I'm finished with Amoeba.

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by imagnrywar, May 12, 2007.

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  1. imagnrywar

    imagnrywar Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Francisco
    i've been going to the two bay area amoeba stores on a regular basis for many years. in the last year or two, i think they've really gone downhill in several respects.

    - high prices for used CDs/vinyl. this is more pronounced at the SF store. it is not uncommon to see used CDs of in-print, common titles for $12 (in fact, it seems like it is becoming the norm). i just cannot bring myself to pay more than $8 for a used disc if it's not hard to find. and almost all out of print vinyl is way overpriced in my opinion.

    - mislabeled CDs. a lot of times they will put the "original issue" sticker on any CD titles that aren't the latest remaster, but which certainly aren't "original issues." this is mostly a problem with titles that have been remastered several times. for a store that charges based on rarity/pressing, you'd think they could be more attentive to details like this.

    - used buyers are too arbitrary, inconsistent, and rude. it seems like they are offering way less than they used to nowadays, and a lot of them just seem to be pissed off and incredibly short with the customers at all times. example: recently, i brought in a stack of CDs and DVDs. not all amazing titles, but a few good ones in there. not only did i get offered an insultingly low price, but when i asked how much i was getting for a particular title and decided not to sell it, the buyer said that he really didn't need to buy ANY of the titles and retracted his offer. unbelievable! that has never happened to me in all the years i've been selling there.
    i promptly took my stuff over to Rasputin and was offered DOUBLE the price that the amoeba guy offered. the buyer there was courteous, diligent (looking up all titles he wasn't sure about), and explained how much i was getting for each (instead of some random number seemingly pulled out of thin air, like the amoeba guys).

    - selection is not what it once was. i am seeing a lot of the same stuff week after week. and common titles that SHOULD be in stock for a store of that size are not available new OR used, week after week.

    there's a certain thrill that brick and mortar stores offer, but i've been enjoying my amoeba visits less and less. true, i usually come away with some good finds, but i think i'd save myself time, money, and frustration by doing more of my shopping online. so...see ya later, amoeba. it's been fun.
     
    Huck Caton likes this.
  2. GregK

    GregK I'm speechless

    Location:
    Baltimore, MD
    After all the hype for Amoeba, I was excited to go there for my first visit last fall (San Francisco). I was mostly disapointed-I thought the prices were too high, the selection not much better than the local stores in Ann Arbor, and poor quality control (I bought a used copy of the Gram Parsons box set that had scratched CDs and one of the mini-LP replica sleeves was actually missing the back panel! Nowhere was any of this indicated on the sticker, and it was re-sealed so I couldn't have opened it to check it out before buying).
     
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  3. imagnrywar

    imagnrywar Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Francisco
    i think it once lived up to the reputation... but i wouldn't say that anymore.

    i don't know if this is because sales are down, or because they've grown over the years and become less like an indie store, or what... but it's not the same anymore.
     
  4. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    I think it's just the Bay Area. A lot of rudeness I've found there in record shops. Your experience with SF Amoeba mirrors my experiences with the Campbell Rasputins and also the San Jose Streetlight Records. The worst customer service point of all though was the San Jose Tower Records, which is now dead.

    The exception was the wonderful Compact Disc Warehouse in Sunnyvale.
     
  5. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    the berkeley store has really gone downhill, especially on the vinyl side. the sf store still has a decent jazz vinyl collection, and the new bins can sometimes have some good stuff in it, but you're right, it's not like it was even a couple of years ago. i really think a lot of it is that folks are selling their stuff more and more online as opposed to going to a brick and morter. and lets face, more folks are buying online as well. it's a shame really, but probably a sign of the times.

    on the other hand, i've never had a rude experience with anyone who worked there. gotta believe it was a one off.
     
  6. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    I'm from Texas and went thru their used stuff at the Hollywood store last fall and thought their pricing was pretty much a joke on all their used stuff.

    Ridiculously overpriced. I just assumed that it was an LA thing. :)
     
    Huck Caton likes this.
  7. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    i hate rasuputins. the only good thing is that most of their buyers are dimwits and you can sometimes find ridiculous gems for great prices. it was about a year ago that i found a vg+ mono copy of the buffalo springfield again for a couple of bucks at the hayward store. always worth checking out their vinyl, but god i hate those stores in every other way.
     
