http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/06/15/are-guitar-center-employees-less-horrible-now Comments On: Are Guitar Center Employees Less Horrible Now? by Bree McKenna en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Tue, 21 May 2013 07:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by antiuser]]> Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:47:46 -0800 The Stranger
I waltzed into GC just yesterday. Everytime I have to go there, I am nervous, because when I walk in, I always feel self-conscious, to be honest. Which is RIDICULOUS, because I am a professional musician. LOL. I was looking for a specific item, and I didn't want to go searching for it, so I waited in a short line to talk to one of the salespeople in the pro-audio section. He was very nice, but he kind of gave me this "look", like, "Ohhhh this sweet innocent young girl who doesn't know what she's doing" (Ladies, I know you know that "look"), and he got the item and sent it to the cashier. I'm pretty sure he whispered something to him before he checked me out, and the cashier said, "Is this it for you Sweetie"? Unless you are my boyfriend, please don't call me Sweetie.

Even if you don't have an experience quite like that, Guitar Center tends to have a chauvenistic, sometimes misogynistic air about it, and I hope it will change. Meanwhile, if that means having to assert myself or "prove" myself when I go to GC, I will. I am just as qualified, just as talented a musician as a man is.

I pray that God's will be done here on Earth one day, and I believe it will- men and women are beautifully created equally in His eyes! :)
Posted by kambermusic]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:13:11 -0800 The Stranger
I waltzed into GC just yesterday. Everytime I have to go there, I am nervous, because when I walk in, I always feel self-conscious, to be honest. Which is RIDICULOUS, because I am a professional musician. LOL. I was looking for a specific item, and I didn't want to go searching for it, so I waited in a short line to talk to one of the salespeople in the pro-audio section. He was very nice, but he kind of gave me this "look", like, "Ohhhh this sweet innocent young girl who doesn't know what she's doing" (Ladies, I know you know that "look"), and he got the item and sent it to the cashier. I'm pretty sure he whispered something to him before he checked me out, and the cashier said, "Is this it for you Sweetie"? Unless you are my boyfriend, please don't call me Sweetie.

Even if you don't have an experience quite like that, Guitar Center tends to have a chauvenistic, sometimes misogynistic air about it, and I hope it will change. Meanwhile, if that means having to assert myself or "prove" myself when I go to GC, I will. I am just as qualified, just as talented a musician as a man is.

I pray that God's will be done here on Earth one day, and I believe it will- men and women are beautifully created equally in His eyes! :)
Posted by kambermusic]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:11:23 -0800 The Stranger
kzaloba@yahoo.com

Posted by Kevin Zaloba]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:24:16 -0800 The Stranger
kzaloba@yahoo.com

Posted by Kevin Zaloba]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:20:57 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Stacey Spencer]]> Sat, 21 Jul 2012 21:00:09 -0700 The Stranger
I'm a little late to the party here, but this is Stacey Spencer - I am the store manager of Guitar Center Seattle. As a female drummer, long time touring musician, and employee of GC for about a decade, I can totally sympathize with a lot of what you all are saying. This industry has such a long history of sexism, and guitar shops have historically been the worst culprits. The cool thing is that GC is taking a strong, public stance to address the problem and legitimately working to get better. I am one of the contributors to this effort, and I am always open to hearing feedback and suggestions on how we can get improve. I can be found easily at http://stores.guitarcenter.com/seattle - and my door is always open! Feel free to track me down next time you're in the shop, because I love meeting fellow female musicians.

Thanks for helping make this community of ours a better place to make music,

Stacey
Posted by Stacey Spencer]]> Sat, 21 Jul 2012 20:57:35 -0700 The Stranger I'm a little late to the party here - but my name is Stacey Spencer and I am the store manager of GC Seattle. As a female drummer, long time touring musician, and employee of GC for about a decade, I can totally sympathize with a lot of what you all are talking about. This industry has such a history of sexism, and guitar shops are often the worst culprits. The cool thing is that GC is making strong, public efforts to lead the charge in getting better. I am a big contributor to this effort, and I would LOVE to hear any specific feedback directly at any time. I can be found easily at http://stores.guitarcenter.com/Seattle - and my door is always open!

Thanks for making this community of ours a better place to make music.

Stacey
Posted by blacksheepstacey]]> Sat, 21 Jul 2012 20:48:10 -0700 The Stranger Posted by he whose ox is gored]]> Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:32:21 -0700 The Stranger Posted by paulus]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:28:18 -0700 The Stranger Posted by tallchris]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:25:01 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Casual_Observer]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:07:31 -0700 The Stranger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMqucWNMY…

A bunch of dudes, a girl in the acoustic guitar room who "Really wants to learn to play!" and the other girl with the keyboards.
Posted by virginia mason]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:49:46 -0700 The Stranger Posted by paulus]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:34:34 -0700 The Stranger Posted by DavidG]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:32:56 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Silky Pete]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:46:33 -0700 The Stranger
I also overheard a salesman helping two women ask, "So, are there any dudes in your band?" When they said "Yes," He said "Awesome." Like, how is that awesome?

The sexism there was pretty bizarre. I always left there feeling like I'd time travelled back to the 50s. I wanted to blurt out, "Surprise, girls do things!"

But there are some cool women that work there, as well as one guy who treated me like a normal person.
Posted by virginia mason]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:59:13 -0700 The Stranger Posted by mega69420]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:52:28 -0700 The Stranger
Honestly, I'd just prefer if no one came up and talked to me the few times a year I go to Guitar Center (usually on tour to replace something that broke or went missing or to kill time).
Posted by tallchris]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:40:02 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Estey]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:08:28 -0700 The Stranger Posted by paulus]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:59:40 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Erin Resso]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:57:32 -0700 The Stranger