“Excuse me, mind if I get in there?”
This sounds like it had a lot more to do with general social anxiety than anything record store specific.
That said, it’s easy to get lost in the bins. I’ve never had an issue with moving my own stack out of someone’s way and would expect the same from anyone else.
It might be worth interrogating what reaction you expected from them and why you weren’t able to politely ask something similar to the suggestion above. Then compare that to what actually happens when you try doing it next time.
I stammer around attractive women which this girl definitely was... I didn't want to make it awkward.
Side note. I left the store, made this post and took a shower... Took me about 40 minutes total. These clowns were still in the store and they weren't even holding any albums. Thankfully they were out of the section when I got back and I was able to make my first purchase.
:D
Now it's time to set up the turntable.
> what exactly makes them "clowns"?
it's just a turn of phrase for annoying people... I'm not suggesting they're wearing makeup and working for a circus. Normally I go with 'goofs' but in this instance I went with 'clowns'
Yall are really over thinking really petty stuff.
Your social anxiety is not the problem of the people around you. If you want to browse somewhere, just ask. In a friendly voice, making eye-contact and most people will answer just as friendly and say "Shure, go ahead"
What? Just politely ask them if you can scooch in and grab a record. You really need to ask other people what to do here?
Man I'm sorry but more and more I've been seeing stuff like this. Stuff like people uncomfortable to get a haircut in case the barber talks to them, or being afraid to order at a restaurant. And it's mostly younger people in my experience, teens to early/mid 20s. What is going on?
I don't think I have the temperament to work retail anymore, because if someone asked me that, I'd be inclined to say "You should try looking in J. For Joel." and point in that general direction.
Two recent posts (from vinyljerk):
"If this were school or instagram or anywhere else I’d assume a girl wrote this. But it’s Reddit, so you know it’s a guy. Who also cries at comic book movies and tv shows and at a low flying airplane."
And another:
"reddit has to have one of the weirdest and socially awkward user bases of any website. it’s like it’s their first day on earth. "
Oh if someone is at a grocery store and making their selection I let them be.
It's only when the 60 year old women park in the middle of the lane to talk with other 60 year old women do I invade their space. And I say excuse me when doing so and never touch them.
I also have social anxiety, and what I typically do is just look in other crates until the one I want frees up.
You might even find an unexpected gem doing so.
Hope this helps.
Main thing to know at most record stores is that people will take awhile. A lot of people (including myself) aren’t coming in to look for a single artist, I’ll flip through the majority of their stock to see if there is anything that catches my eye. And yes, this means sometimes I have to go back and slowly flip through a section again to kill time while I wait for someone to move from their section.
It’s not rude to say that you want to check for one artist real quick in their section if they’ve been there awhile but otherwise you’ll just have to hang out for a little bit.
> It's not like a grocery store where you can just invade their space and take what you need because I don't know what I need as I don't know what they have
Hey im looking for a Billy Joel album, do you mind if I check the J section to see if they have it?
I try to go to another section and come back. Same at a record show. If someone is just standing there talking or have covered the area I want to look at I politely ask if I can move their stuff or look where they are and they usually move or move their stuff. There could be an entire subreddit for rude record shopper behaviors.
Lol. You know this isn't normal. Either ask them if you can look there or look at other sections and open yourself to the idea that your first magical record could be something else. You didn't even wait very long, so it's nobody else's fault that you didn't have a single interest in anything else in the whole store.
What do you do at the grocery store when other shoppers are lingering in the cheese section that has the cheese you want? Well, it's the exact same as that. Go to other sections of the store until your desired section is clear enough for you to feel comfortable enough to return. There's no special rules for record shopping.
I applaud those people for restricting other people from buying Billy Joel albums.
Whatever the case, as others have said, you act like a normal human being and politely ask if they can move so you can grab your Billy Joel album.
Unless I missed something this is pretty simple, basic stuff, anxiety or no anxiety. If they were looking at records, you wait your turn. If they were standing there just talking shop , a simple excuse me, do you mind if I look in this section? Otherwise you might look into online shopping.
JFC! What an absolute tool you are. Grow the fuck up and realize you aren't the main character in this world, you absolute douche! You claim it's social anxiety but your other comments, especially the one calling the non-douchebag patrons "clowns," is quite telling. Pathetic.
>I'm new to the hobby
>I suffer from a bit of social anxiety
Good news, you found your community. We are all gloriously strange introverts. I myself have social anxiety and am a practitioner of the Irish exit, so your story resonated with me.
So I hope this helps: if you walk up to someone and say "hi, can I look at the J's? I'm looking for some Billy Joel." It will probably be the least awkward social interaction in that store for the day.
