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Hopefully Skip's Music in Sacramento doesn't also fail after Skip passed away as they shutdown the 1st store and went to a huge store. No idea if they kept the other stores open or not.
End of an era but I can’t say I’ll miss it; I used to love going to music row on 48 street in NYC but my experience was that the people who worked the stores there were always rude. It was never a nice experience. So when I found that great customer experience with a smaller store (that is still around) I just started shopping there. Then the internet came along and Sam Ash just didn’t adapt.
I am glad you did. Sam Ash and GC just can't compete with the smaller stores on a human level. TBH I saw so many people come and go on my SamAsh years that it became clear that we were all replaceable. The pay was not something to write home about either but on smaller stores you might get paid the same (or maybe even less) but if you feel valued and a part of something, you do it with a smile on your face...
@@PatPosseI live in NYC, and I went to Mannys pretty regularly from the late 80's, until they "closed". Back then it was a great experience to goto 48th Street Music Row. Eventually Sam Ash bought up most of the music stores on that block - including Mannys. From 99' until Mannys "closed" (09') they were under Sam Ash ownership. When they moved from 48th to 34th street, that block looked desolate for years. Even though they are family run, they still shared that same corporate mentality of buying up all the competition. Ironically, now they can't make enough profit to justify keeping that flagship Manhattan "super store" on 34th street open. Btw, I worked for both GC (07'-09') and Sam Ash (09'-11'). By then, music instrument sales were slumping, but GC and Sam Ash were too slow too adapt to the realities of on line competition, and ever increasing rents.
Brick and mortar shops are always about having things in stock. If they say to me we can get it for you, I walk and say I can get it for myself. Their main value will always be in having it today.
I am patient enough to wait for things. Better to order something and pick it up at a store where I can take it back if I don't like it than to deal with getting stuff shipped to my house, having to make sure I am there when it gets delivered and shipping stuff back if I have a problem or I don't like something.
@@MrChopsticktech Valid point for sure, very rare these days for me that I have to ship "anything" back delivered. It is not that I would never order from a Brick and Mortar, just far more rare these days.
Sad I got my first “real” guitar (Martin D18) in 1969 from Sam Ash in NYC on music row. Still have it and play it also have the hand written receipt $250 case included.
Companies end up creating their own demise by bloated, inefficient, out of touch policies. I went into Sam Ash my first time a couple months ago just to pick up a set of guitar strings. 2 sales guys hanging around talking never once acknowledged me or asked to help. Then the Sales Mgr came out and started a sales meeting 10 ft away and I didn't want to interrupt and waited patiently while he tried to motivate his staff to make sales. Meanwhile, I'm still standing there and no one approached me or offered to help. Finally, after the meeting finished i had to go up and ASK a sales person for help so I could check out. One of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had.
Sounds like the Clearwater location. We purposely went to that store to keep them going even when SW was cheaper BUT their staff were just Not Cool and it made us sad.
I worked there many years in 86-90 2000-2003 lots going on back then too. Pro audio never worked, stores were mess. But The Ash family were very kind, nice family.
Nice, yeah the Ash family was great. I only met one of the "kids" on the fourth generation but Sammy, Jerry and Richard were super cool. What location were you in?
I never had issues as a customer, and I had purchased a decent amount of Pro Audio gear (for a 1-person company anyway) around 1999-2002. I guess it was location-dependent.
I've been going to the Sam Ash on Sunset in Hollywood since 1986. I'm sad to hear it's closing. It was a happening store at the height of hair metal. I bought a lot of gear there and had my guitars worked on by some great techs.
I would have LOVED to visit the stores back then when metal was booming!! It’s hard to even find videos of that time online but I can’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to walk the strip and just absorbe the energy and bump elbows with so many axe men!
I worked at Sam Ash store 02 in NY and you hit the nail on the head entirely. The “commission” structure was completely a sham. Most people in my store never made any commission. The people that did only ever saw it 1 or 2 months out of the year. They sold it to you during the job interview as “minimum wage plus commission”, but it was really minimum wage with extra steps. We also had mad issues with stock. A purchasing manager once told me “don’t order any PRS guitars, we owe them a lot of money. Try selling people on Epiphones and Gibsons” There’s so much more i could say. How the extended service plans screwed over technicians, how the “family owned” nature led to nepotism, management just simply not listening, etc.
Exactly.. I see it wasn't really a matter of distance since you experienced the same issues back at store 02! I remember not stocking Gibsons for some contractual BS and the PRS shortage as well... that's not a good look on a store as big as SamAsh...
As an ex-employee of Guitar Center, everything you have mentioned is going on at GC as well! The smaller stores are hurting with employees that are only there to earn a paycheck but have zero knowledge of gear. They try to up-sale shit that you have no need for and also...employees that seem to have recently graduated from highschool.🤣🤣🤣
That also happens and will hurt their credibility big time… remember Best Buy trying to pull that shit? How’d that go for them? You need to have knowledgeable staff to help out and get the customer the service they need, otherwise, what’s the advantage over buying online?
True. And it seems like their stores are always short staffed. It takes forever to get anyone to help you. I have walked out a couple of times because I couldn't find someone to help me. And yeah, you are right, GC used to have knowledgeable staff. Now it seems like they hire anyone to work there.
@@nerychristian it’s hard to hire people with knowledge when the pay sucks! Another issue I had was for example: if I sold a Black Les Paul Studio, it would get replaced with exactly the same guitar. They wouldn’t send something else instead.
Dude you nailed it!! I had that same convo with my then Manager Dave. They would just refill the same order over and over. Always the same guitars because they were “proven to sell” but that drove people away… there was never anything new or exciting
Very informative & appreciated view of the retail music industry. Sam Ash is Music history (48th st) nyc. Always sad to see things that were end up things that are real in these days . However everyone needs to keep up with the times otherwise this is what can happen. Hope to hear they resurrect. Btw. Nice backdrop Florida rain & I'm sure that wasn't editing ?? software.
Thank you very much!! Haha it was not added on post. It was pouring! Alas, I am in Buenos Aires at the moment (hence the newly acquired accent from listening and speaking Spanish 24/7 lol) but yeah I did remind me of rainstorms back home
I just heard that all the stores are closing and the first video that comes up is from the perspective of the stores in my city 😂. This clears up a lot I've always wondered about how the stores were operated. I was at the miami lakes store about a month ago when they started the closing sales and im sad to see the brand go but I can't say I've had too many good times there. Trading something in was a whole day event for some reason and the guitars at dolphin mall were always tied down, and there was never anyone around in the guitar section. This also explains why when i bought an acoustic guitar there i had no choice but to buy the display model. Guitar center was always a better experience anyway and good riddance to that POS website.
I am sad to see it go but I’ve left Ash 10 years ago and from the comment section here I’ve found it’s only gotten worse… I guess it was a long time coming…
All the problems you experienced at Sam Ash are the same problems that Guitar Center has been going through for at least the last 15 years or longer. Their biggest problem was screwing their sales people and the customers. Which created a huge turn over in employees. Most people didn't stay more than a few months once they got tired of the managements excuses for the corporations crooked operations.
Yeah. And it didn't help that at most locations they only hired brain dead morons who can't answer basic questions, don't play an instrument, and have zero interest in music.
Thanks for sharing this post I was a dept manager at store 4 Forest Hills NY 04-09. I bought a Godin Multiac for myself Christmas 2023 from store 7 Manhattan. Very light traffic in both stores for the last few years. I think Bklyn is still open for now. Sad to see my favorite music stores close.
Thank you for watching and commenting!! Glad to see at least Brooklyn survive. I am surprised at the Manhattan store closing but no business + sky high rent prices = failure.
This was a really amazing discussion of business strategies and KPI. I would love for corporate to engage all of the managers who think like you, and get them in an advisory committe to prevent this kind of stuff from repeating and growing out of control. They seem to have too many people in the wrong places, and not enough people in the right places. Keep up the updates. And good luck with that rain! Was that a hurricane? It sounded like you were in a car wash.
Thank you brother!! I appreciate the support and the positive comment... made my day! I doubt Sam Ash will come crawling back looking for old Pat but I do with them the best and I hope this is the beginning of a new plan moving forward. I'm gonna try to get in touch with some of my old peers and see what they think about this and if they have any updates to hook me up with! Thanks for watching and commenting and nope, it was not a hurricane, just heavy rain lol the water drops were huge , at least the house and car got cleaned hahaha!!!
In Florida, when it rains, it pours. Litteraly! It happens almost every day at about 2pm in the summer months. Huge raindrops! But it doesn't last long. I live very very close to Sam Ash in Margate. He mentioned that store in this video. There is also a GC very near by too. In Coconut Creek. It's not far from Sam Ash. 10 minutes apart by car. Even faster on a motorcycle! I shop at both very often. Peace.
Fantastic observations and assessment of the Sam Ash business. Everything you reviewed is applicable to every retailer in the country, musical or not. Should be used as a case study. I think you have a future career in consulting. Great job.
I used to shop at Sam Ash in Forest Hills NY from 1992-1994. Store was filled with angry hair metal musicians that were upset because their bands were failing because grunge was taking over.I turned 18 in 1994 and got $10,000 from a lawsuit when I was a kid. I was more than happy to drop every penny at Sam Ash. I wanted a Black Tama Artstar 2, a bunch of Zildians, heavy duty stands and hard cases for everything. The prick salesman actually said " Oh, another Dave Grohl wanna be" After a few choice words back to him, me and my 10 Grand left and went to Long Island Drum Center in Flushing and made them very happy.
Good for you!! I have a similar story were I went to GC and asked for the guitar Brian May was holding on a picture (little did I know there weren't very many replicas around) and the salesman scoffed at me and said "you'll never have a guitar like that". I've had 4 and kept the best one. I hope he reads this one day lol
Fascinating inside view--thanks for sharing. I bought both my guitars online from Sam Ash, but bought plenty of strings and accessories from the local brick-and-mortar store, which is now closing. The one bright spot for me is that I have my eye on a couple of guitars on the wall and am hoping prices drop as the store gets closer to closing.
Hey man! Thanks for watching and commenting! A lot got edited out in the interest of keeping it concise and interesting lol. 😂 sad so many are closing 🤦🏻♂️
My friend and I use to go to Sam Ash in Brooklyn in the 90s and when I got into rock music I wanted to learn how to play guitar..so Sam Ash was the place I went to get my first guitar. It was a cool place to be just to learn music and just watch other people jam. Fast forward I work right by the Manhattan location and I was shocked to see the store closing sign. I hate seeing that especially when these stores has been around for years…but yeah Manhattan rents are high as hell and I’m not sure if the high demand for instruments are the same as in the early days…still sad to see them go but I hope they still find away to keep the name around and continue to sell and be a resource to those coming into wanting to learn music and play instruments. Every now and then I love to go in and walk around play the piano or pick up a guitar…definitely sad to hear they closing stores…
Hey man... I would just love to have seen the stores back then!! Yeah it's pretty sad but at least I don't think they are entirely away (for a while...).
