Thrift Store Public Address, Music, and Ambience

[Mattie]

Best thrift store music experience:  St. Vincent DePaul was playing a Jim Reeves LP on a console stereo one day.  It sounded wonderful, complete with pops and hiss and static, and it made me very, very happy.  I love old country music.  (And I personally put the drop-dead date at around 1979, or whenever "crossover" became popular.  The only new country worth listening to is Loretta Lynn's album produced by Jack White, Johnny Cash's American Recordings series, and the stuff that's been coming out of Austin for years.  Oh, and the Handsome Family, although they're only tenuously "country.")

Thrift Town usually plays oldies.  That's fine with me - it's innocuous and it kind of relates to the era of most thrifted items - '50s through '80s.  The late Sac's of Carmichael also played oldies.

I will turn around and walk out if I hear religious music in a thrift.  I'm afraid I might burst into flames.

Funniest thrift public address moment:  a cashier at Sac's took a phone call, put it on hold, switched on the intercom and announced, "Jack Meoff, please come to the front for  a phone call, Jack Meoff..."  Everyone - employees and customers - stopped what they were doing.  Jaws dropped and about half the people stifled laughs.  The girl never noticed.

[Mission Mart]

I notice it when it's too darn loud or heavy metal-ish. I volunteer w/Mission Mart stores and they play some Christian contemp. and jazzy swing music sometimes. The radio is always breaking though

[alexandra]

What I hate, and happens waaaay too often... is the store has a radio station on that is not compeltely tuned in -- so you are hearing annoying static.  My other peeve is that a clerk at one store thinks she has a good voice and sings aloud to whatever is playing. I wish they'd keep her in the back room...

I do wish these stores had more time to play some of the albums they are selling.  It would be cool way to market them and a great way for shoppers to have some listening fun.

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Big Daddy Audio]

Used records stores always had a turntable up at the front for testing out albums you wanted to buy.  Pretty much any thrift store has room for such a set-up.  I guess they might be worried about abuses.

Heck, I'd even go in to do a DJ thing on a Saturday for a couple of hours.  It'd be a blast.  Play a little Vic Damone, a little Elvis Costello, a little Benny Goodman, a little Johnny Cash, a little Ramones, a little Miles Davis - it'd be great.  You could probably set up a DJ pit from donated items, and I bet it'd take less than 2 weeks to accumulate the equipment.

There's an idea for you, Good Buddy.

That is all.

[Good Buddy]

I was in a Goodwill in Phoenix, on South Central BDA, and they were playing an Elvis tune.
I found myself singing along, then stopped to notice there were 4 other guys looking through the men's cloths that were also singing along..
It was a surreal experience...

[Mattie]

Heck, I'd even go in to do a DJ thing on a Saturday for a couple of hours.  It'd be a blast.  Play a little Vic Damone, a little Elvis Costello, a little Benny Goodman, a little Johnny Cash, a little Ramones, a little Miles Davis - it'd be great.  You could probably set up a DJ pit from donated items, and I bet it'd take less than 2 weeks to accumulate the equipment.

If you DJ'ed at a thrift store, I'd shop there!  What a cool idea!

[Tammy]

One of the Salvation Army stores in town just plays a local radio station, but the other one -  - they play 50-60's oldies satalite radio!  I could stay in there for hours!

[Big Daddy Audio]

Heard Summer of Love by the B-52's in the GW at 74th and Indian School today.  Also saw a Teac CX-650R tape deck (one of the good ones in a wooden case, but it definitely needed at least new belts, so I passed)

That is all

[Good Buddy]

I used to DJ at the "cool" club in town, I'd have all you thrifting fools dancing in the aisles.
Call me DJ Thrifty!

[Sibella]

I was in a Goodwill in Phoenix, on South Central BDA, and they were playing an Elvis tune.
I found myself singing along, then stopped to notice there were 4 other guys looking through the men's cloths that were also singing along..
It was a surreal experience...

Yeah! This kind of thing happens to me a lot at my local Goodwill, where disco and R&B from the late 20th century are the order of the day. Nothing like a little groove-thang-shakin' and singin' to make the hunt worthwhile!