Results tagged “shops”

If you're anything like me, you love visiting good record shops to browse through their selection of music. Over the years I've spent countless hours and countless sums of money doing just that.

For close to four decades, Phoenix has had a rather excellent independent music shop called circles: discs & tapes. Lovely place it is with amazing friendly staff.

Alas, as is the case with independent music shops nowadays, it will soon be no more.

This saddens me as places like this have a special place in my heart. I don't want to browse through new releases at a Best Buy or Target with teenage staff who couldn't care less. I love being able to browse through old albums and chat with actual knowledgeable staff who love music just as much as I do.

I know it can only be a matter of time before all shops like this are but a faint memory. I wonder how odd it will seem to future generations that we actually had physical buildings we walked into and left with an actual physical product before we could listen to music.

Wow, that made me sound really old. So I guess you young kids should get off my lawn now.

[Moozik: New Order - Temptation]

Gas stations. Those bastions of transportation worldwide. Terribly exciting places these days aren't they? Fill the car up, buy some dog food, get some frosty beverages, sandwiches, movies, magazines. A shoppers dream.

No? Not feeling it? Well, maybe I'm just easily amused, or just need to get a life. I can never remember which one it is.

In my last post I mentioned how it's those little things that ensure I'll keep going back to a business time and time again. One such place just happens to be a gas station. And as gas stations go, I have to say Quiktrip has certainly got it right.

• They always always say hello to you when you enter. Without fail. I'm sure this isn't because they're super friendly, it's probebly just one of the mandatory things each employee must do on pain on death. But regardless of the why, I still like it. Makes me, Joe Customer, feel important.

• The stores are clean, well stocked with stuff I like, and they have just the right ambient lighting for me. For whatever reason, the lighting in a store is important to me. Bright fluorescent lights really put me off. If a store has the right amount of mood lighting, I'm there. Yes, I really am that sad.

• It seems as though their one mission in life is to get you out the door as quickly as possible. If there's ever more than one person waiting to pay for something, they'll go on some kind of alert. They call for backup and everyone flies around working to get that queue down to a manageable size. I don't think I've ever waited more than 20 seconds to pay for something.

Where you really notice how spoiled you've become is when you go somewhere else. You queue for ages, the staff couldn't care less, dirty floors, and there are unknown smells you're probably better off not knowing too much about.

It's those little things I tell you.

[Moozik: The Cure - Charlotte Sometimes]

Every once in a great while, someone does something nice that makes you think that perhaps the world isn't filled with bad people after all. That, in fact, there are some really nice people, some diamonds in the rough if you will.

Last Friday night I got a flat tire on my car. After swearing & sweating on the side of the road, I replaced the flat with the spare and went on my way. Well, for about 2 minutes anyway because in a moment of comedy gold, my spare tire also got a flat. I just had to laugh. All you can do at times like that really.

Luckily there was a Big O Tires about a minute down the road. So I limped there at about 5 mph - just in time before they closed. The bloke was so friendly and promptly got a lightly used tire from the back and replaced my shredded spare.

For free.

He wouldn't accept any money. None. No matter how hard I insisted. I was so pleasantly surprised that I was initially lost for words. Thanking him as I left, I told him I'd be back to give him a tip. I could see that "yeah right" look on his face. But go back the next day I did.

So, needless to say, a little kindness has gone a long way and Big O Tires have earned my business from now on.

[Moozik: Jane's Addiction - Three Days]

From Bloomberg:

Apple's Fifth Avenue emporium probably has annual sales of more than $350 million, topping any of the chain's other outlets, said Jeffrey Roseman, executive vice president of real- estate broker Newmark Knight Frank Retail in New York. The location is 10,000 square feet, putting its sales per square foot at a minimum of $35,000, based on Roseman's estimate.

That's the equivalent of selling one Mercedes-Benz C300 sedan per square foot. Apple may be the highest grossing retailer ever on Fifth Avenue, said Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail leasing and sales division at Manhattan-based Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

I visited it last year and loved it. The biggest, nicest Apple store I've been in. I don't find it hard to believe it's the highest grossing store on that street - It was simply jam packed full of people.

Mind you, it was absolutely pouring with rain so there might have been the odd one or two people in there sheltering and attempting to dry off.

I know I was one of them ;-)

[Moozik: Depeche Mode - Ghost]

You remember back in the good old days when you'd pop into a record shop for a decent browse right? Good lord I spent so many hours and so much money when I was younger. Nowadays there aren't many places left where you can actually spend some time doing that. Which is why I love Zia Records in Phoenix.

Excellent selection of music, posters, t-shirts, stickers, DVDs and yes actual vinyl records. The staff actually know something about the music they sell unlike the typical Best Buy teenager. They're friendly and funny. I love going into this shop.

If you happen to be in Phoenix, go check them out.

Do you have any decent music shops near you?