Great store with a wide selection of various video and game platforms at great prices. The service is friendly and helpful as well. A great store to find that hard to find record, video, etc. read more

I don't dislike Al's and I really like their sister shop hi-fi lo-fi. Unfortunately, I rarely like the things I find in the shop. I did trade some things in and always felt like I got far less than what I should have, but didn't say anything because I needed the stuff gone and figured it was an opportunity to get the things I wanted for less. If you are looking for a vinyl store, I don't know if I'd recommend this place. But if you want an NES or something of that caliber, they are pretty good for that. read more

Love this record store! You can find retro games, movies, VHS, cassette, CD's, DVD's, and most importantly for me, vinyls. So many interesting things to peruse through. Most of the new vinyl selection will be of movie and video game OST, with a slight focus on Japanese anime and music (Japanese electronic, jazz, etc). The old vinyl selection will have a mix of eclectic and obscure bands as well as a few more mainstream/popular albums, and prices are fair. Just don't expect to find the latest pop release here. I've picked up a few vintage records here, and they all played perfectly without noise. It's always fun to visit to discover some oldies, and they are constantly stocking new items. Also, one of the staff let me know Al is named after the owner's dog (so cute and it's the logo of the store too!). I believe they also own HIFI LOFI across the street, which you should definitely check out as well. read more

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Amazing for CDs, records and pieces of video game or animation media. Would love more comics but pretty solid If u like buying nostalgia driven things that make u happy come here. read more

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We came across this store by accident after a bad experience at Scarecrow (guys working there thought their shit didn't stink or something). I was very disappointed with that place as I really looked forward to checking their store out while on vacation. We walked in and were immediately greeted by a lovely young lady whose name I did not get. (this was September 10th in the evening). she had heard the same thing about the other place and the three of us proceeded to talk movies. I wound up buying a couple nice blu-rays from a pretty nice selection of titles. and left feeling better about the evening. Thank you for turning a bad experience around. I'm only sorry I don't live there so I could visit more often. read more

As an older media fanatic this store is a really convenient place to find a variety of VHS tapes and retro games in the university district. The staff is usually very friendly, and happy to answer questions you might have. Recently as of April 2024, I've unfortunately had a few subpar and frustrating experiences working with their repair services that have kind of soured my image of them and Hi-Fi LoFi, their sister store across the street. I brought in my old CRT with an attached VHS that needed some repairs or minor maintenance done. I asked if they could get the attached VCR working again, because it had started having problems playing tapes (everything else on this TV worked like new and it was just an alignment issue that was interfering with tapes being played). Initially I was explained it would take around 2-3 weeks to finish the repairs, and be around $100 to fix. They explained to me that their repair person was in college, and so they do these repairs in their spare time and I was extremely understanding with that. I told them to take their time because I wasn't really in a rush. About 2 or 3 months went by, radio silence. I called a few times to check in after the 2 month mark, asking for updates and either they would avoid answering the question and hang up on me, or give me a "it will be done tomorrow" and then not call me for another two weeks? Then when I finally got the call to come to pick it up, they asked for $300, and while I was extremely surprised at the sudden dramatic spike in cost, I was happy to pay it since they repaired it ... or so I thought. I brought it home and my CRT was in worse condition than when i brought it in to them, now making an insanely loud noise when I attempted to use it and still not repaired by any means. It is COMPLETELY UNUSABLE now. I called and asked if I could get a partial refund since they didn't fix my crt at all? I was extremely understanding and told them that I'm sorry for taking up their time, but they did not repair my crt, and in fact, DAMAGED IT, so why should I pay the full $300 for a service that didn't even fix my TV. It was extremely frustrating not to even get a partial refund for not being able to complete the service that I asked for, and was said could be done by this place. They should really be upfront about what repairs they can and cannot do when it comes to analog tech, because it would save a lot of people's frustration when working with them. They don't seem to communicate between each other at both this store and the sister store across the street, which leads to misunderstandings. Overall this place is really neat to check out for all sorts of media varieties, but please for the love of God don't bring in your tech to have them repaired here. There's a few guys who work out of their own garages that charge the same amount for WAY higher quality service, and I wish I would have gone to them instead. read more

