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| Me at Flipside in 1990 |
It is hard to believe I have been working at record stores for over 25 years now. I have seen a lot of trends come ago, met a lot of different kinds of customers, and shopped in too many record stores to count but there is a universal way to record shop that is appreciated all over the planet.
If you want to record shop like a pro, here are some tips from a longtime record collector and record store worker bee.
1) Don't be a afraid to get dirty. Some of the best scores to be had are going to be in boxes or piled on the floor, maybe even stacked precariously in dusty stacks. If you want to enter the world of crate digging (hip hop term for seeking out records to sample), wear something you won't regret getting filthy. Also bending over in a skirt or dress can get old fast when you are worried about accidentally flashing others for several hours. I personally don't like to stress about anything but looking for records when I shop so unless I know the record store is impeccably curated and super tidy, I dress in something that I feel comfortable in and don't mind getting dust, dirt, and mold on. Bonus points if you are on your game enough to bring handi-wipes with you too. I even know some people who bring plastic gloves to those truly dive stores. You might be asking how filthy could a record possibly be? You don't even want to know the crazy, gross environments used records can come from: never cleaned before garages, grimey attics, flooded storage units, barns filled with wild animals (poop alert!), greasy car trunks, filthy squats, DJ crates with years of God knows what spilled on them at clubs, burnt out apartments, abandoned trailer homes, long forgotten about backyard sheds, and the list goes on. Some record stores don't take the time to clean up their dollar bin type records so it can get real dirty, real fast. For those with major dust and mold allergies, you might want to take whatever allergy medicine you prefer to spare yourself from feeling like hell the rest the day. For those with severe breathing conditions I have even seen record shoppers use dust masks with their inhalers kept close by too.
2)
You should always look at the condition of a used record before buying it because as careful as some stores are about only selling records in playable shape, wildly defective records can slip through the cracks. You want to pull that record completely out of it's sleeve and inspect both sides of it in good light. When checking the condition of a used record, you should hold a record by the outer edges. Never put our fingers on the surface of the record. Even clean fingers have oil on them and is not ideal for the surface of the record. The goal is to ensure the record you want isn't broken anywhere, isn't warped, doesn't look like someone has ice skated all over it, and/ or doesn't have impossible to remove grime on it. Most record stores do not have return policy for used records so you want to be sure you buying something that doesn't look like it survived a war. If you still aren't sure your used record is worth the money, many stores have listening stations to test them out on. These record players are not for you to enjoy the record from start to finish but rather do a quick check of the condition and search for a specific song or two. No record store likes people who clog up their listening stations selfishly with huge piles of records and then continue to play each one as if they are at home. It is also considered in poor taste to use these record players for records that are priced at a dollar or less plus beat up records will run down the store's record needle very quickly. It's a buck people. Take a chance and live a little. Not all stores have record players to test play used records on so for my serious used record shopping trips I bring my own portable record player and headphones (key to bring headphones so you aren't rudely blaring records over whatever music is already playing in the store). I always ask a store employee before I use my own portable to ensure it is okay because every once in a blue moon you get a store owner who will say no. If you have your own portable turntable it means no waiting to hear what a record sounds like and you can take your time because nobody is breathing over your shoulder to use the turntable too.
3) Important, if a record is sealed - do not open it up. It changes the worth of a record and is the equivalent of opening up someone else's present or eating your way through a supermarket by opening packages and bags only to put it back on the shelf. Just no.
4) People get real weird around music and can often forget there are others around them when they are lost in their shopping experience. Be respectful for the space you are in that includes people around you. Sure there are basics that apply to all businesses like taking a personal call outside but I can promise you that nobody wants you to hear you sing the hit from every record you pick up. They definitely don't want you to hum or whistle it either. This is not American Idol and you will not be discovered because of your annoying decision to sing Fleetwood Mac as you shop the "F" section. The biggest faux pas I see people commit is invading the personal space of another shopper. As tempting as it might be to reach over a customer to grab a record in a row they are shopping in, but you should not take action in this situation. Ever. It is the equivalent to sitting down at a stranger's dinner table and taking a piece of bread from their basket. Be patient and wait your turn. Never lurk over a stranger's shoulder and grab stuff they are flipping through unless you want to be deemed a creep, potentially yelled at loudly, and I have seen this in severe cases, shoved in a stranger danger kind of way. Without getting too sidetracked I will say record fairs tend to be crowded chaos with people reaching over each other all day long like a game of twister. People forget their manners and act like crazed animals in this situation so while I personally would prefer to wait my turn, others are not so respectful. When attending a big record fair, bring a big does of patience.
