Waterloo Records Reviews

It's a good place. Kind staff and local austin aesthetic without being too weird.

Very wide selection of records and music items to buy

A local institution and heart of Austin's music community! Support Waterloo, support Austin musicians!

An incredible selection of Music the prices are unbelievable it's a wonderful shopping experience

Great place to find new Cds and vinyl both new and used.

Great atmosphere and very friendly staff.
The place has a distinct "Austin Feel" to it. In addition to music, they also have some nice little knick knacks that make good Austin keepsakes.

one of my favorite places to visit in austin. love the environment, the prices, and selection are all fantastic.

You pay a small premium for local business, but it's a really xoolnsotore and they have almost everything

Waterloo Records is one of the best record stores in the country. I have been going there since 1987, and they always have either what I am looking for, and/or at least a hundred other things I want. They are a one-stop source for new and used CDs, records and tapes; popular, rare and cult films on DVD and Blu-ray; and lots of other fun items such as t-shirts, buttons, patches, and collectibles. They host regular in-store appearances of bands, too! All that AND an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly staff means Waterloo is a must-visit!

Good to support local places, especially with the slow death of non-digital music. They do instore performances that often have free beer as well.

Great place buying used records and other older forms of media.

Good selection, very high prices but for obvious reasons. Has more well known artists not many lesser known.

They have an awesome array of music available on vinyl.

A fantastic record and CD store! For most, this place needs no introduction, but if you're new to the area, just know that it's an Austin institution, and an amazing store. Vinyl galore, from all genres, new and old, same for CD's and much more.

Pretty cool record store in Austin Texas. Always find something great to listen to and the staff is very knowledgeable.

Best record store in Austin! Amazing selection, love it

The best record store in Austin, it's always a great way to kill an hour or two digging through the used section.

Soooo cool. Check out the underground techno vinyl. You might be surprised!

Big store lots of new vinyl, but not a lot of used options. Prices are high, I would recommend you look around for the many other record stores in Austin that are off the beaten path, especially if you want used vinyl! The store seems very cooperate and is trying very hard to cater to the tourist. It is a very clean and pretty nice store.

Has a great selection of interesting stuff and great music to choose from.

If this place doesn't have your CD then your CD doesn't exist. Friendly and great service! Great store.

These guys are rip offs on buy backs. Had some CD's from classic artists. Offered me 75 cents a piece for them, but I noticed the cheapest CDs in the store even with non famous artists were being sold for $5.99 and up.

Googled one of my old bands and found Waterloo selling our old tracks without permission. (They are available for free on Soundcloud). Like, at least ask rather than just taking our work and selling it. Screenshots attached.

Amazing selection and friendly staff who clearly know exactly what they are talking about.

A solid old school record store. The selection is fairly complete and there are vinyl finds to be had.

Great new selection - lots of good stuff in the new arrivals if you're lucky. Not much in the way of used records.

Second favorite in town in terms of my tastes to end of an ear.

Really awesome place with a big selection of all kinds of music. The employee at the counter could have been a bit nicer, but other than that great place

Great selection. I found some rare vinyl here for a great price!

Tons of vinyl selection, people who clearly know their music!

Great customer service and very diverse music available to purchase. Great job at focusing on local music also.

Happening upon a large independent record store, with sections dedicated to local music, was a bit like entering a time machine. In the age of Spotify, my girlfriend and I had long forgotten about the experience of standing at an album display, putting on a pair of headphones and pressing play amongst a flock of fellow music lovers, and then heading to the checkout with a new CD in hand. There s also a wild collection of movies, toys, clothing and merchandise, so it s a great stop in for gifts and a must see if you find yourself in Austin.

This is my go-to record store, one of the best in Austin. Even in covid-times, they're super nice and curbside works great and feels safe.

I love the atmosphere and the old school feel. I like playing my CDs before I buy them, and I love all the box sets!

Great selection of CDs, DVDs and vinyl. Great large location! Tons of deals!

I don't get to come here often- which is why I don't give it a 5- but when I do, there's a wide variety of music options, and you can save a ton by trading in your old music for new vinyl.

Cute, eclectic, had a film and an album that I couldn't find elsewhere. Parking was not great, and getting in and out was difficult with how busy this intersection is, but definitely worth a visit.

Great store with an incredible selection of music, movies and more! Would highly recommend for anyone looking to start a vinyl collection or find a cool gift for a music nut.

Great selection for vinyl and cds! This site is huge, and staff is friendly too. Records are a bit pricy here, but still worth the visit!

We were having trouble finding a particular CD and the helpful employee looked it up for us and their database.

One of the few places left to dig through music. The staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable. Very cool place.

