Empire Records

BambooBob

Just had a look on the Carlow Shopping Centre website and Empire is not listed among the stores. Very sad to see that is so. I'm from Kilkenny and was attending Carlow RTC, as it was in the mid 90's. I remember having many an enjoyable afternoon in their when it was Golden Discs. It was run by Joe and John Reid. John is lovely and Joe, RIP, was a gentleman. Stunned to hear he had passed away, so young and left a young family behind. Thanks John and Joe for the memories. Gone but from me at least, not forgotten. Hope things work out for you John.

Morf

I'm not sure it's gone but the selection was terrible. A shelf of crap with mostly broken cases. They had a pretty hard neck calling themselves "The Only music Shop In Carlow".

Heartbeat City aren't much better. No wonder they're all dying a death, nobody in their right mind would put up with the poor selection and prohibitive prices in them.

BambooBob

Instead of dancing on graves Morf, too late for empire sadly, have you ever made any suggestions to those who run Heartbeat regarding improving the available selection etc. Prices are probably dictated by what they are charged by suppliers and the cost of running the store. A local store could never carry a range to the extent of online operators who have massive warehouses.

Morf

keithj75 wrote: »

Instead of dancing on graves Morf, too late for empire sadly, have you ever made any suggestions to those who run Heartbeat regarding improving the available selection etc. Prices are probably dictated by what they are charged by suppliers and the cost of running the store. A local store could never carry a range to the extent of online operators who have massive warehouses.

You seem to be only talking about Golden Discs. It hasn't existed for quite a while. Empire seems to be a totally different entity. I'm not sure why insulting a business you (lead me to believe) had no dealings with bothers you.

Due to what i listen to a regional music shop wouldn't ever cater to my taste. Not since Rainbow closed. They charged me ridiculous prices for anything ordered in.

They are effectively banging in the nails on their own coffin by narrowing the scope of the music they offer and having 2/3rds of the shop selling DVDs and other none music media-related tat.

Are you suggesting i should mourn the death of music shops that never really catered for me anyway?

Oh and in reply to your point: there is no point me suggesting to stock X, Y and Z because i could get them all much slightly to significantly cheaper online and faster too.

BambooBob

Morf,
I would have bought plenty from Golden Discs during my time as a student. From what I could see Empire was along the same lines. I would have known John for around ten years. Why insult a business? Why is it that some people get pleasure from a business going out of business. I simply can't figure this out. Is it begrudgery, narrowmindedness, what is it? I would love for someone to explain this to me.

As you say the advent of the internet has made pretty much whatever music you want accessible, probably cheaper and faster than heretofore unless you lived in Dublin. Music shops/book shops as we know them are probably going to expire completely, save Dublin, within a couple of years which is sad. Shops and obviously people give streets life during the day as pub and nightclubs do lat night.

BambooBob

Morf,
further to my initial reply. I have re-read your reply and it seems no matter what a record shop did/does would you be happy with it? As a matter of interest have you ever worked in retail. If you have fair enough, but I believe the general public doesn't realise how hard it is to keep a retail outlet on the go. The costs of running a business in Ireland is crazy. Utilities, staff, rates, rent and other government costs. Businesses going to the wall leads to less choice in the long run as well as further unemployment. Leaving aside the narrow focus of record shops.
I can't criticize someone for internet shopping as I have done it myself. But where its feasible I try and shop in a shop. I appreciate that the shop is there, that it is employing local people and as one whose livelihood is retail, there is an element of reciprocation.

Morf

This is gone completely off topic and arguing with you further is fruitless.

BambooBob

Morf, I think you want a cd only retail outlet with an extensive range at competitive prices. Would that be a fair summary of what you wish for. Genuinely not wanting to argue with you.

tommycahir

Guys

Lets keep it on topic and civil please otherwise I will lock the thread
Regards
Tommy

Irish Guitarist

I'm not trying to start an argument but I agree that the selection of CDs in Empire Records is/was terrible. They have a handful of chart CDs that you could get in any supermarket. There's a better selection of CDs in Heatons.

Also most of the CDs I bought there when it was still Golden Discs were covered in dust. I don't know what it is about Carlow record shops and dirty CDs but Roxy Records is the same. I've bought CDs there that wouldn't play because they were so dirty.

I recently bought some good blues and folk CDs in Hearbeat City that I've never seen in any other shop in Carlow. I'd say they're the best record shop here at the moment (not that they have much competition). Unfortunately they also seem to have a problem with dust covered CDs. So far I haven't bought anything that's so bad it won't play though.

As I said in the other thread about shops closing in Carlow it's more to do with the shops not being very good than the recession or anything else.

91011

The day of the general music store is long gone - even HMV can't make money from many of its stores.

So forget there being any chance of a good retail music shop in Carlow.

The chart music is available in Tesco and the town is just too small for a specialist store for the simple reason those who are into specialist music are more likely to go online where the choice is infinitible.

Taking average rents, rates, wages of €70,000 for even a small operation and margins in that trade of less than 30%, a minimum €300,000 turnover incl vat would be required to make it pay for itself - €6,000 a week!!! Its simply not there anymore.

Only hope would be for someone like the music equipment store to have a specialist section + a trade in range of non chart music as an add-on service.