The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word DATABASES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
A
T
A
B
A
S
E
S
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "record stores" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case record stores = databases.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does DATABASES mean?
DATABASES noun- (general) A collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer.
- A set of tables in a database(1).
- A software program for storing, retrieving and manipulating a database(1).
- A combination of (1) and (2).
- To enter data into a database.