Record Store Day 2021

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With the second drop of Record Store Day 2021 over, it's time to reflect on this years drops. While still far from being back to normal, there are some things that went well overall and I hope to see with future drops. There are plenty of things to touch on, but let's dive into things and see how both Record Store Day drops went this year.

Record Store Day Drop #1 (June 12) 

This drop felt a little different to me, mostly because I was in a different city and was on vacation. I honestly was not enjoying my time due to this record store handling things way different than the one I currently go to. They are run by the same company, but it was not enjoyable, especially since the sun was out, there wasn't any shade, and they were only letting in around ten people max at a time. I was also not able to get any of my top three records, so that was a major let down. Anyways, let's get into some of the pros and cons.

• Despite waiting over an hour just to get into the store (yes, over an hour), the releases for this day were incredible. But in my opinion, there were way too many major releases for the first day.
• The staff were helpful overall and basically pointed us into the direction of the records and let us know that everything was in alphabetical order. Some even checked around to see if they could find any loose records that were left in random spots if someone decided not to purchase it.
• I know I mentioned this earlier and I'm sure some people may disagree, but the wait to get in the store was way too long. I get that the pandemic is still going on, but putting customers in the heat and not providing water or anything made this unenjoyable. A person literally left the line since she was dehydrated from the sun.

Record Store Day Drop #2 (July 17)

I was more excited about this drop since I was able to go to the usual record store I go to for Record Store Day. The line was about the same length as drop number one, and I got in and out within thirty minutes tops. It also helped that there was shade and it wasn't outrageously hot out that morning.

• All of the records were in two rows and ordered alphabetically so I didn't have to loop around several times to find the records I wanted.
• Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The guy greeting us even asked about the different records we were looking for and told us where to find them when we got in. This guy deserves a raise! I also got a discount on one of my records because of their rewards system!
• The only con I can really think of is that it can be a little cramped, but most people were in and out in a matter of a few minutes.

Final Thoughts

I didn't really get to mention this on either of the days, but splitting the records into two days really helps with people who don't want to drop a lot of money all at once. With popular options such as Klarna, Afterpay, Splitit, and so much more, it's basically the same concept with splitting Record Store Day into more than one day. I really hope the people ahead of Record Store Day look into the sales of records because it might actually generate more revenue. Other than that, I am really stoked for Record Store Day 2022 and what they have in store for next year.

View my thoughts on Record Store Day 2020!

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