Klarinet Archive - Posting 000499.txt from 1999/07

From: "O'Neile & Fisher" <redcedar@-----.au>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Artist quality instruments from local stores
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 01:47:51 -0400

Patty's suggestion has a certain appeal, but I suspect it would not be
pursued by the mail order houses as they rely upon volume and minimum
adminstration to keep prices low. The moment a mail order house is required
to secondarily deal with countless repairers, geographically spread, and
varying numbers of instruments, the administration costs would rocket and
their prices would need to hike as well, making that business line
relatively uneconomic vis-a-vis their on-going competitors who concentrate
on pushing boxes out the door.

Michael

At 01:46 PM 16/7/99 -0400, you 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...)
>Patty Smith
>
>
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