First of all, I just wanted to mention how cool this place is, in regards to searching for vintage-y gaming items that other game shops may not have. For me, I have been searching forever for a gameboy pocket charging adaptor (yes, it's super old and it's been over a decade since I last touched my Pokemon Yellow) and this place actually has it!!! Sadly, I was one day too late since the last adapter got sold. However, the staff was super friendly and tried their best in assisting me with my request. So my recommendation to anyone searching for hard to find gaming parts, come here and you may find what you're seeking for. Other than the gaming stuff, Al does sell a variety of other things, like video game posters, anime DVDs, movies and etc. My general rule of thumb is: Make sure to test your products before buying (if the surface is super scratched) and to review the return policy prior to buying. In vintage shops like this, it's more important to pay attention to the rules/policies since the things you're buying have been used/be in questionable shape. Definitely will swing by here again in the future, to search for that gameboy pocket adapter! read more

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My all-time favorite place to buy CDs, video games, etc.

I've been a frequent customer here for years. Always bring visitor friends and family here when they come to town. Just think its really cool. But the last year or maybe longer the staff has become very unfriendly, like super unfriendly. I hear them have conversations about customers right after that customer leaves, when the customer was just being normal, like seriously nothing inappropriate at all. But my visit there today i thought i'd trade in a few things. I had the complete series of Boardwalk Empire on Bluray, Harvest Moon back to nature for ps1, and a few more movies on bluray. He offered me $20 in trade only. I realized that mistakenly my bluray of Anne of Green Gables series remastered from original film ended up in the pile and it wasnt supposed to be there. I clarified this and removed it from the pile. (You can only purchase this bluray from the production company in canada and I paid $125 plus shipping. I've seen sold comps on ebay in the US for $150+ ) He got annoyed i was taking that bluray out of the pile and begrudgingly got a new slip to offer me $14 in trade. I know these shops have overhead and have to pay for wages and rent and whatnot but if this employee looked up that anne bluray comps anywhere, he knew what it was worth and still felt it fair to offer six bucks for it? Like, i'm totally at a loss for how low the buying prices are...now i look around at all their inventory and the prices they are asking on everything and i just think how screwed the people that sold them all this inventory... i dont like that kind of practices, like that is ridiculously low (and in trade!) i cant in good conscience continue to support a business that runs like that. So guess i'll use my $14 to get a pin or something and that'll be it. read more

This was one of the coolest stores I visited during my stay in Seattle. I collect CDs and usually I have bad luck finding albums I really love, but I found two within a five minute span. After I'd found these, I thought to myself, "no way will they have Dummy by Portishead," yet sure enough, they did. The selection was incredible and extremely well-organized. The staff was also very friendly- the employee working behind the counter was personable and very easy to talk to. read more

If I could I'd do 0 stars. Terrible customer service. Didn't even look at the dvds and cds I had to offer to sell. Inconsiderate as fuck. From the looks of it they don't have the right employees if they don't give a fuck to be even considerate enough to go through what I had. I watched them take a glance and gave it back. Absolutely ridiculous would not recommend AT ALL. And the stuff they're selling are mostly in terrible condition and overpriced. read more

If you need a console or controller repaired, Al's is your spot. 10 out of 10, highly recommend, will visit again. Literally one week after the warranty expired, my Xbox Elite controller developed drift in the left stick. Microsoft wanted to charge me over $100 to fix it; the tech at Al's did it for $60. read more

Store is ran by phenomenal staff. Endless stuff to check out. Used physical media of all types with other oddities anyone could enjoy.

