The State of your Local Record Shop
yuichi
Urban sprawl 11,332 Posts
Sup with 4 copies of the same title in the bins priced at $17.99 for some good but common titles?
I see this everywhere lately. Smart business tactic? or just laziness?
I know owners are trying to cash in on this vinyl craze or whatever, but who's really getting a thrill out of buying $23 copies of mediocre LPs?
I'm not complaining about the lack of records, because if the timing is right, there are plenty of decent records to go around; but what were once decent record stores have turned into bogus ones almost overnight.
I see this everywhere lately. Smart business tactic? or just laziness?
I know owners are trying to cash in on this vinyl craze or whatever, but who's really getting a thrill out of buying $23 copies of mediocre LPs?
I'm not complaining about the lack of records, because if the timing is right, there are plenty of decent records to go around; but what were once decent record stores have turned into bogus ones almost overnight.
Comments
Regarding the few local shops I live near...I see that with new releases/represses but not in the used section. I suspect the new records that I see at the stores are overpriced due to the cost to press vinyl nowadays...I recall an older thread on SS that goes into a bit of detail about how much it costs to press a quality record today...might provide some more input with respect to this trend you are seeing.
What blows my mind is $18.00 reissues of common records that can be had original nm for less.
I see that in jazz a LOT...
"every record you can see in here is totally worthless unless one person is willing to buy it at the advertised rate or a close offer If they don't walk in the door we're out of business. It's about the customers."
Sounds pretty obvious, but it's something many stores miss.
We have a world class shop for used records.
A shop dealing in new releases.
A new second hand shop that I hope will survive but they only sell the most common records, and have no idea about obscurities and condition.
And a little market stall.
Not bad.
I was talking about that with a clerk from one of my local spots just last month. Who are these people dropping 15$ on Con funk shun reissues?
I assume they are people who are just buying on a whim to be cool. The record selection in large chain book stores is nothing but this so somebody is buying them. As stated you can pretty much cash in on any "fad" and find somebody to buy your knock off crap.
It's funny how rare grail re-issues at a real record store are $10 and a Con Funk Shun re-issue a Boarders is $15. America, what a country!
I don't see the mystery here.
First of all, there are a lot of people who just don't buy used records. They don't really know how to check condition, they don't know about different pressings etc and they have other things to do with their time than hunt for used copies of specific records.
Would I buy something like this? Hell no, but I'm able to recognize the fact that not everyone is like me.
In the early 80s you could buy a new $8.98 pressing of a Doors record or a $3 used one - how is this different?
I went to a guys house to look at some records. He was the promoter of a regular antiques and collectors fair. He had a repro juke box, repo Elvis, Marilyn and James Dean dolls, his kitchen was filled with repro cookie jars, in his garage he had 2 repro classic cars. His brand new suburban house was a repro of a colonial Virgina house. (I doubt he thought of the house that way.) I get it, but it still blows my mind.