Only 88%

[Leevibe]

I worked at the local competitor chain (Daddy's Junky Music) in NH. There are 3 Guitar Centers within 30 min of my house and still refuse to go there. A while ago (last year) I went to GC to trade in some Cymbal stands and they offered me $10 a piece for my like new $150 Tama Road pro stands. I laughed in the kid's face and told him to get bent. 2 weeks later the manager emailed me and offered me $50 each store credit and i turned it down and told him i would never shop there again. I still have not set foot in there. That place is a joke, It's the K-Mart of Music stores. +1 for the "mom and pops' places!

I understand your position.  I can clarify that I dislike the chain (in general I don't like what large chains have done to local business people), but happen to like the manager and some of the employees of the closest GC to me (Danvers, MA).  They all seem to be local musicians trying to cover expenses with a day job.

My late son got the drum kit of his dreams for his Make-A-Wish - a very high-end DW kit with a ton of Zildjian cymbals and hard storage/transport cases.  I'm not sure I ever discussed Steve on this forum, he died of cancer at the age of 15 - his 10th anniversary is this Friday, the 14th.

About 15 months ago I finally decided to do something with the kit.  At first I couldn't decide whether to donate it to a school or charity, or sell it and donate the cash.  One of my investigative stops was to the drum department of GC to see if they could help me figure out what it was worth.  I was VERY clear that I was leaning towards donating it rather than selling it, but knowing the value would help me decide.  An employee there spent about 2 hours researching every component of the set, found the wholesale & current retail values, and gave me a detailed list with both.  During this process he got the drum department manager and the store manager involved.  Both made it clear that there were no strings attached to the time they put into this, and that they would buy any or all components at the wholesale price they provided.  I was really moved by their help.  They even suggested a charity that might be interested in taking the set.  So clearly I have mixed feelings.

I'm saddened to hear about what you went through with your son. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through that. How cool that good help can even be found in as unlikely a place as GC. Good people show up everywhere. Blessings as you relive tough memories this week.