OMG I just left one of the worst used record stores on the UW AVE that I've ever wandered into. I saw this place selling dvd's , cd's , LP's plus a range of video games and guitars. Kind of cd pawnshop as I experienced it. Someone has gotten the idea of selling scratched up vinyl with beat up covers at huge mark up is a smart move. I'm always shocked at the high mark up on vinyl records now since you couldn't give them away years ago. What's most disappointing is the overall condition of the vinyl sleeves and vinyl itself. I'd be better off purchasing on eBay or record show. Needless to say this place is not on my "A" list for purchasing music in Seattle. I won't be back anytime soon and the reasons are obvious if your a consumer. Al I wish you the best of luck but not sure you'd know how to use it with your merchandise. read more

Lil hole in the wall that was worth checking g out once. Was in the area and walked in, but I didn't see anything in the selection that was worth buying. There are other similar spots in Seattle that also offers similar things. Seattle kinda seems to be a place for overpriced vintage or retro things, so I'd recommend maybe looking online first read more

Really cool and really nice crew working here and the shop has the best collection of movies in Seattle outside of Scarecrow. Also an amazing collection of cds, video games and old-school action figures. And things you didn't even know you were looking for til you find it haha. And your trip is 100% made if you're lucky enough to meet the pup, AL, himself. read more

Great store. Deep selection and heavy nostalgia factor. Lots of rare games at cheap rates compared to online retailers (a.k.a. e-profit-Bay). They repair cartridges that cannot save (e.g. pokemon on GBC) at a rate cheaper than individual batteries, so that people can "play their old games". 5/5 would recommend. Just please save some of your stimulus check for food and rent. read more

I love everything about this store -- it's a nostalgia paradise for music, games, and collectibles and the owner is super passionate about their trade. Anyone in the area or passing by should absolutely check it out. read more

Haters, haters everywhere. This place has the feel of a business that has seen some times and places. Ask yourself this: If the place is really as shitty as people below claim, how have they managed to weather the storm that so many other have not? The question should be obvious: they have wares that are not easily found elsewhere. My recommendation is to talk to the owner. She is generally very friendly and helpful. If there is an item you are having trouble finding, she will go out of her way to help you locate said item. Place has a really good selection of vidya games, often at competitive prices. There are also rare items, including games/stuff for consoles that don't exist anymore. Plus because you are in person you know there is less of a likelihood of getting scammed. This place is a fixture of the Ave. I highly recommend. read more

We are from out of town and were pleased with the selection and prices. There's a good mix of everything from new music to a reasonable selection of new games for a trade-in store, and also a really really good selection of older things for decent prices. Considering how close they are to another really big trade-in game store and music store, Al's is really impressive in scale and price and selection (want weird adaptors? You'll find them!) It was a little bit of a bummer that the CD discs were so scratched. It would be nice if they inspected them at some point, either when they buy the disc or when the customer does, and cleaned/buffed/etc., especially when some customers can't exchange or trade in. We'll have to do it ourselves when we get back and cross our fingers. read more

Chased out of the store... I went into Al's on Tuesday December 7 at 4:45pm to sell a few items. (I've sold with the owner, Alex, once before and had a great experience -- good conversation and a very fair turnaround price. I've since returned as a customer a handful of times.) This time, I was assisted by a staff member named Max. I asked if I could drop off by small box of items to be reviewed while I go park my vehicle. Max huffed and condescendingly said "No, I can make this quick." Max looked at the items and said "I can give you 5 bucks.", not specifying what items he wanted. I asked Max if that included the unopened Wii Fit and he laughed and said "NO! I don't want that." Realizing what he offered me was not a fair price for the other items, I politely declined and left. Feeling disrespected because of the way Max came across, I came back to the store 5 minutes later to ask Max for his name. After I got Max's name, I told him thank you and began to leave. As I was walking out, Max shouted at me "Come back, I didn't get your name man! Wait, are you leaving? Come back!" Max began making his way towards me and I was extremely uncomfortable and scared. Then, Max followed me out of the store shouting "Are you seriously f*cking running away? Come back!" I did not know what Max intended by shouting and chasing after me. I was already walking down the street and Max followed me for at least 30 feet. I turned the corner and got in my vehicle and left right away. I was harassed, scared and very confused. I never expected this kind of experience and level of unprofessional behavior at one of my favorite small businesses in Seattle. read more