  8. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    Well, thats one of the reasons I don't miss the Bay Area, you got twenty-
    something year old s***s who don't even know what what you are bringing
    in to trade (don't care either). I just give my stuff to the Salvation Army.
     
  9. heliokt

    heliokt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brazil
    Got my Byrds boxset at SF Amoeba about two months ago. It was supposed to come with the bonus DVD, it didn't. Since I live in Brazil refunding/exchange for the correct box is too expensive. Probably will buy a new one at some online store. I had the same impression, I mean, they're not friendly at all :thumbsdn: .

    Regards,
    Helio
     
  10. From my perspective, $12 is not excessive for a used cd if it's a new title or a title that's always full price (like most albums by The Beatles and The Stones, for example) and it's in fine condition, but here in Sweden, a new cd costs roughly $27 in a record store.
    If you think that $20 is outrageous for a new cd, don't move to Europe...
     
  11. imagnrywar

    imagnrywar Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Francisco
    yeah, it's all relative... but seriously, in this area, amoeba is the only place that can get away with charging that much for a common used CD. i have never seen that price in other stores around here.
     
  12. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    wow, that's a bummer, I used to take the Bart over to Berkeley once a month just to go to Amoeba, then went to opening day in my city S.F. and went there absolutely every weekend. Although I haven't been there in 3 years, after having had moved down to the absolute musical wasteland of San Diego, I still regularly dream about going to Amoeba in SF. Granted the new L.A. store is pretty lame in comparison, but S.F. was the best record store on the planet in my day ! You should feel lucky to live in a city with one of the best selections in the omniverse, coming in just behind Tokyo, Berlin, NYC, Paris and Amsterdam. Why is it that almost every record store employee thinks he's god's gift to music? they ARE all pretty lame, and I see your point about their snarky attitudes, but I don't think that's only Amoeba but all failed musicians that work at a record store in general. (like the complete A-hole tambourine player that works at SF who used to be in one of my old bands, Jonestown Massacre) About the "original issue" stickers, I see that as meaning "first, lame pressing without the bonus tracks" and I for one have never sold anything at Amoeba after I discovered E-Bay, it's just not worth it !!!! The one good thing about them is that you get 75% of the price if you return the CD within a week, which is good if you don't particularly like something and can settle for just burning it onto cdr...! And that store on Haight and Divis is great too, at least what they have in the window...and I still miss the great Reckless on Haight and Divis, that store was awesome...!!
     
  13. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    We'll take them all here in DC, where all we have is Best Buy and Borders.
     
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  14. dude

    dude Senior Member

    Location:
    milwaukee wi usa
    I went to the one in S.F. last year for the first time and didn't like it at all.
    Selection bad. Too many different styles with nothing of any significance. Bad music being played in the store. Atmosphere not good.
     
    Huck Caton likes this.
  15. Larry L

    Larry L Senior Member

    Location:
    Allen, Texas
    The used CD stores around here are dropping prices to hopefully get more sales. Most are $6.99. They're sinking fast. I hope this isn't a thread crap.
     
  16. william shears

    william shears Senior Member

    Location:
    new zealand
    Amoeba had been hyped to me for the last few years. I'd seen quite a bit about it here on the forum and a local retailer down here had been buying pallets of used vinyl from them and some of it was amazing. So when I was in LA in march it was with great anticipation that we visited the shop.
    Man it was dissapointing! Poor depth of stock, loads of vinyl bootlegs, quite expensive used-CDs. It was just really average. Our local vinyl joint down here in Auckland has it all over the LA Amoeba. Maybe the viny supply is now starting to dry up in the US?
     
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  17. OE3

    OE3 Senior Member

    Turnover

    you were probably there on a bad day, or even at a bad time during the day. the turnover is absolutely amazing at Amoeba. as i live ten minutes away, i try to go twice a week to ensure i'm not missing out. just a few days ago i found an orig. UK A2/B1 translucent red wax pressing of Tumbleweed Connection (VG++ sleeve/M- LP) for $12, in addition to a few desirable & hard-to-find CDs and the Eric Clapton/J.J. Cale Road To Escondido double-LP at 30% off MSRP. some days i get nuthin', other days a lot! as for rude clerks, that's nothing new for any record store, IMO. i have found the clerks i enjoy dealing with, when i have to, and use their services when needed.
     
