Diki why do you always have to take something so innocent and put a negative spin on it? What's so wrong with utilizing the online retailers in price matching? You don't like my shopping standards...., well so the hell what.

Maybe you're one of the lucky ones who can actually GO into a local store and find keyboards. The higher price you're paying at the mom and pop stores ain't got sh&%^ to do with "higher price equating to an experienced sale person on staff providing customer support". That higher price 99.99% of the time is because their "cost" per unit is much higher than an online retailer.

You'll have stores that are exceptions to that like George Kaye for example, but the majority of these smaller stores are staffed by guitar/bass and drum players (even if they're selling keyboards). Yes, it's sad these small stores are going out, but this isn't anything new.... That's just business and how it has been for years. Music stores today are just a very hard business to keep open today due to the internet, but it's not right to bust someone's chops just because they shop the net.

Diki, let me give you a good idea of the great prices in my area. When I had the Yamaha NP-30 and had to use the warranty repair due to a hardware defect.., I was able to take it to a local store for service. Mind you this local store was freakin 30 minutes away and damn near the border to Kentucky (I live in West Virginia). Anywho.., this is a piano store and they sell Yamaha keyboards too. As soon as you walked in the door there was the Yamaha YPG-620 for the VERY AFFORDABLE price of $1000.00! He was selling the Yamaha NP-30 for $500.00 ($499.., but close enough). You should have seen this guys prices. He has been in business for years.., didn't know sh*&$^ about the keyboards he was selling other than where the power button was and the demo button. His sales assistant was an 85 year old woman who never came out from behind the desk. Now you tell me..., that YPG for $1000.00.., how much of that do you think included customer support?

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 08-22-2008).]