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It’s Record Store Day tomorrow and while some of you may be Record Store Day veterans, a few of you may feel like popping along just to see what the fuss is about. However, Record Store Day is not for the faint-hearted but, with our handy guide, you should be able to navigate the day without getting into a fight over David Bowie (genuinely happened last year I swear)
- Get there early. People start queuing at Resident at about…well, eleven tonight. Resident has the biggest collection of Record Store Day releases so people get there very early. People also queue up outside Cult Hero as well and the amount of people have been increasing every year but you can get away with getting there for about seven/half seven. I’m not kidding.
- Make friends. Talk to the people in the queue, you’re going to be standing there for a while. Also, they’ll make sure you don’t lose your space in the queue when you run to the loo.
- Know what you want. Resident hand out lists so you can tick off what you want. You then go to the counter, hand over your list and let the staff do the work for you. However, others don’t do this so you have to know what you want before you go in so you can find them straight away.
- Work quickly. People will literally fight you for a sought after record and you don’t want to be holding people up while you deliberate over whether you really need that Alan Partridge vinyl (of course you do, you decided that before you walked in, see tip 2)
- If you’re with someone else, work together. There’s no point going for the same box and looking for the same vinyl. Divide the responsibility, you’ll then increase your chances of getting the records you want.
- Once you’ve got everything, don’t dilly-dally. Pay and get out. Most operate a one-in-one-out policy so you don’t want to hold things up because you’re browsing the books. You can go back later once everyone has gone to have a look at the other amazing things the record stores have on offer.
- Have fun. Even though it can be hectic and there’s a lot of pressure to get the vinyl you want, Record Store Day is so much fun. It’s one of my favourite days of the year. There’s nothing more exciting than getting the record you’ve been after.
- Don’t just wait for Record Store Day to support your local record store. With Amazon, HMV and now supermarkets selling vinyl Record Shops are struggling to compete. Record stores are disappearing at an alarming rate (RIP Borderline) so don’t just leave it until Record Store Day to support your local record shop.
There we go, your guide for surviving Record Store Day. May the odds be ever in your favour.
Holly Martin
feature image:David Wilson via the Creative Commons license
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