Walking Into A Brick & Mortar High End Audio Store

I'm going to chime in here since I think my earlier comments helped fuel the fire of this thread. I've only been in this hobby about 5 or 6 years even though I've worked in the audio/video production field for over 20 years.

I stated that when I go visit a HiFi shop I go in with a purpose; to audition some gear. I carry my CDs with me and explain that I'm auditioning, for example speakers, and what do they have in a certain price range.
I've adopted this practice after salesmen showed little or no interest in helping me when I was "tire-kicking." Many times I have asked to see some gear and the salesman would set it up and leave the room...there was no interest on his part to ask what components I owned or to have a dialogue with me. Many times the shop was empty, but I still had to go and find the salesguy to ask a question.

When I visit a shop, I'm not pretending to buy anything and it is part of the sales staff's job to try to sell me something. The shop should welcome a customer in these days where money is tight and budgets are lower. And the people in sales should know that their job carries certain risks such as not making a sale that day or losing a sale to another salesman because he has devoted his time to someone like myself.

As I stated earier, this is a hobby and a business where there is constant upgrading on the client's part and a good salesman should want me to return and to refer others to his shop.

A far as B&M stores are concerned I can vouch for the store that I have been going to for 18 years or so and that store is Audio Connection in Verona N.J. It's run by John Rutan and I must say that I feel extremley fortunate to have access to an establishment like this so near to my home. It's an audio store like no other that I've ever been to. John is also like no other store owner I've ever encountered. He's INTO AUDIO! just like WE ARE!! Of course he runs a business that sells certain brands, etc, but he's a fan of the hobby and has been his entire life, with a wealth of knowledge about the gear past and present.

And also as far as service is concerned, he's bent over backwards to make sure that as a customer, I'm satisfied with the products that I've gotten from him. Just last week I had a tube blow on one of my Quicksilver Amps and he promptly called me after I texted him about it. After diagnosing an issue I had when I replaced the tube, he offered to meet me at the store, (Way after store hours) and take a look. I took him up on his offer and he fixed the amp then and there, and we then proceeded to have a listen and chat a bit. To me this an excellent example of B&M Audio Store owner that is there for his customers. John and his staff at Audio Connection are "real". It's a great place to audition gear, talk audio and even better, to be a loyal customer. That's all I am, a loyal and appreciative customer.

AudioConnection is far beyond B&M for sure.

Agreed. I was a customer for years before I moved west. Great guy.

I want to know where you guys go to "waste" the salesmen's time, because I went into two B&M audio stores in San Francisco and Berkeley and could not get anyone in either place to talk to me, much less try to sell me anything. And, I was there to buy a phono stage! My experience with audio sales clerks is that they would rather listen to the gear in the store and chat with their fellow salesmen than try to sell anything. B&M stores are dying out and it is IMHO due to surly, pretentious sales clerks who couldn't sell ice cream on a hot day! My two cents.