High End Online

jaxwired

I spoke to a dealer today that was really ticked off about Bryston authorizing online sales. Apparently audioadvisor owns the online market for Bryston. A few months back I noticed that NAD was now available via crutchfield. It would seem that we are nearing a turning point where many of the more expensive 2 channel audio brands will start authorizing online sellers.

This makes sense given the lack of representation by brick and mortar stores. Online retail is the only way for them to reach their entire market. I think many brands will quickly follow suit over the next year or two.

BUT, they will have to address their prices for this to make sense. Products should be discounted to reflect the lower retail cost of online sellers, not to mention the very different level of service provided to the buyer.

SolidSqual

I like to buy online because of the convenience, period. If I just visited the locally audio shops, I'd have access to a limited amount of gear and a reduction in the value of my dollar.

jaxwired

I see the future of high end audio being mostly an online ecommerce business. Outside of the largest metro areas, there is just not enough demand for 2 channel audio to support traditional stereo stores.

I see most brands allowing online authorized sales. The downside, of course, is the lack of demo. This will be addressed with liberal return policies. Full refund for 30 days. That is how audio advisor will earn their 40% commision. Let me return what I don't like. No restocking fee, no penalty (and no hassel, don't make me beg for an RA#).

Any manufacturer that continues to ban internet sales will suffer. Other than super high end, online sales makes good sense. I can see people buying Bryston gear in droves online (assuming a liberal return policy). Super high end companies like Wilson Audio will have to stick with the few remaining B&M stores. But for most gear, online should work pretty well.

comfortablycurt

jaxwired wrote: »

I see the future of high end audio being mostly an online ecommerce business. Outside of the largest metro areas, there is just not enough demand for 2 channel audio to support traditional stereo stores.

I see most brands allowing online authorized sales. The downside, of course, is the lack of demo. This will be addressed with liberal return policies. Full refund for 30 days. That is how audio advisor will earn their 40% commision. Let me return what I don't like. No restocking fee, no penalty (and no hassel, don't make me beg for an RA#).

Any manufacturer that continues to ban internet sales will suffer. Other than super high end, online sales makes good sense. I can see people buying Bryston gear in droves online (assuming a liberal return policy). Super high end companies like Wilson Audio will have to stick with the few remaining B&M stores. But for most gear, online should work pretty well.

+1

This is a market with a very specific niche. High end audio stores only really make sense in larger areas. If a store around me was to open up selling truly high end gear, they'd have me in there window shopping(and probably not buying anything), and like 3 other customers. They wouldn't do well.

Not to mention that your options are really limited when buying in store. Typically stores will only carry 3-5 different brands, and they'll push them on you to no end.

I'll take my chances buying online. Sure, you don't get to hear it first...but you can get a pretty good handle on what a piece is going to sound like if you really do your research.

Knucklehead

They have to keep up with the BOSE marketing machine somehow.

rcrook317

SolidSqual wrote: »

I like to buy online because of the convenience, period. If I just visited the locally audio shops, I'd have access to a limited amount of gear and a reduction in the value of my dollar.

exactly why i walked out of the last hi-fi store and never looked back.
online info/prices are way better than brick and mortar...just the wave of the future

LuSh

A question to all of you who are in favor or think Online sales are the solution.

In a land far far away...PolkAudioLand... you're a manufacture of high end equipment. Most of your expenses are catered to designing, developing and manufacturing product. You have a very small advertising budget. How do you get your product to market without a dealer? How does an online retailer help you? How does the consumer listen to your product? Who champions your product for you? How can your small up-and-coming company afford a 'return policy'?

Hi End audio is like any other niche market, it relies on building relationships and selling through experience and service. Online pricing and info? Pricing perhaps, info? You're joking right?

SolidSqual

LuSh wrote: »

A question to all of you who are in favor or think Online sales are the solution.

In a land far far away...PolkAudioLand... you're a manufacture of high end equipment. Most of your expenses are catered to designing, developing and manufacturing product. You have a very small advertising budget. How do you get your product to market without a dealer? How does an online retailer help you? How does the consumer listen to your product? Who champions your product for you? How can your small up-and-coming company afford a 'return policy'?

Hi End audio is like any other niche market, it relies on building relationships and selling through experience and service. Online pricing and info? Pricing perhaps, info? You're joking right?

