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| - In the rise of digital music and the desert of record stores (gee, thanks, iTunes), it's a gracious miracle places like this are still open. Manifest has a gigantic selection, above and beyond any traditional outlet in the Charlotte area. You're not going to get an experience straight out of High Fidelity when you come here: the staff is upbeat, willing to help, and I never feel like I have to win their approval (sorry, John Cusack). Unlike the cramped store shown in the movie, Manifest is more like a warehouse, or if Michael's was turned into a record shop (ie: if Michael's was fun).
Used trade-in is a great aspect of the store. I'll make that my first stop, get some store credit, then check out the used section. Since they run a pretty tight ship on used (what, you don't want this shrink wrapped copy of Styx I found in a closet?!?!), what you're looking at in used will be near-mint condition and a little more off-the-radar. The used section has got its up-and-down days, but you're almost guaranteed to find something for less than $7 that's golden, especially in the jazz and rock sections.
They'll have Buy 2-Get 1 Free deals among other specials that are explained at the register. More than once at checkout, I've been informed I can get another 2 discs for cheap, prompting, "be-right-back-thanks-didn't know-about-that-deal-don't-mind-if-I-take-another-three-hours-losing-myself-like-I-always-do." I feel like a kid buzzed on sugar when I leave and gleefully shove whatever I just bought into the car's CD changer.
Music fans: be prepared to feel like Hermione Granger nerding out when visiting Manifest. Like her, Manifest gets all of the good grades.
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