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Working at a record store (worth it?)

spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
edited April 2007 in Strut Central
I know a few folks on here have worked at record stores big and small in the past. The perks are obvious, getting a first pass at a large volume of used stuff that comes through before any customers see it, staff discount, etc.However, outside of the small specialty stores, almost all of the people I meet working in record stores are absolute pricks, and their actual jobs seem pretty dull. For those who have done it, was it an enjoyable experience? I'm obviously not talking about working at a store like Johnny Paycheck's or the Groove Merchant, which would be the bombdiggity (yeah, that just happened). More like your average mid-sized store that sells new & used CDs alongside a decent selection of used vinyl.

  Comments

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,418 Posts
    im gonna go on record saying that iowa city has the most friendly record store employees ever.
  • noznoz 3,625 Posts
    not worth it.
  • SyminSymin 999 Posts
    Name the store
  • kwalitykwality 620 Posts
    I wouldn't say it was the best year of my life. Unless you have something else to keep you sane there, like doing some design, or promotion or marketing or something like that I'd say it's not that great.

    I enjoy music a whole lot more now that I'm not around it 24-7!
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    Name the store

    Either Logos or Streetlight. It is dollar/free bin heat vs. a better store that gets better records. PM me if you think homegirl at Logos can hook it up in any way.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    Only worth it as a second job.

    Sundays noon-5 and Thursday nights?



    Mon-Sat 42 hours for $315 after taxes and no benefits?


  • SyminSymin 999 Posts
    working at either of those places would drive me crazy, unless it was working downstairs at logos.
    if you really want it i could make some phone calls to see whats up with a job there though.
    let me know if you decide.
    but id say avoide streetlight. just going in that store once a year creeps me out. i havent been in there in a while maybe the place has changed.

    my go to jobs, in time of need are child care
    and catering.
    under the table and friendly people for the most part.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    When I was younger I spent almost 3 years working at a record shop that sold new CD's/vinyl and used CD's. There were some bad points, like basically all the customers, but I learned a TON about music and got to take drugs at work every single day. Overall I'd say there's worse things you could do.
  • the_jthe_j 49 Posts
    I've been doing it part time for five years or so now. In answer to your question your enjoyment level completely depends on people. Both the people you work with and more importantly, the customers.

    If there is a good community feel to the place, go for it.
  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    it depends how old you are i think. once you pass a certain threshold you immediately turn into an old burnout asshole guy.
  • kalakala 3,362 Posts
    old burnout asshole guy.

    35+?
    2 joint per day minimum?
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Only worth it as a second job.

    Sundays noon-5 and Thursday nights?



    Mon-Sat 42 hours for $315 after taxes and no benefits?



    well said...

    but, as Crink said, you could do worse; i did get paid to sit and watch, 'dude, where's my car?' and get stoned. gets old FAST, though.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    When I was younger I spent almost 3 years working at a record shop that sold new CD's/vinyl and used CD's. There were some bad points, like basically all the customers, but I learned a TON about music and got to take drugs at work every single day. Overall I'd say there's worse things you could do.

    Post your yearly evaluations or you are soft batch.

    "Jef* is great with weed appropriation and consumption, could use some improvement in customer service."
  • jleejlee 1,539 Posts
    it depends how old you are i think.

    i am glad i put in my years when i did (during college, from age 20-23), but nowadays i think i would rather stab my eyes out than work at a record store.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    I did the reverse....got my degree, got a respectable, nice paying job for 10 years that I didnt like very much...then in my 30s got a job in a record store and realized doing something that you like and not making much money(but enough) makes a better day to wake up to than getting up and going to a job you dont like for more money but no time to enjoy said money.
  • SonicReducerSonicReducer 421 Posts
    There were some bad points, like basically all the customers

    Record store customers are about one step above health food store customers - a high mental illness rate.

    I got lucky - good pay, benefits, paid vacation, cash bonuses, and good records - which I know is not the norm. Most people I know do it for the records not the pay, and are wealthy in records not on bank statements. It's definitely not a career move unless you want to open your own store but an excellent gig to have while you go to school and figure out what you want to do (especially when you've been in school for 6 years now).

    Most (not all) record store owners are control freaks and slightly paranoid so a lot of guys I meet who work in them are either held back by the owner or highly distrusted, which I imagine could be frustrating. This leads to them becoming very jaded towards record stores and life in general or they open their own stores and become paranoid control freaks themselves.

    It's all trade offs - what's good for you right now and what are your priorities.

