by Loucifer

Created on: April 04, 2008

I saw the title to this selection of articles and I just knew that I wouldn't be happy unless I threw in my two cents.

I'm going to begin by writing about my favourite kind of music store one in the real world. Yes, online music stores are generally cheaper, but there's just something about walking into a real music store and browsing through whatever they have on offer.

I'd say that my favourite music store is a place called Beanos in Croydon, Surrey (UK). I used to have a whole handful of favourite music stores, but in recent years I've seen many of them close or turn into novelty shops.

The thing that makes Beanos special to me is the atmosphere. I never feel like the employees are wishing that I'd hurry up and make my selection and, generally, the other customers are pretty relaxed too. It's amazing how this can affect your shopping experience. I have often walked into the shop with nothing specific in mind, but I have nearly always left with a small pile of CDs or a piece of vinyl. Most, if not all, of these items were impulse buys that I was able to discover because I was left to my own devices for about twenty minutes.

The store is also very well organised. Its layout has changed quite a lot over the years (the metal section has moved around quite a bit!), but no matter how often they change it, it's still relatively easy to locate everything.

I also like the location of the shop. It's slightly hidden around the corner from the main stretch of shops, so when I go there I feel like I'm heading into secret, magical place that no one else knows about. Of course, this is completely incorrect as many people in the area know about Beanos, but its location definitely makes it feel all the more special.

In spite of the fact that I love walking into the real music store and selecting my purchases, I have to admit using online stores. Whether it's for their price or convenience, it cannot be ignored that these stores are becoming the norm. So, what makes a good online store?

The answer to that is simple: good prices, fast and cheap delivery and a bit of a personal touch. There is a store called Open Grave Records that gives special offers to its customers, almost completely ensuring that they#ll return. I also think that giving customers the opportunity to write reviews on the products or offering them recommendations for other releases that may interest them is also a good idea. This is also something that could be implemented in a real store to a degree (obviously you couldn't have reviews for everything displayed!).

The truth is that nothing can beat a good 'real-life' music store. The worrying thing is, that as downloading and online stores become more popular, these stores may not survive for too much longer. Enjoy and support them while you still can!

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