You are right and wrong. High-End audio requires building relationships and selling through experience and service, but it does not require a B&M. Underwood HiFi is a prime example. Walter Liederman, the owner, has a wealth of experience and is actually the first dealer of any gear who has really given me what I want while at the same time teaching me new things and how to better appreciate this hobby. He doesn't push gear that he knows won't work for you, he works with you until you have exactly what you want.

You want some small companies whose online presence allows them to compete with big name brands? How about BAT, Emerald Physics, Wyred4Sound, AudioSpace, Wavelength Audio, Dodd Audio, ModWright and there's more. Granted, most of these brands can't be purchased via a checkout cart, but the majority of their sales begin with a website hit which leads to an email exchange that receives a phone call which ultimately carries the potential of building a lasting relationship and many sales.

Walter Liederman has received tons of cash from me over the years. He's also become a friend who I call every month just to say what's up. These kinds of relationships are the foundation of his business, and he knows it. That's why he continues to run it as he does. That being said, he's given up his B&M in Georgia, moved his stock to a warehouse and retired to Hawaii where he does all his business between email and phone.

If there's one thing I've learned in this hobby, it's that a system only sounds as good as your room. A sweet system will sound amazing in a handcrafted engineer tested listening lounge, but may fall apart in or overwhelm my listening space. Walter gives a 30 day return guarantee on many products or discounts if you forgo this luxury. In doing so, Walter and some others like him have provided a solution to the ultimate disappointment of dropping serious change on a system that you've only heard in someone else's pad.

Night, I'm tired. Mike.

LuSh

You've illustrated a niche within a niche. I don't believe HiFi can survive online. I believe many many companies would sink in a very short time if they went online. It's not the retail aspect its the manufactures. They wouldn't be able to get their message out without a dealer network. It's a cost vs reward. In niche industries this always applies, how HiFi could attempt to break this rule is beyond me. Believe me Bryston, Naim, Krell, SimAudio, Classe, B&W, Dynaudio, Blue Circle, Rowland, Copland, Creek, etc..etc...etc would sink not swim. They're message would be lost.

Montoya

I went to a local brick and mortar hifi store here in Houston they never have any 2 channel gear to demo. They carry it but have no demos only for home theater. Went looking for a specific amp was told they don't demo it because they can't keep them on the shelf even the demos sold but somehow he had only one left in the warehouse. Why is it they always only have one left? Honestly I hate going to the brick and mortars because they pressure you and they don't have time for you if your comparison shopping. One place the guy swore up and down that best buy carried rotel gear and it was the lower grade rotel I guess he was confused with walmart they carry rotel canned tomatoes. LoL Half the time they don't know **** from tat.

jaxwired

Montoya wrote: »

I went to a local brick and mortar hifi store here in Houston they never have any 2 channel gear to demo. They carry it but have no demos only for home theater. Went looking for a specific amp was told they don't demo it because they can't keep them on the shelf even the demos sold but somehow he had only one left in the warehouse. Why is it they always only have one left? Honestly I hate going to the brick and mortars because they pressure you and they don't have time for you if your comparison shopping. One place the guy swore up and down that best buy carried rotel gear and it was the lower grade rotel I guess he was confused with walmart they carry rotel canned tomatoes. LoL Half the time they don't know **** from tat.

Pretty much my experience from B&M stores as well. For 2 channel customers they're horrible.

Dawgfish

Jaxwired,

Could you please give me the names of some of the decent hifi stores in the Jacksonville area? I live about an hour north of Jax on St. Simons Island, GA. I used to hit Sound Advice when they were still in business, but since they went out of business, I have not been to another Hifi shop in Jax. There is a really great hi-end store in Savannnah that I love to go to, but I can get to Jax a little quicker than Savannah. Thanks in advance.

Steve

SolidSqual

LuSh wrote: »

You've illustrated a niche within a niche. I don't believe HiFi can survive online. I believe many many companies would sink in a very short time if they went online. It's not the retail aspect its the manufactures. They wouldn't be able to get their message out without a dealer network. It's a cost vs reward. In niche industries this always applies, how HiFi could attempt to break this rule is beyond me. Believe me Bryston, Naim, Krell, SimAudio, Classe, B&W, Dynaudio, Blue Circle, Rowland, Copland, Creek, etc..etc...etc would sink not swim. They're message would be lost.

