CD Stores

[Ruthven]

Circuit City? Who's that?


(From an Atlanta person...since CC no longer exists here.)

It won't exist anywhere for much longer - Chattanooga's Circuit City began its death rattle this weekend. I just went there, in fact, and picked up Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, Pink Floyd's "Animals," and the Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers."

As for Chattanooga, FYE and Best Buy is about it, and as you've seen, Best Buy is nominal at the best of times. McKays is great but it's not a place to go when you are looking for something specific.

Gatlinburg's Rhythm Section used to be a fun place to go back when certain t-shirts and albums weren't easily available, but their blatant paranoia of shoplifters is so obnoxious that I won't go in there anymore. I remember going in there twenty years ago and they would send somebody to allegedly "straighten the store up," conveniently in the area where me and my friends were browsing. But over the years it became more blatantly obvious that they were shadowing people. My patronage came to an end when the last time I went in there, one of the workers just went to the back where I was shopping and just stood back there the entire time. Not "straightening," not doing anything but watching to make sure I wasn't a criminal. While I am sure they have had high losses over the years, that is no way to treat a customer and I promptly left.

They always had an interesting approach to metal, back when they had their rock divided into sections. It kind of became a game as to what they were going to put back there. Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Jimi Hendrix, and ZZ Top were all classified as "Heavy Metal." Ah well.

One of my favorite record store memories did occur in that place, though. Back when the Guns 'n' Roses "Use Your Illusion" albums came out, the store clerk was selling them to some kids that looked around 13 years of age. The clerk said, "And remember, because we are an independent store, we don't check your ID to sale Parental Advisory albums!" It was like a bizarre after-school special.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

To the Atlanta people: how is the store Decatur CD when it comes to metal? I know they're one of the sponsors for Scion Rock fest and I was wondering what their selection of metal might be like.

 

[edgeofthorns]

It won't exist anywhere for much longer - Chattanooga's Circuit City began its death rattle this weekend. I just went there, in fact, and picked up Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, Pink Floyd's "Animals," and the Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers."

As for Chattanooga, FYE and Best Buy is about it, and as you've seen, Best Buy is nominal at the best of times. McKays is great but it's not a place to go when you are looking for something specific.

Gatlinburg's Rhythm Section used to be a fun place to go back when certain t-shirts and albums weren't easily available, but their blatant paranoia of shoplifters is so obnoxious that I won't go in there anymore. I remember going in there twenty years ago and they would send somebody to allegedly "straighten the store up," conveniently in the area where me and my friends were browsing. But over the years it became more blatantly obvious that they were shadowing people. My patronage came to an end when the last time I went in there, one of the workers just went to the back where I was shopping and just stood back there the entire time. Not "straightening," not doing anything but watching to make sure I wasn't a criminal. While I am sure they have had high losses over the years, that is no way to treat a customer and I promptly left.

They always had an interesting approach to metal, back when they had their rock divided into sections. It kind of became a game as to what they were going to put back there. Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Jimi Hendrix, and ZZ Top were all classified as "Heavy Metal." Ah well.

One of my favorite record store memories did occur in that place, though. Back when the Guns 'n' Roses "Use Your Illusion" albums came out, the store clerk was selling them to some kids that looked around 13 years of age. The clerk said, "And remember, because we are an independent store, we don't check your ID to sale Parental Advisory albums!" It was like a bizarre after-school special.

Derek, you should've turned around and asked that store clerk if he had a problem to see what he would say. I remember getting done the same way when I was a kid going into Champs at the mall.

~Brian~