Record Store Rant - What Happened To Customer Service? 

I found that ever since COVID pandemic happened, people became more of a dick or rude. It's like that era created people's jerk side and it never went away. I have seen many people have this talk in the last year or two about people's behaviours and moods towards other people when out and about. I still do the nice things like open doors for people, and I just don't expect to hear a "thank you" but if I do, I am pleased!

When I think warm and fuzzy my mind immediately goes to Anthony.

All these places are the same. They’re pissed off that you’re even there.

Great topic guys!!! I've worked in retail and retail management all my life. I was always taught to greet people coming in and leaving, make them feel welcome because if it wasn't for customers we wouldn't have a job. Granted at times its really hard to do because people can be "dicks". You just kill them with kindness and it really pisses them off lol. You just curse at them after they leave 😂. In almost 40 years of retail ive honestly told 3 people off to their face, not too bad lol. I managed a family owned music store for 6 years and their motto was treat people like you would like ro be treated. I know exactly what Anthony is saying..a lot of places act like they are pissed you are there and when they act like that people don't go back.

I took my son to the record store yesterday to purchase the new Offspring record, Supercharged. Very good record by the way. Very fun and upbeat music with a lot of lyrics about being bullied by the world. The woman ringing me up said "we need to hire him" and I turned around to see my son pushing the records that were leaning forward back into the correct position, haha. He had a great time looking at album art and asking questions about it. He gravitates toward classical section, which is in a separate room from the main area in the store. As far as customer service, we didn't interact with anyone, but I like being left alone when shopping. She was very polite as we checked out and didn't even give me any grief about buying such a "corporate rock" kind of release, haha. I almost didn't even feel self conscious about!

You guys are amazing and it's a joy to listen to your rants. 😎👍

Great to see Anthony again and his awesome rants

I love these episodes, Anthony reminds me so much of the owner of my local record store, especially the rants.

Anthony is the Bill Burr of record stores, lol. Brendon these are my fav segments of your all your content, you and Anthony riffing 🌞

😂😂 Politeness costs nothing, yet some ppl just can't seem to show any. It's like they've never learned to communicate or reciprocate common courtesies. I usually just don't back to businesses with rude staff.

It’s not hard to be nice. To me it all starts with The Golden Rule.

I agree customer service is atrocious wherever you go. Nobody wants to do their job. If you don't like your job, then don't work there.

Oh wow this episode had me smiling ear to ear the whole time man

I've gone into record stores where I am going thru the bins just buying records like $100 worth and the clerk puts on screech metal machine music and people just start leaving. I used to work in one. My take is that you always put on something relaxing or neutral to edgy, rock usually, like the stones or the beatles, etc to give the shoppers a positive vibe for buying, hanging out, and some impulse buying.

In the end it's all about empathy and bein' humble enough ... A**holes are here forever...just like good folks...it's the world now and forever...I'm just waitin' for the new Cure album and wish everyone a good health and respect...these are my words of the day...

Some people have manners some dont. It makes no odds really....now, the reason why The Beatles are so great is.....well, how long have you got. Ha ha... great stuff as always Brendon - these video's with Antony are always a pleasure.

As a customer service worker, I'm always nice to the customer so long as they're nice to me, if you're disrespectful or argumentative than I'll give you the stock, generic, I'm here and I'm not rude but I'm not nice attitude. Everybody else gets the friendly, happy, enjoying my music in ine ear and your conversation in the other attitude. Am I happier to see my regulars than a new person? Yes... but that is strictly because I know them, I know they'll be fun to talk to, kind and interesting, no hesitation on either end. The whole ignoring a customer trying to be nice thing is insane, drives me up a fucking wall and I always interject when I see my co-workers being miserable towards people.

Thats a cool mint beatles in mono boxset over Anthony! Uncle Paul's beatles & pop playhouse

I went into a used record store last month that i had never known about or ventured into. Its far from my area of town but i was in the neighborhood so why not. Immediately the man behind the sales counter asks me if he can help me, but he says it in a aggressive tone, like I'm some sketchy looking dude that he's worried about. I ask the usual questions like "do you carry this" "where would i find that" "Is metal in its own section?" Etc. I begin snooping and digging and every time I look up either he's checking me out or this other staff person is, like I could shove a few 12 inch double lps down my crotch and sneek out, fckin stupid! This place is actually nice and had loads of albums I was interested in and it was a half hour later I'm holding onto maybe ten records to possibly buy. Then comes the deal breaker, the buzz kill. This guy walks out on the floor and proceeds to pull out all the records I had put back after inspection of their condition. He wants to put the outter plastic bag back on HIS WAY whch was ass backwards and not the way any veteran vinyl collector ever does it. All his stock has a protective sleeve on them (great no complaints) but every lp had the bag opening inline with the albums cover opening so the actual record risks falling out when handling. This is not correct nor do true collectors or store owners I know package this way, its stupidity, try sliding records in their spot on your shelves like that , good luck. Ok each to their own, but now he walks over to me with a record in hand and begins to lecture me regarding how I need to learn what a problem I've been and how to sleeve a record!! 😮 I ask him if he's the owner, he says yes, I then show him the dozen albums I'm holding and tell him to his face how I was going to buy these but now that you're such an asshole who thinks its a good idea to school and berate your customers I'm walking outta here with nothing. Then handed him my $200 stack and told him to enjoy re-sleeving them. Really stuid sales skills and storage skills. I'm 62 , been collecting for 5 decades and the last thing I want to be is schooled by some snobby owner who is wrong when I am about to spend $$$ in his store. Never been back, never will.

Hi, from Germany 🤓 At first , thanks for all the good videos you and U2 😉 make. Ok ,what you say about customer i have this situation more than 5 times a day. I have been working in a supermarket for almost 34 years. I don't think that will change until I retire. But 'Dont worry be happy' only 9 years to work 🥳

great conversation guys!! love it.

