Popped into HMV today...

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Yam Graham, Dec 11, 2017.

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  1. wallpaperman

    wallpaperman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    It would seem a good sign if they are staying open in your area, even if it means moving premises. They wouldn't go to the effort to move if wasn't financially viable.

    In Edinburgh they closed their big store in our famous Princes Street a while back due to the lease ending. They moved to a shopping mall in Leith a couple of miles from the city centre (handy for me!) and while it's much smaller, the selection of CD's is still great, and plenty vinyl too. They were trading a bit above target when I asked a guy who was serving me a while back, so hope they are doing fine.

    I buy my music there (or Fopp) almost all the time, other than when I get some Amazon gift vouchers. Our indie shop prescence is virtually nil these days.
     
  2. ShallowMemory

    ShallowMemory Classical Princess

    Location:
    GB
    The Liverpool HMV is in L1.It's ages since I went in the Hanley, Staffs branch located at intuPotteriesShoppingCentre which would along the A500 for you and down toward the city centre which might be worth investigating with other attractions such as the Museum.
     
  3. jl151080

    jl151080 Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, UK
    Well, to qualify, their first prices are usually equal to Amazon, meaning I have no need to use Amazon for CDs.

    Occasionally i’ve bought stuff cheaper than Amazon but not often.
     
    Alan2 likes this.
  4. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Exactly. I saw a YouTube video of a guy record shopping in my town. He was raving about buying Tom Cochrane’s Mad, Mad World (remember Life is a Highway?). Paid $30. What?!? The cd has been a staple of thrift stores since about a year after it was released. Why anyone would be excited to pay big bucks to re-purchase this one after all these years makes no sense to me.
     
  5. Malinky

    Malinky Almost a Gentleman.

    Location:
    U.K.
    Now remind me again ....what is iTunes bitrate?
     
  6. Godbluff

    Godbluff Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I think they're having to move due to the excessive rents being charged on the current premises. Several high-profile shops have closed on Foregate Street in Chester (where HMV is located) in recent years due to the unreasonably high rental costs, so it makes sense to relocate to smaller shops in lower rent locations and be more efficient with how they use the space. They're claiming the CD stock will remain the same and the vinyl stock will be increased by using a different, more space-efficient, racking system. I do quite like the current Chester store because it's so spacious, even when it's very busy it never really feels cramped, but I can understand from a business perspective they're paying a lot of money for what is in effect empty space that's not being utilised. They could easily fit all the stock into a smaller area and do away with some of the superfluous displays.
     
  7. Higlander

    Higlander Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Florida, Central
    I "Do" vinyl, and I "Do" CD.
    like both a lot, do not get into the silly bickering about one being better and so on. Both can easily provide "Hi-Fi" sound that is impressive!

    But I can't help but feeling, as much fun as I have with old vinyl at times, and finding some old treasures and really getting a thrill out of it at times, that part is real, and part is simply a manufactured resurgence for Wealthy Young people to seem "Different" and for Hipsters to look cool.

    Don't get me wrong, I think many of "Us" are into it, cause we understand it and have for years, and know the realities, the limitations, and we get why it was huge once, nearly vanished, but maybe not quite what the partial "Coming back" thing really represents.
    We know it will not last, it can not last. It will never come back completely and not even much more than the small (but meaningful) amount it has now.

    I'm not sure what I feel, but maybe the feeling that it will all collapse soon, or we are riding in antique cars that are still useful and work great, but 90% of everyone else is riding them as a fad.
    Just odd mixed feelings.:sigh:
     
  8. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    I know exactly what you mean.:)

    I think the thing is just to enjoy it while we can. I certainly had my day in the 70’s and 80’s:)

    Sadly, we’re never going to see LPs, cassettes and CDs lined up alongside each other like we did in HMV, WH Smith and (especially) Woolworths ever again.
     
    wallpaperman likes this.
  9. cdb3

    cdb3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milton Keynes, UK
    The same happened in the Milton Keynes store which moved to smaller premises earlier this year. I went back several times thinking they must eventually have some discounted stock given all the signs but it never happened. It may be that the music stock in Chester is the same after the move but it may well be diminished compared to a year before. In Milton Keynes they started reducing the CD stock for some time before the move. The new shop is definitely inferior as far as their stock holdings are concerned. And the vinyl stock is incredibly mainstream. That said, I am very pleased to have an HMV locally and, like others I prefer shopping there and reducing my purchases on Amazon, who don't pay fair taxes in the UK.

