I Love My FYE

18 Tracks now comes under Sony Special Markets division and does not show up in some data bases .Amazon has it for 8.93 in stock,no discount(they might go to $6.99 for some titles,sometimes). The original also appears to be available for $11.75,in stock. I find that anything I pick up at FYE needs an online check as to what current prices are. The store I was referring to in my post from Sunday had a bin a odds and ends with a 1/2 off sign. One item,Rhino's 2002 Chicago CTA album,with a $14.88 tag. Current Amazon price-$6.99(once again,through Warner Special Market division). In the same bin,a 2000 impot 2CD comp from Family,a Family Selection,with the same 14.88 tag(.88 usually means a deep discount on CD,.97 on DVD) Which seems pretty good at $7.44. FYE also gets used DVDs that show up in Big Lots $3 bin,but because they're data base is so slow,might yield more than $3 for trading in and then carry a $20.00 price tag the next time you come in. One reason why FYE is in trouble.

 

And ironically after posting yesterday that there were 5 FYE's within a ten mile radius in the East Valley, I got an email that one of them (Arizona and Pecos) was closing, and the one in AZ Mills is moving (presumably to a site in mall that does not have 10k sq. feet with 1k sq.feet of music). The closing/moving stores only are offering a 20-50% discount. How much is 20% of nothing?

 

I drive out to the East Valley once every week or two to go to Hoodlums and Zia in Chandler. After visiting two dud FYE stores this past weekend, I am not sure the "closing/moving" store discount is worth an extra trip.

 

Enticing... May stop by there today on my lunch hour. I hope you've eaten at 'Fortune Wheel' in the same shopping center. Authentic Chinese food.

Back story for the non-locals: FW was going to be torn down to put up a BJ's wholesale and the public outcry was such that BJ's built around the restaurant. It's hilarious: BJ's entrance >> Fortune Wheel >> BJ's exit.

 

As much as I miss frequenting record stores, I don't listen to enough music from any single artist (anymore) to justify buying CD's at FYE...

 

I used to find a lof of early target pressings and out of print CDs at the two Superstores in Buffalo before they both closed last year, a real shame too!

 

D'oh! I've been burned in the past with Amazon's wonky search results.

 

I see the Rockaway, NJ, FYE is now in a 60% off/no returns going-out-of-business mode too.

 

My roommate tells me the FYE in Burbank, CA is closing.

 

The FYEs nearest me (Guilderland and Colonie, NY) are running a sale on used CDs: Buy one, get one for a dollar. The dollar disc cannot be priced higher than $15.00.

 

This is a great deal. Factor in the 10% off Backstage Pass, and it's basically buy one get one free.

 

I agree. Between Zia and the Hood, there is a pretty good selection and reasonable prices. Steve and Kristian at Hoodlums are very knowledgeable. I get seduced by the sales at FYE and stop in from time to time, but never seem to find anything worth getting. Did find a copy of Jerry's "Shining Star" there about six months ago for $15. That alone was worth all the other trips.

 

They had the same deal out in AZ when I was there last week. Had a hard time finding two I wanted, to be honest, which was a disappointment. When I first went to the FYE in question last year, they had an AWESOME used CD section, but now it's pretty weak. Guess people are selling their unwanted CDs to Zia instead!

 

It's not the location, its the prices! I was given a $20 FYE gift card a couple years ago and I found Wilco's "A Ghost Is Born" for $20.99 !!!!!!!!!!!

 

There used to be Music Trends nearby(they moved down the road) and I used to find some great LPs and CDs there back in the day. They've since gotten out of the CD/LP business and only sell DJ equipment. And Mr Cheapo's was nearby as well. Lloyd was not Mr Personality BUT the people he had working for him were pretty cool. He's gone now as well. For the locals, I know about the other Cheapo's locations BUT the less said about Stu the better!

