Odd Places to go CD Shopping

I'm starting this topic because think I may have just found the weirdest place in New Jersey to buy CDs....

The other day I broke a part off of my electric shaver (it fell off the bathroom counter) so I checked the Norelco web site about how to get a replacement part. I gave them my ZIP code and it gave me a list of "authorized service centers" in my area, one of which was in Denville (about five minutes from where I work), so I drove over there on my lunch break today to check it out. I wasn't familiar with the town at all but they have a pretty nice retro-looking little main street with lots of little shops and restaurants. I thought it looked kinda like "Bedford Falls" from "It's A Wonderful Life," I could totally see Jimmy Stewart running down the middle of the street in a snowstorm going "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Haha.

Anyway, the store turned out to be a dusty little shop that also sells and repairs vacuum cleaners and other small electronic stuff (with a little old lady behind the counter) but I noticed when I drove by that the sign outside also said "RECORD AND TAPE SHOP." I was like "Oh, cool!" So I got the part I needed to fix my shaver and then browsed around the (very small and VERY dusty) selection of CDs that took up one corner of the store.

I wish I could tell you that this place turned out to be a totally brutal underground metal source but unfortunately I didn't turn up anything interesting at all, I just thought it was a hell of a weird place to find CDs. Haha. The only remotely "hard rock" or metal things that I found were a few Def Leppard CDs, one Extreme disc ("WAITING FOR THE PUNCHLINE" no less...with a price tag of $14.98 to boot. No wonder it looked like it had been sitting there since it was a new release...) and some Bon Jovi. I was like "Wow, not even any AC/DC or KISS? Good grief!" The bulk of the selection was mainly country music, pop or radio rock from the 90s (Gin Blossoms, R.E.M., Green Day, etc.) so I would assume that this store hasn't rotated their stock in a LONG while. There was a HUGE well stocked rack of "IRISH MUSIC" CDs and DVDs right in the middle of the store that looked like it was well maintained though. (???) They even had some vinyl (I noticed a little rack with a bunch of Christmas albums on it, know anyone who wants a Perry Como Christmas LP? It was only 3 bucks! Haha) and a bunch of 45s (!) on a bottom shelf. I was running out of time so I split without checking any of the vinyl out. No big deal, somehow I doubt I missed out on any metal treasures....

So where's the weirdest place that YOU'VE ever found CDs for sale? Did you make any finds?

At a flea market here a few years ago, somebody evidently sold their Christian metal collection, tapes & CD's, I found Neon Cross, Scarlet Red, Deliverance, just about everything really, so I bought it up. Sold and traded most of it, kept some of it. Odd stuff to see in the midst of ancient VHS tapes and various dusty country LP's. Now I search high and low in flea markets...

Sometimes thrift stores like the Salvation Army ones have a strange amount of CD's. I got the first Alias CD from one once. Didn't end up liking it too much, though I can't remember anything about it.

Yea, there's a thrift store in my town where I occasionally make some decent CD finds. You gotta be willing to dig thru a LOT of crap though... haha.

I used to frequent the pawnshops in my area and found alot of gems in the past, but thoses days seems long gone, nobody sales their CD's anymore to support their drug habit.

Yardsales have some good finds every once in a while.

Thrasher73 wrote:

Yardsales have some good finds every once in a while.

I have yet to make any good CD finds at a yard sale, but I used to score vinyl and/or cassettes at'em occasionally back in the day.

Although when my wife and I have our own semi-annual yard sales, I usually put out a stack of loser CDs (i.e. old promos or other stuff that I don't like and I haven't been able to trade off to anyone) and every time, they're all gone by the end of the day. I'm like "wow, some people will buy anything at a yard sale." Haha.

Back in the mid/late 80s I remember a lot of LPs and tapes suddenly turning up at various local drug stores and mom-and-pop convenience stores around my area. They were all cut-outs (mostly from the Warner/Atlantic/Elektra conglomerate if memory serves) and these stores must've all been getting them from the same source cuz I used to see the same assortment of titles in all the stores. It was kinda weird to walk into the local Kwik-E-Mart and find a rack of outdated rock LPs randomly placed next to the magazines and soda. Then just as suddenly as they appeared, the stores stopped selling them.