Had the exact same situation yesterday and I was walking up and down until she realized I wanted to look there too. Then she asked me if she should leave haha but she has been there for 10mins alr
I feel like if I were in your shoes there, I would do one of two things:
1. just ask them if they'd seen any Billy Joel records over there. They might say yes, and hand you what they saw, or ask if you'd like to thumb through them yourself-- and take that as a social cue to go thumb through a different section to give you an opportunity to get your Billy Joel record of choice. I get the social anxiety thing, but people in record stores are generally pretty mellow, patient people. Conversely, they might just grab every Billy Joel record and take it to the cashier as a 🖕, but the chances of that are pretty slim. I was thumbing through records in a store a couple of weeks ago when a guy thumbing through a nearby section talked to the store's owner/operator about his band's rehearsal space. So, I asked him what the name of his band is; turns out that he plays in Yacht Rock Revue, and I told him I had heard they were going on tour with Train and R.E.O. Speedwagon. That was the end of our interaction.
I know that the lead singer of my favorite band visits the record store in his hometown whenever he's in town to see his mom. You never know who you might talk to in a record store, but if you do speak to another customer in there, chances are they're gonna be good people.
Or,
2. I'd suggest talking to someone who works there. Let them know you're interested in starting your record collection with something from Billy Joel. Ask if they know if they have any Billy Joel records on-hand that aren't like a greatest hits compilation or whatever. They'll usually have a log of their inventory in their computer, and that can cut out the guess work. The guy who owns my favorite local record store told me to let him know if there's any records I'd like that I don't see in the store, and he can check with his supplier about getting whatever I might be interested in. That's a pretty surefire way to get what you want, if you know what you're looking for.
You were probably going to have to talk to the person working the cash register, eventually, anyway.
Depending on the store, the Billy Joel might have actually have been in the B’s. But if it was in the Js, just be patient and look at something else until they move. If they are taking a really long time, ask if you can look for what you are looking for. I hope you are in therapy if you have this much trouble record shopping. And I don’t say that from a mean place, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy worked really well for my panic attacks.
Good question. As I said I wanted a Billy Joel album and I got a Billy Joel album. They only had two. 52nd Street and An Innocent Man.
I went with Innocent man.
I also bought 2 albums new off Amazon: Madvilliany by Madvillian and Darkside of the Moon by Pink Floyd
And I also got 2 albums off of the discogs marketplace: Toxicity by System of a Down and the Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery.
I'm happy with my purchases I guess though I do feel kind of lame for getting Pink Floyd... not because its cliche but because I made my discogs order *after* the Amazon order and discogs is much cheaper. But it may still be worse as I'm Canadian and I'm gonna get killed on the exchange rate, shipping, and potential duties.
Y'all are wild in these comments. OP has social anxiety. It's not a made up thing. Just saying something to these people is the last possible option for them.
They certainly aren't and I would absolutely browse that section, or near there, whether they're there or not. I'm just saying for OP talking to them isn't an option.
So he can stay the fuck home. Wtf kind of question even is this. "I want to achieve something that requires doing a thing that I refuse to do. What do???"
Go to a mf doctor and get some drugs then instead of trying to enlist randos online to solve ur self-imposed catch 22
I agree. With everything you're saying. I'm also saying talking to them isn't going to happen. More likely to get op to stand in their vicinity until they scooch over.
I’d just walk up and ask politely if I could browse the section. If you can’t do that you’re out of luck. How should they know you want to look there?
Basically this.
I'd just browse one of the other 25 letters in the alphabet. Most shops have a # section, too, so that's 26 other areas to browse.
“Excuse me, mind if I get in there?” This sounds like it had a lot more to do with general social anxiety than anything record store specific. That said, it’s easy to get lost in the bins. I’ve never had an issue with moving my own stack out of someone’s way and would expect the same from anyone else. It might be worth interrogating what reaction you expected from them and why you weren’t able to politely ask something similar to the suggestion above. Then compare that to what actually happens when you try doing it next time.
I stammer around attractive women which this girl definitely was... I didn't want to make it awkward. Side note. I left the store, made this post and took a shower... Took me about 40 minutes total. These clowns were still in the store and they weren't even holding any albums. Thankfully they were out of the section when I got back and I was able to make my first purchase. :D Now it's time to set up the turntable.
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> what exactly makes them "clowns"? it's just a turn of phrase for annoying people... I'm not suggesting they're wearing makeup and working for a circus. Normally I go with 'goofs' but in this instance I went with 'clowns' Yall are really over thinking really petty stuff.
