Why decline in audio stores USA?

[Kingnoob]

Seems to be a decline in the country…only by me is a few stores. Nothing that good. Sears went out of business and a lot of others.

 

[mono-bloc]

It's the same the world over, The specialist audio stores are a declining business. The reason being the ease of on-line purchases
via e-bay, or Amazon and the dealers who have established on-line stores. Who retail the same brands but at a lower price range,
and offering free freight

 

[highfigh]

Seems to be a decline in the country…only by me is a few stores. Nothing that good. Sears went out of business and a lot of others.

People decided that price was more important than local dealers, online sellers offered better prices, done.

Catalog sellers were the low price PITA before the internet for stores but once it became 'click it and ship it', it was only a matter of time. The only stores that are surviving are the ones who offer something different or more, like installation. Some have physical locations, many don't because a store costs a lot to rent/own and operate, an office is much less expensive.

 

[m. zillch]

The vast majority of people now buy audio gear primarily based on hype/buzz, word of mouth, and price. They'll swear on a stack of bibles though that their decisions were based on "sound quality differences" but they are typically relying on the claims of others regarding the sound quality differences. [And the formulation of these claims by their "experts" is often/usually dubious in its methodology.] This makes demo rooms in stores essentially obsolete to them.

 

[Mikado463]

'brick & mortar' has gotten expensive ...........

 

[j_garcia]

Home theater and even a good music setup is not a priority to the average person anymore. Yet they aren't going to the theater as much either, so streaming and digital audio on their phone was enough to sway those average people from spending money, despite these formats being more or less inferior. The cost of everything is up and big box places where those average people were getting gear don't sell GOOD gear, in general. It puts the work on the user to seek out quality gear, if they are even interested, so some just don't feel the need to put the effort in. If people aren't buying gear, or are buying gear online, the stores can't survive.

 

[Hobbit]

People decided that price was more important than local dealers, online sellers offered better prices, done.

That's only part of it. The other part, and arguably a stronger point, is you can research what you want online, order what you want, and have it in a couple days. Back in the day we went to the brick-and-mortar store and bought what they had in stock.

The other option was to order through catalogs. As a cyclist back in the 80s and 90s I was always ordering from Nashbar or Performance because the local bike shops didn't keep what I wanted, the high end gear, on the shelf. If you had them special ordered the part, it would take a lot longer to get and cost $$$ more.

Nowadays, I can also check to see if the local stores have what I want on their website before making the trip to the store. You can even order it and pick it up. Personally, I do try purchase locally.

 

[GO-NAD!]

The market for quality HT & audio system equipment has been steadily shrinking over the last few years and, with the higher overhead costs for B&M dealers, they're the first to suffer.

 

[Alex2507]

their phone was enough

I'll say. The all new iPaid 1500.

 

[Verdinut]

Compressed audio MP3 and Sony's Discman and then their Walkman products haven't helped the situation. Moreover, the fact that most young generations have never heard a good home high fidelity stereo system, and never went to a real acoustical instrument concert, or never heard a symphonic orchestra in a real symphonic hall, has added to this current problem for B&M stores.

 

[highfigh]

That's only part of it. The other part, and arguably a stronger point, is you can research what you want online, order what you want, and have it in a couple days. Back in the day we went to the brick-and-mortar store and bought what they had in stock.

The other option was to order through catalogs. As a cyclist back in the 80s and 90s I was always ordering from Nashbar or Performance because the local bike shops didn't keep what I wanted, the high end gear, on the shelf. If you had them special ordered the part, it would take a lot longer to get and cost $$$ more.

Nowadays, I can also check to see if the local stores have what I want on their website before making the trip to the store. You can even order it and pick it up. Personally, I do try purchase locally.

The internet sales killed B&M. That's when they began to die off. Before, the standard comback from B&M dealers when someone would ask if we would meet a catalog price was "Are they going to support it when it has a problem?" or "Sure- you can pick it up in three days". Also, online ads aren't always from authorized dealers and they not only don't necessarily have the items in stock, there's not always a way for them to buy the items, so they string people along and offer a 'suitable replacement' or 'something that's actually better' for a small upcharge.

 

[mono-bloc]

In Australia wa have the larger department stores having a section for electronics' selling mostly TV screens and Soundbars, and some have a small display of AVR's
All mostly bog standard.

Market chains like JB/HF carry computer gear, TV screens, Soundbars, and a very small selection of the cheaper AVR products.. Most other electronics are in decline or completely non-existent as are CD's Some carry a small selection of Vinyl records, But mostly overpriced compared the on-line purchases Phones seem to keep the doors open.

High-end audio is really restricted to a a few dealers in Sydney , Mostly supported by dealers self importing, from European and Asian manufacturers.
Melbourne and Perth are much the same,