One of the last brick amd mortat record shops. Carries a ton of Rock and folk and Country and local music. Very poor selection on european and imported music.

I dont get to visit very often. But its an enjoyable space with great staff and plenty of music, movies and oddities to see now and again.

Love it, always friendly and has good items at good prices

Great customer service especially with help finding a requested CD

Waterloo records is an Austin icon. I can spend hours going through the used CDs

Preordered an album in February for a 4/20 release date. I've called every day since its release on the 20th and was told it would be shipped out to me soon after. I've called every day this week and keep getting blown off saying they don't know what's going on. So, today I find out that Waterloo oversold the album and now they cant fill my preorder from FEBRUARY. So not only have I been charged for this album, I won't be getting it. On top of that, it's a limited release that is now sold out.

So, thanks Waterloo, for lying and misrepresenting to your customer base. I will never give you another penny of my money. This is the single worse experience I've ever had trying to order a record.

**UPDATE**
After voicing my displeasure in regards to the events that occurred above, the Waterloo management team contacted me and has since provided a satisfactory resolution. They were able to obtain the record I wanted, and shipped it to me, free of charge. I can't speak high enough of their management and their willingness to make things right. So for that, I am adjusting my review.

I really like this place. It's almost better than Amazon depending on what you're looking for

Awesome collection/selection... anything movies or music, you'll find it here!

They led us to believe that they had kpop but there was nothing in their selection

Very cool place. Good selection of records, CD's, and even movies

This is a classic record shop with a retro atmosphere. Hundreds and hundreds of CDs and LPs! Displays highlight music by regional Texas artists with. They also sell novelties, mugs, t-shirts, record players, and in one corner, there is a box of free stuff (i got a cassette).

Love Waterloo. Few places these days to browse and buy music. They have a giant selection of CDs and vinyl. Both new and used. Austin icon!!

If you need to have a hard copy of your music you can get it here. It has a better selection than a best buy or walmart, more local bands and you can find vinyl.

They have events like CD signings and In-Store Appearance of bands.

During SXSW their lot becomes a live music venue. I saw Tegan and Sarah, Macklemore and Alt-J there in 2013 for free.

They had a great selection of music. Found a few really solid gems here.

I new to the world of vinyls, so I don't have much to compare this too. I enjoyed my experience. The employees were very helpful and knowledgeable. I purchased my first turntable and bought a few vinyls as well. They have a very large selection, so I was overwhelmed with what to buy first. They also offer CDs and cassettes. I didn't dive into the $5 used vinyl section, but I will the next time I stop in. Don't forget to bring your punch card to earn I believe $20 towards a vinyl.

My favorite record store in Austin. They have a large selection in the Rock/Pop genre and possibly the biggest Metal selection in Austin as well. They also have Punk and Garage/Psych sections, which I don't always see in stores. In addition to vinyl records they carry a large selection of CDs and BluRays. I'm particularly a fan of their big criterion collection selection.

I'm glad that Waterloo is still here. So many memories of Austin past include digging at Waterloo. I always buy at least one thing -- support what you love! :)

Love going here! My boyfriend and I spend a couple of hours looking through all the CDs and Vinyl records. We always get something. They have a great selection, I'm never disappointed when I shop here.

The people behind the counter dress like they are from the 70s. Kinda reminds me of the shinning and scares me. Otherwise it would have been 5 stars.

Loved the selection here. Great collectibles and new records. Good access to record player and even parts!

Seriously, I think they have everything here. They even have free shows from time to time. Legit free shows. Check check check it out

I expected much more from Austin's top rated record store. Waterloo is good if you are looking for CDs or new vinyl, bad if you are looking for a good selection of used records to dig through. The store almost entirely sells CDs and new full prived LPs but has little to offer in terms of crate digging and finding good deals. Aside from one tiny section in the back, there are almost no used records in the store. Pop and Rock are also not separated making it much harder to find what you want.

So many cool shops like these in Austin! This one is a must see if you're visiting!!

I love this place! It is fun to go and even just walk around in. Checking out all the records, CDs, movies, and fun gadgets they have!
I stumbled in here right after SXSW and they had a band playing with free beer from the keg. awesome!
Definitely the place to go when looking for records. Can't wait to go back!

Sep 3, 2020- Normally 5*****, but Store is physically closed. Didnt know shopping is online, until reading the poster on the door...next time

Fun place, a lot of retro stuff. Super friendly staff.

The best record store in town and possibly the state.

Best record store I've ever been. Great staff with great selection of products and equipment.

Excellent shop. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. And a huge inventory.

Classic Austin stop for vinyl, old and new. Great atmosphere and worth the time spent browsing. Parking is VERY limited so plan accordingly.

Excellent record store both generic but also specialized.