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Remember the lost art of record shopping? Are you even aware
that actual record stores still exist? Shopping online
is convenient, but it does not beat the real thing.
Maybe is the smell, the dust, the dude next to you stuck
in the letter L who doesn’t let you peek over the M or
the speakers loudly spewing that Bruce Springsteen
concert that’s been airing uninterruptedly on PBS for
the last four months, but sitting in front of a computer
and filling-up your fictional shopping cart does not
even come close to getting out of the house and doing
some real record hunting.
And if it’s a matter of price, the internet still can’t beat
the real thing. You don’t have to go bankrupt each time
you go to the record store. Most independent record
stores make much of their money from the used CD’s bins.
If you want to start a nice record collection and don’t
have thousands or even hundreds to blow, this is the
place to start. All you need is patience, knowledge, and
about $10 a week; which is about how much I spend every
time I hit my favorite record store.
By now, almost all independent record stores have discount
bins. The closest one to my home has three; a $6.99 to
$9.99 bin ($9.99 for a used CD? This is even expensive
for a brand new record), a $3.99 to $4.99 bin (that’s
more reasonable, but still with a $10 budget that’s a
mere 2 records not including taxes) and a $.99 bin
(that’s what I am talking about). Guess which one of
these bins you can find me by? Need one more reason to
try real record shopping? You don’t have to pay shipping
and handling, which in many cases is as, if not more,
expensive than the (used) record itself.
A few tips you should take into consideration before going
record hunting:
Know
your stuff.
You know what you like so take that knowledge to the
store. Don’t waste time staring at the brand new
reggaeton section. Believe me, it sucks.
Check
the disc.
Many discs are scuffed, scratched, totally damaged or
even absent. I once got home with a sleeve of Air’s
Virgin Suicides soundtrack and an empty slipcase.
The drive back for a refund felt like too much of a
hassle for a $0.99 record, so I trashed it.
Be
patient.
If the store has its stuff together the $0.99 bin will
be alphabetized. If the staff does not care, you’ll feel
like you are blindfolded in a maze. Be patient and open
your eyes way wide. It is harder to find the good stuff
amidst so much crap, but the stuff is there. A few
months back I found 2 Hugh Masekela vinyl copies and a
Cocteau Twins record for $1.00/ea at a thrift store. It
took me 30 minutes to get past all those Ray Connif and
Andy Williams records, but it was worthy.
Know
the new releases.
Used CD bins are filled with promotional releases that
cannot be legally sold as new. You can find them in all
used CD sections. Many times they won’t even have a
sleeve or an insert of any kind, but you are paying
$0.99 so don’t be too demanding. I have scored new
copies of recently released records by Rogue Wave and
Wolf Parade just by being patient and checking what
seemed like empty cases thoroughly.
Know
Labels.
There is not a label in the universe that has not
released at least one shitty album in its lifetime, but
many labels specialize in a genre. Being aware of these
could help you discover new bands.
Check
all used CD bins.
Many times clerks are distracted and wouldn’t know their
heads from their asses. You can usually find copies of
the same records in different priced bins. Once again,
open your eyes and don’t act like a zombie.
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