Although I didn't complain at the time cuz before they disappeared, I collected a whole mess of AC/DC vinyl for $3.99 a pop.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Back in the mid/late 80s I remember a lot of LPs and tapes suddenly turning up at various drug stores and convenience stores around my area. They were all cut-outs (mainly from the Warner/Atlantic/Elektra conglomerate if memory serves) and these stores must've all been getting them from the same source cuz I used to see the same assortment of titles in all the stores. It was kinda weird to walk into the local Kwik-E-Mart and find a rack of outdated rock LPs randomly placed next to the magazines and soda. Then just as suddenly as they appeared, the stores stopped selling them.

Although I didn't complain at the time cuz before they disappeared, I collected a whole mess of AC/DC vinyl for $3.99 a pop.

The mafia used to have alot to do with the distribution of those cut-out albums. It's a documented fact.

SpectreFate wrote:

The mafia used to have alot to do with the distribution of those cut-out albums. It's a documented fact.

Wouldn't surprise me. There's a reason "The Sopranos" is set in New Jersey y'know.

Fat Freddy wrote:

SpectreFate wrote:

The mafia used to have alot to do with the distribution of those cut-out albums. It's a documented fact.

Wouldn't surprise me. There's a reason "The Sopranos" is set in New Jersey y'know.

Here's where I heard about it.......http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306407,00.html

Fat Freddy wrote:

I'm starting this topic because think I may have just found the weirdest place in New Jersey to buy CDs....

The other day I broke a part off of my electric shaver (it fell off the bathroom counter) so I checked the Norelco web site about how to get a replacement part. I gave them my ZIP code and it gave me a list of "authorized service centers" in my area, one of which was in Denville (about five minutes from where I work), so I drove over there on my lunch break today to check it out. I wasn't familiar with the town at all but they have a pretty nice retro-looking little main street with lots of little shops and restaurants. I thought it looked kinda like "Bedford Falls" from "It's A Wonderful Life," I could totally see Jimmy Stewart running down the middle of the street in a snowstorm going "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Haha.

Anyway, the store turned out to be a dusty little shop that also sells and repairs vacuum cleaners and other small electronic stuff (with a little old lady behind the counter) but I noticed when I drove by that the sign outside also said "RECORD AND TAPE SHOP." I was like "Oh, cool!" So I got the part I needed to fix my shaver and then browsed around the (very small and VERY dusty) selection of CDs that took up one corner of the store.

I wish I could tell you that this place turned out to be a totally brutal underground metal source but unfortunately I didn't turn up anything interesting at all, I just thought it was a hell of a weird place to find CDs. Haha. The only remotely "hard rock" or metal things that I found were a few Def Leppard CDs, one Extreme disc ("WAITING FOR THE PUNCHLINE" no less...with a price tag of $14.98 to boot. No wonder it looked like it had been sitting there since it was a new release...) and some Bon Jovi. I was like "Wow, not even any AC/DC or KISS? Good grief!" The bulk of the selection was mainly country music, pop or radio rock from the 90s (Gin Blossoms, R.E.M., Green Day, etc.) so I would assume that this store hasn't rotated their stock in a LONG while. There was a HUGE well stocked rack of "IRISH MUSIC" CDs and DVDs right in the middle of the store that looked like it was well maintained though. (???) They even had some vinyl (I noticed a little rack with a bunch of Christmas albums on it, know anyone who wants a Perry Como Christmas LP? It was only 3 bucks! Haha) and a bunch of 45s (!) on a bottom shelf. I was running out of time so I split without checking any of the vinyl out. No big deal, somehow I doubt I missed out on any metal treasures....

So where's the weirdest place that YOU'VE ever found CDs for sale? Did you make any finds?

I used to go to Denville to the Denville Seafood shop to eat when i lived up that way.

I go to goodwills and a local pawnshop. sometimes they have good deals..

Every once in awhile I'll find an actual band's cd at a dollar store. I found a cd by a band called Artful Dodger, it turned out to be an awesome album.