I called today to speak to the manager. The place is called "Al's" so when I called and asked to speak to "him" the woman that answered was speechless. I asked if she was still there and she replies with "well uh, you were assuming gender and that's bad" She continued to keep talking and I hung up on her mid-sentence. I literally couldn't believe what I was hearing. Are you kidding me? Lol triggered little snowflakes that would rather argue instead of communicating and making progress. Never never never going back! read more

I recently took a trip to Seattle with some friends. We were exploring the University District when we came across this store. We were very curious as to what kind of stuff they carried. As soon as we walked in, I was very impressed by the layout of store. I was shocked by their vast video game collection and at very reasonable prices. The entire place gave me an Amoeba Records vibe back in my home in San Francisco. I managed to find the game Castlevania: Lament of Innocence for PS2 which was a pretty hard to find the game unless you look online. The store also has a vast DVD and music collection as well. One of my friends managed to buy a vintage record player for only $60. I spoke with two of the workers. both of which were super friendly. It was awesome to learn that one of workers is also from South San Francisco like me. We both chatted for a bit before I headed out. I would really love to visit this store again when I return to Seattle. -Jake. read more

I don't recommend. Customer service was horrible and disrespectful. The guy in the counter had no customer service skills, did not seem interested in helping or willing to show my boyfriend certain items he was interested in. read more

Bruh! These people are the best!! I love the layout of this place. From outside looking in, they don't look like they'd have quite the immense selection that they do. Right away I walked in and saw an Atari 5200 at half the price it usually goes for. Not only did the girl behind the counter grab me some of the systems accessories, she also pulled out a tv and found a game to test it with! She was absolutely amazing and the next time I'm in Seattle, I'm totally going back to Al's. More than video games they also have music and movies. A lot of 8-track and a lot of cassettes. Super chill place and it's usually not very crowded. I'd give it 7 stars if I could. Fantastic place. read more

Terrible. The only reason to go would be if you need a old NES game/console like TODAY. If you don't - use the internet (Ebay, CraigsList...) for sure. This place has old/newer used games, movies, CDs/LPs, audio equipment, porn, etc. I have the sneaking suspicion that all employees have been trained to treat the customers like douche bags treat teenage girls; disinterestedly. They seem not to care if you want to buy something or have something to sell. If you do sell something they are utterly absurd. Conversation I heard (paraphrased): Customer: How much can I get for this console and controllers? Staff: 15 dollars. Customer: Really, you are selling the console alone for $70. Staff: ... Customer: Can I get $35 for all of it? That's, like, half of what you'll sell it for plus I have the controllers. Staff: No Customer: Oh, well can I trade them? Staff: Uh, yeah fine Customer: Ok, Can I just straight trade it for [some product] Staff: Sure, if you pay the difference of the $15 Customer: Isn't this worth more than that? I can't trade you something less valuable for something more valuable. Staff: Nope The LPs are all picked over and I wouldn't trust the audio equipment. The DVDs aren't arranged in anyway which blows my mind. This place would be pitiful if it were deserving of pity. read more

It seems like this place would be the great for finding that game, CD or video you want. But it's cluttered, dusty and the employees stand behind the counter with a gaze of open hatred and boredom. And there's a horrible, terrible stench in there. It's probably mostly B.O and old cigarettes but it smells like the broken l souls of lonely old video gamers. I've yet to be able to spend more than 10 minutes here at a stretch. read more

I concur with Doctor J - this place is just a dumping ground for robbery loot. The front displays of old nintendo and SNES games is impressive, but it's the only eye candy in the store. The rest of the place is a garbage dump. Most of the records are in bad shape, and the people who work here don't give a shit about anything. I traded my Wii for a record player, speakers, and a stereo receiver that they claimed were 'tested and working', plus 25 bucks in records. When I got home, the receiver channels were broken. They let me exchange for another and we tested it in the store. It worked passably for a month and then the speaker channel connectors fell off. Speakers were trash. Records were scratched. I should have just used craigslist or bought new. read more

