I love shopping garage sales for records. It’s usually a wife forcing her husband to sell his collection- so yes, there’s guilt attached to profiting from his misery- but at least they’re being adopted into a good home!
One thing I always try to do when I walk into a record store is have a limited list of what I'm looking for. Now the hard part is sticking to that list.
I also on most occasions will walk in with my budget in cash, so if I am impulsive and blow it on one album, then I'm done.
Thanks, Andres, for sharing your thoughts and article with us! I have a constant mental list of records I am always seeking, but I enjoy the hunt and just flipping through the bins.
I am very fortunate to live in a city with no shortage of record stores. I know them all well enough that if I'm looking for something in particular, I know which store will most likely have it. I also know which will have it for at least $3-$5 cheaper than the others. I've even had an owner of one local store call me when some rare records came in that she knew I'd be excited about. If I do see something rare and can afford & justify the purchase, I struggle to wait because I have lost out on some records I now regret snoozing on.
It's definitely harder to find really good deals. Gone are the days when a mono 1966 Love record could be found for a fiver!
Great advice, thanks Andres! As you know, I’m planning to get into vinyl when I have more time in retirement. I’ll be coming back to so many of your posts when I do that (and will be asking lots of questions when that time comes!)
Sage advice all around, Andy! I make it a point to the bargain bins first- what might not mean much to the store owner could be the record you've spent years looking for.
After that, it's on to New Arrivals, then through the rest of the used records before finally making a last stop at the new inventory.
" not produced for the masses (save for a few exceptions)" -- what are the exceptions?
We've talked about this before, but the existence of Discogs still completely messes with head when it comes to record stores. WIth the exception of those rare finds (and maybe those are the point), physical record stores seem to be more of an exercise in the ritual of it than any kind of necessary thing. I'm not complaining, The ritual is literally why I buy vinyl, and we all know it's more rewarding as a ritual to buy a record in a store rather than online in the same way that meeting your true love by chance is more romantic than online dating. It's just... odd to go through the motions of hunting for something that I know is a few clicks away on Discogs. The whole thing is a bit of a mindfuck and I pretty much have to go through the conceit of pretending the internet doesn't exist when I'm in a record store, for it to have any real point.
On another note, there are two decent record stores nearest me. One of them is run by an older guy who knows very little about music and bargain bins things like classic Emmylou and doesn't know who Townes van Zandt is. The other is owned by a younger guy who knows his music and goes to the first guy's store to buy some of his bargain records to resell at market value.... and yet, where do I prefer to shop? The second guy's store, because they know their music and thus the interaction with the owner and the inventory is more fun. I rarely go to shop #1 because it's not fun to browse in a shop where music isn't as understood. So price isn't everything, for sure.
On the other hand, store #2 files their albums by FIRST name, which gives me a sick headache.
Discogs is so great.
I love shopping garage sales for records. It’s usually a wife forcing her husband to sell his collection- so yes, there’s guilt attached to profiting from his misery- but at least they’re being adopted into a good home!
One thing I always try to do when I walk into a record store is have a limited list of what I'm looking for. Now the hard part is sticking to that list.
I also on most occasions will walk in with my budget in cash, so if I am impulsive and blow it on one album, then I'm done.
Thanks, Andres, for sharing your thoughts and article with us! I have a constant mental list of records I am always seeking, but I enjoy the hunt and just flipping through the bins.
I am very fortunate to live in a city with no shortage of record stores. I know them all well enough that if I'm looking for something in particular, I know which store will most likely have it. I also know which will have it for at least $3-$5 cheaper than the others. I've even had an owner of one local store call me when some rare records came in that she knew I'd be excited about. If I do see something rare and can afford & justify the purchase, I struggle to wait because I have lost out on some records I now regret snoozing on.
It's definitely harder to find really good deals. Gone are the days when a mono 1966 Love record could be found for a fiver!
Great advice, thanks Andres! As you know, I’m planning to get into vinyl when I have more time in retirement. I’ll be coming back to so many of your posts when I do that (and will be asking lots of questions when that time comes!)
1. Discogs is great for harder to find items. Also, it's great to get a general idea of price ranges.
2. Support local record shops.
3. I have added many things via Amazon. Their prices on newer things can't be beat sometimes.
Sage advice all around, Andy! I make it a point to the bargain bins first- what might not mean much to the store owner could be the record you've spent years looking for.
After that, it's on to New Arrivals, then through the rest of the used records before finally making a last stop at the new inventory.
" not produced for the masses (save for a few exceptions)" -- what are the exceptions?
We've talked about this before, but the existence of Discogs still completely messes with head when it comes to record stores. WIth the exception of those rare finds (and maybe those are the point), physical record stores seem to be more of an exercise in the ritual of it than any kind of necessary thing. I'm not complaining, The ritual is literally why I buy vinyl, and we all know it's more rewarding as a ritual to buy a record in a store rather than online in the same way that meeting your true love by chance is more romantic than online dating. It's just... odd to go through the motions of hunting for something that I know is a few clicks away on Discogs. The whole thing is a bit of a mindfuck and I pretty much have to go through the conceit of pretending the internet doesn't exist when I'm in a record store, for it to have any real point.
On another note, there are two decent record stores nearest me. One of them is run by an older guy who knows very little about music and bargain bins things like classic Emmylou and doesn't know who Townes van Zandt is. The other is owned by a younger guy who knows his music and goes to the first guy's store to buy some of his bargain records to resell at market value.... and yet, where do I prefer to shop? The second guy's store, because they know their music and thus the interaction with the owner and the inventory is more fun. I rarely go to shop #1 because it's not fun to browse in a shop where music isn't as understood. So price isn't everything, for sure.
On the other hand, store #2 files their albums by FIRST name, which gives me a sick headache.