All corporations are working hard to disconnect the consumer from both their money and the ability to get accountability from the company. They want a computer screen between you and their business.
I remember appying for a job at the 48th street location back in 1998. Everything was good until the manager told me about the pay, just as you mentioned, you have to go abouve the pay rate in order to collect on commissions. Also he wanted me to work 6 days a week including weekneds. He said to me "we are all musicians so every one is expected to work on weekends if needed". I actually never worked there once he told me that. I felt it could be difficult to pass that threshold weekly given the amount of salespeople they had.
The guy who was hiring says ‘we are all musicians, so everyone is expected to work on the weekends?’ That translates to; ‘I haven’t been a real musician in so long that I forgot what it really is to be an authentic musician.’ Mega music stores like these are going to continue to slowly fade away, unless they get honest with themselves, and admit that a business like Sweetwater has been going in the right direction with the better policies that they have been working with. They all have to realize that many of the musicians who apply for a sales position, can potentially have better ideas about how to advance their business, than many of the guys who are sitting around at corporate headquarters.
All things you mentioned are spot on. I remember every weekend there was an issue with someone playing… what was worse is that since management hated that and wouldn’t give you a day off “‘cause you had a gig” people would just call in sick on the day of instead of telling you in advance so you could schedule staff and meeting accordingly… and yeah, playing and instrument and being a musician, and being an active musician are very different things…
It would have been cool if I met you while I was at Sam Ash, I'm 100% sure I'd get the help I need. So sad that you cared too much, but not the business you worked in.
My brother told me about Sam Ash. It sounded like a cool place to window shop. It’s sad but hopefully, like you said, they’ll open doors somewhere else!
I know not all stores are created equal but I love my local Sam Ash. They’ve been a staple in the music industry for years and it’s sad they’re closing so many locations.
Had an awful interaction at the Charlotte NC store. Was using the enclosed music room to play a half stack with cash in my pocket to potentially buy. A sales person on the floor trying to sell to two parents a starter guitar and amp told me to turn it down so much it might as well be turned off. The doors were closed to the room. I bought nothing and walked out and never returned again. They favored introduction lessons and cheap gear and the quality of gear declined as did their customer service for gigging pros. I can’t say I’ll miss Sam ash.
Wow, that blows. They probably assumed that sale was a sure sale and yours wasn't. We didn't have those isolated booths but we always told people to blast it for a few minutes then turn it down. Also, we would tell everyone else to brace themselves cause it was about to get noisy!. Let 'er rip and then back to business as usual... One thing was always stressed though, don't ever assume someone is NOT buying!!
I worked at the Franklin Mills (Philadelphia) location over a decade ago. Sales associates get paid commission, and we got paid more commission to sell the cheaper house brand drum kits and whatnot vs a Pearl, Tama or Yamaha kit. We would get our eardrums beat up daily for not selling, meanwhile the foot traffic was mainly people who had no cash or desire to buy anything musical. It was far from an ideal situation or location.
Yeah cause it was based off of GP (gross profit) and the cheap house brands had huge margins. I think GC actually paid commission on the sale total and not the items…
@@PatPosse that would have been a more reasonable way of doing things. Sell a $2000 Pearl kit and get $10 commission. Sell a Groove Percussion kit for $399 and I’d get $35 commission. I believe electronic kits like Roland had decent commission pay, but that was about it, and we didn’t get ANYONE looking to buy a $5000 electronic kit. All we got was kids wanting to come in and make a ruckus.
Yeah I remember that and having arguments with staff that was pushing the $60 Carlo Robelli Classicals (at 20 dollar commission) instead of the $99 Ibanez (that made us $4)...
Excellent Information and Presentation. The Local Sam Ash (Edison, NJ) is closing and that makes Guitar Center the best choice for my future Music Needs. You sound like you have a great understanding of the Sam Ash Business, I hope you are still in the Music Industry, as you appear to care as much about the Customer as the Business, which is a balance that few commit to and then it hurts both.
Thank you!!! I am not. I managed another store after in which the owner cared even less about what I had to say and gave up lol. I started focusing on my studio, my band and session work and then covid hit. While on quarantine I started doing zoom lessons and this channel. And that’s pretty much where I’m at now. Hoping to make a move at the end of the year. Having my own Music Store is a dream of mine but it’s far ahead still… Thanks for watching and commenting!
I believe you would do well running your own Store. I know it is a large undertaking and it takes resources, but some people have a good perspective and knowledge, and that combination is quite rare and should be encouraged.
Hey bud, thanks for watching and commenting! I wouldn’t say my ideas would have saved the stores or even have helped but, if they didn’t listen to me I am sure they didn’t listen to other people who may have had bigger plans and better ideas either… and THOSE might have saved the stores or even made SamAsh #1!
That pay structure is horrendous. The owners should be ashamed of themselves especially since they were told what would sell in the stores (based on its market) but insisted on keeping everything cookie cutter.
Thanks for noticing… a lot of details were left out in the interest of keeping it short and concise. Especially because there was no script or even bullet points 😅 lol
Thank you for this very informative and beautiful video. Sadly my SamAsh store here in Paramus. New Jersey closed down also. I got my Gibson LesPaul Classic there back in 2012 and a lot of other stuff like amps, pedals, acoustic guitars and other accessories. 😢 we’re left with Guitar Center whose workers also seem not to care anymore. So now online is the best bet.
I'm sorry to hear that... Sounds like a great place for a small mom and pop.... There's not a lot competition apparently! Bummed they are closing out so many Ash stores, but it is what it is... GC is not known for their CC... Thanks for watching and commenting! psyched so many people liked it!!
I had years worth of memories hanging out at the Forest Hills Sam Ash, Queens NY...and over time would go into various stores and they looked shabby, dirty floors, lack of inventory, you could see the lack of motivation in the workers. Guitar Center stores were a breath of fresh air. Always clean with tons of gear to try out. And now with Sweetwater...how could a chain like Sam Ash survive? Great video, Pat!
Your comment makes me sad but it only proves my points. I think it just got out of hand and they weren’t able to keep up with their stores, staff and technology. I hope downsizing and the new blood being in some much needed changes to the chain!
Same here! I spent a ton of time in the Forest Hills store.... decades. So many memories. I started hanging out there as a teen back when guys like Steve Price and Alan (forget his last name, but you'd know him if I described him) were salesmen. Steve wound up playing guitar for Thor and then went on to manage the main store on 48th St (I think he was one of the managers). Coincidentally, years later I moved to Forest Hills and was in walking distance. They definitely had that... "you gonna buy it?" mentality when I first started going in there as a kid but over time they knew I was for real and welcomed me into the circle, so to speak. A couple of them kept telling me I should work there, but as much as I liked hanging out there it didn't seem like the best job. I spent even more time on 48th St, but that's a whole other can of worms and opportunities.
@@Darth.Shredder I used to tease Alan and call him Foghorn Leghorn. I think Baby Huey even came out once...he was a shredder though! I remember Steve, and Mike (Facebook friends with him).
@@ivsiguitarist LOL... so, you knew what I meant when I said you'd know Alan if I described him :). Alan was a cool kat. I also remember a Mike... I don't want to say his last name in public but it started with a "W".
Excellent job! You have cleared up the situation for me. I have been a bit anxious since the announcement because I placed an order for a back-ordered amp right before the news came out.
Hey man! Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad you enjoyed it. Don’t worry, your amp will get to you safe and sound! Which store location did you order it in? Do you happen to know if that particular one is closing?
I bought my first guitar at their 48th st NYC store in the late 70s only a few doors from Mannys. Back in the day European friends would buy a Strat or a Les Paul there every time they were in NYC and flip it for twice the price when they got off the plane back home. They never quite got the hang of competing on the internet. Thank you Sam Ash for the old-school good deals though!
Lol I’ve done that as well 😁. There’s a great story Cesar G. (Gibson’s current president) tells about buying an Epiphone, taking it to Argentina, selling it for double and buying his first Gibson with that money on his next trip to the US! Awesome stuff.
Customer Service killed them in the Edison NJ store - never had what i was looking for - they would say we can order it for you!!! I want it now not wait another 2 weeks!!!!
I was on the "genesis" crew that opened the Miami Lakes (Palmetto) Shop in 1994. We built the white walls and the basically the entire shop from the inside. It was a great shop back in the day and a destination retail experience for its time. Being family owned is always a problem as decision making is always centralized and takes forever for anything to get done. Sad to hear that it is closing. MI retail in general is shifting at great speed especially with Internet access to generate sales. If an MI establishment doesn't employ Omni channels to support sales - Money is being left on the table to your competitor. Hopefully, the new generation of Ash's can pivot in this atmosphere to turn the brand around.
Oh wow that’s awesome!!! You guys did a great job! Our Store (Palmetto and 57th) was amazing. It was huge but well distributed! I know it had been remodeled since ‘94 but still. That’s awesome… I remember asking when did that store become a Sam Ash (I remember being told it was a furniture store before) but no one gave me a sure answer. Now I know! Too bad is going away but I can’t say I’m surprised… thanks for commenting!!
I’m from Philadelphia and my first experience with Sam Ash was in the 90s at the Cherry Hill NY store. Every few months they would have a drum clinic featuring one of world’s greatest drummers. I never missed a clinic! 👍🏽 They opened two more stores in the region. Eventually most of the other music stores in Philadelphia and surrounding areas closed down!☹️ Now Sam Ash in King Prussia is closing down.😕 Such is life. Well I guess I better get over there and catch some sales!!!😜
Love Philly!! Man, such is life indeed... It makes me Sad that SamAsh is closing down stores but it makes me twice as sad when a local shop closes down. Whenever I see an abandoned local shop or "out of business" signs I always think, "There goes someone else's dream"...
Great piece! Knew some people back in the day, who loved working there….but some the info you presented makes my think they were just young and eager. It Wes also before the expansions. However, I have heard they have excellent health benefits. 🤷🏻♂️
I got my '83 Gretsch kit from Sam Ash in Paramus, NJ. The service and price were better than great! My salesman, Tom Sontag was so helpful and made sure i was happy with the kit, going so far as to contact Gretsch directly about some of my concerns. I played that kit for over 30 years! I also picked up a lot of cymbals and hardware there that i'm still using. I used to travel to Sam Ash in Manhattan to buy stuff in the early days when it was the only store. It's good to hear they're not closing up.
That’s awesome! Happy to read some positive comments about Ash 😁! And good on that Gretsch for providing such great value! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Store 33 was my second home! Speaking of tourists, I remember all the folks from the islands coming in and buying huge stock of sound equipment, instruments, Ext. Sad to see it go!
Wow!!! Thanks for the inside scoop! I use to practically live in the old Brooklyn Kings Highway store and then the Brooklyn Flatbush Avenue store. It was exciting to hang out in the 48th Street Manhattan Store, especially during the “48th Street Heyday!!! Manny’s, 48th Street Custom Guitars etc.). Those were the days!!! ❤️🎶❤️
Very well done & concise Lifetime Full Time Music Person Here This analysis should be required viewing for anyone in the music sales division of any & all companies Suerte por todas Good Luck to all!!