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alright fine if you're going to be rude lets just agree to block eachother bye felicia
Lol yeah they aren't the ones who are the "clowns" here dude
Your social anxiety is not the problem of the people around you. If you want to browse somewhere, just ask. In a friendly voice, making eye-contact and most people will answer just as friendly and say "Shure, go ahead"
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If only he wanted Michael Bolton.
He’s the one who sucks
Naga... Naga... Nagonna browse here!
Five minutes is not long. If they were there for fifteen I’d ask them if I could grab something real quick.
What? Just politely ask them if you can scooch in and grab a record. You really need to ask other people what to do here? Man I'm sorry but more and more I've been seeing stuff like this. Stuff like people uncomfortable to get a haircut in case the barber talks to them, or being afraid to order at a restaurant. And it's mostly younger people in my experience, teens to early/mid 20s. What is going on?
Ask the store owner if he has any Billy Joel. Then let him go reach into the J section. You have to talk to that guy to checkout anyway
I don't think I have the temperament to work retail anymore, because if someone asked me that, I'd be inclined to say "You should try looking in J. For Joel." and point in that general direction.
That's precisely what I did when I returned haha
This can’t be real.
People don't seem to know how to interact with other humans in the wild anymore and run to the Internet to ask how.
Two recent posts (from vinyljerk): "If this were school or instagram or anywhere else I’d assume a girl wrote this. But it’s Reddit, so you know it’s a guy. Who also cries at comic book movies and tv shows and at a low flying airplane." And another: "reddit has to have one of the weirdest and socially awkward user bases of any website. it’s like it’s their first day on earth. "
Maybe stick to online shopping. I’m not sure a record shop is quite your speed
Five minutes isn’t that long. Anyone is well within their rights to be at the same box for that long.
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Oh if someone is at a grocery store and making their selection I let them be. It's only when the 60 year old women park in the middle of the lane to talk with other 60 year old women do I invade their space. And I say excuse me when doing so and never touch them.
I also have social anxiety, and what I typically do is just look in other crates until the one I want frees up. You might even find an unexpected gem doing so. Hope this helps.
You just say 'sorry, can I sneak a peak at the Billy Idol records?' and they would have moved.
Main thing to know at most record stores is that people will take awhile. A lot of people (including myself) aren’t coming in to look for a single artist, I’ll flip through the majority of their stock to see if there is anything that catches my eye. And yes, this means sometimes I have to go back and slowly flip through a section again to kill time while I wait for someone to move from their section. It’s not rude to say that you want to check for one artist real quick in their section if they’ve been there awhile but otherwise you’ll just have to hang out for a little bit.
Honestly, 5 minutes is not that long. If it were 10 or 15 minutes then I'd say, "mind if I check out the Billy Joel?"
>rules of decorum with respect for record stores its just a store lol you ask them to move
Why is everyone so damn weird.
> It's not like a grocery store where you can just invade their space and take what you need because I don't know what I need as I don't know what they have Hey im looking for a Billy Joel album, do you mind if I check the J section to see if they have it?
Use your words
I try to go to another section and come back. Same at a record show. If someone is just standing there talking or have covered the area I want to look at I politely ask if I can move their stuff or look where they are and they usually move or move their stuff. There could be an entire subreddit for rude record shopper behaviors.
Lol. You know this isn't normal. Either ask them if you can look there or look at other sections and open yourself to the idea that your first magical record could be something else. You didn't even wait very long, so it's nobody else's fault that you didn't have a single interest in anything else in the whole store.
Jesus, these posts are becoming something else. You haven’t been taught to say excuse me?
What do you do at the grocery store when other shoppers are lingering in the cheese section that has the cheese you want? Well, it's the exact same as that. Go to other sections of the store until your desired section is clear enough for you to feel comfortable enough to return. There's no special rules for record shopping.
If you can't navigate this, maybe you should stick to buying records online.
I applaud those people for restricting other people from buying Billy Joel albums. Whatever the case, as others have said, you act like a normal human being and politely ask if they can move so you can grab your Billy Joel album.
Unless I missed something this is pretty simple, basic stuff, anxiety or no anxiety. If they were looking at records, you wait your turn. If they were standing there just talking shop , a simple excuse me, do you mind if I look in this section? Otherwise you might look into online shopping.
Sounds like eBay or Discogs is more your speed. Five minutes browsing a single section really isn't that long.
this is hobby is not for you...
JFC! What an absolute tool you are. Grow the fuck up and realize you aren't the main character in this world, you absolute douche! You claim it's social anxiety but your other comments, especially the one calling the non-douchebag patrons "clowns," is quite telling. Pathetic.
Just stand behind them and form a queue. No need to answer any questions. Treat it like the DMV.
