As I have often said there are quite a few stores within a shortish drive of where I live.
I go in, get a friendly Hello Good Morning or Afternoon out of the Sales person often with the question:-
Are you after anything in particular or just browsing?
Generally my response is a thankyou just browsing.
So I mooch around and noodle on this or that keyboard and look at the keyboards, guitars and basses. If I want to play something I will as the Sales person to power it up or to unlock the guitar for me.
I go into A&C Hamiltons and always get a warm welcome same type of welcome at PMT and my fave guitar shop Reidys, Forsyths (distinctly upper class prices and kit yet extremely friendly staff), even Dawsons are sociable, Promenade Music is bliss to go in.
Except there is always one that are different.
When I go into one Store in particular, the welcome is more along the lines of:-
Welcome, can we help ( I do not really mean that but I am forced to say it).
I can feel eyes constantly upon me, yeah as though I could pick up a Kawaii acoustic and walk out the door with it. I can see them staring via the vast array of reflective surfaces that surround the Store.
I go upstairs to the guitar section which is CCTV central, so just for devilment I go to the far end and work my way towards the stairs and as soon as I see a head I walk back to the stairs.
I go downstairs look around the Korgs ( one Grandstage and three arrangers ) then into Yamaha central, Genos, Montage, DX, P series there must be about twenty five different models on display. I do have to admit the Genos and new SX range do look vastly better than previous models.
Not a one of the keyboards is powered up and again all the eyes are upon me and the lurker Sales Guy starts to approach, so in true NFL fashion I feign left then right and walk out the store.
Talk about atmosphere, but it is not just this store its all of them in the chain.
OK so you no doubt think it is me, but today I was the only non staff person in the store and the last three times I called in it was the same, only me, the other stores, yes you guessed it zero customers.
Each time I go into one of their stores I feel like I am entering a Quentin Tarantino movie.
I vow never again, yet succumb, it must be an illness!
I go in, get a friendly Hello Good Morning or Afternoon out of the Sales person often with the question:-
Are you after anything in particular or just browsing?
Generally my response is a thankyou just browsing.
So I mooch around and noodle on this or that keyboard and look at the keyboards, guitars and basses. If I want to play something I will as the Sales person to power it up or to unlock the guitar for me.
I go into A&C Hamiltons and always get a warm welcome same type of welcome at PMT and my fave guitar shop Reidys, Forsyths (distinctly upper class prices and kit yet extremely friendly staff), even Dawsons are sociable, Promenade Music is bliss to go in.
Except there is always one that are different.
When I go into one Store in particular, the welcome is more along the lines of:-
Welcome, can we help ( I do not really mean that but I am forced to say it).
I can feel eyes constantly upon me, yeah as though I could pick up a Kawaii acoustic and walk out the door with it. I can see them staring via the vast array of reflective surfaces that surround the Store.
I go upstairs to the guitar section which is CCTV central, so just for devilment I go to the far end and work my way towards the stairs and as soon as I see a head I walk back to the stairs.
I go downstairs look around the Korgs ( one Grandstage and three arrangers ) then into Yamaha central, Genos, Montage, DX, P series there must be about twenty five different models on display. I do have to admit the Genos and new SX range do look vastly better than previous models.
Not a one of the keyboards is powered up and again all the eyes are upon me and the lurker Sales Guy starts to approach, so in true NFL fashion I feign left then right and walk out the store.
Talk about atmosphere, but it is not just this store its all of them in the chain.
OK so you no doubt think it is me, but today I was the only non staff person in the store and the last three times I called in it was the same, only me, the other stores, yes you guessed it zero customers.
Each time I go into one of their stores I feel like I am entering a Quentin Tarantino movie.
I vow never again, yet succumb, it must be an illness!