The FYEs near me in West Babylon and Bay Shore have gone by the wayside as well. Once in awhile you could find a gem there. But I will say that Levittown one is pretty decent for a FYE. I do find some pretty good CDs and DVDs from time to time,so it can yield results. But I'd much rather go to some of the Long Island stores(like Looney Tunes and Infinity Records) that have tons and tons of vinyl .

 

FEETS, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!

Our local FYE's probably don't have anything worth picking up. You know which FYE is the absolute bomb? Queensbury. I see DCC gold discs there all the time, and a sale like this would make them rather affordable....their used DVD selection is pretty awesome too! Lots of OOP gold up thar.

 

Ughhh! Our FYE store in Sioux Falls is closing. I am really bummed but I am not surprised. I was told it was the largest FYE in the country. As of now all cds are 30% off and Blu Ray's are 20% off. Everything in the store is on sale. They are selling their fixtures as well.

I scored a bunch of new and used stuff. They recently dumped a bunch of discounted secondary new cds and have them marked down 50-60% off. They had some good metal titles, a couple of generic DCC silver titles etc. I spent a couple of hours and did not even get to the DVD section. I also stumbled on a bunch of DCC Omni titles for around $5.

Even though I hated their full retail pricing I am sure their pricing structure did not help them. On top of that the store is big so their rent was expensive. They never had many people at the registers when I normally went in but yesterday they were lined up.

What a shame. I used to find some bargains there. That leaves SF with Best Buy, Wally World, B&N and a couple of independant local businesses.

The people that don't buy their music in physical form may not understand that the brick and mortar shopping experience is what makes it fun.

I was told they hope to shut their doors by Jan 22.

 

I'm not sure if this was posted ih the thread yet ;

 

Why? My vote goes to J&R Music World. I wouldn't go into an FYE if THEY paid me

 

I went to the former Planet Music location in Virginia Beach last week; and because of this sale it became a shopping bonanza. Picked up some nice targets, a Bowie RCA, a couple of Flaming Lips DVD-As, and some cool indie rock.

I was also very pleased to see that they are venturing into used vinyl. They didn't have much yet, but the fact that an FYE was carrying used vinyl at all kind of blew my mind. Their new vinyl selection has expanded as well. They even had multiple copies of the new Rolling Stones box sets (albeit at extremely high prices).

I talked to a couple of the clerks there and they were really cool. I also appreciated the fact that they had no problem with me opening dozens of used CDs to inspect. One guy even thanked me educating him on rare pressings.

Kudos to FYE for taking Planet Music and keeping it a great store.

 

I would love to know how you guys find target and DCCs and MFSLs and stuff.

I've only ever found one MFSL (Tommy) and one target (ELP) disc in the places I go/have been. I got both of them.

I have found rare, OOP stuff for really cheap, but nothing like what you guys are describing with the audiophile label stuff.

 

Count me among those who frequently find MFSLs and targets at FYE locations; DCCs not so often.

At least five stores in my NY/NJ area are closing this winter; they'll be greatly missed. I haven't read a formal announcement of the total number of stores being shuttered now (last year it was 125) but it seems cross-country, from NY to CA.

 

Are you sure they are first press UK EMI's Queen Cd's and not the 2nd press ones which are very similar ?

 

I can find Targets locally with a lot of searching. The MFSL and DCC stuff is close to non-existent, though I do see some very overpriced vinyl MFSLs once in a while. One thing I have never seen for sale locally is a David Bowie RCA CD. I had no idea what one looked liked until I found this site.

 

One of my area's FYE's is closing down--the one in Carolina Mall. I picked up some stuff I had been wanting--the Big Star box, Diana Ross's 2 CD set of Touch Me In The Morning, the Cheap Trick 2-fer w/Next Position Please, a Hall & Oates 2-fer, a few used discs (Graham Nash, Carly Simon) and a couple of DVDs (the one about John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and a live Hall & Oates). The total was about $100. I hate to see a store close, but I liked the deals. They had two Beatles stereo boxes at 1/2 price.