gloves to touch vinyl surface

I would not patronize a business that required me to wear gloves to examine used records.

Why not? Even if you're considerate and careful, the next visitor may be a buffoon. They're everywhere, as any shopkeeper knows, and you can't keep them out because they don't wear signs around their necks. Many of them aren't even aware that they're buffoons, ignorance being in the nature of buffoonery. You often can't tell that someone's an idiot until they actually do something idiotic, by which time it's too late.

Asking customers to wear gloves alerts the casual shopper that care in handling the goods is expected. It gives the serious buyer confidence in the quality of the goods. Finally, it may annoy the buffoons enough to send them to some other, more trusting (and less careful) shop.

Personally, I'd go out of my way to support a business that was this serious about selling only the best quality goods.

HA!
Why do y'all think that it's going to be mandatory??
It's on voluntary bases. Would you like to wear ones to examine records? It's just to let know that store provides gloves if the client is comfortable using them to examine vinyl.
You can opt out of wearing gloves. My goal is to reduce the amount of fingerprints on the store inventory. Further on, I betcha good portion of clients will start respecting environment and ask for ones. There's also a natural 'repeat' factor among most of people when one sees another one examining records in white gloves...
Not sure what Dougdeacon means by "best quality goods", but why not having best quality goods occasionally for bargain prices?
Voiding the best quality goods is OK since there are ones that are looking for them and apperently more than ones that are not. I would rather describe my location as best value goods.
Every retail store should have its own differences in handling products and every retail store develops its own pattern and clientel as well.
I'm pretty good in internet retailing, but having the storefront was always more convinient.

Dougdeacon asks: Why not?

Since my previous explanation was apparently not sufficient:

I would never, ever give my business to someone who has the hubris to presume that I am incapable of the simple task of examining a used record without damaging it. I would feel the same about any record store that would not allow me to inspect a used record or provide adequate lighting to do so.

I'm just stating a personal preference. Please note that I am not questioning your choice of supporting such an establishment.

It's a silly, costly and unnecessary idea.
Any fingerprints can easily be removed by the consumer.
Is this a thinly disguised plug for your record store?
You certainly mention it enough.

Fingerprints are not easily removed unless they're removed within next few min. Than they stick there like a glue and one have to literally rinse to remove it. It also depends on skin and every skin is different. One is more moist another is more dry. There are fingerprints that needle can acctually feel and give a surface noise like ones from the burger grease for instance. VPI would not rinse these off and they'll still be noisy. After ultrasonic cleaning they're back in business sounding very clean. After handling hundreds of thousands of records you will definitely know what is noisy and what is not.
This costly idea can be sufficient by spending $10 for 2 dozen of cotton gloves worn normally by restaurant servers.
There are many confident record listeners who know how to handle them and there are young college kids that do not know and would actually actually ask for gloves if available believe it or not. I have visitors of ALL age categories down to high-school kids shopping for records.
Once again -- the gloves are provided for customer convinience, not for mandatory use