The worst experiences you've had shopping for music

Bad experiences with staff, or other customers, or whatever. Share your horror stories here.

 

Are we talking brick-and-mortar stores? We could all relate bad mail-order transactions until the cows come home.

I haven't had major issues with brick-and-mortar stores. Back in 2004, I went into a shop in Las Vegas that had the rare Columbia CD of Orion the Hunter. The store owner had it behind the counter, and it was priced $75. The disc had many scratches and the booklet was worn. Overall, it was G-VG. I asked about the price given the condition and he simply said it was rare. So I handed it back to him and told him this wasn't eBay, and I left.

There was a time when I encountered difficulty trying to get someone at FYE stores to open the sealed pouches so I could check the condition of used CDs. I would get blank stares or someone would say "Our discs don't have scratches, and everything is guaranteed for 30 days." I insisted on seeing a disc before I would buy it, and finally they would yield. On the plus side, I haven't had such problems in awhile. Now they open the bags without question. Either I've encountered the right people or they've been instructed to just do it.

Like I said, no major issues in stores here.

 

Sounds familiar. The owner of a (2nd hand) store that I occasionally visit here in the Netherlands uses this exact line. There was one occasion where I got to see the disc (after a lengthy discussion) and it turned out to be a scratched library disc with a lot of writing on it. Needless to say, I didn't buy it...

I once bought a cd by German experimentalists Faust. When I wanted to have a look at it in the train back home, the disc inside turned out to be Bert Kaempfert's greatest hits...
There was also an instant where someone had taken out the middle page sof the cd booklet...
Ever since then, I perform a quick inspection before returning home.

 

I won't mention the Wisconsin store by name, 'cuz I do try to support record stores. But shopping for jazz at 11:00 A.M. in a store that's playing death metal so loud you can hear it out in the parking lot.... not a pleasant experience. I'm sure it keeps some folks from even entering the store. And one wonders why they even try to provide a reasonably good jazz selection.

 

Years ago I went into the HMV on Younge St in Toronto. I was down in the basement (when it had music) to pick up some latest techno releases.

Anyway the staff down there being part of the cool clubbing scene members could be a pain but this time they were outright annoying. I sat at the cash desk waiting to pay for ages while they carried on their conversation. I didn't even get an acknowledgement. I was eventually served but I was really annoyed.

I actually wrote a letter to the HMV head office about my experience and to their credit they wrote me back apologising and sent me a $20 gift voucher.

The only thing worse than incompetent floor staff are too cool for you types.

Eddie

 

At least the independent stores can play whatever they want whenever they want. Shopping at FYE is brutal from that standpoint. They are forced to play muzak/ad segments from the corporate office. Blech.

 

At the now out-of-business D&J's Records, shortly after Oasis' "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" had come out, I had to endure endless playings of "Wonderwall" by the people working there...I thought it was one of the most boring songs I'd ever heard, with one of the worst vocals of all time; still feel that way. I do like some other Oasis songs however.

Two other experiences, both at the now out-of-business A&B Sound:

- Got laughed at by young female cashier for buying a Herman's Hermits Greatest Hits album "...are you having an 60s theme party or something?"

- Wanted to purchase album that was playing over store speakers...staff had no idea who it was.

 

Muzak I can easily tune out. Death metal at 110 decibels isn't so easily ignored.

 

Many years ago, I was at a used record/CD store that has long since gone out of business (won't mention names at all). I went up to the counter and asked where I could find Sam Cooke filed (R&B, oldies, rock, etc.). Seemed a simple and innocuous enough question but clearly I'd bothered the guy behind the counter who proceeded to yell at me "What?? You're looking for Sam C*CK?? You want to find Sam C*CK??!??" at the top of his lungs in a very small store. Note, it definitely wasn't loud in the store at the time, but I was completely infuriated and embarrassed. I walked out and never bought from them again.

Fun fact: The guy who yelled at me was a local musician that has since returned to some measure of fame and acclaim as part of the reunited band he'd been a founding member of "back in the day".

 

Had a bad experience as a teen shopping at Nobody Beats the Wiz (East Coast people might remember the store, they are out of business - big surprise!) I went in looking to buy some jazz. Instead, I got a lecture from some 300lb lady telling me not to "sellout" my race and that I shouldn't listen to, in her words "cracker" music. Incredible!! I reported her to the manager, who looked to be at most 20 years old & he was more concerned with hitting on female shoppers than addressing the situation. Basically, it was an exercise in futility. I went to Tower never giving the Wiz another dime.

Bleeker Bob's in NYC is another disaster. Just a pathetic place. Overpriced, dingy environment, crappy records, arrogant owner etc. Just walk down the block to Bleecker Street Records or a few more to Generation Records.

 

I asked a customer service counter jockey at the Philadelphia Broad Street FYE to open up a 'CD baggie' and they looked at me like I was nuts. They gave the 'guarantee' spiel and I explained that I was looking for a specific copy and I neede to inspect the disc. I was looking for a target edition of Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, after a 'harrupmph' or two she agreed.

Cheers, Michael

 

If he'd been really clever, he would've said "you want to find some cock?" That works better than "Sam Cock"...

