Marian Tryggvason wrote: >Hi everyone I am conducting survey into how and where most people who like >*serious* classical music purchase their CDs. Can your local record store >cope? I go to stores when there is one in the area that I like. The chains are pretty generic, and the best stores are ones that are staffed by knowlegeable real people. This isn't often the case. One of the best stores I have been in is Classical Millennium in Portland, OR. This is an independent store AFAIK and they do a good business. They are a quasi separate store from Music Millenium next door which deals in every other kind of music than classical. I still like stores because I like to browse, and hold the product in my hands. >Do you use the internet? Is so, do you like the sites available? I do a lot of buying on the internet. Mostly I use amazon.com because the site is well-organized and they ship pretty fast. Their return policy is good. You can call them and talk to a real person if you have a problem about your order. I have also used CD Now, CD World, CD Connection, CD Universe, BMG, and one other. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Search engines are improving but I think that is still a weak spot in internet shopping. For internet sites I require fast accurate searches, an efficiently designed page that doesn't take forever to load, sound samples, pictures of album covers, and low prices. Sales are always nice, and a break on the shipping helps too. Ordering should be easy and clear. Access to Account information is a must, as is an email address for complaints, comments, questions, etc. Chris Bonds