Take a record shop list on your phone

Staff and crates reward a clear ask. A short list is something you can say out loud: the artist, the album, and whether you mind a reissue. Fifty titles is a speech. Five is a visit.

Still browse. The list stops the duplicates. It should not stop you finding a record you did not know you wanted. Check that one too, before you pay, in case it is already at home under a title you half remember.

A shop visit is short. The catalogue does the remembering so you can spend the time on the records in front of you, not on reconstructing the shelf from memory.

Find record stores in Discover from a UK postcode or town if you are choosing where to go. The shops within about ten miles are a way to plan the afternoon. The wishlist is what you hope to find when you get there.

Put a ceiling in the note on any record that has one. You will see it while you are standing at the counter, which is when a ceiling is useful.

Build the wishlist at home. In the shop, search the collection or use Do I own it? before you buy a 'maybe'. Add anything new when you get home, with the price you paid.

The same account is on the phone and the computer. Make the list at the desk. Take the phone to the shop.