Angela - I don't know if it holds up looking at overall demographics, but my impressions of the current bricks-and-mortar stores pretty much mirror yours. With a reasonable level of savvy in this market, paying 90% or more of retail for anything would appear to happen most often due to convenience, not wanting to have to spend the time to really shop. Now, before everyone re-iterates that they have a great dealer who provides so much more, etc., I'll just say that I know that, I believe that, and I think it's great. If that's the way you have built your system and enjoy going about it, it's a great way. It's a lot of fun to go to a high-end shop that has it's act together, that knows you, and that carries great stuff. But it's very clear to me that there are some very successful shops that there is no way I would pay a premium for their advice or services, and that the way they make the majority of their money is people walking in with more money than time and saying, "give me something good (and preferably impressive)". I'm also not being deragotory by saying they have more money than time - everyone reading these posts is clearly willing to invest a lot of time and energy into this hobby, but there's only so much time to go around and there are undoubtedly people who want something nice without all the reading, shopping, etc. I'm that way with cars - I drive a very nice car and appreciate what makes it nice but would never spend the time to get as educated about cars as I am about electronics. I probably paid more than I had to by at least a bit, but it didn't take long, I love driving it, and the time I saved more than offset any extra cost. In any case, the only high-end shop around where I live that is worth developing a relationship with charges 95% of full retail, I know I'm not going to pay that, so I steer clear. They're a Dynaudio dealer and a friend who bought his system there and went to one of their open houses said that they had about four interested buyers for a pair of the Evidence speakers ($85K/pr). Maybe they're all audiophiles who have just reached the point in their pursuit that, through all the guidance they've received from this shop, have decided that this is clearly the next step on their path, but that seems unlikely.
Dealer Bias: Do They Really Add Value?
Many posts refer questions to a "dealer you trust", "get advice from a qualified dealer" etc. Maybe I have lived in big cities for too long, but these posts strike me as very naive or possibly written by local dealers masquerading as members on this board. Do you really think that dealers aren't biased, often ill informed or motivated primarily by profit? I dont' want to take away from the sincere people and genuine enthusiasts in the business, but I can't even count the number of times a "reputable high end dealer" has suddenly decided that Levinson is actually better than Krell, or Burmester blows Audio Research away, or we started having problems with Martin Logan, Audio Research etc. only months after they were touting the very same brands as the best thing in the history of the universe. Brands of equipment that work well together are often not sold by the same dealer, or even in the same state. I don't know but it seems that hotly competing lines are rarely represented by the same dealer. I agree that we should reward and give business to dealers who genuinely provide an excellent service, build long term relationships, give good advice and really go the extra mile, but all too often dealers seem to whine about , a shrinking market, customers who don't appreciate their service and value added etc when they need to look in the mirror and ask how much value they really add. I go OUT OF MY WAY to give business to people who try to get to know me and really take care of me, but when I perceive a mediocre, biased, commodity service, I am more than happy to get my advice from all of you and shop for my electrostatics, exotic cables and monoblocks on the internet at the lowest possible price.