matt_p

X2 .... although right now for me its more internet and walmart cuz i live in a small town with nothing around and when i do make it to the city...2 hours away so i dont know all the local small guyz and ill admit its alot easier to look for the big walmart or future shop sign and when they have them all over it is easier for me to get to since im not used to city driving and frankly i love my space, which i cant have in the city haha

if we had a installer in my town or one of the towns near by id probably get alot done from him to help support but ive learned to do things on my own because it is a pain going to the city just to get a HU installed or something like that

JohnVroom

Yeah those bastards from the states...

I have paid a little more numerous items at small box stores because they know what they are doing, and they have the product I want or can special order it in a reasonable time. Frankly I have been given better deals at small box stores than the large chains. BUT... if the quality of service, installation, or product slip then I reserve my right as a reformed Canadian to shop elsewhere. Goodness knows I dont want any of my money going to products made in China.

Dukk

You local FS only employs Americans?? Man... the ones I've worked in employed Canadians that live in the same area they work in and they made wages and commissions on sales paid to them in Canadian dollars. Weird eh?


ANY store can have good employees and/or bad employees. ANY store can sell you what you should buy or screw you into what you don't need. It doesn't matter what size it was.


I like the paradox that FS is killing local business by having crazy low margins yet and at the same time sell stuff with killer high margins and great commission. huh?

dogstar

iTrader: (2)

I dont like FS or bestbuy, mostly because they dont carry product lines i like, or when they do, the selection generally sucks.

I dont have a problem shopping the bigger stores, A&B sound or Visions are the most common as both carry alpine, and both are willing to bargain a little.

seriously though, for those of you who "dont support the Damned americans".... do you shop at 7/11, or eat mcdonalds?? how, pray tell, are they different from futureshop?

if you dont know what you are buying, you need to research where to get it, and what it should cost you.

generalizing here, most independant shops fail, i believe within 3 years, only the best or the luckiest survive... this isnt because the big evil box store made them fail, its because thats how the world works.

Bossmaan

ditto^

I work in the car audio sales at bby..the problems is that f/s, bby hire people that know barely anything about audio..if they have a half assed system in their car, they're in sales..imo that's ridiculous..knowing the product in your store is one thing, and most don't know, also the idiots that don't know about the basics and the whole skelton of car audio and try to bullshit are the worse...the problem is many guys and gals that come in, haven't done much research and are just looking for some boom...anyone who has a little bit of knowledge about car audio would be able to detect the bullshit they get fed from so many sales persons.. plus there are a lot of installer that do half assed..but in the million billion installers the two companies employ, you will find some tallent, but it's rare

this is a story from a co-worker.. he's a sales man as well and I still don't understand why he's still here... anyway here goes.. he's got two JBL 12 Gto series subs in his car..running off the 600.1 jbl amp @2ohms...and he's venting and saying "omg, these installers wired my subs wrong..i only got 1 wire going from the sub box to the amp, one of my sub isnt even powered (he didnt know they were wired inside the box)..i don't have two wires coming out, they scammed me..., i can do a better install than these guys(referring to the installers)" i just burst out laughing at this kid..he's a tool, because he has no clue about something basic, and he sells ...

20Sunfire05

iTrader: (1)

I like to buy things that are made on my continent if my budget allows. I learned my lesson when I measured the impedance of my AWC10T. Apparently it is dual 6 ohm not dual 4 ohm like they advertise, plus one coil has an open in it somewhere. Thats probably why it was on clearance.

What does FS have that is made in either Canada or the USA?

D.Sanchez

^^^ did it ever occur to you ( a while back i was put in my place) that maybe these "bullshitters" have a genuine love for car audio and their "bullshit" mihgt just be improper knowledge and not enuff training? im new as an installer, ive come a LONG way, but i dont know everything nor will i ever, ive asked for help and info more times then id like to admitt but these young guys are just starting out! in my opinion its the customers responibility to research the product regardless of how much "" they are fed they ulitmately open up their wallets and spend their money as they choose, u can be the greasiest salesman in the world but i cannot nor will u ever be able to force someone with any little bit of will power to buy something, you may only present the product, sell the value of that certain product to the customer and explain why they want it...the famouse saying...u fool me once shame on you, you fool me twice shame on me...if u consitantly bitch about the lack luster quality of salesmanship and honesty of FS sales associates then dont shop there! its become a moot point, ive seen more budget systems and happy customers outta FS then ive seen Huge spenders becuase addmitedly we do sell cheaper stuff i know this and ive addimiteldy shopped at local stores...u spend way more then one would at FS but thats the price you pay for quality! in the end it all comes down to a few main things...customers can and will be like sheep u can make them buy things with the right persuasion and information, you as a customer must seperate yourself fromt the heard and buy what you feel will suit your needs! and the second main point 99.99% of the time YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, you pay cheap you get cheap, buy bazooka it blows up like a sony "XPLODE" then dont complain it was your choice u live with the reprocutions...unless u bought the product service plan have a good night folks im out thats my rant for the night

robmar

cfib number state that buying from a local store keeps over 65% of the profit stays in the local economy

for stores like fs its less than 20%

so how does that help your local economy

that money helps to give more people jobs

big box stores kill retail its a know fact

cca_newbie

imo i would say no i work in a retail outlet that competes with fs and all the time we get people that buy there and come for all the advice and will not buy because it is cheaper there its a waste of time to do so if you want a good price be loyal to a shop im sure some will give you a deal for being loyal

Dukk

^ How many people do you employ?

My local FS has over 50 employees. They live here and they spend their paycheck here in my city..

Could YOU give those 50 people jobs if the FS closed? How about all the support industry like the floor cleaners, couriers, sales reps that all exist and survive because of box stores? You going to hire them on too? Sounds like the evil box creates lots of jobs, no?

I would bet that my local FS does over 3.25 times the volume that any local independent does as well. Therefore total dollars injected into the local economy by the FS is greater than that same independent too.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-independent dealer but lets look at both sides of the coin.

Box stores and independents both have their place.

20Sunfire05 - very little in the electronics field is even 50% made in North America anymore.