I am disturbed today (okay, I'm *always* disturbed!) by a run-in I had with the local rekkid store owner. I have complained before. "Incredible Records" (Sebastopol, CA) is about three blocks from my doorstep. This guy (Jonathon Lipsin) has glorified himself in cartoony form on his plate-glass, and touts such attractions as one of (jeeze, how many are there?) B. B. King's Gibson ES-335-type "Lucille" Guitars, a Beatles Guitar Pick (I kid you not), and Randy Bachman's 1970-ish Fender Mustang (he STILL hasn't changed the sign alleging that Bachman played "Takin' Care of Business" on this guitar in 1970!*). Lots of 60s-era artwork and memorabilia on the walls, but...
It's $17-bloody-99 for a new CD (Alison Krauss in this case, but ALL new CDs, over three years plus, bear this price tag)! There are some discs at 15, 13, 10.99, but you really have to dig for those, and all new and most old CDs are (let's cut the $x.99 bullshit) eighteen dollars. I (and YOU!) can drive about eight miles down the road (Backdoor Discs in Cotati) and save $2.00 on ONE DISC (or pay shipping to save today FOUR dollars on the Alison Krauss disc on Amazon), and I'm a person who buys eight if I buy any. In fact, I have probably spent close to five hundred dollars of "sympathy money" at "Incredible" over the past 3.5 years... and of that I feel that I was probably cheated/gouged/taken advantage of/greased-and-reamed for about $100. And some of these were bootlegs that looked suspiciously like the comps I've created here on a PC, and cost ridiculous sums as "rare" discs that I frankly believe are not so much "rare" as "well-done" for their having been burned last week upstairs. As mentioned before, I suspect I could get them shut down for the bootlegs.
But I'd be happy to just get 'em to stop gouging ME.
Well, today, I went in there with the X'04 disc, because the owner Jonathan did ask me to bring the xmess disc(s) last year when I was buying some xmas music. I haven't bought music in there in quite some time, but I still count it as my "local" music store? So I brought this disc. (It's not for sale; it's free; in fact it costs me quite a bit each year.) I also wanted to see if maybe some kind of deal could be struck, and I could be proud of having a rekkid store in walking distance with good stuff (they have pretty good stuff) and decent deals.
Verbatim then:
I asked Did he have any kind of frequent buyer program.
He replied "No."
I said, "I guess I'll keep going to Cotati then."
He blew up! "That is mean-spirited. In fact it is rude. In fact, take back this (x04) CD and get out."
Honestly, I probably could have delivered my lines better, and he didn't get the intro YOU got, but I believe I am in the right to believe that it is NOT mean-spirited to try to get the best price you can on a CD, especially when you (AHEM!) buy 200 a year.
But what do I know about manners.
I looked the other day for some kind of "products that suck" site where I could vent about shit like this. I didn't find one; not really. I would also like to post info about products that rule, but especially about products that suck, because more often than not these people think they are Saint fucking Augustine and they need to learn that they are not. Don't they?
I don't really have any problem walking by this shop for the rest of my residence in Sebastopol, but there IS a certain cost there. Still, I'm not only NOT about to apologize, I'm thinking of ways to take this discussion public.
Upshot, I humbly suggest that your music dollar will go farther at Backdoor Disc and Tape in Cotati or the Last Record Store in Santa Rosa.
s <--anger-controlled, rage-building
* See me after class if you didn't get this one...
In the interest of fairness, I find the store's web page six pages down in a Google search and post an email message to the info address, with a link to this page. Here's what I got:
From: Jonathon Lipsin [mailto:xxx@xxxx.net]
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 9:22 AM
To: steve@born-today.com
Subject: WOW, YOU NEED A LIFE MAN!
I read your stink about Incredible Records. Boy, you need serious therapy! Here's a thought. If you don't like the price at a store, try not going there! And to give a CD gift to somebody, then a left-handed slap in the face? Boy, where were you when your mother was trying to teach you etiquette? Ever heard of free enterprise? Ever heard of higher cost, higher retail? I'm also a long-time shopper at Incredible Records and know plenty of people who love the music knowledge (which a lot of times is what you pay for) the memorabilia all over the store. It's people like you who end up at Wal-mart to "save a few cents" and put the independents out of business. Don't you know that the bigger the company, the better deals they get buying the product, and can therefore pass the savings on to their customers? That's how huge corporations are formed. Of course, Backdoor disc is a great store, but they put out what they call are "loss leaders" to be able to get people to shop (the cheaper CD's). I'm sure they get better cost deals as well!
So, buddy, before you shoot off your mouth so much, learn something about business, and you know what? There are a lot of charities out there that need able-bodied people to help them, such as soup-kitchens (why not serve up a Christmas dinner this year at the Mission), and get a life!
An Incredible Records supporter for many years.
************************************************
(I didn't quite get this either--it appeared that Lipsin, the OWNER of the store, was trying to pass himself off as a customer. ?!? For the record, Backdoor Disc is NOT a chain, unless they hide it very well, so are in basically the same boat as Incredible. Loss leaders they may have, but their NEW CDs were routinely TWO DOLLARS LESS THAN NEW CDs AT INCREDIBLE. And hey ho: A gift and a left-handed slap in the face? Better than no gift at all and a right!)
Well, once again, our friendly local merchant goes immediately into personal-attack mode.
Is it really that unclear that I am trying to find reasons to feel good about spending my music dollars locally?
They seem to be making a LOT of assumptions about me, from childhood right up to the present.
I've dealt with this juvenile kind of flaming for many years. You never get the last word because, well, frankly, because they are not operating under any kind of logic. Still, I write:
You're not listening. I would love to have found a way to feel good about shopping at your store.
This obviously is not new to you; you so immediately went on the offensive, it was startling. For a public merchant, TERRIBLE manners, and really, unforgivable.
You've lost a customer. I will keep the Web page up, and perhaps you will lose more. It's all I can do to protest the excessive markup and the Incredibly rude treatment I received in your store.
I like to patronize local business, but I simply cannot continue to patronize yours. Backdoor *routinely* has new (and old "loss-leader") CDs for $2 less than your store.
I probably do more volunteer work than you do - in fact, I'm certain of it.
Peace, out.
s
From: Jonathon Lipsin [mailto:newsfolder@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 9:19 PM
To: steve@born-today.com
Subject: RE: WOW, YOU NEED A LIFE MAN!
You weren't speaking to Jonathon, you were speaking to his wife, who manages. You're the one that doesn't get it...sorry buddy...
Susy
Oh, I am cut to the quick by this razor-sharp bit of repartee!
Believe it or not, I really did some serious soul-searching before taking this route, but I am happy I did to see the true colors of the people who are operating this business.
Is it rude or mean-spirited to complain about prices in a business establishment? You be the judge.
This page has sat unmolested at the top of Google searches for "incredible records sebastopol" for over two years now, and I've gotten no negative responses (to be fair, only two responses at all, but both in whole-hearted agreement with me). The shop still stands, with new paint on the plate glass, same old high prices--well, I assume so because prices aren't mentioned outside the shop, and I haven't been back inside..