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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "Harris, Will" <wharris1@bcharrispub.com> |
| Subject | Re: Mail order bad? and 'playing it safe'? No way, Jose! |
| Date | Fri, 28 Feb 2003 14:28:29 -0500 |
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>In my time working in music retail, I've become extremely aware of how the
>business functions and how, if you care about music at all, you really
really
>should not let your money go to stores like Best Buy, Circuit City
>and--because they're just as bad, and operate in the same ways--Wal-Mart,
>Kmart, Target, etc.
When it comes to full-priced items, I certainly try to favor the independent
stores over the big names...but I'm not going to pretend that, when Best Buy
advertises the new American Hi-Fi for $6.99, for example, I'm not going to
take the bait. That's just this week's example (I also could've used the CD
by the Music, which is the same price), but, generally, it's pretty hard to
turn down a brand new CD for $6.99, particularly when...as it is in many
cases...it's a CD that's been out for months in other parts of the world but
is only belatedly coming out in the States; it happened with Ash, it
happened with Supergrass, and it happened with the Music.
But I won't lie to you, I've had my problems with indie stores in the
Hampton Roads area. There's little question in my mind that the best
all-around independent record store around here is Birdland Music, who've
been doing it longer than anyone else around here. But for every Birdland,
you've got...well, I don't want to name any names, but some stores around
here have been known to take promo CDs, stick 'em in the regular section
with hole in the bar code glaring at anyone who wants to look, and slap a
full-price sticker on them. Then there are stores that have stopped taking
checks altogether ("I've been burned too many times, man") and have decided
that they'll only accept credit card transactions over a certain
amount...and, then, when I couldn't buy what I'd picked out from the bargain
bin because I didn't have any cash and it didn't reach the "certain amount"
to use a credit card, the guy copped an attitude about how I tended to only
buy from the bargain bin. Excuse me? I'm trying to be a patron of your
store over the chains, and you're actually going to complain about how I
spend my money in your store? If you don't want me to buy from the bargain
bin, then get rid of the bargain bin...! It's all promo CDs in there,
anyway; just go that last mile and put all of THEM in the section, too!
Sorry. Struck a nerve.
Suffice to say that I certainly PREFER indie stores to chain stores...but I
prefer ONLINE stores to INDIE stores. Would that my local indie stores
(excluding Birdland) had folks with pleasant personalities like the folks at
Not Lame and Parasol and Kool Kat and Jam and...well, you get the idea...
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