Thank you very much bro! you are too kind! I'm surprised at how many people enjoyed the video and took the time to comment on it to let me know they did. It exceeded all my expectations!
It sucks that my local Mars music store went out of business in Orlando Florida where I used to live that was taken over by Sam Ash I was happy to see it but now I'm sad to see them go out of business
I purchased an insturment and had a serious defect and my Salesman took care of it for me on the spot with a new but different insturment that I have owned over 3 years and enjoy. They even provided a free pro set up that was very very well done. Sorry to see them go. When you have issues its great to have a place to go that backs up their products.
@@PatPosse The guys at the Indianapolis store all were solid playing musicians and knew the local scene. They would have serious well - known musicians come by. They used to have about everything that you could try and I felt their quality was better than GC. But sadly I can see the changes over the last few years. The store is kept dark, you can tell the product is all low - end, the store is way too big. They still have a few of the good guys there but I don't think they will be around much longer. Guitar Center is around the corner and that store is really rough - no way I would buy an insturment off their wall. They do have some long-term guys on staff hanging on but I think GC is in trouble. Everyone I talk to thinks Sweetwater located in Fort Wayne is the way to go I have ordered from them and they are very good. With the big boxes in trouble my local guitar shop and real luthier has picked up business he is awsome and glad to see him doing well.
That’s great for him (your luthier). I agree with everything you’ve mentioned. I guess it’s just a shift in the way we do business as a society. I’d rather go to the store and pick up an axe but amps, pedals and accessories I could buy online with no problems… Btw. Did you know that some SamAsh stores actually preferred NON musicians for hire?? They claimed it was easier to deal with and they wouldn’t ask to leave for tours or ask for weekends off for gigging. Also, they would not be as interested on the stuff on the walls and counters so they wouldn’t get distracted by the shinny gear! Counterpart to that was the fact that they didn’t know a Humbucker from a single coil or P90 🤦🏻♂️.
@@PatPosseThat is so interesting - and I can see it both ways on sales people and I feel exactly as you do on insturments versus accessories like pedals.
@@PatPosse yep 1 by 1 liquidation then pop goes the online too! So 😢 sad. The store in Clearwater just stocked up full too, so we hoped for a come back.
Ive been going to Sam Ash Forest Hills NYC since the 80s . I have to tell you im quite sad of the closing . I really never thought this would happen ! But sadly it has . Long Live Sam Ash !
i worked at sunset blvd sam ash for a spell, i got to jam a 12 bar blues on dobros with Billy F. Gibbons and sold Tommy Wiseau a fog machine, a dj controller, fog juice, and a couple lighting instruments. Working there was whatever but the people were great.
I bought my first fender p bass from Jerry Ash. He was an awesome person. I think your assessment is spot on regarding their internet approach. Their Jam sessions were a big hit for a while. The last store I visited in PA was deserted. I hope the new generations of Ashes does their homework!
Jerry was a cool cat for sure! I hope the new gen kills it and turns it around! Thanks for watching and commenting… I love to read about people who interacted with the Ash family or their experiences at the stores…
This is what's going to happen to have most of department stores Best Buy Sam Ash and places like this became basically show rooms where people would go see things in person try it and buy online somewhere else
The Clearwater store is SO big, they only used half the space, but certainly paid for it all. It was beautiful, a historic restaurant actually, but way too much inventory, and quite sloppy in there. End of an era for sure.
When I was 14 years old. Paul ash personally took my bass amp trade in and gave me a great price on a new amp which I still have now. The store In Brooklyn was actual called Paul ash instead of Sam ash. It must of been only owned by Paul. It burnt down in 1993 and they reopened in a new location in Brooklyn and used the Sam ash name. Only good experience at the store.
I was probably before Cesar's time. I worked there back in 2005-2007. My manager there Chris Cottone, who was a Begelman employee from Office Space and Mars LOL. @@PatPosse
@@MikeCupino Hahah that's crazy! I think Cesar was there before I started working at my SamAsh. He then transferred to 33 in 2011 I believe. He was in the drums department.
@@thegamingguy1 Hahaha sounds like it! I mean.. it might not be that bad but it's surely unnecessary when SamAsh would provide all the products and tools needed (unless they kept "disappearing")
My personal experience with Sam is like with any big-box music store, it’s hit-or-miss according to the location. My local Sam Ash seems to have completely indifferent staff. They’re not rude, but you’re basically on your own when you visit. I would often go in and have absolutely zero interaction with any staff. That’s definitely not a “family owned” kind of vibe, and therefore not much different than Guitar Center. At the same time, it’s good to have variety and competition, so it’s sad they’re closing down stores.
I've had that experience as well.. as a salesman it takes a while to build up the confidence to approach customers in a friendly non aggressive manner and with the staff being in a revolving door it's also hard to get to that point...
@@PatPosse It's not that hard. Customers just expect you to greet them and welcome them to the store. And if you see someone walking around alone in a department, ask if they need something. Most people just need help locating something.
my local store in White Plains, NY is closing too. I stopped in a few months back after not visiting the store in year. It was ran down little to no inventory, half the size to use to be & had chest crap gear for sell. But, I feel that GC is no better. I would rather buy from Sweetwater or Amazon those days.
Yup. Earlier this month SamAsh announced that they will be closing all stores… sad news. GC seems to be doing a lot better but still not as great as they used to be…
I bought my first acoustic guitar at a Sam Ash store. Unfortunately over time, the customer service there became ridiculous. Mostly just kids goofing around and not paying attention to their customers. So I later spent thousands at Guitar Center, and a bit at Sweetwater too.
You are spot on Pat, I managed 48th st then I opened your store in Miami Lakes in 95', Mars was just taking off and GC was opening Hollywood FL at the same time. Talk about music store wars.....LOL
😲😲 That is AMAZING!! I would love to know more about how the business was back then! I’d love to pick your brain a tiny bit if you don’t mind… are you on IG? 😁
A condenced version of the problem was that Mars problem was they had many stores that never met projected sales and they had in many cases signed 50 and even 100 year leases. They ended up so far in debt that they could no longer get loans to buy stock for their stores. And the killer blow was when after not being able to buy stock due to no loans granted for almost a year...they were not able to buy any stock for the Christmas season. After that happened stores started closing the rest started to sell all stock at 50+ % off. Even 76 to 85 % after a month or two. I bought many items (lights, cables, drums, cymbals, and various parts) at really deep sales prices. So sad this happened...Mars were ans still remain the best music stores ever.
That's exactly it. Not having stock really hurt them and the sizes of their stores were also huge! they looked empty unless they were jam-packed full of stuff! I remember the going out of business sales... I couldn't bring myself to go there since I bought my first (and only guitar back then) at my local Mars and I would take a 2 hour trip just to be around music and instruments. It was just too sad for me to witness. But I remember my mom's ex husband bought me a guitar stand for $2,99, must have been 15 bucks regular price. It was like Black Friday Doorbuster deals everyday!
@@PatPosse I also remember the Drummers, guitarists, bassist, keyboard players, night out events. Free pizza and soda, and lots of drumming on the big stage in the stores. Mars was not just a store but a gathering place. Met so many great musicians there and even played some gigs with a couple of them. Today this kind of thing is all gone. I will say that Guitar Center was pretty good when they first openned around here (Atlanta area) but within 2 years they had changed completely. Last time I went in one I hated the feeling, and how the store looked. I swore I wouldn't go back. I have bought everything off line since then.
@@raythackston1960 Wow!!! I don't recall that at MARS (of course I was a starving pre-teen/teen when they shut down) but that sounds like an amazing time! It couldn't have been easy on the ol' wallet though. They did go all out!!
@@PatPosseI know the two close to me did it. May have not been nation wide ?? I bought things with the money I made playing...reinvest to be better was the way to go back then. Wish they had been around in through the 1980's.
True, but sometimes you need to have the proximity and convenience of an actual store. Also, it would be great to make it easier on a customer to make an informed decision when purchasing.
I remember seeing a few damaged guitars on the wall at the Sam Ash Miami Lakes store back in the early- mid 2000's, it appeared careless "customers beat them up". I still have a Fender Squire Fat Strat I bought at the Dolphin Mall store around 2004, most of my other guitars came from Guitar Center, they had what I wanted in stock.
Wow if management does not listen to this guy, they are crazy. Pat does a great job to provide an insider analysis of what's going wrong with the business and what can be fixed or improved. That's gold to a business owner, especially if they are going thru critical times. I personally like the stores, I hope the new generation of owners act quickly and not only save the business but make it even better, everybody deserves it. Good job Pat
Thank you very much!! I doubt they care about what Pat has to say... they didn't care then, I don't think they'll care now. Although, there's new people in charge now... But alas, I doubt they'll even come across this video LOL. That being said, I would LOVE to help Sam Ash out any way I can...
@@PatPosse Hi Pat, if there is a new generation of owners that want to save and improve the business, you bet they will see your video sooner or later. You seem to care for the business and you gave them a good advice with detail informaiton. Just wait and see. 🙂
Very intelligent presentation! A big mistake in retail is opening another, similar store - at a location that failed. Mars failed for a reason! What does Sam Ash do? "We can do it better"! And not adapting to the internet was super bad!
Whenever anyone's downtown New York store closes, yes, rent is the reason. And it is ridiculous - I saw a documentary about how there's blocks and blocks of empty real estate there because no one can afford it. I don't see the logic - wouldn't lower rent make more money than empty buildings?
Yes! It would make money for the landlords, pay more taxes, create more jobs, etc, etc, etc... NY is a classic case of short term planning and greedy people wanted to make as much money as possible NOW and forget about the big picture... NY laws are not making it any easier on their people either...
Im so glad you told the truth that they all aren’t closing. After I read the title I immediately started plotting a shoplifting spree✋ five finger discount avoided
I don't love the Sam Ash closures bc I live in NYC and did really like the Manhattan store at a time, but I went in there one last time the other day, and grabbed a blonde figured 335 w/ a headstock repair at an awesome price, they are very open to negotiation rn Also have one of those 90th anniversary candy apple red strats they did back in 2014 and I bought new, it's my favorite strat.
So far I only see reports they’re closing selected locations. The Ash family is generous and good employers and merchant partners. I wish them luck in regaining a position in the music business.
Sam Ash came to Indianapolis by purchasing our Mars Music store. I hope they don't close it. I get different kinds of my guitar needs settled between Sam Ash and Guitar Center. Otherwise, I have to go to Sweetwater, which is an hour away, in Fort Wayne.
Sadly, it was announced 2 weeks ago that ALL SA stores were closing. When you made this video 2 months ago, only 18 out of the 44 stores were closing. I live in Tampa, and we have the Tampa store and Clearwater stores closing. I went into the Clearwater store 4 weeks ago, and it was just a ghost town. I do recall seeing the shift to poor or no customer service, less inventory, and more cheap models right around 2018. I knew something didn't smell right, and I have been going into SA since the mid-2000s. Brick and mortar chains are struggling and disappearing, like Sears, Pier One Imports, Circuit City, Sports Authority, etc. If Guitar Center doesn't reign in their problems, they will all close just like SA.
