Record Store Mischief

I saw this in another thread and not wanting to hijack or add noise, given that it is a new subject, decided to start a thread - any more examples of record stores behaving... not gonna say badly, but well... maybe

I have one related to the post above... and it is also an Amoeba story... decided to very quickly stop at Amoeba, because I wanted to buy "Time Out" by Dave Brubeck... this was before I knew what I know now, so quickly grabbed a copy, paid left.

When I got home, and once I looked at it, something was off... even then I could tell.. then I looked into discogs... realized it was an unofficial pressing, one of those European pressings probably from CD, from out of copyright in Europe material... in fact, the cover, while done in the same style of the Time Out painting, it was in fact completely different! Returned it the next day - and I told them that they should not stock such pressings...

I think it was this:

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

Again, I think Amoeba should not stock such pressings - after all it was a new product - I would somehow justify selling the used version of this for a couple of bucks, but selling it as new, in the U.S.? not OK and probably not legal...or at least gray.

One more - this time I will withhold the name of the store because I have a lot of affection to it... it is just that one of the employees is not as knowledgeable as he thinks he is... and he doesn't know it on top of that...

Saw a sealed Japanese pressing of Genesis' "Wind and Wuthering" - got it, got home, opened it up and immediately saw that the record itself was an american pressing - obviously someone got the Japanese jacket (with OBI!) and just put a record in there and sealed it... double checked on discogs that I was right and took it back.

Said employee looked at it pointed at label and told me that it was a Japanese pressing because something or some marking on the label. I told him that I checked on discogs and that it was an american pressing. He told me very firmly it was not and wave me off... I was fuming, but I controlled myself and instead of rising hell, I talked to another employee. He understood and refunded me.

Granted, in both cases they did the right thing, but someone that was even less knowledgeable than me would have not realized she/he was being ripped off...

Any more stories?

v

 

About four, five years ago I walked into one of the half dozen stores in my area and was pretty disappointed to see that they were trying to pass off a bootleg copy of The Beatles' Christmas Messages for a hundred bucks. I pulled out the vinyl to confirm that this was not the real fan club pressing. I lightheartedly brought this up with the guy at the counter and he either had no idea what I was talking about or did a great job pretending not to. When I walked in there about two weeks later, I saw that the album had been sold. I kind of just shook my head and let the matter be (no pun intended).

 

Here’s some mischief at a record store:

 

I have a few Amoeba stories (from the SF location) that I relayed in another thread. I will say, though, on the subject of bootlegs, that the SF store (not the Berkeley one, at least as far as what I've seen) sells A LOT of new bootleg or grey market records.

For example, some buyer there keeps stocking these cheap looking new bootleg pressings of the four Smiths studio albums, even though they are well stocked with legit copies from the 2011 Smiths reissue campaign. I asked a friend who worked there why that was, and he shrugged his shoulders and said that if the buyer is buying that stuff, then it means customers are purchasing it.

Before the David Bowie reissue campaign started a few years ago, the SF Amoeba used to stock a lot of clearly bootleg pressings of his various studio albums. Again, I just didn't understand why they did this, but there must have been a lot of uninformed customers who were buying them.

One story from back in the 1990s: I was at the Berkeley Amoeba selling some things, one of which was a live Sonic Youth bootleg CD that I had purchased from that store. When the guy at the buy counter saw it, he said, kind of awkwardly, "Um, we are not purchasing bootlegs at this time," to which I responded, "But I bought it here, from this very store!" He backed down and took it, but I was irked by the double standard.

 

You have to watch Neil confront the guy at the counter concerning an album of his

 

The seventies...what a concept.

 

Purchased a "NM" MFSL gold copy of REM's Reckoning that contained the A&M CD from Amoeba on discogs about a year ago. Case was beat up as well. Returned it. They said the buyer swore it was MFSL yada yada yada but they refunded me in full. Loved shopping there when I lived in SF and got some great stuff in Hollywood when I was in LA about 3 years ago. Miss it, but have to be a little careful there...

 

There used to be a store back in Kansas City -- closed about 10 years ago (Recycled Sounds, I think was the name). A couple of the lower-level guys who worked there were salt of the earth, and two of the most genuine and nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

But the owner -- that's a whole 'nother story. Lots of collectible stuff on display all over the walls of the quite large store (tons of space), and little of the collectible stuff had visible price-tags on it -- just tags with handwritten product codes, or some sort of key. You had to ask what the price was on anything, and although I think they may have been a master file in their computer system -- it probably had a price *range* for each item. And the price you were quoted was surely whatever they thought they could shake you down for.

