The problem with Guitar Center, and why it is dangerous is that I'm liable to spend $500 there, when all I wanted to do was buy guitar picks.

That said, I can afford to pay 40% more for guitar strings and picks but a lot of musicians cannot. Mom and pop stores are way, way more marked up than guitar center. It sucks, but that's reality.

Also, Gibson and Fender refuse to give mom and pop stores their best product. All of those go to guitar center and mom and pops get the left over bullshit nobody wants to buy. Also, Gibson will mandate a purchase minimum or insist that you buy x number of shitty guitars for every Les Paul they allow you to sell. They're dicks. Every mom and pop hates Gibson. But they play well.

Also, most mom-and-pop stores can't compete with the comprehensive inventory guitar center has. That's why it's so damn dangerous for me to go there.

But really, the truth is that if I walk in to any music related store, or even pawn shop, I'm going to leave having purchased something. Guitar center just tends to have more expensive "somethings" that I leave with.