Bargain CDS Records & Tapes

You can’t beat this classic record store. The staff knowledge is really off the charts when it comes to all encompassing media.
The selection very good and worthy of stopping in to see updated selection on a regular basis.
Above all, its great to support local brick and mortar stores and hope they can remain an anchor on Broadway for years to come.
This is a great piece on the owner:

Do not go here for DVDs. You can find them cheaper and new at Walmart or Target… Or probably even Big Lots! He gives you crumbs for your DVDs and sells them for an unreasonable price. As for the records and CDs… ???

First let me say that I think Gordy Arlin is a decent guy, and I really believe in supporting local brick and mortar record stores, but I simply can’t get over the fact that he takes a month sometimes longer or not at all to price records that are on his store shelves I assume to be S O L D? If I or my collector friends are willing to pay his ridiculous prices, don’t grab the stacks and say «I need to research these» WTF?
True story, I brought in some friends who traveled a very long way to spend some money at his store and he refused to price on the spot for them. They’re probably still sitting there unpriced now 10 years later lol Sorry that’s just bad business.
Gordy came from the Dean Silverstone «Golden Moldies» school of paying people peanuts for their collections and then jacking up the prices. No coincidence that Dean’s once thriving 10 store Golden Oldies empire is now down to one and it’s on the verge.
I will give BCDs one more chance next week, and if I have a better experience I will amend my rating. Here’s a word of advice to Mr. Arlin though. Don’t complain about economic downturn when your prices are not even competitive even with the 50% off sale that has been going on for years now. Go by Discogs average price and you might just survive a few more years. ;)

I’d love to write a glowing review of this store, because I like supporting local record stores and am always on the hunt for older albums in used record stores. But the reality is that the store is pretty disorganized (mostly organized by letter, but with stacks of unsorted records everywhere); overwhelmed with masses of common and frankly little wanted records; has a strong mildew smell that has stuck with every record sleeve I’ve brought home from here; and is overpriced. Practically every review mentions the special sale prices… look through the reviews. That ½ off sale has been going on for over a year… maybe a couple of years. Before you feel bad for the proprietor for «having to» sell his stock at half off to stay in business, price check the records you’re interested in against other stores and sites like Discogs. The sticker prices in this store are easily 2 – 3 times as expensive as other places. So, even considering the 50% off sale, you’re still paying as much or more than you would elsewhere.
With all this said, I do think the store is worth the occasional look, because there are a few gems among the castoffs, but go in with a good idea of the fair price for the records you’re looking for to avoid overpaying.

This is the type of place that I can and do spend lots of time and money at. They have so many rare pieces of music by the time I’m at the register I’ve got 8 – 10 CD’s in my hand and that’s after narrowing down my selection from about 25 or so! They have all sorts of music but I love going through «The Darth Side» selection which is goth/​industrial stuff where they have lots of German and Japanese imports that are hard to find outside of their native country. Some of it is priced ridiculously high though even after you take 50% off of the price sticker for their «sale» which is every day. The whole «sale» thing is slightly shady but probably brings them business they wouldn’t otherwise get. I’ve dealt with two different employees and both of them are polar opposites of each other with one being over the top friendly (fake) and the other one being cold as if he would rather be somewhere else. When I first starting shopping here there was a bird they kept in a cage above the store that squawked like crazy and lately I haven’t seen it thankfully as it got annoying immediately. This is a good place to buy music and DVD’s but beware some of this stuff you can get at Goodwill for ¹⁄₁₀ of the price.

Friendly atmosphere and employees. Huge selection to choose from and they are always having pretty good sales whenever I go in. Love this store!

AMAZING! Records everywhere! A vinylphile’s paradise! Gordy has an incredible vinyl selection, tons of CD’s and he takes trade ins too! Please go see him and support the ONLY INDEPENDENT MUSIC STORE IN SNOHOMISH COUNTY!!! Do it, go see Gordy, he’s the best. I was able to pick up 5 out of print/​rare CD’s that have been on my list for YEARS! Please go support Bargain CDs, LPs & DVDs and Gordy and keep independent record stores alive!

The sweetest owner and nicest people. Support a local business. Everything is ½ off for next 6 months! They are trying to stay alive. Great selection of used CDs DVDs LPs and videos. Stuff you can’t get anymore! They accept trade ins too. I found tons of DVDs for my kid. Better than paying full price for new movies!

Wonderful, a gem in Everett! The staff is so kind and knowledgable. This store is PACKED with CDs, movies, and records. If you love music, this is the place for you. They’re currently having a half off everything sale right now! We bought 9 records for under $ 70. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a time when I’ve gotten so much music for so little. And don’t be shy! I’m newer to purchasing albums on vinyl. Gordy was so helpful with my selection and gracious for our purchase. Large selection, great customer service, and half off? What more could you want?! Seattlites, make the trip. It’s worth it!

