Guitar Center reviews

the entry level pay is very low and the hours demand a lot of dedication....hard to balance other things in your life

It is EXTREMELY difficult to make money at Guitar Center - particularly in the drum shop. Drums are marked up at a lower margin, we get less traffic than other departments, and drums are a bigger investment than most other instruments, making them harder to sell. Worse still, at some stores, if you don't meet your goals, you lose your job. Guitar Center advertises an environment that supports working musicians, but, if you're any good at your job like I was, you won't be permitted to take weekend evenings off for gigs. Don't misunderstand my criticism - it makes sense that a business wants its star players working during peak hours, but a musician's peak (and often exclusive) working hours are weekend evenings. The bottom line is: if you want to be a musician, don't plan on working at Guitar Center for long. It's fine to get some discounted gear and make some connections, but it's simply not conducive to a music career.