Force of Habit Records

AWESOME stuff at amazing prices!!! A huge selection of rather obscure punk and even more of some not-​so-​obscure stuff (Prayers on Fire by the Birthday Party on red vinyl!!) The guy behind the counter was super helpful and I found the bulk of my shopping list! =D
P. S. Check out their used crates. I found Ziggy Stardust, Young Americans, Talking Book and Songs in the Key of Life all for under 5 bucks each!

Kudos to Force of Habit for sticking around despite the utter craphole retail is in these days. They don’t offer a stellar selection, but they definitely fill a niche. Kind of reminded me of a Thrillhouse Records, sans dinosaur.
A little pricey, yes, but the good folks at Force of Habit not only helped me pick out the right record player (which, for me, was nothing fancy, just a little self-​contained model with decent sound for the price), they did it without pretense. I stayed for a browse, and they were friendly enough to listen to me whine about the lack of Belle and Sebastian in their punk rock haven, and even offered to order a record for me.
For general browsing purposes, Amoeba really can’t be beat (intestinal fortitude permitting), but I’ll definitely be back to Force of Habit for specific albums. If I’m going to spend $ 25 on an LP, I’d much rather some of it go back to the record store that got it for me than some website i plugged my credit card into.
This morning, I was bemoaning my recent lack of access to a record player. Now, I’m sitting happily in my living room, having dinner to the musical stylings of Roy Orbison! Thanks, Force of Habit!

Great selection of punk and rock & roll vinyl. Everyone is super friendly and they always have good stuff in stock. Highly recommended especially for serious vinyl collectors.
Oh yeah and they have reasonably priced record players (new and used) and lots of other vinyl accessories.

i randomly found this place while in the mission. it’s a cool place but i’ll probably never buy a record from there, kind of expensive. however the two guys that were working when i came were very helpful in my search for a record player. they even made a box for me to carry it in since i took public transportation. i like this record store and i plan on returning to get some speakers!

It looked cool every time I passed it and when I finally went inside I was met by utter disappointment. The records were expensive as fuck and listening to the conversation occurring behind the counter was like watching High Fidelity while tied to a chair in a room full of meth fumes. INTERNET CYNICISM DOES NOT TRANSLATE INTO REAL LIFE CONVERSATIONS, it just turns you into an irritating elitist. Two stars because I got a weird japanese kabuki record out of the bargain bin. Wouldnt waste my time again.

Sweet punk shop. I’ve found some rarities. It’s right by Aquarius records so if yer searchin for vinyl you can stop right by.

I enjoy this store, because it is in my neighborhood and convenient. They have a decent selection of needles and dj accessories. Some of my qualms are that they are often out of the products I need (i.e. needles, needle carrying case). They are pretty good about getting restocked quickly. My other qualm is that the staff isn’t super knowledgeable. The owner is the only one I trust to help me with my needs. The other staff have screwed up with my needles by twisting the wires in wrong, and also sold me the wrong kind. The owner was very helpful and corrected the previous guy’s mistake. That was nice of him, but ½ the time I go in there the owner is off. This place is nice, because unlike Guitar Center the people here don’t hound you. They are clearly not on commission and it’s tucked away in the Mission, so it never feels super crowded and busy. It’s nice that they sell records, but most of them are new and pretty overpriced. I wouldn’t come here for the record selection, more for quick needle replacement cartridges, etc.

The customer service is stellar!!! I heart David and Sophie! They were able to help me purchase an awesome new record player for the vinyl I’ve got sitting at home, with a smile and no sarcasm! What tha?!
Seriously, they’ve got music hearts of gold and this place is tucked away so you don’t have to deal with crowds and inane music listeners. You will find some hard to find vinyl at this store too if you are patient enough. There’s NOTHING like listening to vinyl. I can’t stand how much I love this place. Although small, there’s so much music knowledge in this tiny little store, it’s ridiculous. Go, go, go and keep vinyl alive… pretty please…*eyelashes fluttering*

Good store. Punk section was large seeing they have a small space. I got a Naked Raygun re-​issue on gold vinyl and a Smut Peddlers 10″ and went home happy. I’ll be back back, gotta support stores like this.

I’m super-​psyched I finally ventured into this little shack-​store. I’ve been eying it for ages and decided it was time to cave to my mind and just GO.
While I do agree that many of the records were marked up, I felt like a fair amount were marked down. It just depends on what’s popular, and that’s the case with any record store.
I WAS, however, happy that a store with «Records» in the name HAD records. In fact, that really was the primary focus on the store. That’s pretty f’in’ important if you’re seeking vinyl.
One thing I don’t like, and I felt it important to bring up: the backbone of any good business is a reasonable owner. I’m fairly certain I encountered the owner while I was in the store. Why do I think it was him? He wouldn’t get off his worker’s balls about anything! I mean, seriously: if you have problems about the way your store is being run, don’t constantly nag your help while you have a customer browsing your merchandise.
Seriously: I don’t give two flying flips what has been going wrong (and from what I heard: it wasn’t a big freaking deal… you seem to have a solid worker on your hands). Leave the customer out of it. Take your worker into the back and talk to him (and could you maybe be less of a dick about it? I know you aren’t paying him what he’s worth).
Other than the holier-​than-​thou owner, I loved the place and I’ll certainly be back. I picked up some solid records that I haven’t seen anywhere else… and all three of them were gems and the total under $ 20. Too good, too good.

Cool store. Small and a few things are grossly overpriced. But there can be a few neat things to be found used from time to time. New records are generally pricier than at Amoeba, but they probably have so much less volume, that they need to do that.
They also sell video tapes and toys here as well. Overall, it’s not a place i would stop at too frequently, but it’s a nice diversion. If they continue to grow over the years, this place could become pretty great, especially if you are into punk/​hc and other genres along those lines.

Oi, crust, street, political, nazi, old skool-​Any kind of punk, this place has it. Some cool collectibles, too. I got a rad little Rat Fink figurine that matches my tatoo very nicely. And it’s getting harder to find punk rock albums, especially when you’re like me and avoid Amoeba at all costs. It’s surprisingly clean in here too.
There is a nice sprinkling of metal, rap, and even some Al Green and Velvet Underground.
And I like to go drool over «Joe”-he’s like an older, post Black Flag, tatted up Henry Rollins, and every time I leave after he rings me up I need a change of panties. Eek! He’s SO dreamy.
And the vibe is so non-​hipster. Bless them for that.

Still a work in progress, but from what I’ve seen the owner’s heart is in the right place… that is to say, he wants to build a vinyl-​centric punk rock emporium in the heart of indie-​wuss Hipsterville. More power to him for that.
Here you’ll find random used CDs and records, a few glass cases with collectible toys, and several racks of well-​chosen underground rock LPs with a primary focus on punk and old-​school hardcore.
Been seeking that obscure vinyl bootleg of a 1982 Negative Approach concert in Analrape, Michigan? Or maybe a collection of unreleased Poison Idea demos from their most doped-​up heroin days? If Force of Habit doesn’t already have it, they’ll probably know where to get it.
I look forward to seeing how this shop develops and, hopefully, thrives.

«Open Everyday from 12 to 7 PM, often later…»
HAAHAHAHA! No seriously, that’s pretty funny… considering they’ve only been open 2 of the 4 times I’ve visited during those hours.
Two stars instead of 1 because I’ve found rare records at mostly decent prices when they’re actually open. (I’ll give it 4 stars and become a regular customer if they ever advertise the correct hours.)
Also, will somebody please explain to me why the Mission boasts the LOWEST used-​record-​store-​to-​hipster ratio of all the neighborhoods in the US? I’m dying for the answer.