HMV to close 60 stores (Irish stores affected as well)

AAAAAAAHHH · 05-01-2011 05:54PM

Nodin wrote: »

Evidently the policy of charging the absolute maximum for stuff is no longer sustainable. Other than sales, the only reason to go into their place would be in order to be apalled at the prices.

Games are usually cheaper there than anywhere else (not including the internet).

Dave! · 05-01-2011 06:00PM

Dave! wrote: »

Any word on the HMV one? I know someone working there, has a young kid to be looking after :-/

Just realised that post doesn't make sense

Any word on the Grafton Street one?

thetonynator · 05-01-2011 06:13PM

Dave! wrote: »

Just realised that post doesn't make sense

Any word on the Grafton Street one?

The grafton street one is always incredibly busy (any time i've been there anyway - which isn't often!) and they're fairly cheap as well, so i doubt they'll be closing.

AntiMatter · 05-01-2011 06:16PM

Dave! wrote: »

Any word on the Grafton Street one?

The campaign to get him released hasn't been successful to date.

RobitTV · 05-01-2011 06:25PM

The continuing woes of HMV underline one major fact of life. Thanks to recession, technological change and wider social trends, the record shop as a mass-market phenomenon now belongs to a bygone age.

HMV has been struggling to move away from that business model for some time, following a "transformation plan" that began in March 2007.

But as it has diversified into other areas, it has started to lose its distinctiveness.

In other countries, retailers with more focus are selling CDs either as "cultural products" or "technological products". HMV is in danger of forgetting why it wanted to sell CDs at all.

The continuing woes of HMV underline one brutal fact of High Street life: the days of a nationwide store chain devoted entirely to selling music are gone forever.

grizzly · 05-01-2011 06:48PM

I'm surprised that it lasted this long. I've not bought a music CD in 5 years, since I've digitised my collection it doesn't make sense. Sure it's nice having a physical copy but it's nicer having shelf space and €€€.

05-01-2011 06:58PM

This thread is such a coincident!!!...i was in HMV today and was just thinking how is this shop still trading.

Guy:Incognito · 05-01-2011 07:07PM

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Ah they ain't as bad as Tower Records when it comes to hipsters, HMV is just full of students.

Back on topic. F**k them, they ripped us off for years, and I laughed when I saw it is the same company which owns Waterstones, another company which overcharges and has ripped us off for years. Yeah, yeah, pity about the jobs, but it is an awful company full of annoying security guards following you and unfriendly staff avoiding you. Not exactly a surprise people don't shop there.

Download everything!

Are you sure its not just you? I've never had any trouble gettign helped by staff or been followed by security.

Nolanger · 05-01-2011 07:18PM

Nodin wrote: »

Other than sales, the only reason to go into their place would be in order to be apalled at the prices.

€27.40 for Mobb Deep's first CD album in HMV, Grafton Street!

Kimono-Girl · 05-01-2011 07:31PM

Oh not HMV :eek: now where will i buy my iTunes vouchers!

bonerm wrote: »

I paid IEP£18 for a particular single disk album back in 1997 and I remember it specifically because I thought at the time "Right, I'm never doing that again" :mad: (it was the Virgin Megastore on Aston Quay. )

As such I don't see how a €25 in 2003 (albeit in a different store) would be completely impossible.

when i worked there a few years ago golden discs used have only €19.95, €18.95 €20.95...etc stickers, never round figures, i think they used round figures once in their €5 €7 €9 sale, that was the only time i ever saw stickers like that, so €25 sounds wrong, new albums all charted at €19.95 while i was there unless it was one of those 'Now' albums, or a cd/dvd combo one in which case it could have been more....just my opinion on the matter anyways...

seanbmc · 05-01-2011 07:31PM

I found some games in HMV to be cheaper than they would be in Gamestop or other game stores.

Aoiferz · 05-01-2011 07:36PM

Dravokivich wrote: »

I'm more interested in a streaming solution as opposed to a "Rental by Post" solution.

http://www.blinkbox.com/ Is a pretty good website for streaming, they don't have everything but they have some good deals.

sitstill wrote: »

They seem to have stopped giving student discounts lately too which no doubt drove a lot of students to downloading rather than buying in their stores.

They seem to have made it ridiculously difficult to get a student discount there, supposedly you need a special HMV student card but they never seem to have any of them.

krudler · 05-01-2011 07:59PM

I used to work for HMV, and I never agreed with their back catalogue prices either, but when they have sales they have great sales, I've gotten stuff dirst cheap over the years (30% staff discount too on sale stuff, they were basically paying me in dvds at one time :pac: ) but since I left there I rarely buy stuff in shops anymore, I do buy the occasional cheap dvd and the have fantastic prices on new games, usually up to a tenner less than most places on launch day, pity to see it go they should have copped on and started dropping prices sooner.

FatherTed · 05-01-2011 08:02PM

grizzly wrote: »

I'm surprised that it lasted this long. I've not bought a music CD in 5 years, since I've digitised my collection it doesn't make sense. Sure it's nice having a physical copy but it's nicer having shelf space and €€€.

I was thinking the same thing. Do people actually still buy CD's?