Yeah I’ve made an update video since. It sucks but I agree 100%, it happened to Mars Music, now Sam Ash and I think GC might be next… GC has been bankrupt and in trouble ever since Mars music was just getting started… they might be too big to fail (or so I hope) but if they do, they’ll drag most guitar companies under with them 😓
They need to fix their website for sure. I hope the two stores closest to me don't close because I won't shop at GC. I'm also wondering what will become of their Michael Kelly brand of guitars. I love them.
I assume MK will stick around as will many of the other house brands regardless of SamAsh… I don’t think they are going anywhere yet though… (or so I hope…)
I bought my first keyboard back in 2001(a demo Roland FP4 that I still use), at the Canoga Park Ca store. I really appreciated the store vibe, inventory and staff. It was an inspiring place to visit.
@@PatPosse I moved out to the mid-west in 2012 and have not been back, but I have fond memories of playing keyboards at the Canoga Park CA store. It was a great place for musicians.
@@PatPosse Sadly, I live in a smal mid-west city with limited music stores (something I regret). The saving grace is that the internet has opened up great possibilities. The \true value of local music stored are underrated. I wish it was different, but you have to deal with the obsticals as best you can.
I agree! That personal in person touch can’t be replaced by a screen… and picking up a piece of gear will never be the same as looking at it online… but we gotta make do, right?
The Sam Ash near me closed .. Amity. Connecticut. They were my go to when I needed something in a pinch before a gig.Great job explaining how the system works!! .. That was interesting
Thank you very much! A lot of these stores because of online shopping have become sort of convenience stores (to get strings or a cable now) and maybe that’s what the future will be for them. I hope they adapt and downsize and/or find the way to make it work soon. Thanks for the positive comment! A couple people said it was clickbait so I appreciate the validation. 😁😁
My local sam ash store (which no longer exists) always seemed run down, Ie cheap carpet, cheap displays, like it was out of date. They should invest into their stores to improve the shopping experience. The website also still isnt great. Nobody went to business school in that family apparently.
Met some great people during my shopping experiences at Sam Ash, and bought such great equipment from there, but I do have to say I won’t miss the overall service. Most of them were dicks, but not all of them. To the few who weren’t, were chill and patient, and made the experience of shopping there as a musician, a comfortable and enjoyable one, especially when buying your first guitar (and I’ve bought 3 from there, a drum set I got for Black Friday w some free hardware and a free acoustic which I still have to this day), from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you Sam Ash 🙏🏻 you guys are what made Sam Ash a memorable music store to shop at.
N.Y. Ash on 48th street (next store to Manny's) was so happening in 80' and early 90's. Place had an energy, a vibe, a chaotic charm. The place was an inventory disaster, but it was crawling with musicians and staffed by people who knew the instrument, knew the business and knew YOU. When that went away, so did I.
I had no idea you had to change the strings every two months. Crazy. I grew up with the Paramus NJ store, but occasionally go to 48th in NY. 48th was the place to be! Both are gone. I know the 90's grunge era killed instrument sales and it never got better after that. Bring back the 80's baby!
I got spoiled by working at the stores and I change strings very frequently, especially while on tour or recording, they just start to lose that new string sound and brightness… That being said I haven’t changed the strings on the wall behind me in a year…
I live in Orlando the one on Colonial Dr is going down the one on Lee rd is staying open , I live closer to Colonial I'm pretty sure the rent does cost more on Colonial Dr and the proximity is around 20 minutes driving so 2 stores that close to each other probably is unnecessary for todays market in which a lot of business is done online so it sounds like a good Idea that this company works on that ASAP. I'm from NYC so I used to go to 48 St all the time that whole block was once a very exciting and sometimes star siting experience this is a clear indication of change in the music Industry , NYC and the world . now it's mostly here on the web in which sells gear and software because everyone has to learn to produce from home studios !! and some are modeling those large pieces of gear !
Hello: I went to both Manhattan and my favorite (White Plains) for decades. I would suggest anyone use to Manhattan, take the afternoon and enjoy a short train ride to White Plains and enjoy the afternoon, and afterwards go to the nice Jewish Deli up and across the street. :-) Good video by the way, and yes- I still have some equipment from Sam Ash.
I remember shopping at both GC Hallendale and also SA off 826 Miami Lakes. Both stores were beautiful. Had no idea how the engine was running under the hood. Seems so old school. Long story short loved shopping at both but GC Hallandale eventually swindled and swooned me with the Gear card. Love that shit. Bought ton of gear and good sick deals along the way. Or at least if felt that way. Very insightful video. Hope SA survives the restructuring. Just 2 years ago GC went thru a similar situation in restructuring and downsizing for the better good.
True but GC is a different business structure and "It's too big to fail". If GC goes under I think just because of the sheer amount of stock they buy, it will take down Fender and Gibson with them...
I worked at the original store (Brooklyn NY) for 3 years around the same time you did. I don't miss trying to sell chipped and dinged floor models cause it was all we had in stock. Had to discount them and that cut into commissions so we barely ever saw above base pay. I'm actually a little surprised that they're not doing well financially considering they sure as hell didn't pay their employees anything close to a livable wage lol I understand the rise of online shopping, but for something like a guitar you'd arguably wanna feel it in your hands before deciding to buy it. Then again Keyboards/Pro Audio was where the money was really made and you can get that stuff without worrying too much about "feel". Also wow I didn't realize Sammy passed. Truth be told he was kind of a dick but I wouldn't wish him harm or anything. And I can def confirm closing Manhattan was for rent reasons. NY prob has the highest rents in the entire country by a sizable margin.
Hey man! Thanks for commenting, that answers a few questions and I agree 100% with guitars “needing to be played” but where most of the money is being able to “touch it before you buy” doesn’t make a difference. I remember taking hits on floor models as well 🤬. Thanks for clearing out the rent issue with I suspected… I wonder if they’ll relocate it at some point…
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Hopefully Skip's Music in Sacramento doesn't also fail after Skip passed away as they shutdown the 1st store and went to a huge store. No idea if they kept the other stores open or not.
I hope not!
End of an era but I can’t say I’ll miss it; I used to love going to music row on 48 street in NYC but my experience was that the people who worked the stores there were always rude. It was never a nice experience. So when I found that great customer experience with a smaller store (that is still around) I just started shopping there. Then the internet came along and Sam Ash just didn’t adapt.
I am glad you did. Sam Ash and GC just can't compete with the smaller stores on a human level. TBH I saw so many people come and go on my SamAsh years that it became clear that we were all replaceable. The pay was not something to write home about either but on smaller stores you might get paid the same (or maybe even less) but if you feel valued and a part of something, you do it with a smile on your face...
I loved Manny’s with all the photos on the wall. Used to see a lot of famous musicians there over the years. Made it a fun experience.
@@peterb1277 I never even got to go to Manny's 😪
@@PatPosseI live in NYC, and I went to Mannys pretty regularly from the late 80's, until they "closed". Back then it was a great experience to goto 48th Street Music Row. Eventually Sam Ash bought up most of the music stores on that block - including Mannys. From 99' until Mannys "closed" (09') they were under Sam Ash ownership.
When they moved from 48th to 34th street, that block looked desolate for years. Even though they are family run, they still shared that same corporate mentality of buying up all the competition. Ironically, now they can't make enough profit to justify keeping that flagship Manhattan "super store" on 34th street open.
Btw, I worked for both GC (07'-09') and Sam Ash (09'-11'). By then, music instrument sales were slumping, but GC and Sam Ash were too slow too adapt to the realities of on line competition, and ever increasing rents.
Music Row served a purpose back in the 70's and 80's, but even by the mid-80's a shift away from 48th St. had begun. And it never returned.
Brick and mortar shops are always about having things in stock. If they say to me we can get it for you, I walk and say I can get it for myself. Their main value will always be in having it today.
Exactly!!
Same here. If I can get it in stock at GC or Sweetwater, I'll go there.
Exactly. Thats why they need to have it there… that’s their only shot at your business.
I am patient enough to wait for things. Better to order something and pick it up at a store where I can take it back if I don't like it than to deal with getting stuff shipped to my house, having to make sure I am there when it gets delivered and shipping stuff back if I have a problem or I don't like something.
@@MrChopsticktech Valid point for sure, very rare these days for me that I have to ship "anything" back delivered. It is not that I would never order from a Brick and Mortar, just far more rare these days.
Sad I got my first “real” guitar (Martin D18) in 1969 from Sam Ash in NYC on music row. Still have it and play it also have the hand written receipt $250 case included.
Wow ! Thats amazing!! A piece of history right there!!
Music Row! I miss Manny's!
@@db_98765 I hear it was awesome...
wow thats incredible
That's cool. You must love that thing to pieces.
Companies end up creating their own demise by bloated, inefficient, out of touch policies. I went into Sam Ash my first time a couple months ago just to pick up a set of guitar strings. 2 sales guys hanging around talking never once acknowledged me or asked to help. Then the Sales Mgr came out and started a sales meeting 10 ft away and I didn't want to interrupt and waited patiently while he tried to motivate his staff to make sales. Meanwhile, I'm still standing there and no one approached me or offered to help. Finally, after the meeting finished i had to go up and ASK a sales person for help so I could check out. One of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had.
That is RIDICULOUS! And having a staff meeting during open hours? 🤦🏻♂️
Sounds like the Clearwater location.
We purposely went to that store to keep them going even when SW was cheaper BUT their staff were just Not Cool and it made us sad.
They are closing. Sorry Dude.
@@edwardrichard5665 yup. There's an updated video to this topic. This video is over a month old...
I worked there many years in 86-90 2000-2003 lots going on back then too. Pro audio never worked, stores were mess. But The Ash family were very kind, nice family.
Nice, yeah the Ash family was great. I only met one of the "kids" on the fourth generation but Sammy, Jerry and Richard were super cool.
What location were you in?
I never had issues as a customer, and I had purchased a decent amount of Pro Audio gear (for a 1-person company anyway) around 1999-2002. I guess it was location-dependent.
Totally. It depends on location, staff and even the day… we all have off days. That doesn’t make it right though…
I've been going to the Sam Ash on Sunset in Hollywood since 1986. I'm sad to hear it's closing. It was a happening store at the height of hair metal. I bought a lot of gear there and had my guitars worked on by some great techs.
I would have LOVED to visit the stores back then when metal was booming!! It’s hard to even find videos of that time online but I can’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to walk the strip and just absorbe the energy and bump elbows with so many axe men!
Right across the street from Guitar Center. I'm surprised that store is closing.
That’s crazy.
I worked at Sam Ash store 02 in NY and you hit the nail on the head entirely. The “commission” structure was completely a sham. Most people in my store never made any commission. The people that did only ever saw it 1 or 2 months out of the year.
They sold it to you during the job interview as “minimum wage plus commission”, but it was really minimum wage with extra steps.
We also had mad issues with stock. A purchasing manager once told me “don’t order any PRS guitars, we owe them a lot of money. Try selling people on Epiphones and Gibsons”
There’s so much more i could say. How the extended service plans screwed over technicians, how the “family owned” nature led to nepotism, management just simply not listening, etc.
