Everyday Music — Local services in Portland

yes, they will buy your old records. for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT SELL YOUR RECORDS TO THEM. at least without getting a second opinion. my experience with this side of the store was less than pleasant. all i wanted was some insight into what i had. maybe sell, but mostly just hoping to gain some insight into something i know very little about. some knowledge holders are very willing to share what they know, because they know that a fair deal is beneficial for everyone involved. some see a dummy (me) they can take advantage of, trying to gain only for themselves. i guess i’ll start at what brought me here. i found a bunch of older records in a box by the dumpster while throwing out some trash. i don’t know anything about records, but i recognize some of the names. some of the stuff i don’t recognize stood out to me purely because the titles were outrageous. after some gentle googling, i found everyday music and decided to strap on some body armor and fill my pockets with hand sanitizer for a trip into the belly of the beast downtown portland. i was greeted by a young person who probably needed a shower a few days ago, but who am i to judge. in terms of the interaction, think comic book guy from the simpsons. knows everything, right about everything, can’t care less about any other opinion but their own. they started by telling me that singles records, which i guess i have, were pretty much worthless. only hoarders have singles records. so already they managed to subtly insult me with that passive aggressive statement. i mean, my hair wasn’t nearly as greasy, so i don’t know if it’s fair to assume im a hoarder. although i did get these from the literal garbage so maybe she had a point.. i digest. she took the records out and fingered them. i watched her face and saw little signs that maybe these were a little better than trash. she even singled out a single by the rotters (white cover pictured) to show another person behind the counter. all good signs. the poker face came back and she offered me $5 for the stack in her best “i really shouldn’t, but i guess i’ll help you out” voice. i declined the offer and asked if the take away is that these are pretty much worthless. she agreed with my assumption. so i thanked her and said i’ll take them with me. she offered me $10. you know, because i came all this way. i declined again and thanked her for the opportunity. i took a quick lap around the store. interesting place with lots of stuff. on my way out, i saw a sticker i wanted to buy. when i was purchasing the sticker, she offered me $20 for everything. i don’t know much about anything.. but people don’t make 3 offers on worthless stuff. the second offer raised red flags for me. the third offer confirmed that i would regret making a deal with them. i bought my superman sticker and declined the offer again. here’s the thing.. being fair and honest is never going to work against you. i still don’t know what i have, i just know that i can get $20 from a store that sells them for profit. who knows what would have happened if they were not so willing to rip me off. i’ll never know the answer to that. but if they are willing to do it to a stranger off the street, they are willing to do it to everyone who walks through the door. which is why i think the most important aspect of this review is to get a second opinion before even considering any offer they might make to you. pictured below is what i brought them. from what i understand they are some punk bands from the late 70’s and early 80’s and some hippie bands from the early to late 60’s. are they worth the $5? $10? or even $20? do you think they offered me a fair price? obviously they are a business that buys to sell for profit, so understand that they are not going to pay what collectors will. but is $20 fair? i’m genuinely curious because i don’t know. as someone who’s there to buy stuff, i can’t say anything for or against them. but the sales part of this business, every part of it, was not...

i’ve been to dozens of record stores and this is easily one of the most mediocre. their organization is awful even by music store standards (e.g. the same LP might be in four or five different spots for no apparent reason; rock, pop, and r&b are not separated so you’ll find top 40 artists under a sign that says “rock & r&b” LOL). the music they play is so bad i had to wear earphones. staff are rude, not in the pretentious music-buff way but in the racist and weirdly defensive way…i doubt i’ll ever pay them another visit! an employee even searched for an artist i asked about (on discogs…they do not have a searchable inventory of what artists they sell!) and told me the artist doesn’t have anything on vinyl and that i probably owned a bootleg version—just because it was an (infamous and widely celebrated) artist who sings in another language. i couldn’t believe his audacity. he also kept referring to iconic legends i was searching for as “weird” and said that I should check the bargain section…if you have a narrow music taste just say...

Don't expect friendly banter about music, don't expect cheerful service, don't expect to find things you are looking for without having to engage with the most miserable and antisocial workers around, those experiences are history, relegated to nostalgia.

Its a big store and there is certainly a LARGE selection, most of its current pressings are stuck in the past (70's to 90's bands), I went there with a list of 6 albums I was looking for and they didn't have any. Though, who knows, getting somebody to check inventory is only slightly more possible than finding the Lost Arc of the Covenant, and if they do, expect them to barely conceal that Portland brand of detached indifference.

2nd Avenue records is where you want to go, the people that work there are old enough to appreciate the concept of CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Update: I added a star because I realized that the pandemic has been stressing people out and its hard to be friendly, but I have been to this store multiple times over a decade, this is not about one...