I’ve found that holding a door open for someone seems to get the most ambivalence - not sure why. Only about half the time do I get a ‘thanks’ when I hold a door. Far too often, it’s like I’m a doorman and they don’t need to acknowledge my presence. Not sure why I still hold doors - it’s just one of those things.

Sounds like the uk you guys have it over the pond as well 😮

The whole customer/seller dynamic changed after Covid. I’ve been working in record stores since ‘79 and its never been this bad. Too many pushy, entitled, selfish, impatient people. On both sides of the counter.

Love the music conversations. I wish I could get involved. I would like to hear you Anthony's thoughts on bands that copy other bands example:The Strokes and Tom Pettys American Girl. A lot of these new bands today are sampling music left and right.

This is a great video guys. I could have listened to this for another hour! Customer service and general respect for others went out the window a long time ago. I don’t think Covid helped either. During that year or so when we were all quarantined, I think people forgot how to treat one another and it got worse than it already was. No one is perfect. We can’t be in a good mood all the time. We are human. But we should be nicer to one another. Never understood how people get away with being “dicks”.

💯 I was just thinking about this It's getting to the point where I don't even want to leave the house. They're pushing everyone to shop online so they don't have to deal with actual people.

Have you two ever considered a being a standup comedy duo? I moved out of Jersey 35 years ago for my career. I miss the Jersey attitude you guys have and shopping at the Record Exchange on Saturdays. Excellent video!

So, you guys start off talking about bad customer service, and turn it into what a pain in the a**s the public can be. Great work, gentlemen

It costs nothing to be polite, you say ‘ have. Great day’ they should reciprocate.

Customer service DOES matter. I could buy albums online but I would rather give my local record store my business. I enjoy the in-store chats about music, the recommendations, etc. that an attentive thoughtful pleasant employee/owner shares. I pick my store and my day and time to tap into the employees who respond positively when I visit. I am not sure that the era of social media addiction actually facilitates positive face to face social exchanges/dialogue. Either way, my purchasing habits ARE shaped by the quality of the customer service at the establishments which I frequent.

Always love the motto "Don't be a dick" so true

I've been buying my music from the same import specialist store in rock & metal in Sydney, Australia since the mid 1980's. Over that time, I've gotten to know the majority of staff working in the store and they're always ready for a chat even when the store is busy. They freely recommend any new music that's arrived in store. If there is any album that they don't have the staff will readily order it from their supplier in Australia or overseas with no trouble at all. Their customer service is FIRST class unlike these bigger chain stores.

Where's the podcast from you two. Im in... ✌🏼🤘🏻🤙🏼

Imagine all these nasty, rude people in customer service are also just as nasty to your loved ones in Assisted Living and Nursing Home facilities. Many people have checked out on common decency. Well, it's not so common anymore.

Long time ago I worked retail and my manager said someone standing in line with their card or cash be polite, ring them up and thank them with the goal they return. Please use your blinker when turning. Cheers!

Decency, patience, courtesy - all things of the past it seems. I get it, most retail workers are underpaid, I’ve been there too. But take your frustration out on the employer, not a nice person wishing u to have a good day.

Customer service is crap these days, no matter how old the employees are. That is why with my main job I try to go above and beyond. And the cd/vinyl store I work PT at, I am always saying hello/goodbye and want to help people find what they're looking for or help them find new things. If you are ever in Minnesota, let me know and I can tell you what store it is and other places to go.

Yeah mate , if I go to a pa and ma shop for example and ask for something and the first answer is , I don't know have you tried Amazon .., really makes me wonder why I even went to the ma and pa in the first place !!!

So it's not just me! lol. Been going on for at least 10 years. I basically don't spend my dollars based on it. I'll never come back. Unless there is some special reason to put up with the abuse.

Yeah, if we’re customer service I’d be scared of him, I mean, look how he reacted in A history of violence

Gret Queen+PR box set there! Block Buster exclusive .

I don't know, i hold the door for people, and I tell people have a good day...alot of the time Nothing, it's like there Zombies. I drove limos for 30 years ,i was always nice ,holding the door ,driving safe...but some people are so impossible to please.

Customer Service has gone out the window a long time ago sadly

I could not believe a small record store near me had a tipping jar near the register. Wont go there again.

A couple years ago in 2015 I wantedweird Al’s mandatory fun on cd so I called up cheap o records and asked them if they had it and they did but it was soldout everytime I called cause it was weird Al’s number one album the very last album he put out anyway I callled them 3 times but the 4 th time I was in luck because cheap o records got another order in the guy behind the counter said he’d be happy to save a copie of mandatory fun for me so after calling 3 or 4 times for the album at least I own it now

They no longer pack your groceries these days. You have to do it yourself. They also rip you off on the change.

Love a good Anthony rant

LEGENDS

good video

It’s not their career. It’s just a job. Their career starts after they are done with school.

sparks dicing around what is the Queen on the counter

If i ger crappie service somewhere i won't go back for a month maybe more, if it happens a again there are places i just wont go.

Yes how dare people talk less or more than the exact amount we want them to.

I agree people don't care anymore it every were Michigan is bad for it 🤘

How much did you tip at the coffee shop? People tend to be very nice to the patrons who tip well or often.

Let it go, don't dwell on that stuff.....and caffeine and that store guy is not a good mix

It got to where I hold the door for someone and they say nothing I say you too loudly . So maybe they get the same point back at their self that they gave by not saying anything .

Very interesting topic, people have issues its always about i me about them selves only. /COMMENSENSE, brendon was rt, some opens the door for u, give acknwledge & say thanks people, commensense its not hard , we can't change others, never let others get to u, head up high- firewind