It's hard to say which companies will survive in this market, but those who adapt will have a better chance.

jaxwired

Dawgfish wrote: »

Jaxwired,

Could you please give me the names of some of the decent hifi stores in the Jacksonville area? I live about an hour north of Jax on St. Simons Island, GA. I used to hit Sound Advice when they were still in business, but since they went out of business, I have not been to another Hifi shop in Jax. There is a really great hi-end store in Savannnah that I love to go to, but I can get to Jax a little quicker than Savannah. Thanks in advance.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I only know of 3 stores that actually have product to demo and none of them have a big selection. But they do have some quality 2 channel gear that can be demoed.

Sound Installation on Sunbeam road actually offered me an extremely good discount on their new B&W merchandise. They have B&W and Classe gear mostly. They don't have a web site but here is there # Tel: (904) 732-7486

Then there is Hoyt Stereo: www.hoytstereo.com
Hoyt also has B&W, Def Tech, Bryston & Rotel. They are mostly home theater though, so they have very little 2 channel demo gear. They do have most of the B&W speakers available for demo though.

Finally, there is House of stereo: www.houseofstereo.com
This is a high end store. They are nice people and do have equipment to demo. They carry BAT, Monitor Audio, Magnepan, Arcam.

All 3 of these stores represent minimal shells of what a stereo store was like 20 years ago.

Like most stereo stores that have turned to home theater to stay in business, they list many brands that they are authorized dealers for, but they mostly just order these products for a given HT installation. They don't stock most of the gear.

pearsall001

Seems to me that B&M shops are closing up at an alarming rate. If they didn't make the switch from 2 channel to HT (competition probably closed a bunch of them too) they probably closed their doors a long time ago. ID (internet direct) companies are becoming even more dominate & look like their here to stay.

I'm tired of walking into B&M shops & they have nothing you're looking for in stock...of course they can order it for you. No thanks. Half of these equipment, speaker companies out there wouldn't even be on most folks radar if it wasn't for the 'net. It's a shame but it is what it is.

Montoya

I don't mind if the store has to order the item my biggest complaint is the lack of the in store demo. Without that your left to the mercy of reviews and networking to try to get an insight to what the component has to offer. In my opinion getting a real live demo is only second best to having it in your home for a demo.

Dawgfish

Jaxwired,

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

Steve

Erik Tracy

Montoya wrote: »

I don't mind if the store has to order the item my biggest complaint is the lack of the in store demo. Without that your left to the mercy of reviews and networking to try to get an insight to what the component has to offer. In my opinion getting a real live demo is only second best to having it in your home for a demo.

This only works if a potential buyer then commits to purchasing from the store.

Too many times though people take the cheap-screw approach...demo the equipment at the B&M store then go on line to find the cheapest price leaving the B&M owner out in the cold and out of a deal - no wonder they are all closing so fast.

rcrook317

ive been to several stores lately...all only had extemely highend gear...which is out of most peoples range and nothing else to demo,you have to know exactly what u want before walking in there...so im not joking.......theres more info online and better prices

jaxwired

Erik Tracy wrote: »

This only works if a potential buyer then commits to purchasing from the store.

Too many times though people take the cheap-screw approach...demo the equipment at the B&M store then go on line to find the cheapest price leaving the B&M owner out in the cold and out of a deal - no wonder they are all closing so fast.

While I'm not denying that this happens, for high end gear, I don't think this has been a big factor. Many brands do not allow authorized internet sales. There is pretty good compliance with this mandate from my experience. So for many brands it would be hard to go buy the product onlline (at least if you want the warranty honored).

LuSh

I will visit this forum 3 years from now and read all the threads of how online buying is too difficult and remember 'the good ole' days' when you could actually listen to a piece of gear in order to make up your mind. How most of the information posted online is unreliable and you're relying on somebody else's ears. Then there will be other threads posted asking where half the fidelity companies went as they are forced to close up shop because they don't have the marketing budgets that are required to compete with the established brand names without dealer support.

It actually relates to my biggest pet peeve...CD purchasing. I have over many years purchased physical media. All my friends told me I was crazy for buying at Brick and Mortar when I could download for free. Then the question of quality came about, now those same people complain to me that they pop into their local HMV and wonder why their isn't the selection there once was. They wonder why they can't pop into a store on a whim and purchase something and take it home.

When I purchase music now it's a planned transaction. Most of the stuff I listen to can only be purchased through Amazon. I use to be able to pop into a store on the way home from work after hearing about an album and bingo it was with me in a couple of hours. I could have a bad day at work and pop into a store and find a good CD to cheer me up. Those days are long gone.

