I'm finished with Amoeba.

Amoeba will buy a record or cd and mark it up 3 times. Nordstroms wishes they had that profit margin! The staff at Amoeba is just rude period. Stop making excuses for there rude behavior!

 

Too bad the Joe's in Baltimore didn't make it. The location wasn't great, and I suspect the selection was not as good as the Rockville store. I've been to Normals Bookstore, they had a decent selection of stuff, I even scored a rare Jim Shepard disk when I visited. I like browsing El Suprimo in Fells Point, he has a nice dollar bin, and doesn't overcharge for his stuff. That said, i find the Baltimore/DC area sadly lacking in good Record Stores.

Eric

 

Stores like Amoeba work on 4 to 10 times buying price. You do the math. A store like Berkeley Amoeba on Telegraph is running $10k+ a month rent. And another $20k plus for staff.

The staff never bother me at any time. I guess I don't look like I need help finding what I'm looking for. And I always can come back in the morning...

 

Well, there are two ways to handle things. Ripping a CD out of someone's hands is rude. No question.

If you make a public announcement (or more than one) and people still continue to shop, it's not uncommon to walk up to them at some point (especially after closing) and say nicely, "Hey, we're in the process of closing. Will you be purchasing that tonight? If so, could you make your way to the register?" isn't a bad thing, and maybe remind them what time they open so they can come back and browse more.

That's how we got people out without being rude to them back when I used to work retail. There's no need to be heavy handed.

Can't say I've had the same experience. I've been to all of the stores, some more than once. If you want rude, go to Princeton Record Exchange. Amoeba is far from rude, and they've been helpful if I've ever asked anything.

You shouldn't feel entitled to stay forever just because you are a customer. That's rude on your part. Customer service is necessary, but to a point. I'm sorry you seem to have had some bad experiences with them, but as evidenced here, not everyone has that experience. Some have - it's inevitable. Even your top ranked businesses in all categories across all walks of life will have their detractors. No one is perfect.

As I said above, if they ripped a CD out of someone's hands and basically said get the F out, that's rude. It's not even up for debate. But if you have been given fair warning (30 mins before, 15 mins before, 5 mins before), I don't see where at some point they're not just going to have to cut you off. As I also put above, there's a nice way to handle it. You're not Elton John where you need to have private shopping hours where I'm sure they'd accomodate you (and know you'll drop thousands of dollars).

 

I went to Amoeba today and looked around for about 80 minutes.

Yes, the used stock is very worked over and lacking. The prices were slightly on the high side for used vinyl. Used CDs were over priced by $2.00 for many items. And selection was not the best either.

The DVD area upstairs was good, but again I saw some pricing that was not quite right. Beatles Anthology was $59.99 for a new set, and $54.99 for used. I felt the used one should be at least $20.00 lower than a new one.

DVD-A and SACD selection was sad (not their fault), and prices were not low enough, but I did see DVD-As of David Live, Chicago II, Pet Sounds, Motorhead Overkill, Tommy, and a couple other good ones there with the low end Front Row Live titles.

In the used CD section I saw an old Sire CD of Eno & Byrne's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" with a "Original Issue" sticker on it, but it was not the first issue that contains Qu'ran. So they are wrong about that one, but it was priced at only $6.99.

I looked for the new 180g LPs from Steve and Kevin on Rhino and only saw the Joni Mitchell Blue. I need to find out how many titles are now out there. But it was good to see they had that for $21.98. A better deal than audiophile labels on the current scene.

Over-all I think it is simply the good old days are over. And if you've been collecting for a couple of decades, there are no stores anymore that are going to turn you on like you want to be.

I think you can still find the odd album you may be looking for here and there, and if you don't mind a slightly high price, and are willing to hold out for condition, and do a lot of leg work, it was an ok experience today. I found a parking space in the little lot with no trouble. I did not get any neg vibes from the staff. I only talked with one person, who was friendly. A guy who has been there five years.

it's still better than a poke in the eye with a frozen carrot.

 

Hey, I wish their prices were lower, too, but you can't claim that prices are too "high" while at the same time saying the stock is "worked over" and sold out.

 

There is no way Amoeba Hollywood will still exist in a couple of years.

 

This pretty much sums up this thread (and the current state of music).

 

How about moaning that prices are too high and that they don't pay enough for trades?


A friend of mine swears by Rockaway when he's trading in CDs or vinyl. But when I ask him whether he'd rather have store credit (the way I go) at Rockaway or Amoeba...well, he spends a lot more time there than he does at Rockaway.

 

I can't believe the stuff that is being written about Amoeba.

When you have somewhere like Amoeba to go to, it is hard to see what it WILL be like when it is gone.

IT MEANS VERY LITTLE TO SELECT FROM AND HAVING TO PAY THROUGH THE NOSE FOR IT.

ARE YOU HEARING ME! PRICES HERE IN DUBLIN RANGE FROM 15 EUROS TO 35 EUROS ($20-$48) FOR VERY AVERAGE QUALITY VINYL!

Believe me, it is painful to pick out an LP (20 euros) and find it is in bad condition! This is more common than the exception!

Criticize in haste, repent at your leisure.

JG

PS New LPs are actually cheaper!

