope to be moving to a larger apartment soon and I may then be in the market for such a system. If I lived in the NYC area, I'd be happy to work with this store.
     
  16. There was also Eber on Market street.
     
  17. Hipper

    Hipper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Herts., England
    You never said why you didn't get a demo.

    Did they refuse in the end? Did you not want to wait the hour to set up?

    I can see both sides to this. They won't be selling a top end turntable every day so it's understandable it was not set up. Although you say their adverts said it would be 'on display' that doesn't mean necessarily 'set up to listen'.

    I always think it is wise to being your own music to hear anything. Surely someone who was serious (and buying a $30,000 turntable is pretty serious) would do this, as well as make an appointment. I would also agree though that you would think a reasonable selection of various music and media would be available.
     
  18. PNeski@aol.com

    [email protected] Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I live in Manhattan and can only think of 3 stores now ,the Lyric guys aren't rude ,but you can tell business isn't great anymore ,and unless your buying they can come off snotty and pushy
     
  19. druboogie

    druboogie Maverick Stacker

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Yes but what about this. Its a $30k turntable, its not like they can set it up, then put it back in its box or in the back shelf when they are done. Isnt a turntable like this delicate and sensitive and cant be moved around much? Doesnt something like this have to be set up once and left alone? Not only that, if any critical listeners show up there (like the ones on this site), wouldnt they possibly have to demo a different cart sometimes? Even if they only wanted to show it to people that were interested in buying, (because the demo is their only unit to sell) wouldnt it be easier for them to have it set up and ready and show it to anyone? Maybe they just got it and the top setup guy wasnt there to do it.

    I hope that their website read "available for display" and not actually "Currently on display".

    What I want to know is, was any equipment set up for demo at all? Curious if the store had anything already set up to hook the VPI into.
     
  20. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Tom that is pitiful man, I feel for you. As someone who has spent his share of time walking the streets on NY, checking out the audio shops, I agree with how you feel about them completely!

    As a stark contrast, here in Portland it could not be more different, nice shops, good gear and fantastically friendly people. I am so happy to be back on my west coast. :cool:
     
  21. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Yeah, that location sounds about right, although I thought it was closer to China Basin. It's been a long time, so my memory is vague.
     
  22. Larry Geller

    Larry Geller Surround sound lunatic

    Location:
    Bayside, NY
    When is saw the thread, I thought he must be talking about Sound By Singer, the snootiest of the snooty. I'm glad you found it fine, many have not been so lucky.
     
  23. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    I only remember a Fry's store on upper Market, not too far from the Safeway.

    In the '80s, wasn't there a stereo dealer out in the Sunset? I went there shortly after I moved to SF, probably in 1989, and that was the first time I ever saw fog blowing along the ground!
     
  24. Larry Geller

    Larry Geller Surround sound lunatic

    Location:
    Bayside, NY
    BTW, I use Audio Breakthroughs, on Northern Blvd, just over the city line, in Nassau. Been very satisfied with them for years.
     
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  25. lv70smusic

    lv70smusic Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    Yes, but Eber was more like a non-chain Good Guys or Circuit City, not a high end store. Though they did have some nice equipment, they were focused on mass market stuff.
     
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