To me, and obviously I'm in the minority, buying a good piece of gear without listening and only reading what has been reviewed in a forum from a person I know nothing about is like buying a car based on HP and Torque spec's and never taking a test drive. No thanks.

concealer404

Well this is all a vicious cycle. If the store won't allow for an in-home demo, then what's the use, especially if they don't even stock it? They're going to click the mouse a few times for you, then mark up the piece for their time.

Stores that function like this are simply a middleman, and a middleman only. They bring nothing to the table.

Yes, i realize that they may be doing this because of those people that come in, listen, and then buy online for cheaper, not "paying" the store for their service.

It's all a vicious circle. The harsh fact is that this is how capitalism works. MOST people don't want to pay extra for intagible goods. There are some of us that would be willing to pay a reasonable amount more for the in-store demo, so we can actually make educated decisions, rather than saying "Sure, please order that piece for me, and take $300 as payment for the 5 minutes you spent doing what i could have done from the comfort of my home."

There's really no way around it. If these stores are going to survive, it's going to be on the follow up service, dealing with used gear, by reputation, or by people like "us," alone.

jdwmap

Online businesses hurt a good number of "mom and pop" shops across the country. There is a great deal less expense. There is no reason a company should pass along the same discount they give to a online only, most often dropshipping with no overhead, company. I deal with brick and mortar and online e-tailers every day at work. The brick and mortar guys have a good deal more overhead and also employ local workforces. The online guy can do it with limited employees and less expense, sometimes with 0 overhead other than his website development, so why should he garner the same percent of profit as the guy who is most likely tied to a handful of brands and pushing them to his customers.

Online e-tailers and Chinese made products are a good reason why there are fewer jobs to go around. How much less do you need to pay for something to justify no manufacturing jobs fewer service industry jobs in your own town/area? The area i live in had thousands more jobs than they presently have just 5-10 years ago and most of that manufacturing moved overseas.

jaxwired

LuSh wrote: »

I will visit this forum 3 years from now and read all the threads of how online buying is too difficult and remember 'the good ole' days' when you could actually listen to a piece of gear in order to make up your mind. How most of the information posted online is unreliable and you're relying on somebody else's ears. Then there will be other threads posted asking where half the fidelity companies went as they are forced to close up shop because they don't have the marketing budgets that are required to compete with the established brand names without dealer support.

It actually relates to my biggest pet peeve...CD purchasing. I have over many years purchased physical media. All my friends told me I was crazy for buying at Brick and Mortar when I could download for free. Then the question of quality came about, now those same people complain to me that they pop into their local HMV and wonder why their isn't the selection there once was. They wonder why they can't pop into a store on a whim and purchase something and take it home.

When I purchase music now it's a planned transaction. Most of the stuff I listen to can only be purchased through Amazon. I use to be able to pop into a store on the way home from work after hearing about an album and bingo it was with me in a couple of hours. I could have a bad day at work and pop into a store and find a good CD to cheer me up. Those days are long gone.

To me, and obviously I'm in the minority, buying a good piece of gear without listening and only reading what has been reviewed in a forum from a person I know nothing about is like buying a car based on HP and Torque spec's and never taking a test drive. No thanks.

Lush, I don't know where you live, but what many of the posts are saying is that the day's of demo'ing the gear are already gone for many of us. If I could wave a magic wand and go back to the way it was 20 years ago, I would. That's never going to happen. The market for 2 channel dried up a long time ago. Even home theater is not what it used to be at it's peak.

Regarding CD buying, I do miss music stores, but I actually think the online experience is so much better than B&M music stores. 20 years ago, even 10 years ago I would often buy music blind. Meaning I had only heard one or two songs before purchase. Often I had not heard any of it. Lots of the time I was unhappy with the mystery portion of the CD. Now I get to hear 30 second clips of every song. I rarely make a buying mistake. And with amazon, everything is in stock, I get it shipped to my door in 2 days (free), and they have pretty much everything even obscure stuff. It's fantastic. Not to mention all the great ways they help you find music via listmania, editor's picks, and "buyers who bought A also bought B". I wouldn't trade amazon for a mega B&M music store. And I haven't even mentioned price. B&M stores are like $3 to $7 more per CD!

mopar paul

I recently upgraded my system and drove about 3 hours away to demo several systems from 2 stores. I called both stores telling them my intentions & asking them both about in home demos for a week. Both were very helpful & allowed me to take over $8k worth of stuff home for a 2 weeks. I ended up buying a system from one of the dealers and actually got a very nice price off retail. This dealer is obviously not in business to make a huge profit-he is in business for the love of audio! He hand delivers some gear 100's of miles away to ensure it's safe delivery & setup-at NO CHARGE! If a customer of his has a warranty issue he will send them loaner equiptment-do you know of any online store that will do that!?
Spending quite a bit of time with him re-enforced my buying habits that I have inherited from my parents. I try to buy from a store front where I get to meet, and develop, a relationship with the owner. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten things free, or at least cheap, from businesses that I patronize.
I agree that online stuff is easy to buy from and convienent, especially music selections! I just hope it is not the end of store fronts of everything in the world!

