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Lighten up, Pianoloverus..many people in the area may want to check this out

The negotiable price is the system set up by the dealers themselves. They made the bed, now they have to sleep in it.

I've yet to read a post from a dealer bemoaning the fact that some poor schmuck came into his shop and paid full MSRP.

Telling someone else to "lighten up" is quite dismissive. The phrase assumes that the someone else has no sense of humor or is making something out of nothing and the person telling someone else to "lighten up" is viewing things correctly.

"Another one bites the dust" was a much loved and played funeral song (by Queen) when I was at the Crem. I only had to spin the disc, fortunately. It is, or has become, an accepted phrase.

pianoloverus, you crack me up.

It cracked me up for the first couple of years. Now it's just tiring. It amazes me how arrogant some people are in thinking that just because they have an opinion that they are automatically "right" in their stance. I don't think I've ever seen a poster on this site as vehement as plover in needing to have the last word. Do you think that MAYBE after 5 or 6 people comment that you are out of line or off base that you might have the good sense to take your head out of your a** and say "Gee, maybe your right.

For me at least, it's often difficult if not impossible, to interperate the true intent of a post. IMO, the original TITLE could be characterized as either insensitive, perhaps somewhat callous, or a clever and witty pun absent any ill-will whatsoever. The OP would know and could clarify if they wish. fingers

This thread now appears [for me] as the third result from the google search "Cleveland piano dealer closing". Google will probably be sending eyeballs here for years.

Anyway, this dealer appears to have had several locations yet has a truly awful web presence. This makes me think a business doesn't "get it" at all. If they can't be bothered to learn to adapt to the marketplace then it doesn't surprise me that they run into difficulty. Cleveland is not exactly a booming economy right now so there's probably not huge demand for guys in suits selling fine pianos at huge markups. The dealership appears to have been quite old and I'd guess they had become complacent and I'm sorry but Steinway dealers tend to be the most arrogant and dismissive of other makes.

So, Taking the long view, a wave of Steinway dealers closing is probably a good thing as it will force Steinway to confront the fact that other pianos (particularly Chinese pianos) need to be taken seriously. Steinway will need to compete better on price / performance or learn to be content with shrinking market share. The real tell will be if some of the music schools that sign exlusive contracts to be "Steinway schools" start to drop those contracts.

The days of trading solely on the reputation of Steinway are fading. I'm happy to see any dealers relying on that biting the dust as it will lead to better competition and open up opportunities for other manufacturers to expand their own makes.