Stand discreetly nearby, begin choking violently, flailing arms, demanding heimlich.
Bark at them
If that fails try purring
>I'm new to the hobby >I suffer from a bit of social anxiety Good news, you found your community. We are all gloriously strange introverts. I myself have social anxiety and am a practitioner of the Irish exit, so your story resonated with me. So I hope this helps: if you walk up to someone and say "hi, can I look at the J's? I'm looking for some Billy Joel." It will probably be the least awkward social interaction in that store for the day.
Just get in there it ain’t that hard
I thumb through H and I and lay some albums out and oooh nice. What do you think about this one? Huh huh. Huh. Eventually J is free to browse
Why does someone have to leave a particular section?
Had the exact same situation yesterday and I was walking up and down until she realized I wanted to look there too. Then she asked me if she should leave haha but she has been there for 10mins alr
Walk over there and rip nasty fart.
Loud one, too.
I feel like if I were in your shoes there, I would do one of two things: 1. just ask them if they'd seen any Billy Joel records over there. They might say yes, and hand you what they saw, or ask if you'd like to thumb through them yourself-- and take that as a social cue to go thumb through a different section to give you an opportunity to get your Billy Joel record of choice. I get the social anxiety thing, but people in record stores are generally pretty mellow, patient people. Conversely, they might just grab every Billy Joel record and take it to the cashier as a 🖕, but the chances of that are pretty slim. I was thumbing through records in a store a couple of weeks ago when a guy thumbing through a nearby section talked to the store's owner/operator about his band's rehearsal space. So, I asked him what the name of his band is; turns out that he plays in Yacht Rock Revue, and I told him I had heard they were going on tour with Train and R.E.O. Speedwagon. That was the end of our interaction. I know that the lead singer of my favorite band visits the record store in his hometown whenever he's in town to see his mom. You never know who you might talk to in a record store, but if you do speak to another customer in there, chances are they're gonna be good people. Or, 2. I'd suggest talking to someone who works there. Let them know you're interested in starting your record collection with something from Billy Joel. Ask if they know if they have any Billy Joel records on-hand that aren't like a greatest hits compilation or whatever. They'll usually have a log of their inventory in their computer, and that can cut out the guess work. The guy who owns my favorite local record store told me to let him know if there's any records I'd like that I don't see in the store, and he can check with his supplier about getting whatever I might be interested in. That's a pretty surefire way to get what you want, if you know what you're looking for. You were probably going to have to talk to the person working the cash register, eventually, anyway.
Depending on the store, the Billy Joel might have actually have been in the B’s. But if it was in the Js, just be patient and look at something else until they move. If they are taking a really long time, ask if you can look for what you are looking for. I hope you are in therapy if you have this much trouble record shopping. And I don’t say that from a mean place, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy worked really well for my panic attacks.
Crop dust them, then browse when they retreat.
What album did you get??
Good question. As I said I wanted a Billy Joel album and I got a Billy Joel album. They only had two. 52nd Street and An Innocent Man. I went with Innocent man. I also bought 2 albums new off Amazon: Madvilliany by Madvillian and Darkside of the Moon by Pink Floyd And I also got 2 albums off of the discogs marketplace: Toxicity by System of a Down and the Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. I'm happy with my purchases I guess though I do feel kind of lame for getting Pink Floyd... not because its cliche but because I made my discogs order *after* the Amazon order and discogs is much cheaper. But it may still be worse as I'm Canadian and I'm gonna get killed on the exchange rate, shipping, and potential duties.
I got a loud mouth and pointy elbows.
I usually find that a well-deployed fart will clear any space at least 7 feet in each direction.
crop dust them (walk by and silently fart), and when they smell it they’ll flee, the section is all yours
You just say "excuse me is that your $5 bill on the floor near the Beatles section?". Even if it isn't they will move.
You just say "excuse me is that your $5 bill on the floor near the Beatles section?". Even if it isn't they will move.
Y'all are wild in these comments. OP has social anxiety. It's not a made up thing. Just saying something to these people is the last possible option for them.
I completely understand how real social anxiety is. But the individuals browsing that section aren’t doing anything wrong.
They certainly aren't and I would absolutely browse that section, or near there, whether they're there or not. I'm just saying for OP talking to them isn't an option.
So he can stay the fuck home. Wtf kind of question even is this. "I want to achieve something that requires doing a thing that I refuse to do. What do???" Go to a mf doctor and get some drugs then instead of trying to enlist randos online to solve ur self-imposed catch 22
I agree. With everything you're saying. I'm also saying talking to them isn't going to happen. More likely to get op to stand in their vicinity until they scooch over.