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| - It isn't often that you're passively insulted by the staff at the checkout counter while dropping $100 at a record store, but that's what happened today at Lunchbox Records, a place I was pretty stoked about after reading all the reviews and browsing their selection.
To be clear, this place has a really decent used selection and a nice variety of new stuff. They're also WAY into punk, which may explain a little bit of the condescension. The only annoying thing is how overstocked the bins are. You literally have to yank out each record to see what it is in the new sections. This is terrible for the records and their packaging, and you'd think they'd know better. If you don't have room for all those records, thin the herd, boys. Work with the space you have.
It's a shame to feel like I have to write a negative review of this place, especially since it has so many positive ones.
And I realize that I, too, sound condescending in tone here. But the way you're spoken to by the employees goes a long way. I've never instantly regretted a purchase at a record store, until now.
But if you're from out of town and also visiting the Ikea store nearby, don't mention it to these guys. I got smirks and eye rolls. Pretty stunning, actually, to patronize a store, drop that much money (which was probably their biggest sale of the day), and get attitude based on a place I'd shopped at 10 minutes earlier. I didn't even get a "thank you" as I walked out. How punk!
I dunno, maybe the greasy-haired twerp was having a bad day. Maybe there was something he felt particularly enraged about he'd read that morning in his current issue of Adbusters.
I know it's probably difficult to wrap your mind around, but not everyone who patronizes your store will share your value system, or your taste. It's no reason to act like a child. Remember, the goal is actually to make your customers want to come back, even if they're from out of town.
Next time I'll just take my bourgeois money to Manifest instead.
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