Klarinet Archive - Posting 000484.txt from 1999/07

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Artist quality instruments from local stores
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 19:35:53 -0400

At 01:46 PM 7/16/1999 -0400, Patty Smith wrote:
>Bill, I'm glad you described your situation in your stores. I think
>sometimes all of us forget that music stores have to make money to stay in
>business, and that inventory not sold is money that cannot be used in doing
>business. I took a beginning business course this past winter, along with
>beginning accounting, and though by no means knowlegeable, I certainly
>gained an understanding of how any business must operate in order to serve
>its customers and continue to make a living and a profit for it's owner(s).
>I wonder if it would be possible for, perhaps, a local retailer to enter
>into some sort of service agreement with a mail-order seller of horns, so
>that the buyer of such a horn could get it serviced locally, AND the local
>repair provider would be paid a reasonable price for doing the work, either
>as an independent contractor, by the piece or, not likely, by labor time.
>Also, the agreement could be between the repair provider and the mail order
>house, with the provider acting as an independent contractor, paying perhaps
>a small fee to the local store for use of space and materials; or, the
>agreement could be between the mail order house and the store, with the mail
>order house providing a service addendum to the customer, then paying most
>of that to the local store, with the repair provider remaining a shop
>employee.
>Just some thoughts...I hope all of you stay in business, because none of us
>would get far without the choices you all afford usThe only people I'd ever
>wish out of business would be those who do not serve their
>clientele...(those'shops' you spoke of...)
>
The problem with your idea is that it would steal from the more lucrative
sales end of the business to feed the relatively less profitable repair
business. Not a good tradeoff. For a local independent repair shop, not
affiliated with a store, to work out such an agreement might not be a bad
idea. But it would take an awful lot of small independent shops to cover
the vast territory served by the mail order houses. If you limit it to
just a few in the big cities, you are back to most people having to ship
horns to be repaired again!

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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