Good bye, WWBW...

[Roger Lewis]

My apologies. I was gone by the end of February and was not aware of the lease extension.

Sorry for the mis-information.
Roger

[Leto Cruise]

Liquidation

A word for saying "Our merchandise will be extremely cheap" am I right? Just my 2 cents.

[BVD Press]

Liquidation

A word for saying "Our merchandise will be extremely cheap" am I right? Just my 2 cents.

Probably correct, but it is also what is left when liquidation begins. You can probably get a lifetime supply of valve oil for fairly cheap!

[Rochester2013]

Liquidation

A word for saying "Our merchandise will be extremely cheap" am I right? Just my 2 cents.

It is a sad situation, but I think my bank account will take a hit when liquidation starts. Same 'upside' to Borders closing. Went there yesterday 40-60% off.

[Rev Rob]

It is a sad situation, but I think my bank account will take a hit when liquidation starts. Same 'upside' to Borders closing. Went there yesterday 40-60% off.

Books are a little different than large brass musical instruments. You pay $28.00 for a book with a print run in the millions and you pay $5,750 for a tuba with a manufacturing run of hundreds. Tubas have a specialized and small customer base, which purchases relatively expensive musical instruments. The inventory can be sold easily and profitably to other musical retailers rather than be liquidated at fire sale prices.

Even if they were to offer lets say a new Miraphone 1292s for $3500.00, they would quickly get snatched up, but how many would buy a tuba just because it was a quality tuba at a fire sale price, rather than purchasing it because there was a genuine desire and need?

Just asking - inquiring minds want to know.

[PMeuph]

It is a sad situation, but I think my bank account will take a hit when liquidation starts. Same 'upside' to Borders closing. Went there yesterday 40-60% off.

Books are a little different than large brass musical instruments. You pay $28.00 for a book with a print run in the millions and you pay $5,750 for a tuba with a manufacturing run of hundreds. Tubas have a specialized and small customer base, which purchases relatively expensive musical instruments. The inventory can be sold easily and profitably to other musical retailers rather than be liquidated at fire sale prices.

Even if they were to offer lets say a new Miraphone 1292s for $3500.00, they would quickly get snatched up, but how many would buy a tuba just because it was a quality tuba at a fire sale price, rather than purchasing it because there was a genuine desire and need?

Just asking - inquiring minds want to know.

Good Point... But don't forget that there are plenty of other items of interests (Mouthpieces, Gigbags, Stands,...) that could potentially interest us. I don't see myself buying another horn, but I will certainly be looking at mouthpieces, bags, and what not...YMMV

[cambrook]

I'm sure we'll all be watching with interest to see if there are good "liquidation" specials, but unlike Borders where the whole business is closing, this appears to be just the closing of the South Bend store. Most stuff is held in the KC warehouse anyway, so it will be easy for them to take some (most? all?) stuff from SB to KC if they don't get a reasonable price for it.

I'll be looking though:-)

[Dan Schultz]

WWBW is simply closing a storefront. I don't think there will be a 'liquidation' sale or any other sales for that matter. All of the merchandise will be absorbed into their catalog and on-line ventures. They've always been good at selling their 'B' merchandise and getting rid of the 'dud' stuff.

I don't know what's gone on there in recent years but they used to have a pretty fair repair department. I wonder if any of THAT equipment will be for sale.

[SousaSaver]

I don't know what's gone on there in recent years but they used to have a pretty fair repair department. I wonder if any of THAT equipment will be for sale.

Hmmmmm.......me too.

[ckalaher1]

I'm sure that high dollar stock (i.e. tubas) will be sold through other venues in the company's chain. Can't see them liquidating what they can sell online.

It's a bad situation for those who lost jobs, for sure. For the musical instrument crowd, it's a shame that we won't have a place to go and play before we pay. Just plain sucks for all of those involved.

[normrowe]

Is it an opportunity for another company? Not in this economy!

It's an opportunity for sales for existing companies.

When WWBW is gone, there will still be people who want to buy the goods WWBW used to sell. They will now take their business to other stores like BBC, Dillons, Horn Guys, etc. And those other companies could benefit and get more sales from less competition. I would NOT expect another separate company to start up to try to catch these former WWBW customers.

The problem though isn't that the shoppers have no place to buy those goods. The problem is that the 115 jobs that are cut are gone for good. It ain't like BBC or Dillon's is understaffed and looking to exponentially grow their staff.

It has little to do with the economy. The problem here as I see it is that there are very few folks out there in cyberland who are willing to pay a few extra bucks for such things as personal service and the luxury of 'play before you buy'. Everyone seems to be consumed by the Walmart mentality of try it and take it back if you don't like it.

Any retail worth their salt is worthy of being paid for their time, trouble, and investment.

I have a very small store in a very small town. Companies like WWBW buy in such huge quantities and get resultant volume prices (direct from the manufacturer) that they can sell their stuff online for what I have to pay for it through a distributor (sometimes for less than what it would cost me). I can't carry instruments: no room, insufficient capital, too many makes/models to try to begin to anticipate what the maybe half dozen potential buyers might want, and inability to compete with WWBW. For smaller things - clarinet reeds, for example - people will go to WWBW to price them, then come tell me they want such-and-such a reed and they can get it online with free shipping for such-and-such a price. I go look it up in one or more of my suppliers' catalogs and see that the WWBW price is about what I have to pay or, if my price is somewhat less, by the time I have to pay my supplier's S&H I can't make anything.

My customers get knowledgeable and personal service, but like you said, most people don't want to pay for that. Thing is, apparently it's only a closure of the retail front, not the entire business. They'll still be offering online the stuff I have at prices I can't really compete with and make anything. The only advantage I have is that I'm here and if they need a couple of reeds for tonight's concert, I can provide them whereas WWBW can't get them here that fast. If WWBW totally closed up, I might pick up some business, but as long as there are other outfits online that do what they've been doing online, I still have an uphill battle.

[Dan Schultz]

I guess I'm really set in my ways; Any repair tools that I've bought lately (last few years) have been really expensive, and I don't even use them.

WHAT! Do you mean that new 12 pound sledge is just sitting in the corner... unused?

[Dean E]

Sad to hear... but failure of big businesses can be opportunity for small businesses as well.

True. They're on the auction site selling electronics accessories and gadgets for under US$ 5, with reliable, free shipping from Hong Kong.

[Lee Stofer]

A brick-and-mortar location business will have trouble competing with an online entity, particularly in lower-priced goods. WWBW was actually competing with itself, and the online portion seems to have won.

I am just thankful that I have enough loyal customers to keep me busy, even in very difficult economic times. I am in the process of creating a separate small retail showroom next door to the shop building. This will not be large or glitzy, but I think it will be sustainable growth.

[gwwilk]

A brick-and-mortar location business will have trouble competing with an online entity, particularly in lower-priced goods. WWBW was actually competing with itself, and the online portion seems to have won.

I am just thankful that I have enough loyal customers to keep me busy, even in very difficult economic times. I am in the process of creating a separate small retail showroom next door to the shop building. This will not be large or glitzy, but I think it will be sustainable growth.

+1