The worst experiences you've had shopping for music

Man, how did places like this or Music Exchange stay in business? Like, did they cultivate a bunch of toadies who wouldn't buy anywhere else and/or worked for peanuts or something? Not pricing stuff alienates about 80% of the public, and I'd think that even collectors would be put off by the BS that the managers were pulling in setting a price.

 

One time I went into this store and went up the front counter to enquire about where I could find Lawrence Welk records.

The gang of sales clerks started snickering and laughing at me and pointed me to a door behind which they said was the section. It was actually the bathroom, and as I poked my head in they came up behind me pushed me inside and held the door shut. Until I pleaded to be let out.

As I came out of the bathroom, unbeknownst to me, one of the clerks pasted a 'kick me' sign on my back, which I hadn't realized, until, indeed I received a swift kick from one of the clerks, and another one got one in too, while I was still trying to ascertain if the store even had what I was looking for.

By this this time, all the customers in the store were getting in on this abuse, pointing and laughing at me.

Feeling flushed and a little embarrased I decided to leave. But when I got outside, they had also managed to T.P. my car and written NERDLINGER on it in shaving cream.

I haven't been back there since.

 

I like seeing your two sigs next to each other. I think it's been clear to everyone for years that B.D. is a demon, but it's still nice to be reminded.

 

Nothing much has happened to me, but the local Circuit City put out the deluxe Cure remasters 4 days early. When I took them to the checkout counter, they wouldn't scan. Once they realized their mistake, they would not let me purchase them.

 

They shouldn't have put them out in the first place of course; but I can't blame them for not wanting to break the street release date by selling it to you ahead of time.

 

Mother of God? What store was this?

 

You're not too nostalgic for high school, eh?

 

The band Pantera mocked me at the old Tower Records on E. 4th Street.

 

Damn! That had to be rough.

 

Wow, that might just take the prize in this thread! I've never heard of a store like that before. that's pretty much criminal behavior!

 

Reminds me of the time I went into what, unbeknownst to me, was a metal record store to buy a Roger Whittaker album for my sick mother. When I made my inquiry to the clerks, they didn't laugh, but quickly surrounded me as one clerk held my arms behind my back while the other two simultaneously pantsed and atomic-wedgie'd me. I was going to call them on their gauche, customer-unfriendly behaviour when one of them hit me in the mouth with a Cannibal Corpse bobblehead, and pushed me from the store, where a group of passing bikini models mocked my unstylish underwear.

Needless to say, I shan't go back!

 

I somehow think that's a fictional story.

 

A couple of years back I repurchased Lyle Lovett's "Joshau Judges Ruth" at Busted Buy. Took it out to the car, opened it and started playing it....I had no idea who the artist was.

I took it back in and told them this wasn't Lyle Lovett. The manager put it on and proceeded to say it was even though he admitted he had never heard Lyle Lovett. I was so frustrated with him after going round and around (and told him they could give me a credit and I would order it online since they had no more in stock) I finally told him to keep the CD because he clearly enjoyed it even if he had no idea WHO it was and I certainly didn't.

Wrote their corporate office and they did send me a gift card for my trouble but that should never have happened.

 

I'm sorry but the idea of The Zodiac Killer shopping for records and being frightened off by a large gay record clerk is cracking me up.

 

You know, that may actually be right. I did once meet a woman who loved Bob Seger, but her husband wouldn't let her play his records when he was in the house because he was sure Seger was a communist. Which Seger wasn't, but Seeger was. I also saw Mike Seeger (Pete's brother) in concert once, and he joked that people occasionally came to his shows and asked him to sing "Night Moves" and such.

 

It was the Wiz in Union Square. Terrible store.

 

I'm not kidding you, this just happened to me at the grocery store! Jesus!

 

The "Mom" of a Mom & Pop record store accused me of "just using up her air conditioning" on a hot summer day after I told her that I was "just looking." It stayed that way when I eventually walked out without buying anything.

 

I don't know that this is unpleasant but it was kind of interesting. At Ameboa in San Francisco today at lunch I tried to trade in a couple of Audio Fidelity titles that I no longer listen to/have the need for.

The guy offered me $5.00 each for trade. I asked him if he could do any better and he said that "These are Mobile Fidelity knock-off's, it's not a real label".

Interesting perspective from someone in a B&M who stocks their stuff.

 

Back in the early-mid 1990s, I thought DCC was just a cheesy MFSL wannabe. I learned better!

 

I second that--the shop I worked at in the mid-1990's, we stocked both MFSL and DCC product. The MFSL's sold well, I had plenty of 'em, but no one wanted the DCC's, including myself at the time. We all thought they were a copy cat...until we actually LISTENED to a couple of the DCC's. Love ever since.

As far as horror stories, I've been pretty lucky. The only one that comes to mind is a small indie on the east side of metro Detroit, "Hot Hits", circa 1993 or so. I was schlepping through some of their vinyl boxed sets, a lot of old Reader's Digest stuff, most of them marked at $5 each. I happened across the 1983 "Motown Story" 5-LP box mixed in with them. It too was marked $5 and in immaculate condition. The chap at the register took one look at the box, then at me, and loudly accused me of switching the price stickers off of one of the RD sets. Here I am, all of 15 years old, scared sh**less but innocent as can be, so I told him to go ahead and call the police because I had done nothing wrong. He must've figured I was either telling the truth or had some nerve, because he cashed out the set for the $5 with quite a scowl, but said not another word. I walked out with a smile, but that was my last visit to "Hot Hits".

 

Back in the 1980's, Record Bar had a store in a shopping mall where I worked. I knew the manager and he would hook me up with whatever I needed and at a nice price to boot on the vinyl. In the span of a few weeks, I had picked up the Beatles MFSL box, and a mixed compilation of the albums on Odeon and Parlophone, along with a German MMT.

One day, I'm in there browsing through the vinyl and CD's, and some impudent clerk approaches me and asks why I haven't bought anything in the store recently. I looked at him and asked if I was allowed in to look to purchase, or if I didn't was I forbidden to enter. Well....my friend overheard this and he was quite unhappy over the incident. Totally amazing. If their prices weren't ridiculous to boot, now they questioned you if you didn't buy anything. Any wonder why they went under?

 

Reminds me of a guy me and my friends nicknamed "Stinky" at the Arbutus MD record show. He's a little guy, scruffy looking, who often seems to be wearing the same clothes each month and reeks of urine. When he approaches a dealer's table and starts browsing, he gets all the space he needs. It's a great way to remove the competition at a table.

 

I hate it when that happens...

 

And I thought I was the only one...