What section do you go to first in a record store?

Younger Than Yesterday record store (Peoria, IL)

If you're reading this, you're probably someone that likes to frequently make trips to record stores like we do. We are always searching for places nearby on every trip we make. Each store has it's own vibe and often curates a unique collection of music. Just like the unique stores, everybody seems to have their own preference of what they are looking for. What section do you go to first when you enter a store? Do you survey the store and then start searching or do you just start digging into the first batch of records you come across? Do you go for albums, 45's, rare 78's, CD's, cassettes, 8-tracks, the high-priced collectibles, the dollar/cheap bins or a little of everything? 

We'll tell you a little bit of what we do and we're curious as to how you approach each store. Typically, one of us (if not both of us) tend to hit the cheap section first. Sometimes records we find are too scratched up or aren't even the correct record inside the album jacket. How many times have you gotten home to realize this surprisingly affordable copy of Cheap Trick was priced low for a reason? If you've done this a few times, you learn to inspect the records a little more closely before skipping out to the car in a joyous disbelief over your recent discovery. There are some wonderful gems you can find in the cheap sections however. It's enough that it keeps us hitting this first. We've also tried to let down any barriers of what we think others may think of what we like. That just leads to a lot more enjoyable listening. Do we really care what people may think if we get Herb Alpert, Foreigner, The White Stripes, Hall & Oates and George Jones in one visit? No, we just like to enjoy music and couldn't care less what others may think. We encourage you to do the same. Find the music that makes you happy! The dollar bins are a great place to find a wide variety!

We also have a list of artists we are searching for that we keep on our phone. This is when we're ready to hit the "regular" sections (not dollar bins). You'll see us asking each other while crate digging... "do we have this album by Ringo Starr" or "is this the b-side to 'Doctor My Eyes' by Jackson Browne that we have on the jukebox." How many times have you gone in a store and couldn't remember exactly all the things you wanted to search for the next time you went there? Making a list helps you "remember" to look for that Warren Zevon album you thought about when you heard his song in a commercial or that obscure album by The Astronauts that you didn't know existed until you saw someone mention it on social media.

One thing that is time consuming but worth it is to catalog everything you have. That will help keep you from accidentally purchasing another copy of The Beach Boys Pet Sounds when you already own it. Although, can you really have too many copies of this masterpiece? They make great Christmas presents!