We're screwed at work (custom flight cases). Tours and corporate events are our bread and butter. As soon as those stopped, so did we. And all my customers (MAJOR audio/video/lighting companies, as well as smaller guys around the country) are sitting on warehouses full of gear that came back. Which of course means gear manufacturers are screwed because nobody is buying anything. We're currently sitting on $90,000 worth of past due invoices owed to us, and I don't expect many to be paid any time soon. Everyone but me (16 guys) is furloughed. I'm at about 30% of my normal salary. Better than nothing. My friends who gig for a living are really getting boned as the PPP money has been exhausted. Nobody knows when large gatherings are going to start up again, and when it does, what the landscape is going to be like. I read that Disney is losing 13 million a DAY worldwide. Interesting times...
Wow, that's too bad, Tom. Even if everything opened back up tomorrow, the damage will be long lasting, and in many cases it will be permanent. A lot of jobs won't be coming back, and we'll see some big names go under in all industries.
My younger son is in a similar situation. He manages a small casino which is shut down. He's getting a percentage of his regular salary but all the hourly employees are furloughed.
This is going to cripple the industry if they can no longer sell on line. I bought the “Stupid Deal of the Day” from MF last weekend. It’s coming today but they didn’t ship it until Thursday. They still have a notice that due to Covid-19, shipping will be slower. I wonder how much longer they can keep selling with the main facility closed.....
I bought some smaller stuff from MF more than a week ago and it hasn't been shipped yet. My best guess is that I'm not seeing it anytime soon, which prompts the question whether I should just cancel the order and re-order from Sweetwater...I did have a coupon from MF which is what pi$$es me off even more...
Decisions, decisions..
If they can ship from one of the GC retail stores that are still open then you should get your orders. If I were in your position, though, I'd cancel anything that isn't already in transit.
I've gotta think that preserving their online business is their primary hope of survival. If they can't do that, they're either stupid or in desperate trouble (I know, someone will suggest both, but I think that's not the case.)
with GC's debt load, they have to have both in order to survive. I'm more concerned about what it will do to their vendors who likely wouldn't get paid.
GC killed Mackie, Crown, SWR, and several others by holding out on credit payments in years past as a business tactic. What goes around comes around.
It sure does, doesn't it? That was also one of Henry J's tactics at Gibson. Look what happened to his investment.
