Hastings Entertainment to file for bankruptcy

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by JFS3, Jun 13, 2016.

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  1. I love to browse the under-$2 (plus $1.29 shipping) used CDs at Hastings (online), exploring indie bands from 1990-2005 who who had 1 or 2 albums on a major label, before they were dumped. Lots of melodic pop that went under the radar. When Hastings would have sales, I'd pull a batch from my Wish List into my Shopping Cart.

    Is there similar online places to do this? Amazon's $3.99 shipping makes even 1-cent Amazon Sellers albums less inviting to impulse buy like this.
     
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  2. Amazon's $4 shipping pretty much destroyed my interest in low-priced CDs from their site.
     
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  3. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Nope. For bargain basement media, no one beats The Wiz Gohastings. Now there will be no one.
     
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  4. cdash99

    cdash99 Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    This post should be put up as a sticky to this thread, with its description of Gordon's business model.
     
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  5. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    There has been such a generic nature to the process of closing down chain stores for several years that I'd bet that one or both of these firms have had a hand in all of them. Same liquidation model (as described above), same signage, etc.

    All I can say is that if they were involved when the likes of Virgin, The Wherehouse & Borders shut down, I'm glad they hadn't honed their craft by that time. While the shuttering of those stores was a major bummer (OK, Virgin & Borders still bums me out, Wherehouse...bummer but I rarely think of them these days), their respective liquidations sales were epic. Although the progressive discount model was there, it was quite methodical and rapid, leaving a lot of great stuff at every discount point. What didn't look good at half off looked better at 60%, then 70%, then 80% and finally 90%. My motto back then was "it is only once in a lifetime when (insert great music store name here) closes" and I purchased with reckless abandon.

    More recently, I went into a Sports Authority store that was being liquidated and the discount application was haphazard. Virtually nothing of any interest was at the highest discount point (I believe 50% when I went in) and lots of stuff was a paltry 20% off of a clearly jacked-up price. I even dare to say that it looked as if a vast majority of the decent product was sent out elsewhere. There is no way EVERYTHING half-decent sold at the lower discounts.

    I bought nothing, I didn't return, and that particular location is now kaput.

    Liquidation has certainly turned into quite the profit-taking enterprise. Now it is big business reaping the reward to be found in a chain's demise rather than the individual consumer. Very few nuggets for those who has most likely been loyal customers of said chain for years.
     
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  6. keefer1970

    keefer1970 Metal, Movies, Beer!

    Location:
    New Jersey
    (begin shameless self promotion)

    I wrote a quickie blog about the demise of Hastings. Is it weird that I am mourning their closing, even though I never actually set foot in one of their stores and only bought from them online?

    Farewell to Hastings Entertainment stores »

    (end shameless self promotion :D)

    I stopped at a Sports Authority store on my way home from work last night... I managed to scrounge up a pair of sneakers at 70% off (original price $60, final price: $17.99), which was a pretty good deal (especially since the sneakers I was wearing at the time were well past their freshness date, haha), but the rest of the pickings were slim indeed.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2016
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  7. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    Good article Keefer, thanks for sharing.
     
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  8. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    Yesterday, I noticed that Hasting's website is now just one page announcing the closures. As expected, they are no longer taking online orders. One thing I liked about their website was how you could see a real-time quantity of how many of an item they had in stock. For example, if you added a quantity of 12 of the same item to your cart, it would tell you how many of that item were in stock and how many would be placed on back order. I'm really going to miss Hastings and all the great memories dating back to VHS and the strong smell of popcorn in their stores.
     
  9. keefer1970

    keefer1970 Metal, Movies, Beer!

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Thanx for checking it out!
     
  10. I ordered a couple of $1.29 used CDs on Friday, and got the "Thank You For Your Order" e-mail. The "USED40" code still worked, even tho it wasn't mentioned anymore on the site. So I unknowingly just made the cutoff. Now to see if the order actually gets processed.
     
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  11. keefer1970

    keefer1970 Metal, Movies, Beer!

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Wow! That was cuttin' it close for sure.