A few weeks ago, a co-worker of mine had his apartment broken in to. They raided his CD/DVD collection, almost all of it ended up at Al's the next day, likely sold for drug money. I think it's pretty safe to assume that most of the stuff here is stolen and/or sold for drug money, or just dumped by poor college students who are trying to get enough of a cash bubble to avoid whoring themselves out. That being said, I just scored Violent Femmes, Radiohead, Bad Religion, and Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits for $10. Should I feel guilty? read more

Back in the days when Cellophane Square and that place on 42nd were around, I would go to those places to check out used CDs and DVDs. Eventually though... They folded and that left us with Al's. The quality was never that great to begin with, it felt like they just bought anything and everything and to this day I've never seen an employee leave the counter. As time went on I stopped buying CDs, and upgraded to blu ray. So I didn't really have much use for this store. But I would still stop in from time to time for used video games. First I'd hit Pink Gorilla, and if I didn't find anything I'd come here. Recently I bought a game and was unsure about it. The employee told me I could save my receipt and could come back and return it within a week's time... So I bought it with my card. Awesome. Turns out the game was not the right one so I took it back with the receipt. I came back within about a day or two and the guys told me that I could exchange it for store credit. They wouldn't put the money back on my card, even when I produced the receipt. And to add insult to injury, the credit was only good for 30 days. Horrible exchange policy. I say exchange because where I come from, return means returning the product and getting money back. I'm done with coming in here and having my low expectations rarely met. I've always felt like coming into this place was settling. And it was always weird to me how the video games would be to the left of hardcore porn and more video games would be on the other side. I wouldn't want my kid looking at PS3 games and then turn around and just see a wall of porn. It always amazed me how much space they dedicated to used CDs, and that they just have crap hanging from the ceiling, the kind of stuff you'd see at a table in some flea market. But after this lame experience with poor communication and the feeling like they'd do what it takes for a quick buck... I'm done. From now on if I don't find the game I want at Pink Gorilla I'm done searching in the U-District. read more

When I first came here during my first year at UW, I didn't care about the loud music blaring into my ear canal. I didn't care about how unkempt and dirty the place felt. All that mattered was that I was here either for one of three things; the music, the movies or the video games. Remember this when you walk in: check in your bag. Not only is it an anti-theft measure, but it also makes you less of an idiot knowing it now, before you're asked. Just sayin'. Depending on what you ask, and how you go about looking for something in the story, either intentionally or unintentionally, you're bound to find something that will attract your interest. Right near the entrance, if you're a video game aficionado and collector extraordinaire, is a glass display of old games, dated and rare with some hefty bounties on them. They even had an old Game & Watch and Donkey Kong among other rarities! Unlike Gamestop, this place still caters to the crowd that admire and still seek older titles. "Classic Plastics," as the old Nintendo cartridges are admirably named, can still be found here. Dreamcast, Gamecube, Playstation--the works. There seems to be quite an overstock of used DVDs on sale, much so that the prices are intentionally marked down in an attempt to clear it away. You can find some new movies with prices lower than what you'd find at a retail store, and in the same condition, albeit minus the shrink wrap. And yes, the funny thing about this place is more often than not I've seen people make a bee-line run towards the adult DVD section without any kind of shame. The people working there are pretty chill, some of them more so than others that it's easy to talk about a particular subject so enthusiastically while you're there, started by the music blaring in the store, or the audio of a well-known movie playing to recall some old memories. Don't let the shady and dusty appearance of the shop fool you, this place is too awesome to not visit. My only gripe, however--is how small the aisles are; more often than not I found myself browsing through the place, only to turn into a victim of liposuction to allow other customers to move past me whilst they were going about their own business within the store. If you're not feeling the prices or the atmosphere here, remember that you can always hop over to the Pink Gorilla and try your hand there. But at least before you do that, exhaust all your efforts here. You won't be overwhelmed, nor disappointed. read more