Absolutely love this place… If you are a music lover, movie fanatic, please come here! I recently found out about this place, and I have been going here a lot for the past 2 weeks! Everytime I go into this store, I feel like i’m not just looking at movies, CDs, and Records. I feel like i’m looking at history. The owner Gordy is super helpful. He helped me with some Records i needed to look for and also expanded my music Spectrum. Love this store, always walking out of this store happy.

This man has to be one of the nicest guys you could ever meet! Genuine and so very nice. Lots of cool stuff other than dvds too. Vintage records, albums, etc. Go visit!

Oldies galore. If you’re looking for popular and once-​popular LPs, look no further. The store looks like a mess, and the prices seem high, but I could find titles/​artists I was looking for and that 25 dollar album is actually 12.50! Even if the jacket smells musty, the vinyl usually in great shape.
This is strictly a popular item used store. Don’t go in expecting to find too much in the way of newer titles on vinyl or really anything released in the last 20 years. There might be a few in there, but you’ll walk away disappointed if you expect the shelves to be filled with them.

A serious gem and the last of a dying breed.
I’ve been to my share of record shops, and this place is unreal. My wife and I spent a good hour just hitting the immaculately alphabetized main stacks before I even noticed there was at least 2−3x as many LPs underneath or jammed in nooks and crannies around us. Someone spent a VERY long time amassing their catalogue, and it has taken its toll on the business. The prices seem kind of high for used (but usually VG or higher quality) vinyl, but then you take into account the ½ off everything sale, and it’s entirely reasonable (and lower than what you’d spend at a Seattle-​based shop, if they even had a tenth the selection).
What I mean by the collection taking its toll on the business is how evident it was that sales are down and they’re hurting for your business. The cashier/​owner (?) guy was amazingly nice and supremely knowledgable, and it almost felt sad how giddy he was for the $ 40 we spent. He mentioned that the half-​off everything sale will be going on «for probably another year… until we can cover our back-​rent and get out of the recession.» I felt like going back and buying more stuff… there was some amazing stuff I passed over because I didn’t want to overdo it, but it’s a shame to see a collection and knowledge like that go to waste.
If you’re not into shopping for the deals and supporting local record shops, think about this… they will take back anything you bought if you’re not happy with it. He made it sound like there weren’t any caveats either… just bring it back in. They’ll also do trades for your old music as well («If you’re tired of something you have, bring it back… we’ll get you something you’ll like.»)
If you call yourself an audiophile, a rare-​record hunter, a local-​first shopper, or even just someone who can’t seem to find a good copy of that old Soft Cell LP you had in grade school, it’s worth the trip.

This place sucks. We went up there all the way from Seattle after they posted their ad about having a ½ off sale and having lots of cheap and rare stuff. The prices were the POLAR OPPOSITE of a bargain. Used tapes for $ 3 to $ 18, generally around $ 6-​$ 8, and most were your everyday crap you find at Goodwill for 10 cents or at highest $ 1 – 2 elsewhere. Used Metal CDs on average $ 20+ and just as many were $ 35-​$ 40!?! This is stuff that while OOP, is not overly rare and could be had at any local record store for $ 8-​$ 10. Even by ebay standards this guy’s prices were through the roof. His selection sucked and his attitude was unfriendlly. AVOID this place like the plague.

This place is a total mess, BUT it’s alphabetized.
(It’s also run by a quarky/​cool/​super nice owner, and filled with treasures.)
On my iPhone I have a note filled with some must haves. It doesn’t happen every time, but from time to time I can check off some items off this list. I was able to that to a few items here (Sade & Joni Mitchell on vinyl as well as a copy of «Before Sunset» on DVD [which I’ve since accidentally sent to netflix!]).
This is your true music store. You know the owner really knows and loves his stuff. If you have a question, he’ll look into the air, scratch his head, and then take you on a goose chase for that obscure Billie Holiday, or that bumping Sugarhill Gang.
One thing I love about this place: It’s organized. Yes, lots of places put their stuff in alphabetical order, but usually that’s just for letters. Everything under «S» is just mashed in there. Here, everything is alphabetized WITHIN the letter. OCD can be a good thing!
(Oh, and since when did «alphabatized» get spelled «alphabetized»?? I keep messing that up in this review!)
I like this record store, because you won’t go empty handed. There are some cheep-​o stuff, but I think those are thrown into piles against the walls — if you do like the art of searching, I’ll leave that section to you and you can get back to me. In the main shelves, you’ll find the good stuff. And yeah, it may be priced a little higher, but dang — it’s freakin’ music. Isn’t it worth it?
And don’t get total sticker shock. The ENTIRE store is 30% off (atleast when I was there). The owner said he’s been doing the sale ever since the economic downturn. It’s good for us on the short term, but not good on the long run if this store goes away: SO GET DOWN HERE AND BUY SOME RECORDS!

Changed my opinion. A «hoarder» brought in at least 2000 VHS tapes, including some RARE material, for only up to about $ 5 a piece. Included in the lot were a mix of promotional/​retail/​travelogue as well as blank home-​recorded tapes. So, better finds here now!

This business has moved to a larger location at: 2501 Broadway, Everett, WA 98 201