  18. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I plan to visit the Berkley store on Monday so I will share my thoughts as a tourist. :)
     
  19. william shears

    william shears Senior Member

    Location:
    new zealand
    You could be right Eddie, though to be honest it wasn't really rare stuff we were looking for but actually just good stock depth (the visit was actually business related). It wasn't a terrible shop or anything, just not to the standard that many had led me to believe it would be. I actually found that Discount Records in LA was a pretty cool place for vinyl. And just 'round the corner from where we were staying, Holywood and Argyle, was a FABULOUS shop, records and books (next to a restaurant called 'Birds')...boy I picked up some beautiful records there:thumbsup:
     
  20. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Well, I guess I should step in and defend 'em – a little bit...

    First and foremost – your dollar doesn't go as far as it used to at Amoeba... true enough, but that's not just Amoeba, it's everything... how much did it cost you to fill the tank for the trip in?

    "original issue" sticker on any CD titles that aren't the latest remaster, but which certainly aren't "original issues."... inconvenient, I suppose, but can you actually point me to a store this size that can fully document every bit of collector minutiae, esp on used items?... everybody here does lotsa homework when collecting, and that effort can't end once you're in the store.

    used buyers are too arbitrary, inconsistent, and rude. it seems like they are offering way less than they used to nowadays, and a lot of them just seem to be pissed off and incredibly short with the customers at all times... less money, absolutely... I've not seen evidence of rudeness, ever... did you make a point of arguing an 'insultingly low price?' – there's no haggling... guys, the party's over – there are no more sweet deals, resources are drying up, everything's on a database – especially at a large-inventory walk-in store... Rasputins will wise up, if they can even hang on... the only way to get lucky is to go trolling on ebay and hope you find an unknowledgeable seller.

    selection is not what it once was... can't argue that, but they still have more than the other guys – with the notable exception of vinyl... you want vinyl in SF, go to Grooves or Recycled or Jack's – and don't expect magic bargains there, either.

    You sing that song every on every Amoeba thread... I regret your bad experience, but just so nobody gets the wrong impression, Amoeba clerks never refuse a request to open a used item for inspection, no matter how inconvenient... if you don't ask, you're not doing all your homework.

    Otherwise, I would concede that after a staff turnover or two in as many years, the current bunch seems more content to yak among themselves than interact with customers, but seriously, I've never encountered rudeness... I'm in that SF store twice a month.

    Yes, Amoeba is in some mild decline... but I don't think it's quite the hellhole being described above... any droop there is reflective of a much bigger picture including all the other woes we discuss in other threads.

    And believe me... Rasputins is NOT the answer.
     
  21. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Despite the slight I gave them at the end of my other post, I recommend you visit the Rasputins a block down the same street as the Berkeley Amoeba... that particular one does have something resembling a good selection.

    Enjoy your visit.
     
  22. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Thanks I may see Rasputins as well. :)
     
  23. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    I don't think Rasputins is good at all, maybe the one in Berkeley 'cause it has a prog section, but so does Amoeba in SF. The Rasputins on Powell in SF is totally lame !!!
     
  24. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Agreed.

    If they are 'the competition' that some claim they are / will be, they've got some serious muscling-up to do, inventory-wise.

    Jeez, in SF they put themselves steps away from a jam-packed Virgin Megastore.

    ???
     
  25. lv70smusic

    lv70smusic Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    That's actually my biggest complaint. Sometimes it's even difficult for me to get to an area I want to browse in because there are two or three employees hanging out chatting for several minutes. Not that I expect the management of Amoeba to crack the whips and make sure people are working non-stop while on the clock, but I'm amazed at how frequently their employees not only aren't working but are actually in the way of customers who are attempting to spend money at the store.

    By the way, I'm in the San Francisco store almost every weekend. Yes, prices for used discs are generally higher than they used to be. As someone else pointed out, however, prices of almost everything have risen. Even most of my favorite, inexpensive lunch places have raised their prices $1-$2 over the past year.

     
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