Lunchbox Records

staff is excellent!!! best crew ever!!! wow!!! good gang!!! hooray!!! especially that one with the glasses!!!

Not what I expected.
A while back I wanted to sell my vinyl LP’s, some from the 50’s but mostly from the 60’s to 70’s. ALL in near mint condition… some even unplayed.
I called and was told they would be interested. Carted about 200 to the store. Spent about about 2 hours waiting while my collection was cherry picked… and finally offered approx 3.00 an album.
That’s why their prices are so reasonable… I don’t want to say they take advantage of customers but I think when they saw this old guy come in with some good stuff, he thought he found someone who didn’t know anything… I would have taken any fair price but that’s not what was offered.
It is a nice store for newer stuff… post 1980’s.

Best record store in town, maybe the state. Scott and crew are top notch. The 8 track section is a little small but hopefully they can expand it in the new location.

Best record Store in Charlotte, hands down. Very fair prices, very organized. Always fresh New Arrivals bin, and great Bargain Bins. If you’re looking for something, chances are they have it. The best thing about Lunchbox is that they aren’t going to charge you $ 20 for Fleetwood Mac Rumors. They sell records cheaper than you can buy them online, and always have a good selection cycling in and out.

It was just my luck that I happened to be having lunch next door to this place. I walked in to the organized chaos that denotes a good record shop filled with a large variety of genres. New and used, old and contemperoray, popular and underground, it has something for everyone. I especially enjoyed their large selection of 7″‘s, something I don’t see on the scale that lunchbox had. You’ll find a lot of great punk, metal and lesser known rock bands in addition to some vinyl standards. I was especially stoked to find a lesser known surf band in their dedicated surf rock section.
Used prices are appropriate and the records I checked were in good condition. Even new prices were reasonable and some were steals (e.g. their minutemen album prices can’t be beat online or any shop I’ve been to). I would have spent a lot more time searching their racks had I not had someone waiting for me.
My one gripe is that I can’t easily sift through records there because of how full the shelves are. I don’t always have the leisure to pull out hundreds of records from their box to see the front cover, so if I can’t sift through them easily, I’ll just skip them. I guess it’s the price you have to pay for a large selection.

Came here on black friday and it was quite crowded, so I didn’t get to really look through everything, but I did like the shop over all. Prices were a little high, but they seemed to have a good selection from what I saw. My only complaint was that the bins were too stuffed to properly browse through the records. But is that really a complaint?
I will probably come again next time I am back in Charlotte.

Best record store in Charlotte and they are expanding!!! Lunchbox is currently working on a new location that is less than a mile from the current one but will be much bigger! It should make browsing records a lot easier. The current location is popular and can be hard to see all that they offer.
I love the mix of new and used that LB offers. I’m a vinyl lover myself but they have cassette tapes and CDS as well. They even have turntables and t-​shirts available. The staff is very helpful and will order almost anything that is still in press.
Lunchbox has an overwhelmingly popular Record Store Day event. The line was hours long this year but they had live music and gave away lots of records.

Great selection. I found a wax records Friday the 13^th II soundtrack which I was happy about. The staff kind of wants you to do your own thing and then hand them money. The first time I went, the «too cool for school» hipster behind the counter laughed at me because I asked if they had any records of sea shanties. It then became very apparent he didn’t know what sea shanties were. He couldn’t believe anyone would be interested in buying those or recording them. Thanks guy. I’ve gotten some great stuff here though. Misfits, the boils, and a bunch of other punk and Oi!

This is a very nice record store, in a good central location. Abundant selection and good prices really made this store stand out. The only reason why I took a star off is because of the tight spaces between the records themselves, making it hard to flip and find the record you want. Overall, a great shop!

Nice selection of vinyl, CDs and patches. It’s a tiny space with one record player in the far back corner to listen before you purchase. The music playing in the store is a little obscure for the normal person, but helps create an interesting vibe. There was, however, a very noticeable smell as we walked in. Reminded me of a sweaty locker room.

Lunchbox isn’t my favorite, but it isn’t a bad place to be either. My only complaints are that even with less than 6 – 8 people in the shop, it gets rather crowded and uneasy to maneuver through the shelves. In addition to this, the staff isn’t the friendliest. If you ask, they know what they have available pretty well, but from my experience they just weren’t all that welcoming.
Lastly, come expecting to spend some cash. While you may find something really surprising (like the soundtrack to «Lost in Translation») don’t be prepared to find it for a deal. But hey, they gotta keep the place open somehow, right?
Aside from these things there is a good selection of demos and such from local bands which I haven’t been able to find anywhere else, and new releases can be found in-​store too.

