Forrest L Norvell wrote: >I would suggest that it's neither; there aren't many rewards for working >at chain stores, and while the employees don't get paid minimum wage, >they don't get paid a living wage either. As such, you generally get >whatever expertise they have and not a whole lot of enthusiasm for going >above and beyond the call of duty. At the Tower in San Francisco, they're >well-informed about rock, jazz and underground musics of various kinds, >less so about classical. The clerks aren't rude so much as disinterested; >they're simply not paid well enough to care about things outside their >orbit, and I don't blame them. And then, here is Austin Texas...a tale of Russell...who managed the classical section of our Wherehouse, until it closed, and then moved to Tower, and it closed about 8 months later...who now works at a Barnes and Noble. I have never encountered a more helpful, well informed person in a record store. >I do the bulk of my shopping at independent record stores -- one of >which, Amoeba, is the largest record store I've been in outside of Japan, >and has a fantastically broad selection. Which leads me to...with some of the changes going on in my assignment at the University I am thinking of going into business with Russell and having our own store. I guess I don't wonder if a classical only (with Jazz, Music Theater, and Film Scores) could make any money. >That said, the selection is still much better online at Archiv, and there >are better deals to be had at Berkshire. And then there is Berkshire...what wonderful bargains. Karl