Slow Piano Sales

[Sy Zabrocki]

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Some are reporting slow times in the piano service business. We can =
report very slow piano sales also. Actually the slowest for us in 19 =
years. We operate a small store attached to our shop and home.

This very day while driving I heard a report on national news that =
caused me to highlight the slow piano sales issue. The report said there =
has been a 3=BD% increase in demand for high ticket manufactured items. =
High ticket goods were described as manufactured items intended to last =
for 3 years or more. Pianos would qualify, yet it's doubtful there has =
been an increase in demand for pianos.

If true, this report indicated people are still spending money. So what =
are they purchasing? They are purchasing what in their minds has the =
"highest priorty." They are buying big screen TV's, computers, vehicles, =
hot tubs, travel, etc. Do they run around looking for used TV's etc.? =
No, they buy new.

Even used pianos are selling slower and it's harder to get a good price. =
Everyone is looking for a cheap used piano. A couple times customers =
were wailing away how they just couldn't afford more then $500. Okay, so =
I experiment. I carefully manipulate the conversation around to =
computers. Sure enough, they have one.

I believe computers have taken the biggest on piano sales. It's said =
that 40 to 50% of families have computers. It's discretionary money and =
time being diverted from music. We all talked about this in a symposium =
at the PTG convention at Kansas City in 1994. Even the sale of hot tubs =
was stated as using up family funds. I thought this was maybe far =
fetched until I got home. Look in the yellow pages. There are a lot more =
hot tub dealers than piano dealers. I know a tub dealer who sold 11 in =
one month. I would be thrilled to sell even half that many pianos.=20

I believe priorty is key word. Family time is being wasted on vidoes, =
computer games and sports. Childlren are involved in baseball, soccer, =
football, dance classes. The parents are running them all over town. One =
piano teacher complains that people will cancel a piano lesson because =
of some game because it apparently has more priorty.=20

Yes some teachers are still busy and have a waiting list. Yet in this =
area I vaguely remember a list of 85 teachers. Now the list contains 69. =


Music Trades Magazine printed a 100th Anniversary edition in 1990, from =
1890 to 1990. It reports the biggest year ever in piano sales was 1923. =
At that time the nation had only 100 million people. Now we have over =
270 million and piano sales are somewhere around 98,000 units. The organ =
business is about dead.=20

Enough said. Piano factory reps don't like us to talk negative like =
this.=20

Sy Zabrocki