Exactly.. I see it wasn't really a matter of distance since you experienced the same issues back at store 02! I remember not stocking Gibsons for some contractual BS and the PRS shortage as well... that's not a good look on a store as big as SamAsh...
As an ex-employee of Guitar Center, everything you have mentioned is going on at GC as well! The smaller stores are hurting with employees that are only there to earn a paycheck but have zero knowledge of gear. They try to up-sale shit that you have no need for and also...employees that seem to have recently graduated from highschool.🤣🤣🤣
That also happens and will hurt their credibility big time… remember Best Buy trying to pull that shit? How’d that go for them? You need to have knowledgeable staff to help out and get the customer the service they need, otherwise, what’s the advantage over buying online?
True. And it seems like their stores are always short staffed. It takes forever to get anyone to help you. I have walked out a couple of times because I couldn't find someone to help me. And yeah, you are right, GC used to have knowledgeable staff. Now it seems like they hire anyone to work there.
@@nerychristian it’s hard to hire people with knowledge when the pay sucks! Another issue I had was for example: if I sold a Black Les Paul Studio, it would get replaced with exactly the same guitar. They wouldn’t send something else instead.
@@luigigunner I mean, i don't expect them to be pro musicians. But at least know what the names of the products are.
Dude you nailed it!! I had that same convo with my then Manager Dave. They would just refill the same order over and over. Always the same guitars because they were “proven to sell” but that drove people away… there was never anything new or exciting
Dude that was well done. Thanks. You explained it very concisely..
Thank you brother!! Some people said it was click bait so this validation is well appreciated 😁😁
Yeah. I agree. Both the content and presentation is excellent.
Thank you!! 😁😁
Very informative & appreciated view of the retail music industry.
Sam Ash is Music history (48th st) nyc.
Always sad to see things that were end up things that are real in these days . However everyone needs to keep up with the times otherwise this is what can happen.
Hope to hear they resurrect.
Btw. Nice backdrop Florida rain & I'm sure that wasn't editing ?? software.
Thank you very much!! Haha it was not added on post. It was pouring! Alas, I am in Buenos Aires at the moment (hence the newly acquired accent from listening and speaking Spanish 24/7 lol) but yeah I did remind me of rainstorms back home
I just heard that all the stores are closing and the first video that comes up is from the perspective of the stores in my city 😂. This clears up a lot I've always wondered about how the stores were operated. I was at the miami lakes store about a month ago when they started the closing sales and im sad to see the brand go but I can't say I've had too many good times there. Trading something in was a whole day event for some reason and the guitars at dolphin mall were always tied down, and there was never anyone around in the guitar section. This also explains why when i bought an acoustic guitar there i had no choice but to buy the display model. Guitar center was always a better experience anyway and good riddance to that POS website.
I am sad to see it go but I’ve left Ash 10 years ago and from the comment section here I’ve found it’s only gotten worse… I guess it was a long time coming…
All the problems you experienced at Sam Ash are the same problems that Guitar Center has been going through for at least the last 15 years or longer. Their biggest problem was screwing their sales people and the customers. Which created a huge turn over in employees. Most people didn't stay more than a few months once they got tired of the managements excuses for the corporations crooked operations.
Totally! The amount of people I’ve seen come and go is ridiculous!
Yeah. And it didn't help that at most locations they only hired brain dead morons who can't answer basic questions, don't play an instrument, and have zero interest in music.
Retail is retail.
I’ll be the devils advocate here and say that’s the only people that applied for them jobs 😅
when i went to Guitar Center they seemed like they liked my visits and enjoyed there customers and at Sam Ash they could care less...
Thanks for sharing this post
I was a dept manager at store 4 Forest Hills NY 04-09.
I bought a Godin Multiac for myself Christmas 2023 from store 7 Manhattan.
Very light traffic in both stores for the last few years.
I think Bklyn is still open for now.
Sad to see my favorite music stores close.
Thank you for watching and commenting!! Glad to see at least Brooklyn survive. I am surprised at the Manhattan store closing but no business + sky high rent prices = failure.
This was a really amazing discussion of business strategies and KPI. I would love for corporate to engage all of the managers who think like you, and get them in an advisory committe to prevent this kind of stuff from repeating and growing out of control. They seem to have too many people in the wrong places, and not enough people in the right places. Keep up the updates. And good luck with that rain! Was that a hurricane? It sounded like you were in a car wash.
Thank you brother!! I appreciate the support and the positive comment... made my day! I doubt Sam Ash will come crawling back looking for old Pat but I do with them the best and I hope this is the beginning of a new plan moving forward. I'm gonna try to get in touch with some of my old peers and see what they think about this and if they have any updates to hook me up with! Thanks for watching and commenting and nope, it was not a hurricane, just heavy rain lol the water drops were huge , at least the house and car got cleaned hahaha!!!
In Florida, when it rains, it pours. Litteraly! It happens almost every day at about 2pm in the summer months. Huge raindrops! But it doesn't last long.
I live very very close to Sam Ash in Margate. He mentioned that store in this video. There is also a GC very near by too. In Coconut Creek. It's not far from Sam Ash. 10 minutes apart by car. Even faster on a motorcycle! I shop at both very often.
Peace.
Oh yeah… I remember daily showers 🤦🏻♂️ last July when I was there it rained EVERY DAY for two weeks straight…
@@PatPosse Correct!
Fantastic observations and assessment of the Sam Ash business. Everything you reviewed is applicable to every retailer in the country, musical or not. Should be used as a case study. I think you have a future career in consulting. Great job.
Thank you very much! I highly doubt it lol 🤣. I would be open to it though 😁😁.
Thanks for watching and commenting!!
What a great analysis. Really insightful. A reminder that businesses are often closed when the founder stays too long.
Thank you! I appreciate the positive comment! 😁
I used to shop at Sam Ash in Forest Hills NY from 1992-1994. Store was filled with angry hair metal musicians that were upset because their bands were failing because grunge was taking over.I turned 18 in 1994 and got $10,000 from a lawsuit when I was a kid. I was more than happy to drop every penny at Sam Ash. I wanted a Black Tama Artstar 2, a bunch of Zildians, heavy duty stands and hard cases for everything. The prick salesman actually said " Oh, another Dave Grohl wanna be" After a few choice words back to him, me and my 10 Grand left and went to Long Island Drum Center in Flushing and made them very happy.
Good for you!! I have a similar story were I went to GC and asked for the guitar Brian May was holding on a picture (little did I know there weren't very many replicas around) and the salesman scoffed at me and said "you'll never have a guitar like that".
I've had 4 and kept the best one.
I hope he reads this one day lol
Fascinating inside view--thanks for sharing. I bought both my guitars online from Sam Ash, but bought plenty of strings and accessories from the local brick-and-mortar store, which is now closing. The one bright spot for me is that I have my eye on a couple of guitars on the wall and am hoping prices drop as the store gets closer to closing.
Hey man! Thanks for watching and commenting! A lot got edited out in the interest of keeping it concise and interesting lol. 😂 sad so many are closing 🤦🏻♂️
My friend and I use to go to Sam Ash in Brooklyn in the 90s and when I got into rock music I wanted to learn how to play guitar..so Sam Ash was the place I went to get my first guitar. It was a cool place to be just to learn music and just watch other people jam.
Fast forward I work right by the Manhattan location and I was shocked to see the store closing sign. I hate seeing that especially when these stores has been around for years…but yeah Manhattan rents are high as hell and I’m not sure if the high demand for instruments are the same as in the early days…still sad to see them go but I hope they still find away to keep the name around and continue to sell and be a resource to those coming into wanting to learn music and play instruments.
Every now and then I love to go in and walk around play the piano or pick up a guitar…definitely sad to hear they closing stores…
Hey man... I would just love to have seen the stores back then!! Yeah it's pretty sad but at least I don't think they are entirely away (for a while...).
All corporations are working hard to disconnect the consumer from both their money and the ability to get accountability from the company. They want a computer screen between you and their business.
True. Lower overhead and operative costs=more profit in lieu of customer service.
No truer words ever. Profitability without responsibility or accountability.
@@OakLawnSpeedShop Exactly. Sad though...
truer than ever now that they have price fixing - they don't even have to negotiate price.
Retail is retail. Selling instruments doesnt change that. It only makes musicians hate the industry lol
I remember appying for a job at the 48th street location back in 1998. Everything was good until the manager told me about the pay, just as you mentioned, you have to go abouve the pay rate in order to collect on commissions. Also he wanted me to work 6 days a week including weekneds. He said to me "we are all musicians so every one is expected to work on weekends if needed". I actually never worked there once he told me that. I felt it could be difficult to pass that threshold weekly given the amount of salespeople they had.
The guy who was hiring says ‘we are all musicians, so everyone is expected to work on the weekends?’ That translates to; ‘I haven’t been a real musician in so long that I forgot what it really is to be an authentic musician.’
Mega music stores like these are going to continue to slowly fade away, unless they get honest with themselves, and admit that a business like Sweetwater has been going in the right direction with the better policies that they have been working with. They all have to realize that many of the musicians who apply for a sales position, can potentially have better ideas about how to advance their business, than many of the guys who are sitting around at corporate headquarters.
All things you mentioned are spot on. I remember every weekend there was an issue with someone playing… what was worse is that since management hated that and wouldn’t give you a day off “‘cause you had a gig” people would just call in sick on the day of instead of telling you in advance so you could schedule staff and meeting accordingly… and yeah, playing and instrument and being a musician, and being an active musician are very different things…
It would have been cool if I met you while I was at Sam Ash, I'm 100% sure I'd get the help I need. So sad that you cared too much, but not the business you worked in.
My dream is to run my own Guitar Shop. I hope that eventually happens… 😁😁
My brother told me about Sam Ash. It sounded like a cool place to window shop. It’s sad but hopefully, like you said, they’ll open doors somewhere else!
I wonder... I know rent is high in Manhattan but maybe they can move into a smaller, better laid out property...
All very good points. I hope this is actually a sign of their plans to move forward leaner and stronger
Thanks man! Yeah, for sure… I hope this is part of a new and better strategy…
@@PatPosse yep 🤞🤞🤞
Let’s see what the new generation can do 🤘🏻
God 🙏 is gonna work it out some where and some how. Put it in God hands .
I know not all stores are created equal but I love my local Sam Ash. They’ve been a staple in the music industry for years and it’s sad they’re closing so many locations.
Nice! Happy to read that! What location is this?
Had an awful interaction at the Charlotte NC store. Was using the enclosed music room to play a half stack with cash in my pocket to potentially buy. A sales person on the floor trying to sell to two parents a starter guitar and amp told me to turn it down so much it might as well be turned off. The doors were closed to the room. I bought nothing and walked out and never returned again. They favored introduction lessons and cheap gear and the quality of gear declined as did their customer service for gigging pros. I can’t say I’ll miss Sam ash.
