Report amusing record store filing errors here

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Found in the 'Rock - Various Artists' bin: Funkstorung - Multiple Grammy Winners

That sort of thing.

― Curt (cgould), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 18:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Found in R&B: Grand Funk. (And, like, three or four albums!)

― s woods, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 18:55 (twenty-three years ago)

do you guys have the urge to put things back where they really belong? or if you see a solo artist listed in the miscelaneous "m" section, do you put him in the section next to his band so that other people can find it? is it only because i used to work at a record store?

― JasonD (JasonD), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:10 (twenty-three years ago)

the 'does pj harvey go under p or h'? dilemma!

― zebedee, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Sometimes, when I find the Beastie Boys in pop/rock, I'll move their entire collection to the hip-hop section. It happens pretty often, and it never gets boring.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh yeah, I found Andrew WK's album NOT in the bargain bin, which is where it belongs and should stay FOR ALL ETERNITY.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:17 (twenty-three years ago)

i have refiled before.

i remember being a little worried they were watching me.

i mean, cause could you imagine some store employee giving you shit for vandalism or something... and then you having to explain to him or her that you're that big of a ... god i don't even know what that makes a person... but it can't be all good.

anyways...

people countlessly file incorrectly mixing up the title and the artist... it's always some tiny obscure band... but it's definitely made me wary at a few unnamed stores. if i didn't find it under the artist name, go to the album title just to make sure.

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's "madonna" filed under madonna...

― msp, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Blue Man Group - "Audio" found in the soundtracks section (on the back it says in bold print "THIS IS NOT A SOUNDTRACK")

― Curtis Stephens, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:22 (twenty-three years ago)

nickalicious, are you ryan s?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:25 (twenty-three years ago)

No, I'm Nick C.

My favorite is always finding Fishbone Fred CDs mixed in with the Fishbone CDs.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:27 (twenty-three years ago)

The store I worked at had this one (as do like, 95% of shops out there):

Yo La Tengo in Latin Music

-
Alan

― Alan Conceicao, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:27 (twenty-three years ago)

I've come across this often – finding Jon Spencer and company in the blues section.
While I was going to university, I used to work in a record store which often made this mistake. This blues aficionado perusing the section one day asked about spencer. I tried to talk him out of the puchase, explaining it was far from the traditional blues he loves, but he was adamant; he didn't want to seem old and out of touch.
So he bought Now I Got Worry.
His wife brought it back for return about a week later, claiming it was scratched.

― Bruce Urquhart (Bruce Urquhart), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 19:28 (twenty-three years ago)

i saw Everything but the Girl about 10 years back, on their Amplified Heart tour -- before the remix of "Missing" broke, and they were still playing tiny little places as an acoustic duo. they told the story of going into a store, and finding their new album filed under Amplified Heart.

(as i recall, they also covered sonic youth, which was somewhat unexpected.)

― bucky wunderlick (bucky), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 20:26 (twenty-three years ago)

This isn't a "filing error" per se (everything in the store I work at appears to have been filed in error), but it IS amusing: I've been moving the same copy of the Droplift Project CD around the store for nearly 3 years now; every time someone discovers it's not in inventory and cannot be priced (that's the point), they take it out and move it to the back room. I take it back out and put it on the stands again. They're getting irritated but still don't know it's me.

― matt riedl (veal), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 20:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Virgin Megastore in Brighton put Aereogramme in the 'metal/hardcore' section, but put Black Flag in the 'rock/pop' section.

― Callum (Callum), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 20:30 (twenty-three years ago)

P(olly) J(ean) Harvey goes in "H"
Do you also put Jethro Tull and the Marshall Tucker Band in "T"?

...and the ubiquitous Negativeland's U2.

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 20:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I've found Bob Marley filed under Jazz.

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 21:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Bob Marley filed under jazz is SO much more appropriate than Norah Jones being filed under jazz, though.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 21:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Johnny Hates Jazz, guess where.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 21:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Drive Like Jehu under hip hop. In multiple stores, at different chains. Do they even listen to these things?

― just this guy you know, Thursday, 28 November 2002 01:32 (twenty-three years ago)

When i lived in london i saw Sebadoh in the heavy metal section of a shop.

― franny, Thursday, 28 November 2002 05:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Symphonic Led Zeppelin in Classical.....now I like Zeppelin, and I like the Philharmonic, but come on.....

― B, Thursday, 28 November 2002 05:45 (twenty-three years ago)

I confess to be a habitual refiler. if cds/records are in the wrong place on a strict alphabetical order.... as for classification, I usually let it stand because it just might be there on purpose.

One thing on that front that galls me is my local store puts Spearhead in the reggae section. All the albums and he sells through them pretty regularly... I mentioned it to the owner on a number of different occasions, but he just seems oblivious to it and won't change 'em.

― nick ring (nick ring), Thursday, 28 November 2002 06:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Tower has Boards of Canada under Rawk. So did the local lending library.