I didn't ever really give a fig about any of the supposedly "collectible" stuff, and I never asked my two lower-level buddies about how the system worked -- but do know neither one of them especially liked whatever the official system was (nor did they like dealing with the owner -- their boss -- much either).

Was kind of like buying a used car, is the best description I could give. As with everything in life, buyer beware, and do a little homework before you buy anything. This was a decade ago, over 10 years really, so 10-20 years ago. But I remember never ever taking any interest in anything they sold that didn't have a price-tag on it, entirely on principle (best as I'm recalling). I can't complain, though, cuz I probably bought over 1,000 used CD's from the place over 10 years -- a ton of which were some pretty obscure jazz and 20th century classical stuff (that, thankfully, there was a lot less demand for).

 

Having Neil Young's handwritten note is worth infinitely more than what they'd get for selling the record!

.

 

A few years ago I bought a copy of Machine Head, and found that I couldn’t play it when I got home because it was warped. I took it back, but the young lady said that all purchases were final. I said well that can’t be because you see you sold me a warped record. Then I said there’s another one on the shelf and I’ll just exchange it for that one. I didn’t wait for her to give me approval I just went and got it.

She then reluctantly agreed. I just couldn’t believe that a store selling used records could sell you a warped one and expect that caveat emptor somehow applied.

 

Was a time in the late 70s, vinyl quality control was so poor I would routinely open and visually inspect all purchases at the counter. I was rejecting quite a few for evident warping, and I really think they re-shrinked them to foist upon others.

 

No record stores in Arizona that I know of would take back a warped record. You leave it in an unattended car for 5 minutes in the desert heat and it’s toast.

 

I agree that warped records might be a gray area - specially in AZ. I always check records for warping, even if Amoeba ridiculously over-bag and over-apply-tape to higher value records instead of having a real anti-theft system... I take them to the info counter, have them open them and check... Which reminds me of another one...

One time at Amoeba - saw a copy of Steve Hillage's Fish Rising... higher value (which means >$20 at Amoeba). So record was inside of 2 bags and had loads of tape applied. Took it to counter, saw that record VERY WARPED. Which makes me think, that was Amoeba behaving badly too - no matter the situation.

If they missed it, obviously, if you care enough to over-bag and over-tape, and charge > $20 you should check for warping. If they noticed and bagged it, applied tape and priced, that is worse. OK - that record in discogs has a top price of $32 - fine. There is nothing wrong with selling a pristine NM or Mint copy that should be worth $32 for >$20 given that is warped. But it should have been indicated in the record, telling you is warped, specially if some people might not dare/know to take the record to the counter to check.

And by the way, like I said, I wish Amoeba stopped with the tape - get a real anti-theft system, for G*d's sake - they are big enough...

v

 

Back in the late 70's I got quite a name as that annoying teen who always wants to inspect vinyl before he buys it.
One shop would not sell me any LP's because I was always bring them back with
faults.
Also sold me a few bootlegs you learn fast aged 14.
Same shop a few years later suddenly liked
me when I started buying CD's in early 1984, the owner hated them but liked the
£10 pounds I spent every Saturday morning, funny that in the end he said sorry for sort of banning me as a teen.
Miss that shop packed up in the 90's.
Floyd.

 

wow. That was the owner of Plastic Fantastic to a T.

 

Ages ago, I brought a small stack of records to the shop. Was really pleased when they offered me $40 for the small handful of records. Later that day, I thought maybe I made an oversight and came to realize that one of them was a $1,000 record.
Trade-ins are usually final, but I called them to complain. Their story changed each time I called.
First, they claimed to have already sold the record
Then, they didn't think the record was still at the shop
Then, they did still have the record, but were under no obligation to reverse the deal.
Finally, they begrudgingly agreed to do it.
I walked in and every employee's head turned in my direction. I had a one minute silent standoff with an employee until he handed me the record.
Weirdos.

 

That's wild if we're talking used, unsealed records here. New records I understand, but if I can't at least check for condition/warps on an expensive used record, there's a roughly zero chance I'm buying blind.

 

What was the record, if you don't mind my asking?

 

Generally I'd be on the customers side in store matters but isn't it kind of your fault in this case? Both parties accepted the transaction terms, why is the store under any obligation to give the record back after you change your mind? They're not the ones who have made an error. You were happy with the $40 and agreed to it...

 

Hey Neil Young, why don’t you go around today and call the actual record companies out on their poor vinyl pressings. I’d love to see a video of that.