    The fourth and final CD from my last Go-H order arrived this past Wednesday (the 20th), and they announced their liquidation the next day, on Thursday the 21st.

    Timing is everything! :D
     
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  12. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    I'll be going to a store location this week and will take some pictures. Hopefully the books/comic books/graphic novels will be 30% off, but I doubt they will do that with the action figures.
     
  13. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    I was in the Hastings in my area yesterday, for now the new CD's are 10% off, used CD's vary regarding genre, but they range from 10 to 30% off. I won't buy much, for a while anyway. What they had done over the last couple months is having flyers on all the CD bins advertising "Buy one used CD, get the second one free. I had bought a lot over the last few months. I AM keeping an eye out for what they will do with the sealed stuff, when they start going 30% off I'll get active again. It'll be a while before they do that though.

    One thing that I HAVE been noticing is your top drawer classic rock groups such as Pink Floyd, Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc., etc., is that people are slowly buying up those groups right now even though sealed stuff is only 10% off.
     
  14. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    The thing that I'll miss with my local Hastings is community involvement. Here's what I mean.

    1. For a long time they had 5 bluegrass/folk musicians come in every other Friday night and play tunes; 6 string, 12 string, banjo, mandolin players. They didn't have a band, they WERE damn good musicians though. Hastings would group a bunch of chairs for the people who wanted to sit and listen, then shop.
    2. They were very good with letting locals sell their newly published book, would place them right by the front door.
    3. They were good with kids, had a special corner in the store for the kids to have their get togethers.

    I buy plenty of stuff online. But I like to get out of the house and MEET people.
     
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  15. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Took a couple phone pictures for the heck of it. New CDs are currently only 10% off. The vinyl selection at my favorite location only consists of about 20 titles and many of those were duplicates. Used CDs are 30% off. Surprisingly, the coffee shop inside the store is still operating. The selection of Blu-ray DVDs and Blu-ray DVD box sets was limited to only a few titles, with the shelves mostly barren.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2016
  16. Texastoyz

    Texastoyz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas, USA
  17. Drew

    Drew Senior Member

    Location:
    Grand Junction, CO
    Does Hastings exist outside of TX? I walked into one a few years ago when I was living in College Station. There was hardly anyone in the place. It reminded of Media Play in their prime.
     
  18. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    I worked at Hastings in college, '96-'97 in Bryan TX.

    I loved that job! Sorry to see them go, but amazed they hung on as long as they did.
     
  19. ElevatorSkyMovie

    ElevatorSkyMovie Senior Member

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    They used to have them all over. The one in my small town closed a few years ago. There is (was) one 30 minutes away.
     
  20. MikeInFla

    MikeInFla Glad to be out of Florida

    Location:
    Kalamazoo, MI
    I used to go to one when we lived in Misery (Missouri). I believe online ordering ceased a week or two ago.
     
  21. Mr. LP Collector

    Mr. LP Collector Forum Resident

    There is a sizable thread elsewhere on the board, but will comment a little here.

    About 3 months ago they put signs on the door at the Hastings in my area that used CD's were "buy one, get the second one free."

    I didn't think a lot about it until a month later with more signs on the door saying that people who had gift cards had until July 13th to use them.

    A week after that they announced they were not taking in anymore product regarding either selling for cash or trading. I knew right there there was something in the wind. From then on there was a sizable drop in business, be it buying product or renting movies.

    Hastings started their business in 1968.

    IIRC they have announced their last day to be October 31'st.
     
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  22. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    Yes. I know of at least 2 stores in Arkansas outside of Little Rock. Haven't been to either one in years.

    Many years ago they used to have a couple of stores in Little Rock. I bought a lot of CDS and rented a lot of movies from them. When Blockbuster came to town Hastings closed up and headed for the smaller towns nearby.
     
  23. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    All I know is they have pretty lousy Amazon feedback.
     
  24. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    you could never ever count on condition with them, they didn't say what the condition was, and they didn't tell you even if you asked.
     
  25. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    They were definitely better as a brick and mortar retailer vs. online.
     
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