5) Mind your boundaries. If a part of the store looks off limits, ask before going into that space. I know this seems like common sense but some people get into the zone when they record shop and suddenly they think they are in their own house and anything goes. Just because there are stairs in the store doesn't mean they are for you to take. Not all closed doors are intended for you to open and the biggie: the area behind the counter where the register is almost always off limits to a customer. For some reason many customers ask where the "good stuff is hidden" (as if every record store has buried treasure we don't the average customer to know about) and the first go to place for them to look for it is behind the counter. I get asked this almost monthly and when they begin to step behind the counter they are met with an very angry me who takes my personal space, safety, and protecting the cash register very seriously.
6) Food and drink in a store is in general a rude thing to do. Cold drinks have condensation and can drip on records. I don't need to tell you that neither food or drink on an album is a good thing. It also decreased to value of a used record and can turn a new record into B stock in seconds flat. Any of these things can also be spilled if left near other people who aren't aware they are there. I can't tell you how many drinks I see left on the floor only to be forgotten about until someone accidentally kicks it over. If you want to know who to make enemies with a record store employee, turn them into a janitor on a busy Saturday. You aren't five and there is no reason you should have sticky fingers while shopping at a store. Pets are another thing that unless you know the store is pet friendly in advance, don't bring your animal in. Lots of people have allergies or fear of dogs/birds/snakes/rats or whatever so don't make the record store have to deal with your bad decision. We know you love your pet but the rest of the world doesn't.
7) The plural of vinyl is vinyl - not vinyls. If you want to sound like a seasoned record shopper, it helps to know the language. Turntable, receiver, speakers, RCA cables, headphones, 45 adapter, slipmats. Know that records come in a lot of different sizes and they are described in inches (for example 5", 7", 10" 12") or speed of record play IE RPMs (revolutions per minute are 33, 45, 78). Some stores may also use a grading code sticker on the record so it helps to know what those
codes mean as they are the language sellers use on sites like Ebay on Discogs.
8) Don't be scared to ask questions. I know record store employees have a bad reputation for being unfriendly or intimidating but the reality is that there are so many records in the world that it is impossible to know it all. There is no shame in wanting to learn more and if anybody can teach you something new and interesting about music, it should be a record store employee. I don't care if it is cool or not, if I hear a record playing in a store that peaks my interest and I don't recognize it, I always ask what it is. After nearly 30 years of collecting records I know I have barely scratched the surface (pun intended) so I look at every trip to a record store as an opportunity to learn.
9) Don't haggle. If you are in a retail space, you don't argue prices. If you think a record is priced too high, don't buy it. Save that bargaining mindset for flea markets. When you are in a place of business it is considered in poor taste to ask for random discounts. It gives the impression that you don't respect the store prices, their knowledge of the marketplace and the record's worth, and ultimately it is their store to do whatever they want. Also most record stores will give you a discount if you buy a lot of records or they will give you a special item like a tote bag. Every record store is different but typically when you spend over $100 in a store with used records and new records, they will offer you a little something as a thank you. For example I recently came back from Athens, GA and both record stores I spent a decent amount of money in offered me a different gift; one a tote bag and the other one a 10% discount. Some stores will also wheel and deal if you pay in cash but again no two stores are the same so I can't promise you that will always be the case.
10) Real talk. Your sentimental attachment to a record store means nothing to anyone else. It has no dollar value. It might be a favorite record of yours but a dollar record is still a dollar record. It works both ways. One person's trash is another's treasure and just because you think it is a seminal record for whatever reason does not mean the shop holds that record to the same value. They know their market and if it makes sense for their shop and at what value. In short, you have to have a little trust when you sell records to a store. If you don't think they are giving you a fair deal, you have the right to say no thank you, take your records back, and leave the store. I never take it personally when my offer to a customer doesn't match their expectation. It happens and life goes on. A record store will pay anywhere from 1/4 to half of whatever they think they can sell it for so if you saw your record sell on Ebay for $100, do not expect that kind of money for it. A store makes the most profit from selling used records and there is not a store on the planet who will pay you a retail price for a used record. Selling records for cash or trade will be much more enjoyable if your expectations are realistic.
One final thing. I would like to salute my fellow female record store employees and collectors. The struggle is real for us. We are greatly outnumbered by male co-workers and shoppers. We are often talked down to or not takes seriously because there are still idiots on the planet who don't think women are capable of knowing about music. Example: when my boyfriend and I walk into a record store, the male staff almost always talks to him and ignores me completely. You know, because he must have dragged me against my will. I personally feel like I had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously as a music academic and three decades later I still have customers who ask to talk to my male counterparts because they don't trust my knowledge or opinion. It can be exhausting, insulting, and really frustrating to face sexism in what I consider to be a sacred space. In turn I really appreciate knowing and meeting other female record collectors and record store employees. Thank you ladies for hanging in there and putting up with the bullshit I know we all still face.
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| Me in recent past working at Deep Groove. |
