Record Sells!

Weird. Yesterday was one of those strange sort of days that I found myself in a very wonderful and happy mood all day at work. Don’t know exactly what was going on - I still love/hate my job because the work has gotten busier and harder (due to this bizarre resurgence of the vinyl LP), and my poor little paycheck shrinks a little bit every damn day. While LP’s are saving our jobs, the folks that do all of the heavy lifting, receiving, pulling, packing, filing damage claims (LP’s do not travel well) and shipping are not reaping any of the benefits that the extra business is bringing.

It’s frustrating and depressing, but it beats the hell out of not having a job. 250,000 American workers have lost their jobs so far this year. Not a good climate to give the boss an ultimatum. Once I saw the news articles concerning our rapidly tanking economy (thank you very much, Georgie boy!), I suddenly felt a calmness float through my usual angst-filled doom and gloom self. It was liberating. My heart lifted, my brain cleared out and I felt great! WTF?!?

I get the feeling that my boss is setting us up to become the premier vinyl distributor in this country. I do not think this LP thing is just a short-lived trend. A growing number of folks out there are demanding better audio quality in their music. CD’s are indeed slowly dying, but LP sales are rapidly increasing. Stacey has certainly noticed this at Amoeba Records, also.

I’m going to embrace the change. I am not going to worry as much as I have about dreading the day when this 50+ year old guy with no real college education and a bad back has to go looking for a job.

I am going to adapt to the strenuous work. I am going to manage more, lift less. I am going to manage my assistants by cracking the whip and making them either work as hard as I do, or tell them that they will be replaced.

Our warehouse will need to be reconfigured. Dead stock has got to be removed. Dead CD labels must go. Younger and stronger warehouse workers will need to be hired. I will come up with the perfect way LP’s should be boxed.

And then I will go my boss and have a meaningful discussion. See how simple it all is? I am free.