Very cool place and fun to flip through mounds of new and used records! Will definitely be back!

If you’re a collector or just enjoy listening to vinyls, Lunchbox Records is a great stop to pick up the newest album or hunt through boxes upon boxes of vinyls to discover your next great find. Prices are reasonable and while the location is a little odd (located next door to a tattoo parlor advertising two for one name tattoos on my evening), you get the most incredible view of downtown Charlotte in this up and coming neighborhood [Plaza Midwood].
The inside of the shop is a little dingy and small, low ceilings and a thought at organization of the vinyls. Apparently they have small shows in the venue, although I have NO idea how that’s possible. However, for someone whose centerpiece in her home is her record player, this shop was right up my alley and I was happy to pick up a new album.

Just walked in here last week (repo was closed) to get my mom some CDs for mother’s day, and I wanted to buy everything in the store. Good selection of newer albums, but also tons of old LPs. Cheap CDs, I bought three used and in good condition for an average of $ 5 each.

I shop here mostly for cds to play in my car. Their prices make it easy to pick up something new that you’re not sure if you’ll like. They’ve got stickers at the counter and t shirts too. It’s a small store, so you’re better off going in on a weekday to avoid bumping into sweaty people! Park across the street at family dollar.

This is a great shop. The selection of new LPs is impeccably curated. Got quite a bit of punk, metal, Indy and Classic rock. The used section was also impressive. The owner was extremely friendly as well.
Highly recommended.

I’m all about the record store experience even though online shopping is easier and cheaper but this place is strait up a waste of time.
First off their records are jammed so tight together it’s hard to flip through them. A lot of new records looked beat up. There were also ants everywhere.
They had a good amount of well know artists but had almost no popular records from them.
The staff was also very unhelpful and at times rude. It’s not hard to get record store of the year when you the only place in town. Winning that award is no justification for being condescending to your customers.
There is also no where to park. I parked in the lot right next of it and got booted after being inside for less than 15 min. The worst part is that the staff was talking to the guy that booted me right in front of me and didn’t bother to give me a fair warning of what he was doing. Based off of how familiar they were with him I would say the whole parking situation is a total scam.
The record community is not a very big one so to have a rude staff and treat your customers and records they way they do is totally unacceptable. I have tried this place a few times and I’m never coming back.
If your looking for a good experience while hunting for some good vinyls my suggestion is find somewhere else.

Great selection of records, books and CD’s. Always can find what I need or a hidden treasure. Staff is not very friendly however.

Big Fan! This is my favorite place to be on the weekends. I love digging through the old records. Such a great selection. The staff is really nice and they always suggest new rad music that I didn’t know about. This is where anyone looking for Christmas gifts for me should come. When my Fiancé was looking for someone to repair my vintage record player the cool kids at Lunchbox hooked him up with a neighborhood guy who works on them in his free time. They even showed me how to change the needle on my record player when I bent it. Kudos Lunchbox… you’re the dopiest!

It isn’t often that you’re passively insulted by the staff at the checkout counter while dropping $ 100 at a record store, but that’s what happened today at Lunchbox Records, a place I was pretty stoked about after reading all the reviews and browsing their selection.
To be clear, this place has a really decent used selection and a nice variety of new stuff. They’re also WAY into punk, which may explain a little bit of the condescension. The only annoying thing is how overstocked the bins are. You literally have to yank out each record to see what it is in the new sections. This is terrible for the records and their packaging, and you’d think they’d know better. If you don’t have room for all those records, thin the herd, boys. Work with the space you have.
It’s a shame to feel like I have to write a negative review of this place, especially since it has so many positive ones.
And I realize that I, too, sound condescending in tone here. But the way you’re spoken to by the employees goes a long way. I’ve never instantly regretted a purchase at a record store, until now.
But if you’re from out of town and also visiting the Ikea store nearby, don’t mention it to these guys. I got smirks and eye rolls. Pretty stunning, actually, to patronize a store, drop that much money (which was probably their biggest sale of the day), and get attitude based on a place I’d shopped at 10 minutes earlier. I didn’t even get a «thank you» as I walked out. How punk!
I dunno, maybe the greasy-​haired twerp was having a bad day. Maybe there was something he felt particularly enraged about he’d read that morning in his current issue of Adbusters.
I know it’s probably difficult to wrap your mind around, but not everyone who patronizes your store will share your value system, or your taste. It’s no reason to act like a child. Remember, the goal is actually to make your customers want to come back, even if they’re from out of town.
Next time I’ll just take my bourgeois money to Manifest instead.