 

The used vinyl is worked over is what I said. And it is a little high. And then I said the CDs were average 2.00 higher than I ever pay for used. I was speaking of two different areas of the store. I thought I was being fair and honest and not trying to slam them for the hell of it.

But wait a minute, why can't you say the (used LP) stock is worked over or picked over, and what remains is over priced junk nobody wanted. It certainly looked just like that to me.

 

They could still be standing. I think they bought the building cash. So if hard times came, they would simply add a starbucks in the store, cut way down on staff, and become a somewhat different type of place. They'll be around for a while I think.

 

Amoeba is not what it once was, true. But its far better than anything we have in New Jersey!

 

don't you have the princeston music exchange in jersey?...........I haven't been there but the pictures on their web page seem to be OK.................

Amoeba might not be what it used to be but it's stunning for us europeans......we don't have anything close to it ( I mean Amoeba in Hollywood mainly ).....

 

If that projection is based on current level of business, then I assume Amoeba Hollywood does a much poorer business than Amoeba San Francisco. Every weekend the San Francisco store is quite crowded. They have about a dozen cashiers and there's almost always a (short) line to wait for a cashier. If I get there before the store opens, there are typically more than a dozen people waiting outside just to go in to shop. On the rare occasions I go there in the evening after work, it's also relatively busy. Unless they aren't making a reasonable profit on their existing margins, I would assume that the store I regularly go to is doing quite well.

 

To our friends in Europe: don't despair. The exchange rate in dollars for Euros to the dollars is quite favorable, and Ebay is 24/7.

C

 

I visited PRX a few months ago as a side trip while in NYC on business. It's an ok store, and I found a few things, but their web site makes it seem a hell of a lot bigger than it actually is. Certainly not comparable in size or stock quality to either of the Bay Area Amoebas (or even the Rasputins). The giant Wall-O-Cheap-CDs is definitely worth sifting through though.

 

I noticed how many LA area folks are on this forum just from this thread.

It's amazing!

 

I was only ever in Amoeba on one occasion, but my experience was quite the opposite; I had conversations/interactions with four different staff members and in three instances I had interrupted them while they were busy doing other things (filing LP's, crouching down looking for a stock item). In each case they were pleasant, helpful and civil.

Maybe our definitions of "rude" don't jive; when I'm shopping I hate being treated like a visiting dignitary by an obsequious servant... I'm very comfortable with the idea of "equals".

The cliche of the obnoxious record store clerk - the Championship Vinyl model - certainly has a foundation in fact and I've encountered more than a few myself. But it's an overplayed cliche. Most of these people are making less than a living wage, working in a generally decrepit environment and putting up with a fair amount of crap, some of which comes from customers. I generally believe that "the customer is always right" but the sense of entitlement that some people bring to the equation is a bit over the top... if I were in retail I'd probably lose my temper and act rude a lot more than your average stock clerk slave.

 

I think some of these California folks should visit N.Y.C. and thicken up
their skin a bit.

 

Guy E -

My experience/outlook on this issue is a lot like yours. As you said:

Yes, particularly in response to someone coming in and asking an already harried, busy clerk a question like (and this is essentially paraphrasing actual questions I've overheard myself being asked in record stores)...

"I wonder if you can help me find this song...no, I don't know who does it, it's a girl singing though...no, not sure about the title...lyrics? Well kind of hard to remember...it sort of goes "duh duh duh" in the chorus...it's jazz/funk/pop/gospel sort of style, with a bluesy edge...you know, that song!"

...and then having to deal with that person being positively indignant about "poor service" when the clerk has the nerve to say, with perhaps a wee bit of edginess in their voice, that without any actual useful information to go on, they can't really help.

 

Yeah, Amoeba has gone downhill. Their selection is not what it once was. Staff is okay, with one exception a couple years ago that was literally the worst, rudest customer service experience of my life, so bad I didn't go back to the store for four months.

I'm not "finished" with Amoeba by any means, but I have definitely noticed patronage declining. A couple years ago, on a Saturday night, there was a line of six to eight cars to get into the parking garage. Nowadays... maybe two or three. The line to the cash register used to run all the way back into the jazz section at closing time. I haven't seen the line that length in a loooong time.

And I just seem to have fewer "great finds" there than I used to, though I still have them. (The Ace "Edizione d'Oro" Four Seasons comp a couple months ago for under $20 was definitely a great find.) But I notice fewer promo samplers than I used to find there.

 

I've always told them to come back with an artist or title. Nicely, that is.


Now if they have either of those, we head off to Allmusic and start on the instore listening station.. Amoeba recently put those in here in Berkeley.

 

Dude, WTF!!??!? Have you been to Lou's Records? Off The Record? Taang?

Granted the stores are not as good as they used to be, but they still have great prices and selections!

 

ha ha... I agree... Just spent last week in NYC, the Greatest City In The World.

Though to my amazement, I found that San Diego has much better clubs, record stores (except Generation Records was pretty amazing), and beer! You'd think you could find a decent beer in NYC!!! Took me about 4 days to find a place that brews their own beer! I could find 10 breweries in a 15 mile radius of my place in San Diego, but only could find one in the whole city of New York!