I Love My FYE

I was in the downtown Chicago FYE a couple weeks ago, and it was business as usual then.

 

Yeah, I drove to Buffalo on Saturday to hit both the Lancaster and Hamburg FYE Super stores. I've bought a lot of great used CD's at both locations over the past few years. I had found a lot of early W. German and Target label pressings at these stores too, I'm going to miss them! The cleark said the mall stores are unaffected and will stay open, including the one at the Galleria and I think, The Boulevard.

 

The two mall locations aren't very good. The prices are higher and the selection is not as good. Maybe they will get a better selection now but I can't see people taking their used cd's to the mall to trade in like they do at the big outside stores.

 

The FYE here in Savannah actually put out an ELP "Trilogy" MFSL disc for 9.99. I don't know how that slipped through their "price-this-high" fingers, but it did. I always find it funny that the original WB Traveling Wilburys CDs are priced at $25 or something, just like they were before the Rhino reissues came out. Very hit or miss at FYE. Mostly miss. There are hardly any used CD stores any more to hunt through.

 

As I said earlier in this thread, my local mall location is pretty hit or miss, but I try to stop by once a month to see what has come in. This month I pikced up an original EG version of King Crimson's "Red" for about $6. What I don't understand about their pricing is how high they price used 2 disk sets. Who's going to buy a used copy of "The Wall" for $22???

L.

 

You're asking that question on the wrong forum.

 

I guess it depends upon audiophile collectability....

But I saw the same Columbia version of the album for sale there for $22 just a few weeks after I bought a mint copy the very same version at a local indie used store for $10!

L.

 

It was 24.99 here today and they had many copies of it.

 

I'm down in Virginia for the holidays and I've since made my semi-annual trip to the former Planet Music/FYE megastore in Virginia Beach. Lots of goodies to be had. I picked up the following:

Grover Washington - Winelight DVD-A (Used 7.99)
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks SACD (New 9.99)
Bob Dylan - Another Side SACD (New 9.99)
Rolling Stones - Got Live SACD (New 9.99)

I passed on a couple of Miles Davis and John Coltrane DCC Golds (17.99 & 19.99) since they were kind of scratched up. I also passed on The Band's Last Waltz and Beach Boys' Pet Sounds DVD-As since I already had them. There is also an MFSL Steely Dan Aja Ultradisc I there for $29.99 (no idea about condition).

I can easily spend hours in this place.

 

The used CD market in the DC area sucks, and it looks to get even suckier, as we're running out of FYEs. The one in Springfield closed a while back, and the one in Alexandria is shutting down too.

I don't understand why DC is such a crappy market for used CDs. I was out in Arizona for the holiday and found tons of great stuff. Here, I'd be lucky to land one or two interesting things if I went to 10 stores!

Well, at least the fertile used CD situation in AZ gives me a reason to look forward to visiting the folks...

 

On a whim I stopped in at a local FYE for the first time a couple of weeks ago to see what is was about. I left pretty happy:
New Hall & Oates box set(sealed)-$19.99
Moody Blues MFSL-Days of Future Passed-$24.99
David Gilmour-orig. press s/t-$5.99

I was excited to think I had a new place to check out since our market in Central PA is generally like what Oatsdad described for his area.

Hopefully they won't be closing

 

Actually, now that you mention it, I think I misremembered and it was $24.99 here, too!

Doesn't that seem like a steep price for commonly available used set?

L.

 

Yes. I guess everyone else thought so to. With 20% off everything and another 10% off with a member card and they still weren't selling.

 

I don't think it's all of them. A LOT have closed in Massachusetts over the past two years however. As far as I can tell, the Millbury, MA one closes next month, but the Auburn (Mall), MA one is still staying around. They have the $9.99 price point for all SINGLE discs that I think is mentioned in this thread. I like that. It's interesting to see that as soon as there's a second CD, you see prices in the $25 range as opposed to just doubling the $9.99 price point.

 

One of my best used CD finds at my local FYE is the "Collected" best of comp of Country Joe & The Fish.

 

I was just there last week. Little to write home about anyway, really. I'm not too sorry to see it go. It's in Landmark Mall - a mall who's days are clearly numbered. There's absolutely nothing in that mall except the Chick Fil-A. All we've got left is the one at Ballston Commons mall. I question how long that one can last too. Sad days for record store lovers...