― Leee (Leee), Thursday, 28 November 2002 07:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Do they even listen to these things?

Yes. Record store employees are required to listen to every album in stock. It's the law.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 28 November 2002 07:13 (twenty-three years ago)

My local lending library doesn't have Boards of Canada.

― Bruce Urquhart (Bruce Urquhart), Thursday, 28 November 2002 07:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Lending library had Plaid in the Jazz section.

I love Plaid.

Didn't move it because I honestly couldn't decide if they were right or not.

― meirion john lewis (mei), Thursday, 28 November 2002 11:47 (twenty-three years ago)

AMM are often found in the industrial or ambient sections in 2nd hand rec stores.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 28 November 2002 12:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw Verve Remixed (remixes of stuff on the legendary jazz label) filed under The Verve (the band). I remember when the band got sued many years ago, seeing the singer interviewed complaining aboot how stupid the lawsuit was because who could confuse a band with a record label.

― Vic Funk, Thursday, 28 November 2002 13:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I bet Drive Like Jehu got filed under Jeru The Damaja, huh?

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 29 November 2002 06:24 (twenty-three years ago)

P(olly) J(ean) Harvey goes in "H"

I'm so not convinced by this. Surely PH Harvey (the band) should be under P, but Polly Harvey (the singer) should perhaps be found under H? Is this a Lynyrd Skynyrd question? Humph.

Oh, and I once found Doves in the "Recommended" section - removed it, obviously.

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 29 November 2002 06:33 (twenty-three years ago)

shit. thet's PJ Harvey obv.

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 29 November 2002 06:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Einsterzende Neubauten filed under N is my particular fave... ah yes, Mr. Neubauten.

Our drummer stole and saved a divider thingey for "Yo La and the Tengos" - best mistake ever!

― kate, Friday, 29 November 2002 12:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Company Flow in rock. Blah.

― OCP (OCP), Friday, 29 November 2002 13:25 (twenty-three years ago)

tenacious d in the rap section...no clue how that happened

― jack, Friday, 29 November 2002 17:47 (twenty-three years ago)

i love seeing those 'music for an imaginary film' type albums filed under soundtracks. especially when its the Entombed album with the faux-filmmusic coverart.

― Wyndham Earl, Friday, 29 November 2002 18:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Frank Sinatra in the Easy Listening section. Sorry, but that should be reserved for dreck like Paul Anka and Englebert Humperdink.

― Jim McGaw, Friday, 29 November 2002 18:38 (twenty-three years ago)

The AMM and Frank Sinatra ones seem totally reasonable to me.

(Does Andrew WK go under A, W, or K?)

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 29 November 2002 18:57 (twenty-three years ago)

palace music's "arise therefore" under xtian/religious. it has a song on it called "you have cum in your hair and your dick is hanging out"!

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Friday, 29 November 2002 19:40 (twenty-three years ago)

I just note where something is and hope it actually ended up in the bargain bin by mistake.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 November 2002 19:57 (twenty-three years ago)

everything shd be filed under "marketing ploys" except couch

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 29 November 2002 20:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Easy Listening is not dreck! :(

talking of which, the Ray Charles Singers always end up in R'n'B with their namesake...

― michael (michael), Friday, 29 November 2002 21:11 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

Okay, this is not even a joke. Charlotte, NC has such bad music store selections. God awful. Most people go to FYE, the store in the mall closest to the university here. They have this rack labelled "SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!"

You'd assume that with that label, it would be local music, would it not? Well, let's see what was there. The closest thing to a local act was the newest Jump Little Children album. They're from Charleston, South Carolina. Let's see what else we had. There was The Darkness album, who aren't even from the same fucking country. There were a couple of those generic tribute CD's that nobody buys. A TECHNO TRIBUTE TO BLINK 182!!!! A couple mainstream rap CD's, such as Ludacris and Jay-Z. One rapper who was notably absent was Petey Pablo, who actually is from North Carolina.

God I love FYE!

― Mickey (modestmickey), Friday, 21 January 2005 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

At the last store where I worked I had to make a placeholder card under "Power, Cat" that said "dude that's not actually her name."

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 21 January 2005 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

At Best Buy, I saw the Melvins 'Prick' cd filed, with a specially printed divider card, even, under 'Snivlem' - because that's how it's printed on the cover.

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Friday, 21 January 2005 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I found The Smashchords record in the metal section for much, much less than a store who knew what it was would have charged for it. The crazy thing is, it was the second time I'd bought the l.p. The first time, the record inside was a clear vinyl, label-less pressing of the first Spiritualized album.

Non an error, but Metal Haven in Chicago has a seperate section called 'Brutal Shit'.

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Friday, 21 January 2005 16:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Badly filed records are a boon. I recently found the Association 2CD anthology in the country section - £5. But the best ever was Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Hymnen", double LP, Deutsche Grammophon, 1967, absolutely mint condition - in the religious music section, cost me about £3.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 21 January 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

"Jesus and the Marychain"

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 21 January 2005 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Mission Of Burma filed under 'Burma' in the World Music section

― Joe Kay (feethurt), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

the tower records near here used to have in gowan ring albums filed under "ingrown ring."