    Peace,
    SONIC
  • LamarTinsonLamarTinson 507 Posts
    im gonna go on record saying that iowa city has the most friendly record store employees ever.

    The dude who owns Record Collector, can't think of his name, is that dude.
  • dextahdextah 77 Posts
    more than 75% of my record collection came from people selling records to the record store i used to work at. i learned a ton of stuff from the employees i worked with and from buying random stuff (discount like a mutha..plus reps sent me shit and i sold it for better stuff) or playing stuff on the store cd player. sometimes i miss working at a record store based on the access i had. i also had to do house calls for vinyl buys and sometimes people would have decent jazz collections and had no clue what they had. ah the memories.......
  • PonyPony 2,283 Posts
    I work in the back of a record store recording music all day and uploading on to the website! It's pretty sweet, my co-workers are great and my boss is the coolest dude ever, downside; I ain't going to buy a house anytime soon
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    I've worked at 2 different record stores. I worked with Dextah at one when I was 18. I worked at Amoeba for two years recently. If you are young it's perfect. Once you reach a certain age you kind of feel like "I shouldn't be here anymore."

    If you are in a spot where you aren't as concerned about money it can be a good thing. I easily doubled or tripled my collection and it was all at a great discount. I filled in so many gaps. When you are there all the time you find lots of stuff because you know when it goes out. Now that I don't work there anymore I feel like they never have any records. You just need to be there several times a week.

    So, if you want to stock up and build a collection then a record store job ain't so bad. If you have a hard time dealing with irrational or neurotic people then it's probably not so good.

    I'll agree with the statment before that it's pretty easy to wake up and go do a job like that. Record stores don't open at 8 or 9. 10:30 is probably the earliest. It's a pretty casual life, listening to music the whole day, learning about new stuff.
  • aradpumaaradpuma 83 Posts
    There were some bad points, like basically all the customers

    Record store customers are about one step above health food store customers - a high mental illness rate.

    I got lucky - good pay, benefits, paid vacation, cash bonuses, and good records - which I know is not the norm. Most people I know do it for the records not the pay, and are wealthy in records not on bank statements. It's definitely not a career move unless you want to open your own store but an excellent gig to have while you go to school and figure out what you want to do (especially when you've been in school for 6 years now).

    Most (not all) record store owners are control freaks and slightly paranoid so a lot of guys I meet who work in them are either held back by the owner or highly distrusted, which I imagine could be frustrating. This leads to them becoming very jaded towards record stores and life in general or they open their own stores and become paranoid control freaks themselves.

    It's all trade offs - what's good for you right now and what are your priorities.

    Peace,
    SONIC

    i wish your boss and my boss could have a heart-to-heart about employee treatment... dude's about to be running the shop alone!!

    my record store job has been good to me in that i have flexible hours (so necessary for a student) and my position requires no customer interaction (so necessary because the customers are fucking loopy, telling me to go back to my country, for instance)... but that paranoid control freak burn out shit is so old. i agree with the weekend job idea, i might do that myself after i graduate, just to try and keep some of the perks at least... you might not always get to see/get all heat, but do you really want to be "that guy"?
  • nessness 249 Posts
    It's all trade offs - what's good for you right now and what are your priorities.

    dude. saying. co.sizzle.

    how old are you??? if you're young and it's a cool spot then yeah. if it's some miserly nutjob and you're just trying to see what dude is sitting on i would think about it. if you want to learn the game, there's better ways. I would say most dudes that just pound the pavement see more and more interesting pieces by virtue of being out and not sitting in a shop (of course there's housecalls those are fun). plus you wont be @ the mercy of a day wage/hourly wage if you are hustling them yourself. you can keep that loot, move records around out of the various places they end up, have trades, met and talk to people (the most important part of this whole deal) that you usually might not interact with, i don't know man.

    customer service can be the pits, but man you gotta take into account YOU'RE the guy that works there (AND REALLY REALLY WANTED TO). lotta dudes gotta chill they ain't driving bentleys. THEYRE WORKING RETAIL. It's just getting people what they want and getting them on their way. Not getting hung up on judgements and shit.

    Sonic is that rare dude in a great situation with people that HANDLE BI. Alot of the guys I've worked for or around DON'T pointblank (not that i'm mr. fiscalresponsibilty 2007) you may be at thier mercy when it comes down to getting money or when you want that semi rare record (dude could pay the fill-in-the-blank bill w that copy of that $50 record in vg-)

    I once likened it to working in a crackhouse cept you get get to keep your clothes on and get first crack @ the rocks.
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