OT: Crap I bought today at Tower Records in West Hollywood
Date: December 17, 2006 02:45
I can't help but think that an era will end in a few days when Tower Records' flagship store on Sunset Boulevard closes for good.
I made it there today. While it's depressing to see the inventory radically reduced and marked down to embarrassing prices, I did manage to scored some nice items. Heck, I got 90% off the Dual Disc of Bruce Springsteen's Seeger sessions! (think the guy who rang up my purchase messed up, there, it should have been only 70% off). Passed up the scores of copies of a Peter Frampton CD selling for $1, however. I hauled away a heavy bag of CDs and other items and spent only $30.
After completing my purchase at the front counter, my wandering eyes landed on two boxes overflowing with plastic bin dividers, shoved against the wall on the floor, behind the cash registers. I was thinking about asking if they were for sale, but then I was distracted by a huge Modern Times sign hanging on the wall. Someone allowed me to enter my name on a waiting list of people who want to buy the Modern Times sign. Then I left the store, forgetting to ask about the boxes of bin dividers.
As I was winding down Laurel Canyon Boulevard on my way home, I began to feel remorse for not inquiring, at the very least. I grabbed my receipt, found Tower's number and dialed it. My car weaved on both sides of the yellow line as I punched my way through Tower's phone system to get a live person on the line. When I did, I asked her if the bin dividers were for sale.
"Maybe," she said, cagily. "Make an offer."
"Uh, I dunno. Ten dollars?"
Long pause.
"OK. I can't guarantee that I'll save them for you, but come back today or tomorrow and ask for Christine."
So I turned the car around, climbed over the canyon, made it back to Tower, found Christine and bought the bin dividers.
There are thousands of 'em. Some of the ones that I see on the top of the box include Melissa Etheridge and Alex Chilton; others seem to be X Box-related. But I know that they can't ALL be crap. Since they no longer have bin dividers in the bins for the artists whose stock is depleted, I'm hoping that I will strike pay dirt and find the Stones . . . Jagger . . . Richards . . . Wood . . . Wyman . . . and maybe even Chuck Leavell.
These bin dividers are historic. For all I know, they have been used for the entire CD era. Some of them are filthy. They come with fingerprints and smears and celebrity DNA. I know for certain that Elton John pawed at least half of these things, as well as any other rock star who shopped Tower. Traces of cocaine? Undoubtedly.
The dividers I decide not to keep for myself to organize my own CDs may be mounted in frames and offered for sale on eBay. If all I need to do is earn back my $10 investment, I figure I'm in good shape.
When I tell my friends about this purchase, they probably will call for the men in the white coats. I'm posting here in hopes that anyone who has read this far will understand why I wanted these damn things.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-17 02:47 by Monkeylad.