Montoya

If I had a good store like this they would earn my buisness fast I go to a record store here in Houston pay a few dollars more for my cd's. Why because they offer great customer service and they always are in the know about music or have someone who works there that can give you insight on an artist. They also have a good vinyl selection new and used. Mind you it is almost 30 miles away from me best buy is less than 4 miles but I still make the trek because they always take care of me. But it's true many people don't value good integrity in local buisnesses an they fall victim to mass market giants.

mopar paul wrote: »

I recently upgraded my system and drove about 3 hours away to demo several systems from 2 stores. I called both stores telling them my intentions & asking them both about in home demos for a week. Both were very helpful & allowed me to take over $8k worth of stuff home for a 2 weeks. I ended up buying a system from one of the dealers and actually got a very nice price off retail. This dealer is obviously not in business to make a huge profit-he is in business for the love of audio! He hand delivers some gear 100's of miles away to ensure it's safe delivery & setup-at NO CHARGE! If a customer of his has a warranty issue he will send them loaner equiptment-do you know of any online store that will do that!?
Spending quite a bit of time with him re-enforced my buying habits that I have inherited from my parents. I try to buy from a store front where I get to meet, and develop, a relationship with the owner. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten things free, or at least cheap, from businesses that I patronize.
I agree that online stuff is easy to buy from and convienent, especially music selections! I just hope it is not the end of store fronts of everything in the world!

jaxwired

mopar,
You are lucky and that's great that you have a store like that near you. My experience is different when I visit the remaining stereo stores in my city. Everytime I go in I'm the only person in the store. This makes me uncomfortable. It's like a ghost town. Both of these 2 stores also seem like they are on the verge of going out of business. When I get the attention of the one sales guy and state I'm interested in 2 channel and would like to look at speakers or amps or whatever, their first reaction is usually "huh?" This type of customer is so unusual. I always feel like I'm an annoyance. I actually feel like I need to apologize for asking to demo gear. I'll say "uhmmm, is there any way I could hear a few speakers?" and they look annoyed or puzzled and then they usually have to cobble together a system to listen to. At this point, I start to feel really obligated to buy something right during that visit. There's no just checking out the gear for future purchases. I mean, I've inconvenienced them ALOT! They had to move gear around and actually wire up a system for me to hear. Then since I'm the only guy in the store for this entire time, the sales guy never leaves. This again adds pressure that I must buy something right then. Don't get me wrong, I'm do usually intend to buy something, but rarely do I want to buy the very first thing I hear, the very first time I hear it. Especially from a place that has a selection of maybe 2 amps total.

So, I don't feel I can just drop in and check out the gear at these stores just to hear new gear or just to educate myself about what they are now stocking.

Also, I always feel like they are annoyed in general because I'm not a guy buying a full home theater room. That's their cash cow and when you compare my sale of 1 amp or 1 pair of speakers to the typical HT guy, my sale is chump change and I really feel like I'm treated that way. Plus, they actually have to spend time with me to make that one dinky sale. They act like it's not even worth their time.

ME: "Uhmm, I'm sorry to bother you, and I know it's a real hassel, but would it be possible to hear a pair of your speakers"
THEM: "Groan, hey Charlie, when you get done unloading, can you help this guy out."
ME: Stand around ackwardly waiting for Charlie. Nothing to look at since they have no demo gear setup.
CHARLIE: "Hi, what's up".
ME: "I'm a 2 channel stereo guy and I'd like to hear some speakers."
CHARLIE: "Groan, hmmmm, well...., I guess I can set something up...hmmm...hold on...."