My boyfriend and I love going there because he likes to check out the selection of comics and retro games, and I like to look at the vinyls, however, it seems whenever we go in a lot of the comics have the stickers on the comic cover itself rather than the bag and board. It's sad because it depreciates the value but it also sucks that each time we go in, the girl (manager??) there always seems to grab stuff we are looking at, stating it's in the wrong spot or the wrong price or that it's not for sale. This has happened at least 3 times and I'm not sure if you can consider it professional but I can't. We will still go in to check up on things we want to find but I just find it hard to enjoy going in when things like that happen every time. So my fellow comic gurus? just be weary of the professionalism in this establishment. read more

Wow, a lot of really negative reviews on here. Look, if you're offended by a place that's a little on the dirty side, plays music too loud, or has "adult" DVD's out in the open, maybe you shouldn't be shopping on the Ave in the first place? This store is not really any grimier than any other establishment on the Ave so I don't see what the big fuss is about. The customer service might seem disinterested at first but they're just letting the customers browse at their leisure, if you engage them directly they will answer your questions. I personally enjoy the ability to look around at my leisure without being pestered. The selection of video games for retro consoles is hard to beat and it's nice to have an independently-owned alternative to the evil monopoly known as GameStop. I can't speak for the music or film selection but the video game selection, specifically for retro systems is impressive. The prices they offer for sale and trade-in seem to be on par with other second hand shops. read more

Dark.....Musty.....Grimy......all could be used to describe Al's Music, Video & Games....but the fact is, Al's has a ton of hard to come by stuff (especially older video games, which they display in a special case near the entrance) and you're likely to find something that catches your eye. This was one of my favorite places to scavenge through when I lived nearby - they have a ton of used DVD's (including a lot of box sets), records, CD's, video games....even porn (hopefully not used)...you name it. Sure, most of it was probably stolen and then sold to them for crack money by some bum, but who cares how it got there. The prices are pretty good for the most part, but some of the more hard to find movies and games can get expensive (they know what's rare and mark it as so). You can also trade in stuff for store credit or straight cash, but I don't recommend it unless you're really hard up for money because you will get burned. I recommend the 3 for $10 DVD section if you're trying to build a collection - a lot of the movies are crap but you'll find some good ones from time to time. If you're into old records and CD's you'll spend quite a bit of time going through their collection. Gamers will enjoy the selection of NES and SNES games - even a nice selection of Game Boy games and devices, from old to new. They also have a lot of music accessories and equipment, including speakers, amps, etc....pretty much anything that you could think of that would be stolen from a house or apartment. read more

This place has stuff I've only ever seen on wikipedia. We're talking old video game relics from that mystical time from the 70's to the 90's and even a fair amount of recent games. A kick ass place to waste time gawking, mouth open at stuff you thought never really existed (like an NES POWER PAD) or finding interesting records, videos and video game from your childhood that you always wanted to own, but your parents never let you because of the violence (I bought Mortal Kombat 2 for the first time yesterday.) The price range is also comparable to buying anything of the same value online +shipping, only here you actually get to touch it, and and I caps this because it's important to note YOU HAVE A WEEK TO TRY IT OUT AND RETURN IF SOMETHING IS WRONG! Try getting THAT online. In conclusion, I highly recommend it if your childhood sucked and you want to fill the holes with relics from that time, or just wanna see, and potentially buy some cool stuff! read more

Good spot to find random nostalgia. Friendly staff, super knowledgable.

Isles are a bit tight, therefore, be patient with other people when it comes to navigation. They have a decent selection of vinyl and some very cool video game stuff. The customer service was awesome. The tapes were overpriced on some titles me but overall fairly priced. read more

I adore this place, rotating inventory assures each visit is unique and worth a trip any time! Lovely staff, very helpful! Great prices on everything, and they are fair when it comes to buying your stuff. I'm a local, and I try to swing in at least once a week! read more

This is the best games store in Washington. I go there all the time, I bought a $69.99 Gamecube and it is amazing I also traded a few games for some styluses. In conclusion this is my favorite games and video store read more

I can appreciate that they have Retro Gaming for individuals within the community but the fact that they had copy of little Samson in the case and then do not allow you to make an offer on it or allowed it to be sold when it's clearly in leagues far above everything else that they offer inside their store that's upsetting and really almost insulting. It's like they placed products in the store to brag or taunt. read more