Wow, that blows. They probably assumed that sale was a sure sale and yours wasn't. We didn't have those isolated booths but we always told people to blast it for a few minutes then turn it down. Also, we would tell everyone else to brace themselves cause it was about to get noisy!. Let 'er rip and then back to business as usual...
One thing was always stressed though, don't ever assume someone is NOT buying!!
I worked at the Franklin Mills (Philadelphia) location over a decade ago. Sales associates get paid commission, and we got paid more commission to sell the cheaper house brand drum kits and whatnot vs a Pearl, Tama or Yamaha kit. We would get our eardrums beat up daily for not selling, meanwhile the foot traffic was mainly people who had no cash or desire to buy anything musical. It was far from an ideal situation or location.
Yeah cause it was based off of GP (gross profit) and the cheap house brands had huge margins. I think GC actually paid commission on the sale total and not the items…
@@PatPosse that would have been a more reasonable way of doing things. Sell a $2000 Pearl kit and get $10 commission. Sell a Groove Percussion kit for $399 and I’d get $35 commission. I believe electronic kits like Roland had decent commission pay, but that was about it, and we didn’t get ANYONE looking to buy a $5000 electronic kit. All we got was kids wanting to come in and make a ruckus.
Yeah I remember that and having arguments with staff that was pushing the $60 Carlo Robelli Classicals (at 20 dollar commission) instead of the $99 Ibanez (that made us $4)...
Excellent Information and Presentation. The Local Sam Ash (Edison, NJ) is closing and that makes Guitar Center the best choice for my future Music Needs. You sound like you have a great understanding of the Sam Ash Business, I hope you are still in the Music Industry, as you appear to care as much about the Customer as the Business, which is a balance that few commit to and then it hurts both.
Thank you!!! I am not. I managed another store after in which the owner cared even less about what I had to say and gave up lol. I started focusing on my studio, my band and session work and then covid hit. While on quarantine I started doing zoom lessons and this channel. And that’s pretty much where I’m at now. Hoping to make a move at the end of the year. Having my own Music Store is a dream of mine but it’s far ahead still…
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I believe you would do well running your own Store. I know it is a large undertaking and it takes resources, but some people have a good perspective and knowledge, and that combination is quite rare and should be encouraged.
Thank you very much bud, you are too kind… I hope I can do it, I gotta take care of a couple things first and maybe then focus on that
Guitar shops are like sporting good stores, they are always empty and its embarrassing to be there sometimes.
YES!! Especially when they are called “Dicks”! Hahaha sorry I couldn’t help it 🤣
Boy, what a mess. Like you said, no surprise this was going to happen. Thank you for the insights! Too bad they didn’t listen at the time.
Hey bud, thanks for watching and commenting! I wouldn’t say my ideas would have saved the stores or even have helped but, if they didn’t listen to me I am sure they didn’t listen to other people who may have had bigger plans and better ideas either… and THOSE might have saved the stores or even made SamAsh #1!
I used to hang out at Sam Ash in the 70's by today's standards every guitar they had is a priceless classic now
True. It’s amazing isn’t it?
That pay structure is horrendous. The owners should be ashamed of themselves especially since they were told what would sell in the stores (based on its market) but insisted on keeping everything cookie cutter.
Yeah… the “we know better” mentality…
Good explanation of what's happening there. I worked at the Dolphin Mall store and had a lot of fun, even with the low pay rate.
Hell yeah! I remember you from Dolphin, I can’t deny it was great fun! When did you leave?
Thanks for the info and quick cut editing to get to the point....very nice
Thanks for noticing… a lot of details were left out in the interest of keeping it short and concise. Especially because there was no script or even bullet points 😅 lol
Thank you for this very informative and beautiful video. Sadly my SamAsh store here in Paramus. New Jersey closed down also. I got my Gibson LesPaul Classic there back in 2012 and a lot of other stuff like amps, pedals, acoustic guitars and other accessories. 😢 we’re left with Guitar Center whose workers also seem not to care anymore. So now online is the best bet.
I'm sorry to hear that... Sounds like a great place for a small mom and pop.... There's not a lot competition apparently! Bummed they are closing out so many Ash stores, but it is what it is... GC is not known for their CC...
Thanks for watching and commenting! psyched so many people liked it!!
Thank you for the response. Subbed to you by the way! 😊
My pleasure and thanks for supporting !! 😁🤘🏻
Thanks for the history & explanation, I brought my LP conga’s, various guitars & amps there🎼🎸🪘🎶
Glad you enjoyed it !
I had years worth of memories hanging out at the Forest Hills Sam Ash, Queens NY...and over time would go into various stores and they looked shabby, dirty floors, lack of inventory, you could see the lack of motivation in the workers. Guitar Center stores were a breath of fresh air. Always clean with tons of gear to try out. And now with Sweetwater...how could a chain like Sam Ash survive? Great video, Pat!
Your comment makes me sad but it only proves my points. I think it just got out of hand and they weren’t able to keep up with their stores, staff and technology. I hope downsizing and the new blood being in some much needed changes to the chain!
Same here! I spent a ton of time in the Forest Hills store.... decades. So many memories. I started hanging out there as a teen back when guys like Steve Price and Alan (forget his last name, but you'd know him if I described him) were salesmen. Steve wound up playing guitar for Thor and then went on to manage the main store on 48th St (I think he was one of the managers). Coincidentally, years later I moved to Forest Hills and was in walking distance. They definitely had that... "you gonna buy it?" mentality when I first started going in there as a kid but over time they knew I was for real and welcomed me into the circle, so to speak. A couple of them kept telling me I should work there, but as much as I liked hanging out there it didn't seem like the best job. I spent even more time on 48th St, but that's a whole other can of worms and opportunities.
@@Darth.Shredder I used to tease Alan and call him Foghorn Leghorn. I think Baby Huey even came out once...he was a shredder though! I remember Steve, and Mike (Facebook friends with him).
@@ivsiguitarist LOL... so, you knew what I meant when I said you'd know Alan if I described him :). Alan was a cool kat. I also remember a Mike... I don't want to say his last name in public but it started with a "W".
I worked at the Forrest Hills store from 09'-11'. (I also worked at the GC in Queens from 07'-09')
Excellent job! You have cleared up the situation for me. I have been a bit anxious since the announcement because I placed an order for a back-ordered amp right before the news came out.
Hey man! Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad you enjoyed it. Don’t worry, your amp will get to you safe and sound! Which store location did you order it in? Do you happen to know if that particular one is closing?
@@PatPosse Hey Pat. It is the Nashville store and I don't know if it is closing, but I doubt it.
I sure hope not! Nashville is Music City!!!
I bought my first guitar at their 48th st NYC store in the late 70s only a few doors from Mannys. Back in the day European friends would buy a Strat or a Les Paul there every time they were in NYC and flip it for twice the price when they got off the plane back home. They never quite got the hang of competing on the internet. Thank you Sam Ash for the old-school good deals though!
Lol I’ve done that as well 😁. There’s a great story Cesar G. (Gibson’s current president) tells about buying an Epiphone, taking it to Argentina, selling it for double and buying his first Gibson with that money on his next trip to the US! Awesome stuff.
I used to shop at the Manhattan store back in 99-01 and oh man the headaches of dealing with their sales was the worst.
🤦🏻♂️ that sucks…
I could cry. West 48th Street in Manhattan was a magical palace.
Never got to go 😢
Customer Service killed them in the Edison NJ store - never had what i was looking for - they would say we can order it for you!!! I want it now not wait another 2 weeks!!!!
At that point we are just competing with online stores. Having it there is KEY
I was on the "genesis" crew that opened the Miami Lakes (Palmetto) Shop in 1994. We built the white walls and the basically the entire shop from the inside. It was a great shop back in the day and a destination retail experience for its time. Being family owned is always a problem as decision making is always centralized and takes forever for anything to get done. Sad to hear that it is closing. MI retail in general is shifting at great speed especially with Internet access to generate sales. If an MI establishment doesn't employ Omni channels to support sales - Money is being left on the table to your competitor. Hopefully, the new generation of Ash's can pivot in this atmosphere to turn the brand around.
Oh wow that’s awesome!!! You guys did a great job! Our Store (Palmetto and 57th) was amazing. It was huge but well distributed! I know it had been remodeled since ‘94 but still. That’s awesome… I remember asking when did that store become a Sam Ash (I remember being told it was a furniture store before) but no one gave me a sure answer. Now I know! Too bad is going away but I can’t say I’m surprised… thanks for commenting!!
I’m from Philadelphia and my first experience with Sam Ash was in the 90s at the Cherry Hill NY store. Every few months they would have a drum clinic featuring one of world’s greatest drummers. I never missed a clinic! 👍🏽 They opened two more stores in the region. Eventually most of the other music stores in Philadelphia and surrounding areas closed down!☹️ Now Sam Ash in King Prussia is closing down.😕 Such is life. Well I guess I better get over there and catch some sales!!!😜
Love Philly!!
Man, such is life indeed... It makes me Sad that SamAsh is closing down stores but it makes me twice as sad when a local shop closes down. Whenever I see an abandoned local shop or "out of business" signs I always think, "There goes someone else's dream"...
Great piece! Knew some people back in the day, who loved working there….but some the info you presented makes my think they were just young and eager. It Wes also before the expansions. However, I have heard they have excellent health benefits. 🤷🏻♂️
Hi man, thanks!! Must have been before my time… I don’t remember any health benefits 😅lol
I got my '83 Gretsch kit from Sam Ash in Paramus, NJ. The service and price were better than great! My salesman, Tom Sontag was so helpful and made sure i was happy with the kit, going so far as to contact Gretsch directly about some of my concerns. I played that kit for over 30 years! I also picked up a lot of cymbals and hardware there that i'm still using. I used to travel to Sam Ash in Manhattan to buy stuff in the early days when it was the only store. It's good to hear they're not closing up.
That’s awesome! Happy to read some positive comments about Ash 😁! And good on that Gretsch for providing such great value!
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Sam Ash on 34th street and in Queens are closing. I went not too long ago. They’re liquidating everything.
Damn.
Store 33 was my second home! Speaking of tourists, I remember all the folks from the islands coming in and buying huge stock of sound equipment, instruments, Ext. Sad to see it go!
For sure!! They were mostly pro audio but yeah, they would stock up big time!!
Wow!!! Thanks for the inside scoop! I use to practically live in the old Brooklyn Kings Highway store and then the Brooklyn Flatbush Avenue store. It was exciting to hang out in the 48th Street Manhattan Store, especially during the “48th Street Heyday!!! Manny’s, 48th Street Custom Guitars etc.). Those were the days!!! ❤️🎶❤️
Man I wish I could back in time and just check that out and hang out there for a bit…
Not changing is called stupidity and not exerting charges to improve is gross stupidity
I will call it ignorance 😅
Very well done & concise Lifetime Full Time Music Person Here This analysis should be required viewing for anyone in the music sales division of any & all companies Suerte por todas Good Luck to all!!
Thank you very much bro! you are too kind! I'm surprised at how many people enjoyed the video and took the time to comment on it to let me know they did. It exceeded all my expectations!
