Is This The Biggest D*ck Move In All Of Record Store Retail?

It isn't enough that the store enticed me with a 50 cent bin that was so chock full of respectable '80s mainstream goodness that I was able to complete both my Pat Benatar "Mike Chapman era" and Stevie Nicks "Petty duets era" vinyl collections for less than $5.

I even grabbed a copy of Eddie Rabbitt's Greatest Hits Volume II, which is worth 50 cents for the cover alone, but also includes, well, just by looking at the record label, I have no idea what half the album includes because some record store troll with evil in their heart pulled what I believe to be the biggest dick move in all of record store retail:

Now, if your eyes are unable to process what they're seeing, as mine did, trust me, that's a price sticker not only slapped directly onto the record label, but over the hole.

Sure, sure, its a clever way to ensure nobody tries stuffing a regular-priced album into a 50-cent sleeve, but for those of us who actually purchase such an album, it is impossible to remove said sticker without destroying the record label.

Again, I can understand that using a sticker that can be removed easily would be counter-productive to the store's security efforts, but at what ultimate expense, I must ask? How many paying customers, such as myself, has this store pissed off by slapping stickers on the labels that wreck the labels if removed?

The reward that awaits you if you are able to remove a sticker successfully is a gummy, rubber cement-like residue that will stick to the inside of the inner sleeve. It won't hamper your enjoyment now, of course, just the next time you pull the album out to play "I Love A Rainy Night" and find yourself "filling the air with swears" instead as you try to separate vinyl from sleeve without incurring any rippage.

While I will not identify this particular record store, it is within Chicago city limits and I have not been back since because, quite frankly, a store that pulls such a stunt on it's paying customers in what I can only presume is some hackneyed attempt at thwarting the occasional $10 record from walking off that could be prevented if the clerk could be bothered to just check all used vinyl that is purchased to make sure the cover and vinyl match.

Instead, hey, let's annoy the paying customers so that they never come back!

Have you encountered any retail dick moves? If so, did it tarnish your experience enough that you've never gone back to that store?