Just been paid off from work

[TheIronBeast]

Well I had been working for an electricity company, in the retail department, for a fee years and as the company are slowly closing down the retail side of things I have been paid off and made redundant.

However, rather than look at it as a negative, I'm going to look on this as an oportunity. I'm still young and would like to pursue something that I've always wanted to do. I'd be looking into doing something guitar/music related as that is my passion.

I have been thinking about it and as I am very much a people person, enjoy meeting new people, helping people out etc. I would love to find work in instrument/amp retail and I know that there are a few people on here who work/have worked in shops before and was hoping they could maybe chip in with some pointers/advice?

I am however open to any other ideas/suggestions too. It might not work out in the end, but you never know untiil you try :)

Any input/advice would be very much appreciated.

[nfe]

If you know your stuff it's really very easy. And it's an easy life insofar as jobs go.

However, at the end of the day, you are still just working in a shop, and it's the fastest way in the world to become very jaded and get bored of guitars.

Also, in my experience, the more good gear your shop has, the more intolerably boring your place of work becomes. Less good gear tends to equal more good chat, for some reason  :lol:

So whilst we have great craic at work, both staff and punter wise, we've got nothing of interest to me in terms of stock (well, one VOS Gibson I can't afford) but I would never want to work in GuitarGuitar, cause the chat is soul destroying  :lol:

[Jonny]

If you know your stuff it's really very easy. And it's an easy life insofar as jobs go.

However, at the end of the day, you are still just working in a shop, and it's the fastest way in the world to become very jaded and get bored of guitars.

Also, in my experience, the more good gear your shop has, the more intolerably boring your place of work becomes. Less good gear tends to equal more good chat, for some reason  :lol:

So whilst we have great craic at work, both staff and punter wise, we've got nothing of interest to me in terms of stock (well, one VOS Gibson I can't afford) but I would never want to work in GuitarGuitar, cause the chat is soul destroying  :lol:

I think its like that cause not that many people are as, dare I say, nerdy and into guitar as like.. something we worship, for lack for a better word.

Like car enthusiasts, most just buy a car whether its cheap or eco.

I think I'm on the right sort of lies.

-----

Sorry about your redundancy, IB

[TheIronBeast]

Thanks for your input, nfe. What would be the best way to go about enquiring for jobs at music stores? Just write a letter and include a CV or visit shops in person?

[nfe]

To be honest, at the moment I can't see any hiring, as much as staff will kid on everything's fine, everyone is struggling. Really struggling.

Most of the staff in every shop I've worked have been hired via word of mouth or recomendation from other people. I'd think the best way would always to be friendly and well known to staff in shops and express your interest, so that if something comes up they know you fancy it.

I can't really be more help than that I'm afraid, the first shop I worked in (Soundcontrol in Dunfermline) I'd shopped in since I was a wee guy, thereafter I've only worked with in shops where I was pulled in by folks I'd either worked with in previous shops or gigged with.

[FernandoDuarte]

Sorry to hear about the redundancy, hope you find a nice job!

[dave_mc]

sorry to hear that.

never worked in a guitar shop, so can't help there. I'd be wary of what nfe says about getting bored of guitars- I'm not sure I'd want my job to be my main hobby in case it took all the fun out of it. Finding something that you like tolerably well is possibly better. Then again, if you've tried the stuff you like tolerably well and hate doing a job with that... :lol:

[IntenseJim]

+++ vibes. Very tough but your attitude is commendable.

[38thBeatle]

Sorry to learn about your job but I agree that your positive attitude is great and I hope you find something else.

[AndyR]

Yep sorry to hear about the job - but kudos to you on the attitude.

Not sure I'd want to work in a music shop myself, but I thoroughly agree with you - if you wanna do something music related, do it now, while a) you're young (less cr@p & commitments tying you down) and the option seems more open to you, b) your current route has just been closed, and c) right at the moment everything else is a bit tight anyway, so the option looks marginally less risky than it usually does when compared to "proper jobs" our elders and betters seem to favour... :lol:

Good luck :D

On this bit, nfe:

Also, in my experience, the more good gear your shop has, the more intolerably boring your place of work becomes. Less good gear tends to equal more good chat, for some reason  :lol:

Do you reckon it might be a "shared GAS" chat-thing going on between you and the punters, which just isn't possible if you've actually got the good gear in the room with you? :lol:

[Plexi Ken]

Sorry about the bad news but your attitude is great  :)

[nfe]

Yep sorry to hear about the job - but kudos to you on the attitude.

Not sure I'd want to work in a music shop myself, but I thoroughly agree with you - if you wanna do something music related, do it now, while a) you're young (less cr@p & commitments tying you down) and the option seems more open to you, b) your current route has just been closed, and c) right at the moment everything else is a bit tight anyway, so the option looks marginally less risky than it usually does when compared to "proper jobs" our elders and betters seem to favour... :lol:

Good luck :D

On this bit, nfe:

Also, in my experience, the more good gear your shop has, the more intolerably boring your place of work becomes. Less good gear tends to equal more good chat, for some reason  :lol:

Do you reckon it might be a "shared GAS" chat-thing going on between you and the punters, which just isn't possible if you've actually got the good gear in the room with you? :lol:

I think it's probably more that the less good gear you have, the less chat you have about gear.  :lol: And when you spend 40 hours a week in a music shop, you do get intensely bored of talking about guitars. The folks that come in to us know what they're after, or are beginners for the most part. We don't have guys coming in wanting to chat about why this Tom Anderson is different from this Suhr and the benefits of each. We get guys who need to buy a back up strat for the band they're on tour with and what gigs have we been to recently and do we want guesties and did you see the football last night.

[bucketshred]

NFE, where do you work? If I'm ever in your part of the world I'm coming up.

I worked as a guitar teacher for 18 months and did a little bit of sales too. Boring as Hell. Teaching the kiddies how to play 'American Idiot' 10 times a day and the oldies how to play BritPop (I'm not much of a fan). Talking about guitars all the time was boring too, especially when we only carried a few high range instruments and then rest was low to mid stuff.

I also hated when the other sales guys would show off to clueless customers. Playing 'Trilogy Suite Op. 5' to demo a cheapy Squier is impressive to someone buying their kid a guitar but it doesn't reeeeeally help them get a quality instrument. Especially when they played it through a half decent amp.

Paddy

[nfe]

Reverb in Glasgow, mate.

And I agree, as a punter, I've walked out of shops before because someone's felt compelled to play at me when I've been interested in a guitar, rather than just give me the instrument.

I've worked with various salesmen who do it and it drives me up the wall.