Your pocket guide for record shopping

Take a walk around the shop and see how they sort their music. Take note of where listening stations are and anything that catches your eye on your first little tour.

Choose a section that gives you a good feeling and go through the records one by one, looking for things that simply catch your eye. You don't need to explain why it caught your eye, know the artists, or know anything about it other than "that looks interesting". Take 5-6 records max per trip.

Head over to the listening station. Take the first record you want to listen out, and ensure you handle the record by the edges and centre only - avoid putting fingerprints on the surface of the record, or, worse, oil/debris.

Move the tonearm of the record player using the little handle attached to it. Place it on the edge of the record. There is usually a thick edge that is unplayable, you want to place it just inside of that outer ring. Put on the headphones, adjust the volume, and hit play. Sometimes there is no play button and the record will just start automatically when you move the tonearm.

Skip through the record as you see fit. Lift the needle and place it somewhere else on the record. You don't need to stop the record first to do this. You'll be listening to a lot of records so its okay to skip through. You'll know an interesting moment when you hear one, at which point you should leave the needle on and let yourself get lost in the music for a while.

Decide which are the Yes's and which are the No's from the 5-6 records you just picked up. Once that's decided, place the no's back where they are supposed to go (usually the section you got them from) and repeat this process until you have enough Yes's to feel happy about your digging. Make sure to review what you've said Yes to once more at the listening station to really narrow down to what "you need"

Try and pay cash if possible at smaller stores. You will save the tax. Often times you can haggle if you're buying a lot too. Take your records home and go enjoy with a friend or dance around your house alone to your new beautiful music.