RobitTV · 05-01-2011 08:40PM

FatherTed wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing. Do people actually still buy CD's?

Unlikely, so many stuff to download these days for free

Coriolanus · 05-01-2011 09:09PM

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Ah they ain't as bad as Tower Records when it comes to hipsters, HMV is just full of students.

Back on topic. F**k them, they ripped us off for years, and I laughed when I saw it is the same company which owns Waterstones, another company which overcharges and has ripped us off for years. Yeah, yeah, pity about the jobs, but it is an awful company full of annoying security guards following you and unfriendly staff avoiding you. Not exactly a surprise people don't shop there.

Download everything!

Cop the fúck on. If you're going to waltz around the shop while shopping then I'd follow you too if I was a guard.

Venom · 05-01-2011 09:10PM

That_Guy wrote: »

That's a shame. I don't get the people saying that they're "rip off merchants" because to be honest I find them quite reasonable for their prices especially for games. I've always found them to be cheaper for franchise games such as COD, FIFA etc.

Boxsets are very reasonable too. Picked up the Alien Quadrilogy 2 years ago for €20.

I have seen single season box sets for a crazy amount but if you search hard enough you'll probably get 3 or 4 seasons for around the same price as one season.

Have never had a problem with the staff there. Always willing to help.

One thing that pisses me off though.... Their placing of CD's in wrong genre sections annoys me greatly.

Iv picked up some awesome movie boxsets from HMV in the last few years but those are bargain value versions of those DVD collections and not just HMV being good value. Normal boxed sets from TV shows still cost a fortune.

HMV are not the main problem tho, its the music and media companies who still charge an arm and a leg for CD's and DVD's. Anyone reading this thread more the likely has a DVD drive and can buy blank DVD's for around 50c yet the music companies still charge between 10-20 quid for a product that's vastly overpriced in a market hit with a recession and an outdated form of distribution.

_sparkie_ · 05-01-2011 09:17PM

RobitTV wrote: »

Unlikely, so many stuff to download these days for free

i still buy cd's.

Dan Dare · 05-01-2011 09:24PM

_sparkie_ wrote: »

i still buy cd's.

As do I.

citizen_p · 05-01-2011 09:24PM

i used to buy 3 dvds every week or two, 30 for 3 etc... had about 120 dvds at the end of a year.

now i just go in there to make a list of films and albums to download when i go home.
why, because i cant afford €20 to buy an album with 2 songs i like on it, or a dvd that i can only watch with the disc and cant put onto my ipod etc...

KylieWyley · 05-01-2011 09:28PM

can't say I'm upset...

torrentz for music + movies!

amazon for boxsets + curios!

citizen_p · 05-01-2011 09:32PM

KylieWyley wrote: »

can't say I'm upset...

torrentz for music + movies!

amazon for boxsets + curios!

whats a curios

CorkMan · 05-01-2011 09:54PM

Have to say i'm glad. I remember getting 2 CD's back in 2002, €46 for 2 of them. That is a weeks shopping like!

I can't figure how it is sustainable anyways. CD's and DVDs are no longer being bought anywhere near as before, I think video game are the biggest income ATM as they are still very hear to buy through a console online.

desertcircus · 05-01-2011 10:15PM

To all the people advocating downloading:

It's your fault that bands are finding it harder to make a living and produce interesting music. Record labels are opting to focus on music they can sell to kids, because kids either don't have the savvy or aren't allowed to use BitTorrent. Touring is a way to make money for established acts, but how do you make a living touring for the first couple of years?

There's a reason that 60% of hit records in the UK last year were made by graduates of fee-paying schools; they're the only ones who can afford to earn nothing while they try to make it.

ScumLord · 05-01-2011 10:20PM

I've paid for online services like last.fm (until I found groveshark), it's much more reasonable to pay a subscription and what watch you like when you like. I hate Cds and DVDs now complete waste of space you have to take out one to play another they're a dead media.

RobitTV · 05-01-2011 10:50PM

I Can now Confirm that HMV Stores WILL be closing in The Republic of ireland and the UK (On 9pm RTE News)

Nodster · 05-01-2011 10:57PM

Gateaux - better get cracking with that €40 card pressie then :eek:

rednik · 05-01-2011 11:02PM

Lord of the rings trilogy on blu ray.

HMV €79.99

Sendit €20.49

My dilemma is where do I buy it?

RobitTV · 05-01-2011 11:06PM

Everyone if you have any Gift cards, Spend then NOW! we dont know what stores will be closing and how early yet! so everyone this could be your final chance to get the thing you want before there gone off the shelves, and the prices get higher!

The Waltzing Consumer · 05-01-2011 11:11PM

RobitTV wrote: »

Everyone if you have any Gift cards, Spend then NOW! we dont know what stores will be closing and how early yet! so everyone this could be your final chance to get the thing you want before there gone off the shelves, and the prices get higher!

Do you work for HMV?

HMV has 379 stores in the UK and Ireland. If they are closing 60 of them, there may be a couple left so your panic attack is not needed.

HMV to close 60 stores (Irish stores affected as well)

Comments