Friday, February 16, 2007
Music / Post No Bills Reckless expansion
Posted by Peter Margasak on 02.16.07 at 03:51 PM
Although I’ve written derisively about its customer service before, Reckless Records must be doing something right. While stores continue to board up their doors—Dr. Wax in Edgewater recently closed, leaving its Hyde Park location its sole outlet—Reckless has recently announced expansion. In the next four to six weeks it’s opening its third Chicago location. Surprisingly (to me, at least) the new store is in the Loop (26 E. Madison); aside from students at the Art Institute of Chicago most of the potential clientele downtown would appear to be business people and tourists—not the obvious customers for a store that focuses on indie music. Granted, Reckless does carry used stuff in every genre, and perhaps the new location will emphasize these areas more, but the previously mentioned employee attitude won’t go over so well in the Loop. Time will tell.
Comments (15)
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Being employed in the Loop, I herald this as good news; at the very least I expect it to be more pleasant than the sensory assault of Virgin. I think there are probably sufficient numbers of young professionals to keep it in business, although I'm sure the rent is ungodly. Speaking of record stores, now that Tower has joined the counter invisible, is there anywhere in the city that has a good classical selection? I'm a fan of Chicago Digital in Oak Park, but not so much that I'll go a half hour there and back just for the occasion.
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I only shop at the Reckless on Milwaukee and I love their employees and customer service. I find them to always be knowledgeable and, if not, they go way out of their way to make sure I get what I want and being able to buy a record and get on the guest list to a show at the Bottle is a pretty sweet thing. Maybe post-fun Peter has bad experiences because the clerks are (usually) under the age of 30 and aren't always encyclopedic but hopefully that won't stop anyone else from supporting a kick ass record store and their expansion.
Ground-zero-myopia-Josh--I don't care about encyclopedic clerks at this point. I'm only interested in clerks that realize that there are human beings on the other side of the counter aside from the pals of said clerks. But I agree with whetstone--the loop could use a decent record shop. Sadly, I don't know of a good source for classical music at this point in the area.
All I can say is that I am not friends nor do I know a single name of any of the Reckless clerks at the store on Milwaukee and they are all great, friendly and go out of their way for me and I've never witnessed anything like you've mentioned. For getting paid like less than seven bucks an hour I would say they do a damn fine job and I am not one to hate on what are mostly working class kids who want to be around music, make music, go to school and have to deal with a lot of shitty customers. Maybe you should pull a Mark Cuban and go work there for a week and put your money where your mouth is. Haha.
OK--last clarification. Maybe they're not your pals, but they're your peers in terms of musical taste. Ask someone who's never been to the store to walk in ask for the new John Mayer CD.
Wow. You have a really warped and jaded view of people my age. But, that aside, if the situation you mentioned presents itself I will more than gladly have said person go to Reckless and ask for the record and I am sure that person will walk out of there all in one piece. And if not, I will buy you his whole discography and gift wrap it just for you! (the end)
the children are our future. Ha. Good news about Reckless, though I really think Reckless is kind of limited in diversity especially for being how large it is. I prefer to give my money to a local record store, but often I find myself ordering online at places like Aquarius, Volcanic Tongue, Forced Exposure, or direct from labels because Reckless just doesn't carry what I'm looking for most of the time. Reckless stocks too much indie-rock as in "pop" and not enough of fringe and avant selections. I doubt that will change with a Loop store. Even the tiny Hard Boiled Records in Roscoe Village does a better job with stocking weird shit and less mainstream indie.
I've been to Reckless many times and have stood at the counter waiting and waiting for someone to assist me - even when I'm about to buy some records. Very often, I've gotten passed by several times before someone suprising looks up and asks you if you need some help. It really doesn't upset me, but I think it pretty poor customer service. But I agree with loosey's comments above, their selection is very narrow and I do more shopping online. I actually would prefer to buy things locally but when I get shitty attitudes regularly it doesn't really bother me.
I heard the ghost of Pope John Paul II is going to work at the loop store. It's just speculation, though, so don't put your shoes on just yet Peter.
Come on, peter...let's say you worked at a record store...years ago...what would you say to the guy asking for the John Mayer CD?
Imagine what a blessed copy of Room for Squares would fetch for on eBay! All I can think of right now is PPJ II standing there doing that thing he did with his hand as I'm trying to purchase said album. It's making me hungry. I'm sure there's a Corner Bakery around that joint somewhere.
I have to agree about the seemingly slow service at Reckless, but not generally intentionally rude. However, isn't the High Fidelity shunning of people with different taste (notice there's no judgment here on poor John Mayer) an indie-store tradition? In general, I remember having this discussion with some of your cohorts at the old JRM on Grand. What do you say to the person who comes in asking for Kenny G? The answer is to sell them Kenny G and then say "you might also enjoy [insert name of somewhat-related but much more interesting artist here]"...and get them to realize that there's some historic precursor to the pop version they are hankering for. I don't know a single person who started out listening to blues by hearing Robert Johnson. They all came to it via some bowdlerized version, like the Stones or Clapton, or god help us, the Blues Brothers. A good record store clerk recognizes that interconnectedness and uses it as a sales tool. By the way, on the selection front, the Record Emporium's website has some sort of notice that they're going to have a burn-station kiosk. Are we finally going to get to the future, where like that Qwest commercial, every store has every song ever recorded available for download and burning into our own personal K-Tel records, and having a knowledgeable clerk to make recommendations (not snarky comments) based upon our tastes is going to become even more indispensable? Seems that disintermediation train just can't pull out of the station.
i'm really late with this comment, but i still wanted to chime in. i've never had anything but stellar and friendly service at the reckless on milwaukee. as far as i can tell, i'm more peter's age than josh's. and i'm not buddy buddy with anybody there either. though i do smile and i have breasts...which always give me a slight advantage in geeky places like used record stores. i do wish, like some of you have said, that the selection was better. i miss the quaker goes deaf. that place was special. but yes, hard boiled and laurie's planet of sound still make me all warm and fuzzy inside.
I'm not from/nor do I live in Chicago- my wife and I visited over the summer from Oklahoma, and it seemed like a good store to me. The clerks seemed nice and they had a good selection. (Dave's on Clark St. was a little better selection-wise) If you want a friendly, in your face clerk- don't go to an indie record store.... They concentrate on music- not customer service (unless you just ask a question). They're like that everywhere- even here in OK. Glad to hear there's a new location....
