We have all helped to kill the local dealers...

[aN-i-No]

Hey...when things change and you (the shops, that is) don't...you get left behind. The shops around here make their money off of installs and not sales so much. You gotta do what it takes to stay afloat.

I mean...let's think about it...You have the stubborn shop owner...who knows his prices aren't competitive but he refuses to come down. He knows his installs are expensive...but he refuses to make deals. He knows for a fact that he knows more than you about audio and will let you know every chance he gets.... Is that the type of guy you miss? I hope not. I'm not saying all shop owners who go out of business are stubborn but those who continue to make a living CANNOT be stubborn. It's about customer service. If you don't find ways to attract new customers or get a good reputation then of course you won't make it.

And as far as the internet killing the industry...that's a damn lie. The internet has brought countless people to Car Audio who wouldn't have known anything about it otherwise. If I hadn't have googled the product number of my old Lanzar amp I would probably still be using it (and the shitty Dual subs it was pushing). How many people do you know who sign up for this site that know NOTHING about Car Audio and after a few months have a good idea of what they should and shouldn't be doing. How many people would know about the big shows if it wasn't for the internet? Two years ago if you said "do you want to go to SBN/Scrapin the Coast/Texas Heatwave" I would've looked at them sideways...Now, I'm in the process of getting a build ready so I can get to one of those. The internet has multiplied Car Audio...and hell...magazines are dead, there are no audio TV shows, where are you supposed to catch interest?

And my last point...why do people think online retailers are so evil? Sometimes it seems like people think that owning a warehouse full of product (sometimes 2 or 3 warehouses in different states) is free and easy. They pay workers in the warehouses, they pay people to work the phones, they pay web designers, they pay shipping costs....all that shit adds up. Are they successful? Yeah, but since when is success bad? When it's at the expense of a local shop?

I hear all the time "I miss the days when you could take your amp to the local shop and have it swapped out no problem." Unfortunately those days also come with the "1 dollar per watt" rule which would push a lot of people away. Online Retailers and the Internet have made Car Audio much more accessible and affordable. If the shops can't keep up with it...that's on the shop.

[b-dubs89]

one of the local shops in my area sells rf and alpine , last couple times i have been in there they had plenty of p1 10's and 12's in prefab boxes at FULL RETAIL prices not alot otherwise , called a few weeks ago to see if they had any 0 gauge ofc and they would've had to ordered it in and cost $7 a foot . i don't mind how business owners make a living , but don't try to make a fortune off of me is how i feel . maybe if i were swimmin in cash i might feel more generous

i guess maybe it comes down to free enterprise , meaning the better business should do well . times are tough right now to.

tell you who i wouldn't feel bad for though pawnshops , they are some of the biggest kaksuckers

[beaker]

The one shop I know of around here tells its installers that it will "buy back used audio equipment if they happen to come across something they carry" Basicly telling these new installers to go steal what they just installed and bring it back to the shop so the owner can sell it again at full price.

This is why I never go to shops anymore.

[kandiman71874]

The one shop I know of around here tells its installers that it will "buy back used audio equipment if they happen to come across something they carry" Basicly telling these new installers to go steal what they just installed and bring it back to the shop so the owner can sell it again at full price.

This is why I never go to shops anymore.

You wouldnt happen to live in Kansas City Kansas would you?

[beaker]

naaa, western MD

[pa-pa-platypus]

there is on shop around me i will go to if i need something and i dont mind paying a little more...i go hangout when i get a chance and shoot the breeze...good times they carry mostly rf, alpine, jl that kinda stuff so i dont buy much but i send alot of people their way... i did buy a 4 channel and a few other odds n ends tho... the rest of em can go jump offa cliff...i went to a show and the guy was a complete and arrogant prick.....basically if he hadnt installed it he was running it down.. he literally bumped a few people outta classes they had just won so install he had put in could win (non sanctioned event just kinda made up rules) will never go back their again i was disgusted with how he acted and the others arent really much better

[Craig28]

Don't call it young kid stuff, please. I'm only 17 and my current build is 7KW and a Level 5. Does my age make that young kid stuff too?

[CJ18]

The only time that I will use a local shop is when it comes to messing with any factory wiring in one of my vehicles. I fully understand that shops have overhead and have to keep the lights on, but they have to adapt to survive. The way to make money as a shop is by word of mouth. If you give good service and a fair price, I am going to send you business when someone asks me where they can get something done. Selling for full blown retail and then charging $60+ per hour to install is not a good way to get people to send you business.