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 00:07 (twenty-one years ago)

the walmart where i grew up put the led zeppelin under 'z.' not real funny but just surprising, i thought the interiors of those things were policed closely.

― g--ff (gcannon), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

The local HMV's got a section for "Black Catholics Frank The And", or something along those bizarrely re-arranged lines.

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 02:02 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, always "Dan, Steely" under D.

― derrick (derrick), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Guess where this record gets filed?

http://www.martinrev.com/cheyenn.JPG

Hint: it's not in rock/pop/electronic

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

not a mistake, but always made me smile:
t.a.t.u. in the world music section.

― carly, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 05:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought that mistake sounded familiar...

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 05:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Best one yet:

Phish's "Farmhouse" in the Metal section. :0

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 10:00 (twenty-one years ago)

All the Godspeed You Black Emperor albums in the metal section at HMV. I've been moshing to them ever since.

― dmun, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Martin Luther King in the comedy section of HMV.

I think I am the winner.

― Peter Stringbender (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 10:27 (twenty-one years ago)

At the same FYE I was talking about earlier, in the reggae section they create a divider for every single various artists compilation there is. So, 90% of the reggae section is taken up with names like HOTT TRAXX, REGGAE JAMZ, ULTIMATE REGGAE, TOP REGGAE, HOTT REGGAE, etc. I hate that store with a fiery passion.

― Mickey (modestmickey), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"Unknown Pleasures" in the Female Vocalist section of an Orlando store, in 1988.

― David Barker (dpjb), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Arr, Joy Division. Lovely gal.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Peter wins.

― deej., Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I found Sugar in the Easy Listening section.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Peter wins so far, but this is kinda funny: The first Danzig album, upon initial release, filed in the "Z" section, with the divider helpfully labelled "Zig, Dan"!

And there has to be SOME store, somewhere, that filed MC5 under "Rap/Hip Hop" when they were reissued in the early '90s, right?

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I spotted a Rose Of Avalanche album in the "Easy Listening" section in Woolworths.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

six months pass...

"Oh, and I once found Doves in the "Recommended" section - removed it, obviously."

How dare you?! If the store wants to put it there, then it is none of your business to touch it, regardless of your opinion. That is so unbelievably rude......

"Martin Luther King in the comedy section of HMV."
""Unknown Pleasures" in the Female Vocalist section of an Orlando store, in 1988."

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

― GLC, Sunday, 7 August 2005 04:33 (twenty years ago)

I remember seeing His Name Is Alive in the metal section several times. Does that name scream 'metal' maybe?

And lots of obscure indie in the jazz section seemingly because of Blue Note parodies in the cover art.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Sunday, 7 August 2005 04:59 (twenty years ago)

when 'new build' by 808 state first came out my local record shop had it filed as BOB state.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Sunday, 7 August 2005 05:01 (twenty years ago)

i found the delays in jb's heavy metal section last year.

― gem (trisk), Sunday, 7 August 2005 07:32 (twenty years ago)

any compilation with colorful abstract cover art, whatever the genre, gets binned along with the techno comps 9 times out of 10. examples: years ago the store where I worked in NYC habitually put a Poptones label comp in electronic. tonight I saw a Tone-Cool label comp in "acid jazz." Tone-Cool is a trad blues label.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Sunday, 7 August 2005 07:42 (twenty years ago)

The Virgin Megastore in Leeds had The Lollies "Taste" filed under Rory Gallagher.

I leave it to Kate to speculate on the positive/negative effect on sales.

― chris j (chris j), Sunday, 7 August 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

I accounted for a lost CD in my previous music store job by noting that a previous employee had written the disc up as Elvis Priestly.

― Deluxe (Damian), Monday, 8 August 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

When I was interviewed for the job I eventually got at Virgin, I had to take a four page test, placing the taker in hypothetical shelving situations.

"Wayne Newton?"
"Um... Vegas?"

It was actually quite difficult, but I suppose I did well enough to get on staff.

Anyhow, I think that test should be absolutely mandatory for every potential record store employee.

― jenn K (satellitesynth), Monday, 8 August 2005 14:35 (twenty years ago)

And to answer the thread: Nick Drake all over the freakin' place. One of his albums in Irish, a couple in Folk and one in Rock.

― jenn K (satellitesynth), Monday, 8 August 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

JBs in Prahran had !!! "Louden Up Now" in the techno/dance various compilations section :/

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 01:47 (twenty years ago)

One store in Chicago used to file the Wailers in the reggae section, even though it was by the white garage-rock band and not Bob Marley's crew. There were photos on the back, and a full personnel listing that didn't mention anyone named Marley, Tosh, etc., yet they still kept filing copies of THE WAILERS AT THE CASTLE in the reggae racks.

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 02:48 (twenty years ago)

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