@@PatPosse If I come to Miami I look you up! Peace!
Sure thing! Let me know in advance as I am not always there lol. Follow me on IG for a more day to day feed 😉
It sucks that my local Mars music store went out of business in Orlando Florida where I used to live that was taken over by Sam Ash I was happy to see it but now I'm sad to see them go out of business
Yeah, it sucks. Was that the one in Colonial? If so, is it still open?
I purchased an insturment and had a serious defect and my Salesman took care of it for me on the spot with a new but different insturment that I have owned over 3 years and enjoy. They even provided a free pro set up that was very very well done. Sorry to see them go. When you have issues its great to have a place to go that backs up their products.
happy to see they did right by you my dude! I’m sad to see them go too.
@@PatPosse The guys at the Indianapolis store all were solid playing musicians and knew the local scene. They would have serious well - known musicians come by. They used to have about everything that you could try and I felt their quality was better than GC. But sadly I can see the changes over the last few years. The store is kept dark, you can tell the product is all low - end, the store is way too big. They still have a few of the good guys there but I don't think they will be around much longer. Guitar Center is around the corner and that store is really rough - no way I would buy an insturment off their wall. They do have some long-term guys on staff hanging on but I think GC is in trouble. Everyone I talk to thinks Sweetwater located in Fort Wayne is the way to go I have ordered from them and they are very good. With the big boxes in trouble my local guitar shop and real luthier has picked up business he is awsome and glad to see him doing well.
That’s great for him (your luthier). I agree with everything you’ve mentioned. I guess it’s just a shift in the way we do business as a society. I’d rather go to the store and pick up an axe but amps, pedals and accessories I could buy online with no problems…
Btw. Did you know that some SamAsh stores actually preferred NON musicians for hire?? They claimed it was easier to deal with and they wouldn’t ask to leave for tours or ask for weekends off for gigging. Also, they would not be as interested on the stuff on the walls and counters so they wouldn’t get distracted by the shinny gear! Counterpart to that was the fact that they didn’t know a Humbucker from a single coil or P90 🤦🏻♂️.
@@PatPosseThat is so interesting - and I can see it both ways on sales people and I feel exactly as you do on insturments versus accessories like pedals.
@@stevedaulton9655 haha great minds think alike 😁😉
They are closing all stores then closing online. I just talked to Sam Ash mangers, in Clearwater yesterday.
They are closing ALL of them?????
@@PatPosse yep 1 by 1 liquidation then pop goes the online too!
So 😢 sad.
The store in Clearwater just stocked up full too, so we hoped for a come back.
Wow that’s crazy.
Ive been going to Sam Ash Forest Hills NYC since the 80s . I have to tell you im quite sad of the closing . I really never thought this would happen ! But sadly it has . Long Live Sam Ash !
Forest Hills is closing too?? Oh no.
i worked at sunset blvd sam ash for a spell, i got to jam a 12 bar blues on dobros with Billy F. Gibbons and sold Tommy Wiseau a fog machine, a dj controller, fog juice, and a couple lighting instruments. Working there was whatever but the people were great.
Duuuuuude!!! Jamming with the reverend! That rules!!!!
Was in NYC for the first time yesterday and walked right past one. Maybe it was 34th street on the way to the Javits Center.
I haven’t been to any SamAsh stores in NY and at this pace I might just miss them lol
My uncle who lived in NYC at the time, 20 years ago bought me my first Ibanez in Sam Ash. I had so much fun in that shop that day.
Isn't that what it's all about?
@@PatPosse really is. Was magical
That's the kind of thing we can only find at local shops nowadays...
I bought my first fender p bass from Jerry Ash. He was an awesome person. I think your assessment is spot on regarding their internet approach. Their Jam sessions were a big hit for a while. The last store I visited in PA was deserted. I hope the new generations of Ashes does their homework!
Jerry was a cool cat for sure! I hope the new gen kills it and turns it around! Thanks for watching and commenting… I love to read about people who interacted with the Ash family or their experiences at the stores…
Long time coming, stores were poorly maintained and no inventory availability (At least the Orlando FL stores)
That blows. I guess it casa pretty much the same for every store…
This is what's going to happen to have most of department stores Best Buy Sam Ash and places like this became basically show rooms where people would go see things in person try it and buy online somewhere else
Pretty much… maybe pull the trigger if you have stock and they want it NOW. Price matching should be the norm if they want to stay around…
The Clearwater store is SO big, they only used half the space, but certainly paid for it all. It was beautiful, a historic restaurant actually, but way too much inventory, and quite sloppy in there. End of an era for sure.
It sucks. I’m still not over it… I might go visit my old store soon and record a video of it… we’ll see.
When I was 14 years old. Paul ash personally took my bass amp trade in and gave me a great price on a new amp which I still have now. The store In Brooklyn was actual called Paul ash instead of Sam ash. It must of been only owned by Paul. It burnt down in 1993 and they reopened in a new location in Brooklyn and used the Sam ash name. Only good experience at the store.
Oh wow!! That’s a great nugget I didn’t know about! Sucks that that was the only good experience you had… 🤦🏻♂️. But Paul Ash store… that’s awesome
I use to work at the your sister store in Margate, the closing of the Miami Lakes store is an end of an era, wow.....
You must have known my bro Cesar Placeres. It’s crazy they are closing #33…
I was probably before Cesar's time. I worked there back in 2005-2007. My manager there Chris Cottone, who was a Begelman employee from Office Space and Mars LOL. @@PatPosse
@@MikeCupino Hahah that's crazy! I think Cesar was there before I started working at my SamAsh. He then transferred to 33 in 2011 I believe. He was in the drums department.
I work at the Philadelphia store now and everything you mentioned is still the same. Our store will be closed by the end of May.
Im sorry to hear that bro. Any prospects for the future?
My old friend worked at sam ash and he would use hand sanitizer to clean your fretboards. That says everything you need to know about these people.
😣😣🤦🏻♂️. Sam Ash provided Lemon Oil!!
@@PatPossethank you!! It's so insane lol he always said the main tech told him it was fine to use, and I'm just like dude he's an idiot too lol
@@thegamingguy1 Hahaha sounds like it! I mean.. it might not be that bad but it's surely unnecessary when SamAsh would provide all the products and tools needed (unless they kept "disappearing")
You are dead on about SamAsh. I used to work for GC and SamAsh too. I used to shop at Mars music as well and now only Sweetwater.
Thanks! did you find a big fundamental difference between GC and Ash?
My personal experience with Sam is like with any big-box music store, it’s hit-or-miss according to the location. My local Sam Ash seems to have completely indifferent staff. They’re not rude, but you’re basically on your own when you visit. I would often go in and have absolutely zero interaction with any staff. That’s definitely not a “family owned” kind of vibe, and therefore not much different than Guitar Center. At the same time, it’s good to have variety and competition, so it’s sad they’re closing down stores.
I've had that experience as well.. as a salesman it takes a while to build up the confidence to approach customers in a friendly non aggressive manner and with the staff being in a revolving door it's also hard to get to that point...
@@PatPosse It's not that hard. Customers just expect you to greet them and welcome them to the store. And if you see someone walking around alone in a department, ask if they need something. Most people just need help locating something.
Totally! Even if they need to find the restroom lol.
my local store in White Plains, NY is closing too. I stopped in a few months back after not visiting the store in year. It was ran down little to no inventory,
half the size to use to be & had chest crap gear for sell. But, I feel that GC is no better. I would rather buy from Sweetwater or Amazon those days.
Yup. Earlier this month SamAsh announced that they will be closing all stores… sad news. GC seems to be doing a lot better but still not as great as they used to be…
I bought my first acoustic guitar at a Sam Ash store. Unfortunately over time, the customer service there became ridiculous. Mostly just kids goofing around and not paying attention to their customers. So I later spent thousands at Guitar Center, and a bit at Sweetwater too.
I get it. It was frustrating as a manager too…
You are spot on Pat, I managed 48th st then I opened your store in Miami Lakes in 95', Mars was just taking off and GC was opening Hollywood FL at the same time. Talk about music store wars.....LOL
😲😲 That is AMAZING!! I would love to know more about how the business was back then! I’d love to pick your brain a tiny bit if you don’t mind… are you on IG? 😁
Wow, great insight. Explains a lot. Another example of old-school values being rendered moot by common sense. Good video.
Thank you very much and yup.... frustrating to say the least...
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great insight! Thank you!
Thank you for watching and commenting 😁🤘🏻
The Manhattan and the Paramus NJ were my go to stores back in the day they never seemed to get the hang of online marketing
Yeah.. They STILL don't have it down...
A condenced version of the problem was that Mars problem was they had many stores that never met projected sales and they had in many cases signed 50 and even 100 year leases. They ended up so far in debt that they could no longer get loans to buy stock for their stores. And the killer blow was when after not being able to buy stock due to no loans granted for almost a year...they were not able to buy any stock for the Christmas season. After that happened stores started closing the rest started to sell all stock at 50+ % off. Even 76 to 85 % after a month or two. I bought many items (lights, cables, drums, cymbals, and various parts) at really deep sales prices. So sad this happened...Mars were ans still remain the best music stores ever.
That's exactly it. Not having stock really hurt them and the sizes of their stores were also huge! they looked empty unless they were jam-packed full of stuff! I remember the going out of business sales... I couldn't bring myself to go there since I bought my first (and only guitar back then) at my local Mars and I would take a 2 hour trip just to be around music and instruments. It was just too sad for me to witness. But I remember my mom's ex husband bought me a guitar stand for $2,99, must have been 15 bucks regular price. It was like Black Friday Doorbuster deals everyday!
@@PatPosse I also remember the Drummers, guitarists, bassist, keyboard players, night out events. Free pizza and soda, and lots of drumming on the big stage in the stores. Mars was not just a store but a gathering place. Met so many great musicians there and even played some gigs with a couple of them. Today this kind of thing is all gone. I will say that Guitar Center was pretty good when they first openned around here (Atlanta area) but within 2 years they had changed completely. Last time I went in one I hated the feeling, and how the store looked. I swore I wouldn't go back. I have bought everything off line since then.
@@raythackston1960 Wow!!! I don't recall that at MARS (of course I was a starving pre-teen/teen when they shut down) but that sounds like an amazing time! It couldn't have been easy on the ol' wallet though. They did go all out!!
@@PatPosseI know the two close to me did it. May have not been nation wide ?? I bought things with the money I made playing...reinvest to be better was the way to go back then. Wish they had been around in through the 1980's.
@@raythackston1960 That's awesome! Nothing like investing back on your trade!
it makes sense to close some of these stores considering today you can buy online
True, but sometimes you need to have the proximity and convenience of an actual store. Also, it would be great to make it easier on a customer to make an informed decision when purchasing.
I remember seeing a few damaged guitars on the wall at the Sam Ash Miami Lakes store back in the early- mid 2000's, it appeared careless "customers beat them up". I still have a Fender Squire Fat Strat I bought at the Dolphin Mall store around 2004, most of my other guitars came from Guitar Center, they had what I wanted in stock.