Ed

 

It's been reported that FYE is closing 125 of its nearly 700 stores...thankfully that leaves the majority of the stores "safe", at least for now.

With the number of record stores having gone belly-up, I've been spending more time in FYEs of late, and while the stores are indeed hit or miss, it's more often than not that I can find bargain-priced used CDs, some quite rare, at prices that are totally reasonable...while this new round of store closings is disappointing (here in NJ, we've lost at least 5 so far this year), I'm reluctantly in favor of it if it keeps the profitable stores going, and the nation's only dedicated music/media chain going. FYE will never replace my cherished local indies for new releases (hard-to-find or otherwise) but as a used CD resource, I would recommend them wholeheartedly and root for their success in a challenging economy. I've always marveled at the hostility towards FYE (other than relating to the fact that they swallowed up many competing chains, only to shut them all down)...their new releases are priced high, but they're aimed at the casual customer who buys 1 or 2 CDs a year. In other words, not us, but the kind of folks who shot Susan Boyle to her amazing debut. For used stuff and the occasional new release bargain, I'm very glad to have so many FYEs in my area...I'm hoping more closings aren't coming in 2010. I can say one thing for sure: my collection of MFSLs, DCCs, DVD-As and SACDs has been enriched immeasurably by FYE, each and every time at a price lower than I'd pay on Ebay or Amazon.com. FYE may not be for everybody, but for this collector, it's pretty invaluable today.

Joe

 

One of the two remaining stand-alone FYE stores in the Puget Sound region is closing in January. While some "premium" used cds are a bit steep (see "The Wall" discussion above), as a general rule their used cds are inexpensive, mostly within the $4.99 - $7.99 range. I've picked up many nice "finds" since I posted earlier this year, including some nice WG targets and other early pressings.

Since the store closure anouncement I've also been taking advantage of the 30% off sale to pick up a few stray cds or DVD box sets that I might have passed on at higher prices...overall the Tacoma FYE store has been a real plus and will be missed!

 

My FYE in Levittown, NY has most of the original Atlantic Genesis CDs.

 

Some FYEs are now offering 75% off a certain selection that's marked at $7.88.
They did the same thing last year after Christmas. So far I've picked up, for $1.78 each (new):

Concrete Blonde - The Essential (Capitol/EMI)
Brian Setzer - Boogie Woogie Christmas
Tom Petty - Let Me Up I've Had Enough
Ringo - Ringo
Elvis - Ultimate Gospel (RCA/Sony)
Live From The River Music Hall Vol. 2 (Rounder)

and some Time/Life Classical for kids, Disney seasonal stuff, etc.

I bought many more last year, including Ringo's Sentimental Journey and Goodnight Vienna as well as McCartney's Ram.

 

I was driving up I-15 a few days ago, and decided to give the FYE in the Temecula 'Promenade Mall', a visit. They had 50% off all new and used CD's and DVD's. As I started looking around, they had CD's you can get at Target or Walmart, routinely for $11.99, marked up to $24.99! Then I noticed the store's bins were half full, and an employee was taking stock out of the bins, and putting them in boxes. I asked if the store was closing?, and he said indeed it was. I think the last day it was to be open, was today (Sunday, January 17). Sorry to say it, but I won't miss that place.

 

Just found out the local FYE is going out of business at month's end. I'll head out there tomorrow(I'm off!), to see what's left of the bargains.

 

Two FYE's in my area are closing. I got some cool stuff over the past week, tho' my wallet is still aching.

Last Waltz Bluray - 5 bucks used
Complete Mr. Show collection - 15 bucks used
Love Train Sound of Philly box - 24 bucks new
Alice Cooper box - 29 bucks new
Diana Ross & The Supremes Anthology (2disc) - 6 bucks used
The Definitive Otis Redding box - 29 bucks new

Plus some other various single discs for 3-6 bucks each but the above were the big hauls.

 

I guess FYE is the last of the CD/DVD retail chains still going. Sad but true. And for that alone, I guess I tip my hat to 'em.

 

Near me, there's two FYEs directly across the street from one another--a mall location and a larger one in a strip mall. Of course, the bigger spot with the better selection (better being a relative term when talking about FYE) is closing this weekend. I guess potential mall foot traffic won out at the expense of a decent-sized store.