"Their markup is so high"...

[jimmyg]

I like to get my records as quickly as I can, I hate waiting for them, but there is no store that stocks new records that I would be into within a 40 mile radius of where I live. So I have zero choice other than to buy them online, say if I'm in London or Brighton then I'll happily pay a few more pounds and get the record there and then and listen to it when I get in. (Un)fortunately places like Juno.co.uk can get me my record next day, everytime, and therefore it's a no brainer.

[goraiders]

I think I have a bigger 'community' w/ people from the web. Thanks mostly to you lovely folks <333

this

[suchashorttime]

i agree with a lot of what seems to be consensus here. if i had a record store that knew more about selling records than thinking that they sell to middle aged people trying to relive their golden years, i'd definitely spend more time at record stores. i love NOTHING more than wasting an afternoon in a record store weeding through stacks and bins of records. i have yet to really get the community feel from any record store i've ever been to, though. usually people looking/shopping have the "indier-than-thou" mentality, and the people working are content to stand behind the counter looking grumpy. i think record stores now, more than ever, have an opportunity to be unique and inviting, especially to compete with the online market. i just wish i had a place.

[robx]

I got some cool 90's amrep stuff there for next to nothing.

well, what did you get?! i never see any good amrep stuff around town that i want, probably because everyone else that's local wants it too.

Rusted Shut lp, Big'n lp, Crust lp, and a few rolling stones singles (picture sleeve "paint it black").

nothing crazy, but was worth the gas. Plus I think it was on the way to those famous banks we were skating. And wholefoods.

[daniel]

Record stores are great for used and secondhand stuff but there are some silly points being made here. You mentioned No Idea... They have fair prices, great customer service, and they put out tons of good music. Should I really wait an extra week to buy their releases for $3 more at a local store that makes most of their money off mainstream records? I'm more concerned with supporting the independent artists and labels directly.

Also, about hassling stores to order underground things and the alleged fake-ass distros: I'm not gonna bitch at my local record store owner to get every Topshelf 7" so I can pay an extra $2 for the most common variant of the record that I get two weeks later than I would of had I ordered it directly from the label.

I live in Denton and, up until recently, the only record store we had was Good Records. This place has less than stellar customer service, all their records are $3-4 more than list price, and their "used section" might as well not even exist. A couple weeks ago a new place called Mad World records opened up in Denton and this place is exceptional. They have a great used section, an exciting and respectable punk/indie section, and nothing is more than a dollar over list price. I will continue to buy new, mainstream releases there to support them (Iron & Wine, Death Cab, etc) and enjoy rooting through the new and used punk/indie section, but I'm not gonna hassle him to order records I could easily obtain online just to say I bought it from them and "supported the community".