    As for Fopp, which I visit in London - it is owned by Hilco/HMV so the prices there are the same. The difference is that they carry a wider range of the back catalogue and offer more discount deals.
     
    wallpaperman likes this.
  10. krlpuretone

    krlpuretone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grantham, NH
    But what about their cassette section?
     
  11. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York






    Ahhhhh memories BIG 80's. Had many of these cassettes. :D
     
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  12. jl151080

    jl151080 Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, UK
    When I started buying CDs regularly in the mid nineties, their standard price for a back catalogue CD was £16.99, compared between £5 -£12 today.

    I remember buying Menlove Avenue by Lennon as an import CD for £21.99. For that price today you can get multi CD box sets!
     
  13. ShallowMemory

    ShallowMemory Classical Princess

    Location:
    GB
    12.49 upwards wasn't unknown mid '86 when the record was 6.49 typically
     
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  14. Matt S

    Matt S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire, UK
    I should have mentioned in my original post that I had only seen the sale signs, not been in as they were closing when I passed a few days ago. I popped in today, and I agree, it seems to be a marketing exercise more than anything, as the reductions were just a typical post Christmas sale, not a closing down, everything must go sale. I asked one of the shop workers today about the move - the current HMV closes at the end of January, and will be reopening in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre in mid February.

    I haven't been to Edinburgh for a couple of years now (must rectify this soon, it is one of my favourite cities!), and while it is disappointing to hear the HMV on Princes Street has closed, it probably was inevitable as it was a huge store, and last time I was there they didn't seem to be using all the floors in the building.
     
    wallpaperman likes this.
  15. Godbluff

    Godbluff Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I was told they're moving into where River Island used to be in the Grosvenor, with the CDs and vinyl situated in the basement.
     
    Matt S likes this.
  16. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    I frequently see mid 80s CDs with £11.99 stickers. Occasionally a CD will be reduce to clearance, but it's very rare. I think stores must have kept most CDs on the shelves until they sold at list price. The most expensive one I saw was Tim Buckley's Blue Afternoon with an HMV import sticker price at £21.99. To think I bought the original albums 5CD set, including Blue Afternoon, for £3.99.
     
  17. Deek57

    Deek57 Forum Resident

    I wonder what HMV Liverpool are going to do with the massive Beatles photo that covers the shop front. The move to a smaller location does make sense, the current (smaller) lower level is a bit of a waste seeing as all the content in there is replicated on the upper level.
     
  18. wallpaperman

    wallpaperman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    Yeah, that's right, they had a basement that they only opened occasionally, it was full of real junk they couldn't give away.

    The upper floor was nice though. As well as huge DVD selection, they had a separate room for classical, folk, Jazz in a glassed off kind of area, gave it a nice serene feel.

    If you're ever in Edinburgh, the HMV is hardly worth a visit on it's own, but Leith as an area is really interesting and vibrant with some great restaurants, and the Ocean Terminal mall is home to the Royal Yacht Britannia which attracts loads of foreign tourists (statement on behalf of the Leith tourist board over. :D)
     
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  19. Harry Hood

    Harry Hood Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Popped in to HMV today, and they were playing Fooled Around And Fell In Love.

    In a provincial Northern town.
    In England.
    In 2018.

    There's hope for us all!
     
    Daryl M and detroit muscle like this.
  20. detroit muscle

    detroit muscle MIA

    Location:
    UK
    Guardians Of The Galaxy soundtrack?
     
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  21. Luvtemps

    Luvtemps Forum Resident

    Location:
    P.G.County,Md.
    Don't know what[HMV]is but I know vinyl,and I love it...VINYL FOREVER!!!
     
  22. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    We still have our "local" HMV, however cannot recall the last time I actually found something I wanted to buy in it.

    Also a few years ago I popped in looking for the then current Stephen Stills new release. None on display and when I went to the counter, the chap behind the counter asked "Who's Stephen Stills??".........as you can imagine customer/store relationship impair-ably damaged.
     
  23. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    I seem to recall (but may be wrong) that HMV had a tiny store in Edinburgh Airport many years ago (first floor) , however whoever managed it must have been given free rein as at the time they had a fabulous selection.
     
  24. Scott6

    Scott6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Price of vinyl is a joke and so many albums that they charge £20+ for just look shoddy.

    HMV pretty much price match Amazon these days - like for like.

    HMV in Plymouth is excellent for both CD and vinyl.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2018
  25. wallpaperman

    wallpaperman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    Well that's just peachy.......
     
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