 

Did you get the CD you wanted?

 

TOTALLY depends on the store - and even then it's hit or miss. When I was in AZ last fall, I went to a local FYE with a huge used CD section. I came up with 10 or 12 titles I wanted to inspect; they were perplexed by the request but did it.

Came back to the same store about two months later and got a big "no can do". I mentioned that I'd just had a similar - and larger - request granted at the same store two months earlier, and they said they were under new management. Kinda seemed to imply the prior managers were slackers and they got fired for letting customers see CDs!

They eventually were "kind enough" to let me open a few, but it was a hassle. I understand that the stores aren't the ones who choose to use those infernal plastic bags - it's a corporate decision - and I also know it's probably a pain to rebag the CDs.

But if they're going to use that system, they need to be willing to deal with the fallout. I bought probably 75% of the discs that we opened, so it's worth their while to open the occasional bag. It's not like their are hordes of nerds like Keith and me storming the stores!

 

Well, there was that one time a live roach emerged from a used boxed set that I purchased.

 

Nobody Beats the Wiz. OMG. Used to have friends who worked at the Flushing, Queens store. One of them managed it when we were in High School. Hopefully not that one. Its sounds like you are in the East Village. St. Marks Place is a great place to shop for used CDs. I can't think of any really negative experiences in a B&M store. Just the usual staff not having any idea what I'm talking about.

 

Purchased Stevie Ray Vaughn's 'Sky Is Crying' cd. The cd had different music, not SRV. Went to return it and the girl at the checkout counter was clueless. She didn't even know what SRV sounded like.

 

I can't recall any truly horrific experiences shopping for music...this weekend's record store day crowds comes close. I love going to the stores at lunch during the week when no one else is there. I do have many stories about bad experiences I had as a clerk at a record store for 5 years in the 90s including customers fighting, having mental breakdowns/freakouts, drugs being thrown my way, creepy gay dudes, and a very intoxicated individual trying to drive a car through our store because we wouldn't let him use the bathroom. I will post some of these to another thread as some of them are too good to not share.

 

I bought three copies of the import lp by Andy McKay of Roxy Music, In Search of Eddie Riff. The early pressings had a different track list, with Andy singing (ugh) 2 songs. I took the first one back, got the second one, took that back, tried to explain that the track listing on the lp was wrong, and get money back. Nope. I had to take the last copy, I had to open it myself (not the clerk), then when I showed him that the number of songs on the lp did not match the track list, he put in on in the store.
One listen to Andy trying to sing A Four Legged Friend sent the idiot clerk to the cash register pronto to give me money and he mumbled something. The other people in the store were giggling.

 

Wax Trax Records in Las Vegas. Google it for dozens of customer horror stories.

 

I was ~14 years old when I went into a Blockbuster Music (remember those?) to buy a few used CD's (the only affordable thing they carried) with some birthday money. I found several that I wanted, but had to narrow down my selection due to funds. As I started putting a few discs back, the clerk informed me that the entire staff had been watching me since I entered the store. He said it was obvious to them that I wasn't there to buy something, but to steal something. Since I hadn't put the discs back in the exact same spot where I found them, I was apparently trying to steal them. Putting something back is the best way to steal it, after all. I showed him my $20 bill, but it was no use. He asked me to leave the store.

I threw a party when that place went out of business. I'll throw another one when Blockbuster Video finally does the same.

 

So why are you protecting the guilty? C'mon, quit being a tease!

 

Attempting to buy Nick Drake's Bryter Later in about, 1988 and being served by someone who obviously had never heard of ND (which I could sort of forgive), who then proceeded to check his books and told me it had been deleted. I had to insist that it hadn't and he did eventually agree to order it for me.

 

my last time at scotti's records in Summit NJ, the owner starts challenging me that I always stop in but never buy anything. (now it's true that I was stopping in for 10 to 15 minutes around twice a week as I wait for connecting trains in Summit on my way home from work). And the vast majority of the time I don't buy anything. That said I've been buying things there since 1979, and while it's not my primary place of purchase anymore I'd say I buy 3 or 4 new vinyl releases (at $20+ bucks a pop) and probably around a dozen cd's there a year, say 6 new and 6 used.
I tell him I do order a lot thru amazon or specialty sites like MusicDirect these days
He starts in with me about not supporting my local store, as I'm leaving I notice the new at the time Spoon release priced at 15.99, that thing lists for 12.99, and I got it at Target for 7.99, now I don't expect him to match Target but $3 over list? WTF? he did the same thing with Past masters and The White Album last September, had them at 29.99 I could swear they were no more than 24.99 list.

30 years, I'll never be back*


*(until the inevitable going out of business sale)

 

This does happen, when I worked at a store people would take CDs from one section and go over to a less watched section and try and steal them. I figured that one of us employees would glance over and they would just drop it wherever. We often found metal, techno, or rap in the jazz and classical. We strategically placed the most stolen genres near the counter so we could watch them like hawks. We even had those long plastic jobs and kids stole those too and just busted them later. I think since the value of CDs has gone down you get less theft in indie stores. Now kids steal them online.