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Our Price 1982 Lewisham: Lorrie Krieger (Harlequin Records) cut a deal where he insisted he had space invader machines in selected Our Price stores. Managing store in Riverdale Lewisham shopping centre, I was told that one day a collection would be made for the coins the machine. Lorrie 9:30 back door bell goes theres this little fella in cabschie carrgian standing by a blue roller LK1 number plate. it was the man himself. Later I was tranfered to Cambridge which also had Space Invader machine.

Then there was Our Price in Brent Cross. Given my unusual tastes, I usually shopped at the Mill Hill shops and
they would order in records specially for me. I'd often order two or three copies for mates.
I can remember ordering six copies of Live at The Witch Trials by the Fall, for mates I'd persuaded that they were the
best thing since sliced bread. The long suffering Neil, who managed the shop spent hours tracking down the distributors of
Step Forward records. He was a soul boy, but soon recognised that there were a few people in Mill Hill who he could sell obscure punk to. He'd order stuff in and I'd feel duty bound to buy it. Much of that is now worth good money.


Comments

Name: Peter Smith
Comment: They also had a small branch in North Finchley High Road, on the corner of Stanhope Road.
(9 November 2012)

Name: Barry Morcom
Comment: They were rubbish. When my son wanted a copy of Better Living Through Chemistry by the then almost unheard of Fat Boy Slim, I went to the Southgate branch of Our Price. They said I was about the tenth person to ask for it in the last couple of days. I said then OK I will have a copy. He then told me that they did not stock it. When I asked him why not, he said that there was no call for it. I got a copy in a specialist record shop in Sawbridgeworth. Some time later when You've Come a Long Way Baby became a hit, Our Price stocked not only that but also Better Living... No wonder record shops disappeared long ago. They were determined to go the same way as bookshops.
(7 November 2012)

Name: Mark Mc Daid
Comment: I have some great memories of Our Price from 1975 to 1985 where I worked in various admin situations. Initially at the second shop we opened in Kensington Church Street, in the basement which was our Head Office; Steve Lyttelton who was Humphrey Lyttelton's son was the manager. Edgware Road was our next office, then came Kensington High Steet ... all since gone! Yes, I have some great memories with Gary, Mike, Jean Sykes ... oh, and two visits from Blondie!
(13 February 2015)

Name: David Lawson
Comment: This store opened in about 1976/7 and they discounted the price. That was a big attraction for me. It was also easily in reach of my work place at the time so I would often scoot off there in my lunch break.
(21 April 2015)

Name: Sean Geoghegan
Comment: I recall working at three Our Price records shops - top floor Leicester Square where I played imported cutout albums to a Reggae and Fusion client base, one on Shaftesbury Avenue (28) where I escorted a crying teenage shop lifter in a Black Maria, the other right at the opening of Tottenham Court Road opposite 116 where I worked until we were required to play Barry Manilow's latest album at peak times. That was enough for me. Great way to get discounted tunes.

Name: Patrick Crowther
Comment: I worked at the Hampstead branch of Our Price in the late 1980s. Not terribly exciting, if truth be told, enlivened somewhat by the assistant manager Troy’s propensity for serving customers with a photo of Stevie Nicks sellotaped to the crotch of his leather strides. Oh happy days...
(2018)

Name: Mark Taylor
Comment: Just stumbled across this Our Price page. Small correction to Peter Smith's comment: The OP in North Finchley was actually on the corner of Friern Park (the next road along from Stanhope Road). I would know because I worked there in the late 1980s. It is now a Caffè Nero.
(2018)

Name: Clare Mc
Comment: My first job in London was in the Oxford Street branch.
The basement stock room opened into the Littlewoods next door, the Academy Cinema was a couple of doors along , there was a Virgin Records and a Wimpy opposite... all gone.
(2020)

Comment: I worked for Our Price when it was Tape Revolution. My partner, at the time, worked for TR and Our Price at Golders Green, Kingston, Finchley Road and Tottenham Court Road. All in London. He was known as Mac and ended up as an area manager.

We also both worked for Tape Revolution in Munich, Germany.

Name: Trevor Walker
Comment: I worked for Our Price 1984-1986, working in the Bromley, Eltham, Lewisham and Bexleyheath branches. Hard work but very enjoyable. Started on £95pw. Interviewed for job above Kensington High Street branch by Gary Nesbit, the owner, himself, a very friendly enthusiastic man. Towards the end of my term it began to get more bureaucratic. The security team were very heavy-handed at times. You learned a lot about life working in record shops.
(2022)

Helen Marsden
19 Aug 2023 at 10:05
I use to attend day release at the College of Distributive Trades in Leicester Square when I was 16 or 17 back in 1979/80. I remember I use to go into a record shop at lunchtime, which must have been Our Price I think. I use to buy newest 12” soul records. Happy days.

Details

Locations

100 Kensington High Street W8 4SG Kensington / London
14 Chase Side N14 5PA Enfield / London
12 Tottenham Court Road W1T 7PD Soho / London

Chain

Part of the Our Price chain

Next in London: Out On The Floor
Prev in London: Oti Brothers