Kendall conservatory and Walt Grace are way better imo. Hell even Miami Guitars is better than GC or Sam Ash.
Walt Grace rules!
Wow if management does not listen to this guy, they are crazy. Pat does a great job to provide an insider analysis of what's going wrong with the business and what can be fixed or improved. That's gold to a business owner, especially if they are going thru critical times. I personally like the stores, I hope the new generation of owners act quickly and not only save the business but make it even better, everybody deserves it. Good job Pat
Thank you very much!! I doubt they care about what Pat has to say... they didn't care then, I don't think they'll care now. Although, there's new people in charge now... But alas, I doubt they'll even come across this video LOL. That being said, I would LOVE to help Sam Ash out any way I can...
@@PatPosse Hi Pat, if there is a new generation of owners that want to save and improve the business, you bet they will see your video sooner or later. You seem to care for the business and you gave them a good advice with detail informaiton. Just wait and see. 🙂
That would be awesome honestly! But even if they watch it and take any of it into consideration I will consider it a win!
Very intelligent presentation! A big mistake in retail is opening another, similar store - at a location that failed. Mars failed for a reason! What does Sam Ash do? "We can do it better"! And not adapting to the internet was super bad!
Thank you very much Andy!! And yes… sometimes that “arrogance” will bite you in the ass HARD! And the website is atrocious!
Whenever anyone's downtown New York store closes, yes, rent is the reason. And it is ridiculous - I saw a documentary about how there's blocks and blocks of empty real estate there because no one can afford it. I don't see the logic - wouldn't lower rent make more money than empty buildings?
Yes! It would make money for the landlords, pay more taxes, create more jobs, etc, etc, etc... NY is a classic case of short term planning and greedy people wanted to make as much money as possible NOW and forget about the big picture... NY laws are not making it any easier on their people either...
Im so glad you told the truth that they all aren’t closing. After I read the title I immediately started plotting a shoplifting spree✋ five finger discount avoided
Hahahaha
I don't love the Sam Ash closures bc I live in NYC and did really like the Manhattan store at a time, but I went in there one last time the other day, and grabbed a blonde figured 335 w/ a headstock repair at an awesome price, they are very open to negotiation rn
Also have one of those 90th anniversary candy apple red strats they did back in 2014 and I bought new, it's my favorite strat.
would u happen to know when the 34th st location actually closes?trying to make it to the sales haha
Those CAR Strats are killer!!
No clue.
Wow, that was a lot of very concentrated info. Very good video. Sadly, I never visited a Sam Ash..... now I'll never have the chance.
Why not? They are only closing 18 stores… there’s plenty left to visit! 😁😁
So far I only see reports they’re closing selected locations. The Ash family is generous and good employers and merchant partners.
I wish them luck in regaining a position in the music business.
Yes, 18 locations. (I say it within the first minute of the video lol) but they haven’t disclosed exactly which ones
I've only been to 2 of their stores but I did enjoy my time there. ( Cerritos and Hollywood California )
Nice! I’m yet to visit any of the CA stores but I would love to one day!
I was sad when the one by me closed here in jersey. I’ve been going to that sam ash since I was 14yrs old. Now about to be 45 and they’re closed. 😕
That's crazy... sad when stores we've frequented so much are gone... but they'll remain in our memories and hearts!
Sam Ash came to Indianapolis by purchasing our Mars Music store. I hope they don't close it. I get different kinds of my guitar needs settled between Sam Ash and Guitar Center. Otherwise, I have to go to Sweetwater, which is an hour away, in Fort Wayne.
That's cool that you have that many options! I'm sure there's a ton of mom and pop stores out there as well!!
Sadly, it was announced 2 weeks ago that ALL SA stores were closing. When you made this video 2 months ago, only 18 out of the 44 stores were closing. I live in Tampa, and we have the Tampa store and Clearwater stores closing. I went into the Clearwater store 4 weeks ago, and it was just a ghost town. I do recall seeing the shift to poor or no customer service, less inventory, and more cheap models right around 2018. I knew something didn't smell right, and I have been going into SA since the mid-2000s. Brick and mortar chains are struggling and disappearing, like Sears, Pier One Imports, Circuit City, Sports Authority, etc. If Guitar Center doesn't reign in their problems, they will all close just like SA.
Yeah I’ve made an update video since. It sucks but I agree 100%, it happened to Mars Music, now Sam Ash and I think GC might be next… GC has been bankrupt and in trouble ever since Mars music was just getting started… they might be too big to fail (or so I hope) but if they do, they’ll drag most guitar companies under with them 😓
They need to fix their website for sure. I hope the two stores closest to me don't close because I won't shop at GC. I'm also wondering what will become of their Michael Kelly brand of guitars. I love them.
I assume MK will stick around as will many of the other house brands regardless of SamAsh… I don’t think they are going anywhere yet though… (or so I hope…)
I bought my first keyboard back in 2001(a demo Roland FP4 that I still use), at the Canoga Park Ca store. I really appreciated the store vibe, inventory and staff. It was an inspiring place to visit.
That rules!! Is that store still here? Have you visited recently?
@@PatPosse I moved out to the mid-west in 2012 and have not been back, but I have fond memories of playing keyboards at the Canoga Park CA store. It was a great place for musicians.
Is there any SamAsh’s where you are? Just curious. I’m sure that CA store was a fun hang!
@@PatPosse Sadly, I live in a smal mid-west city with limited music stores (something I regret). The saving grace is that the internet has opened up great possibilities. The \true value of local music stored are underrated. I wish it was different, but you have to deal with the obsticals as best you can.
I agree! That personal in person touch can’t be replaced by a screen… and picking up a piece of gear will never be the same as looking at it online… but we gotta make do, right?
The Sam Ash near me closed .. Amity. Connecticut. They were my go to when I needed something in a pinch before a gig.Great job explaining how the system works!! .. That was interesting
Thank you very much! A lot of these stores because of online shopping have become sort of convenience stores (to get strings or a cable now) and maybe that’s what the future will be for them. I hope they adapt and downsize and/or find the way to make it work soon.
Thanks for the positive comment! A couple people said it was clickbait so I appreciate the validation. 😁😁
My local sam ash store (which no longer exists) always seemed run down, Ie cheap carpet, cheap displays, like it was out of date. They should invest into their stores to improve the shopping experience. The website also still isnt great. Nobody went to business school in that family apparently.
They didn't think it was necessary lol
Met some great people during my shopping experiences at Sam Ash, and bought such great equipment from there, but I do have to say I won’t miss the overall service. Most of them were dicks, but not all of them. To the few who weren’t, were chill and patient, and made the experience of shopping there as a musician, a comfortable and enjoyable one, especially when buying your first guitar (and I’ve bought 3 from there, a drum set I got for Black Friday w some free hardware and a free acoustic which I still have to this day), from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you Sam Ash 🙏🏻 you guys are what made Sam Ash a memorable music store to shop at.
Yeah they had their fair share of both… what store location was this?
N.Y. Ash on 48th street (next store to Manny's) was so happening in 80' and early 90's. Place had an energy, a vibe, a chaotic charm. The place was an inventory disaster, but it was crawling with musicians and staffed by people who knew the instrument, knew the business and knew YOU. When that went away, so did I.
I can totally relate to that. That was Record Stores not too long ago, before the new vinyl fad… now it’s hard to go back and shop there.
I had no idea you had to change the strings every two months. Crazy.
I grew up with the Paramus NJ store, but occasionally go to 48th in NY. 48th was the place to be! Both are gone. I know the 90's grunge era killed instrument sales and it never got better after that. Bring back the 80's baby!
I got spoiled by working at the stores and I change strings very frequently, especially while on tour or recording, they just start to lose that new string sound and brightness…
That being said I haven’t changed the strings on the wall behind me in a year…
I live in Orlando the one on Colonial Dr is going down the one on Lee rd is staying open , I live closer to Colonial I'm pretty sure
the rent does cost more on Colonial Dr and the proximity is around 20 minutes driving so 2 stores that close to each other probably is unnecessary for todays market in which a lot of business is done online so it sounds like a good Idea that this company works on that ASAP. I'm from NYC so I used to go to 48 St all the time that whole block was once a very exciting and sometimes star siting experience this is a clear indication of change in the music Industry , NYC and the world . now it's mostly here on the web in which sells gear and software because everyone has to learn to produce from home studios !! and some are modeling those large pieces of gear !
Exactly... times change and they need to adapt, for sure.
Hello: I went to both Manhattan and my favorite (White Plains) for decades. I would suggest anyone use to Manhattan, take the afternoon and enjoy a short train ride to White Plains and enjoy the afternoon, and afterwards go to the nice Jewish Deli up and across the street. :-) Good video by the way, and yes- I still have some equipment from Sam Ash.
Nice!! I got a buddy in White plains! I would love to go visit and that Deli sounds great! Thank you for watching and commenting!!
I remember shopping at both GC Hallendale and also SA off 826 Miami Lakes. Both stores were beautiful. Had no idea how the engine was running under the hood. Seems so old school. Long story short loved shopping at both but GC Hallandale eventually swindled and swooned me with the Gear card. Love that shit. Bought ton of gear and good sick deals along the way. Or at least if felt that way. Very insightful video. Hope SA survives the restructuring. Just 2 years ago GC went thru a similar situation in restructuring and downsizing for the better good.
True but GC is a different business structure and "It's too big to fail". If GC goes under I think just because of the sheer amount of stock they buy, it will take down Fender and Gibson with them...
@@PatPosse just got an email. GC Hialeah is opening this month.
YOU ARE KIDDING ME!!!
Now all stores are closing.
That’s some shit isn’t it? 😣
Spot on with his video, phone service ridiculous at times in NYC and in store help can be frustrating waiting around. Well it’s the end of an era.
Totally. It’s sad…
I worked at the original store (Brooklyn NY) for 3 years around the same time you did. I don't miss trying to sell chipped and dinged floor models cause it was all we had in stock. Had to discount them and that cut into commissions so we barely ever saw above base pay.
I'm actually a little surprised that they're not doing well financially considering they sure as hell didn't pay their employees anything close to a livable wage lol
I understand the rise of online shopping, but for something like a guitar you'd arguably wanna feel it in your hands before deciding to buy it. Then again Keyboards/Pro Audio was where the money was really made and you can get that stuff without worrying too much about "feel".
Also wow I didn't realize Sammy passed. Truth be told he was kind of a dick but I wouldn't wish him harm or anything.
And I can def confirm closing Manhattan was for rent reasons. NY prob has the highest rents in the entire country by a sizable margin.
Hey man! Thanks for commenting, that answers a few questions and I agree 100% with guitars “needing to be played” but where most of the money is being able to “touch it before you buy” doesn’t make a difference. I remember taking hits on floor models as well 🤬.
Thanks for clearing out the rent issue with I suspected… I wonder if they’ll relocate it at some point…
I saw u there couple times... I just went last week u had 2 drive behind home depot 2 get there. Sad I used to shop in there since the 90s
Wow! You couldn’t even pull in up front?? 😕