Merle’s Record Rack

I understand the previous reviews with the prices not being marked, but the prices of the records we chose were fair and the staff were very helpful. We will definitely be back!

It’s been a year since someone reviews this place so it’s overdue for an update. So here we go — THIS PLACE STILL SUCKS!!! It’s remarkable to read the other reviews on here and then you go there and everything that was wrong about this place is still wrong with this place all this time later — HOW ARE THEY STILL IN BUSINESS? I’d say 20% of the music is priced and it’s all way over what you’d expect to pay for used CD’s. That leaves 80% of the merchandise that has no price on it at all. So that means the kid at the front counter has to run to the back of the store and ask the great Merle how much he’d like for a CD that no one has ever inquired about — EVER. Comes back and say $ 18 for a CD that is available for about $ 5 if you use one of the big online places.
The real kicker was when I found a Tears for Fears CD in their $ 1 pile (Hey, it’s a long ride home I wanted to listen to something). So the kid runs to the back, before I can say anything, and I see him conferring with the great Merle’s mystery pricing guide — verdict $ 9.99. First of all I love that Merle couldn’t say «$ 10» (marketing 101, if you say 9.99 they’ll go for it — F’in brilliant) secondly, when I tell the kid I got it from the $ 1 pile he says «We really should label these» — YA THINK !? While you’re at it, price the whole F’in store — that’s how a record store should operate.
Like the other people that reviewed this place — I REALLY wanted to like it. Anytime I go on vacation I research the areas record stores just as I would hotels, tourist attractions, etc. I love record stores and rarely leave without dropping $ 20 at a min. and often more — but I want SOME bang for my buck. I seriously would love to know how this place has stayed open for this long. I for one will never step foot in there again — sadly, I’ll be going to FYE the next time I’m in the area.

I’ve never been one to jump on a site like this specifically to trash an independently owned specialty store, especially a record store. I love record stores.
But Merle’s has hit rock bottom for me today. I didn’t think I could think so little of a place that I want to think so much of. For those that say Merle’s is a gem for digging old, rare LP’s and unique audio repair and whatnot, great. Good job Merle’s. You’re appealing to a very small market. But for the rest of us that like to drive around to find cool music stores, Merle’s is a let down on all fronts.
First off, let me say that everyone complaining about the prices of things is entirely right. I’m totally cool with paying a few more dollars to get a CD or LP from an indie store over a major outlet like Best Buy, Amazon or iTunes. I love supporting local business. But at Merle’s I saw a used copy of a rather popular CD from 10 years ago going for $ 16.99. That’s more expensive than it is to buy it new at other indie stores. Obscene. Then I saw some TV season DVD’s in the back near the discount racks (which are terribly organized, even for guys like me who love perusing through racks and racks of cheap CD’s) and I saw one season of a TV show for $ 100. Seriously. One hundred dollars. You’d have to an extreme amount of expendable income to justify a purchase like that. I’m sorry.
The final nail in the coffin came for me today, which is Record Store Day, a holiday for indie record stores to band together and release limited edition LP’s and such from a ton of great artists just looking to help keep these wonderful mom and pop shops alive. I went in and saw the place was a little bit more crowded than normal. There were a few more staffers than normal too, so I asked a younger looking gentleman behind the counter if they had any Record Store Day exclusives and he rolled his eyes and said «We didn’t order anything.» in a clearly disappointed tone. On a day that is molded around bolstering record sales and awareness at independently owned stores, Merle’s opted to do exactly what it’s been doing so well… let us down. When a staff member is clearly aware of such a blunder, I really lose confidence in a store.
Merle’s is catered towards a very small demographic with a few too many dollars of expendable income. To those audiophiles and collectors, I tip my hat. I’m glad you’ve helped the place stay open for 50 years. But to those of us that shop on a budget and like to see a store that gives back to the customers that stop iTunes and Best Buy and Target from putting them out of business, Merle’s is a joke. Travel up I-​95 and go to Exile in Branford, or even Redscroll in Wallingford. Those are places that aren’t going to tell you to your face that a season of Deadwood is worth more than some of us make in a hard days work.

Fuck this place. If I could give it zero stars, I would.
This dude wanted to charge me $ 25 for common albums I could’ve found at the thrift store down the street for a buck (and later, did – persistence pays off!). Point being, nothing is marked. You’re expected to sift through their musty stacks of mostly-​crappy records, bring your selections to the counter, and let some moron who fancies himself some kind of record magician pull bullshit prices out of his hat. AVOID THIS PLACE.