Holiday Buying Season

With over 80 percent of respondents in this month’s dealer survey reporting that between 16-50 percent of their annual sales take place during the holiday season, you’d be hard pressed to characterize this time of year as being “unimportant.”

However… the larger trends being reported are not quite so sunny as that figure might suggest. The vast majority not only cite declining holiday sales due to (wait for it…) competition from online and big-box retailers (shocking, no?), but beyond that, many note that the “season” which used to extend from late November into early January, is now barely longer than a week or two.

“Nothing happens on Black Friday,” says Larry Gosch of Auburn, California’s Encore Music Center. “Serious buying doesn’t start until the middle of December.”

Nonetheless, these weeks can represent a cornerstone for any MI dealer’s business – this year and for months and years down the line. As Anthony Mantova of Mantova’s Two Street Music in Eureka, California notes, “We have an obligation to capture the Christmas sale, because in some cases its the only opportunity to meet families that otherwise don’t shop with you. If you save a persons’ Christmas, you earn their business for years to come.”

“Most often before the customer comes into our store they have researched the product and have searched for the lowest possible price. In order to make the sale it is necessary to match prices. Profit margin is down, while costs continue to rise.”

Marie Fritz

Fritz Pianos & Organs, Inc.

St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania

“They have been decreasing. The young people have so many choices available to them. Parents too often by low-end pianos or digitals that don’t inspire.”

Richard Robitaille

Robitaille’s Piano Sales Service Turner, Maine

“Yes, people comparatively shop price on the Internet, and/ or just outright buy on the Internet due to ease of use. That astounds me since a musical instrument is such a personal thing that needs to be seen, touched, and played before buying.”

Greg Allen

Long Island Drum Center

Nyack, New York

“Box stores doing cheaper introductory items of not good quality makes it hard to compete with decent products. House brand guitars and keyboards, in particular.”

Ed Magruder

Musician’s Warehouse

Athens, Georgia

“Guitar Center and Amazon have sucked up the profitable items and turned them into very-low profit commodities.”

Erik Lifchez

Musician Supply Lexington, South Carolina

“Drum set sales have improved, Step-up Band sales have improved, Digital Keyboard sales have improved, Guitar packs (both electric and acoustic) have slowed, and higher priced acoustic guitars have improved.”

Mike Guillot Mississippi Music, Inc. Flowood, Mississippi

“People ask for unusual items at the last moment. It seems like they exhaust all other methods of shopping, then think of something as a side note and call us. Most of the time if we don’t have it ,we can order and get it in by Christmas More online shopping presses us to seek items that are more impulsive or specialized.”

Jon Patton

Patton Music

Newburgh, Indiana

“More sales are concentrated into the few weeks before Christmas. Black Friday weekend is not what it once was, even with heavy promotion and sale events.”

Ray Aleshire

Elderly Instruments

Lansing, Michigan

“Big purchases happen later and later each year. The ‘holiday rush’ has been compressed into the week leading up to the holiday.”

Spidey Mulrooney

The Music Shop

Southington, Colorado

“The sales days around Thanksgiving have absolutely no effect on us whatsoever. We could be closed for Thanksgiving. Our holiday sales happen in December.”

Drew Parker

Separk Music

Lewisville, North Carolina

“Emerging trend is not good. Guitar sales seem to be taking the biggest hit. Younger players seem to be more interested in computer equipment and video games than music.”

Kevin Walters

Central Penn Music Palmyra, Pennsylvania