[Johnny248]

Hey...when things change and you (the shops, that is) don't...you get left behind. The shops around here make their money off of installs and not sales so much. You gotta do what it takes to stay afloat.

I mean...let's think about it...You have the stubborn shop owner...who knows his prices aren't competitive but he refuses to come down. He knows his installs are expensive...but he refuses to make deals. He knows for a fact that he knows more than you about audio and will let you know every chance he gets.... Is that the type of guy you miss? I hope not. I'm not saying all shop owners who go out of business are stubborn but those who continue to make a living CANNOT be stubborn. It's about customer service. If you don't find ways to attract new customers or get a good reputation then of course you won't make it.

And as far as the internet killing the industry...that's a damn lie. The internet has brought countless people to Car Audio who wouldn't have known anything about it otherwise. If I hadn't have googled the product number of my old Lanzar amp I would probably still be using it (and the shitty Dual subs it was pushing). How many people do you know who sign up for this site that know NOTHING about Car Audio and after a few months have a good idea of what they should and shouldn't be doing. How many people would know about the big shows if it wasn't for the internet? Two years ago if you said "do you want to go to SBN/Scrapin the Coast/Texas Heatwave" I would've looked at them sideways...Now, I'm in the process of getting a build ready so I can get to one of those. The internet has multiplied Car Audio...and hell...magazines are dead, there are no audio TV shows, where are you supposed to catch interest?

And my last point...why do people think online retailers are so evil? Sometimes it seems like people think that owning a warehouse full of product (sometimes 2 or 3 warehouses in different states) is free and easy. They pay workers in the warehouses, they pay people to work the phones, they pay web designers, they pay shipping costs....all that shit adds up. Are they successful? Yeah, but since when is success bad? When it's at the expense of a local shop?

I hear all the time "I miss the days when you could take your amp to the local shop and have it swapped out no problem." Unfortunately those days also come with the "1 dollar per watt" rule which would push a lot of people away. Online Retailers and the Internet have made Car Audio much more accessible and affordable. If the shops can't keep up with it...that's on the shop.

I'm not saying the internet isn't a good thing. It allows people to find information about things they normally wouldn't be able to. I'm not against online retailers, I'm simply saying that I remember first getting into car audio, and being able to walk into a store and be in awe over all the colorful lights on the wall from the different head units. And the ability to push buttons, see things first hand and experience them before I bought one. And payday when you though that $100ish dollar check was everything in the world, and how cool it was to head out to the shop and buy some subwoofers, or whatever. It is nice just to able to turn to a real store, and talk to real people and be social. Plus, a quality shop should be able to promote and show off the latest equipment, and answer any questions you may have about it, AND know how to sell it. No offense to any of the online sellers, but most of them are simply order takers, and have no real knowledge or hands on experience.

Kinda like the entire internet car buying idea. It is fine if you know what you are trying to buy. But lets be honest, how many cars would people be buying on the internet if there wasn't a local dealer down the road in which they could actually look at cars before they bought one.

[Johnny248]

The only time that I will use a local shop is when it comes to messing with any factory wiring in one of my vehicles. I fully understand that shops have overhead and have to keep the lights on, but they have to adapt to survive. The way to make money as a shop is by word of mouth. If you give good service and a fair price, I am going to send you business when someone asks me where they can get something done. Selling for full blown retail and then charging $60+ per hour to install is not a good way to get people to send you business.

I agree to an extent. Like I said, if I was sitting at home, and I could drive 2 miles down the road to Joe Blow's car audio, and buy my new Amp or Subwoofers at a reasonable price, I would rather do that and support the local guy (that is assuming he is a good guy) than order it from somewhere out of state. For example, if I buy such product online, from an authorized dealer (we aren't talking about grey market or anything like that. Lets compare apples to apples. Most major brands don't honor any warranty if not purchased from an authorized reseller) for say $500, or I could go see Joe Blow and take one home for $520-$550 or something along those lines, knowing that I could take it home with me, have dealer support in case I do have a problem, and help support my local economy, I would gladly do it. I tried to do this last time, but they didn't really seem interested in my business if I wasn't trying to buy what they wanted to sell me. oh well.