CHUNKLET TO GO GO - RECORD STORE CLERK THERAPY: IT’S NOT JUST A SNOB, IT’S AN ADVENTURE
Record stores are on the ropes these days. After taking a series of beatings over the last decade or two thanks to the growth of digital music, the shrinking of the retail CD market, and the hard times of the music industry in general, kindly music consumers all over our gracious nation have stooped to help them out. We’ve guiltily purchased used CDs of albums we already downloaded from FilesTube, we’ve bought limited-release heavy vinyl private-label EPs… we’ve even given them their own day.
But lost in all this goodwill is the fact that record store clerks are, well, awful. We’re not saying that they’re terrible human beings who deserve all the suffering foisted on them by the vagaries of a post-industrial economy, but… well, maybe we are saying that. Long before the internet learned how to whine about noxious hipsters, know-it-all tastemakers, and whatever the trendiest neighborhood in Brooklyn is, resentful jerks like us were united by our hatred of record store clerks, who somehow managed to treat us like something they found scuttling out of an ancient box of cassingles, while simultaneously taking vast amounts of our money. In the immortal words of Darryl Worley, have we forgotten?
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It’s very funny. When I went to record stores in NYC I found this to be somewhat true. I went to Bleecker Street Records and wound up dropping more than $300 on some very expensive records. The clerk seemed extremely annoyed I was taking time out of his day to even ring up my purchases. While I do know for sure that friendly service isn’t exactly what NYC is known for, there was no real interaction at all with any staff.
Teleport back to Atlanta. Every record store I have been to here has been great — maybe short of Criminal, which has somewhat distant shopkeepers, but are friendly when approached about something. Every store here seems to be filled with very knowledgable staff that will answer any questions you have or will find someone there that can. In an industry that is (sadly) suffering quite a bit, you’d think people would work a bit harder to make a sale. Being able to recommend music to frequent buyers just by knowing what they have been buying in the past is a really great skill. Not only will it help you drive your sales, but it will keep people coming back for the experience. In times where the internet market is thriving, keeping someone driving back to your brick and mortar is extremely important, especially if you want to be successful in the long run.
New York only gets away with it because of the sheer volume of traffic they see.
Just my thoughts, I guess.
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