For this I should support my B&M stores? Yeah, it's really great! No thanks. I kid you not, the service I get via faceless email from online stores is MUCH better than these B&M places. I wish is wasn't true...

hearingimpared

LuSh wrote: »

I will visit this forum 3 years from now and read all the threads of how online buying is too difficult and remember 'the good ole' days' when you could actually listen to a piece of gear in order to make up your mind. How most of the information posted online is unreliable and you're relying on somebody else's ears. Then there will be other threads posted asking where half the fidelity companies went as they are forced to close up shop because they don't have the marketing budgets that are required to compete with the established brand names without dealer support.

It actually relates to my biggest pet peeve...CD purchasing. I have over many years purchased physical media. All my friends told me I was crazy for buying at Brick and Mortar when I could download for free. Then the question of quality came about, now those same people complain to me that they pop into their local HMV and wonder why their isn't the selection there once was. They wonder why they can't pop into a store on a whim and purchase something and take it home.

When I purchase music now it's a planned transaction. Most of the stuff I listen to can only be purchased through Amazon. I use to be able to pop into a store on the way home from work after hearing about an album and bingo it was with me in a couple of hours. I could have a bad day at work and pop into a store and find a good CD to cheer me up. Those days are long gone.

To me, and obviously I'm in the minority, buying a good piece of gear without listening and only reading what has been reviewed in a forum from a person I know nothing about is like buying a car based on HP and Torque spec's and never taking a test drive. No thanks.

I'm in complete agreement with you so there is another minority member.

hearingimpared

jaxwired wrote: »

Lush, I don't know where you live, but what many of the posts are saying is that the day's of demo'ing the gear are already gone for many of us. If I could wave a magic wand and go back to the way it was 20 years ago, I would. That's never going to happen. The market for 2 channel dried up a long time ago. Even home theater is not what it used to be at it's peak.

Regarding CD buying, I do miss music stores, but I actually think the online experience is so much better than B&M music stores. 20 years ago, even 10 years ago I would often buy music blind. Meaning I had only heard one or two songs before purchase. Often I had not heard any of it. Lots of the time I was unhappy with the mystery portion of the CD. Now I get to hear 30 second clips of every song. I rarely make a buying mistake. And with amazon, everything is in stock, I get it shipped to my door in 2 days (free), and they have pretty much everything even obscure stuff. It's fantastic. Not to mention all the great ways they help you find music via listmania, editor's picks, and "buyers who bought A also bought B". I wouldn't trade amazon for a mega B&M music store. And I haven't even mentioned price. B&M stores are like $3 to $7 more per CD!

Back in the day, you could listen to any CD as long as you wanted to at Wall to Wall Sound, plus they gave you a lifetime warranty on the disc. Too bad they went out of business. The went for other brick & mortar CD outlets as well as used CD outlets. They all gave you the opportunity to listen to the CDs.

jaxwired

hearingimpared wrote: »

The went for other brick & mortar CD outlets as well as used CD outlets. They all gave you the opportunity to listen to the CDs.

That's just wrong. I would say most retail CD stores did not allow you to open CDs and listen to them. A few would, but they didn't like it and they didn't make it easy. I sure as hell couldn't browse dozens of CDs like I can on Amazon. Why do you think stores started using so called "Listening Stations" with pre-setup CDs and headphones? Answer: because they didn't allow you to listen to CDs before buying them. I'm sure a few smaller mom & pop CD stores had a liberal policy about this, but the overwhelming majority of big major players in CD sales did not allow it. Sound Warehouse? Nope, Borders? Nope. CD Warehouse? Nope. Walmart? Nope. Target? Nope. Barnes & Noble? Nope. Block Buster Music? Nope.

coolsax

jaxwired wrote: »

That's just wrong. I would say most retail CD stores did not allow you to open CDs and listen to them. A few would, but they didn't like it and they didn't make it easy. I sure as hell couldn't browse dozens of CDs like I can on Amazon. Why do you think stores started using so called "Listening Stations" with pre-setup CDs and headphones? Answer: because they didn't allow you to listen to CDs before buying them. I'm sure a few smaller mom & pop CD stores had a liberal policy about this, but the overwhelming majority of big major players in CD sales did not allow it. Sound Warehouse? Nope, Borders? Nope. CD Warehouse? Nope. Walmart? Nope. Target? Nope. Barnes & Noble? Nope. Block Buster Music? Nope.

Now I have to disagree here, When I was in late HS and early college, the Warehouse/Blockbuster music where I lived had a full service Lisenting "bar" in the middle of the store where you could grab any CD in the store and they would open it and put it on for you.. I spent many an hour there listening to music, and buying from there as well.