Fuck off HMV

[Suedehead]

CRAZY DEALS they scream into my inbox
Black Friday shite
Etc etc


and what do I find, dear reader?


3 vinyls for £66

FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF

 

[FetchFugly]

Even with the way vinyl prices have gone up I just think the three LPs for £66 'deal' looks bad.

In their mild defence they have a quite good two CDs for £16 range at the moment.

 

[Sheena]

I hate HMV with such a passion because I want them to do so well but it’s all so fucking dreadful. Every time I go in, I just get annoyed and walk out

The sales are appalling
The fact every shop is just a bonfire of mostly shite that has nothing to do with music
The inanity of the staff who have no clue
The fact the displays are of Fleetwood Mac and Oasis rather than current music

It destroys me. It could be SO good.

 

[Sardonicus]

I hate HMV with such a passion because I want them to do so well but it’s all so fucking dreadful. Every time I go in, I just get annoyed and walk out

The sales are appalling
The fact every shop is just a bonfire of mostly shite that has nothing to do with music
The inanity of the staff who have no clue
The fact the displays are of Fleetwood Mac and Oasis rather than current music

It destroys me. It could be SO good.

100% agree. Why are the vinyls at the back of the shop & so inanely ordered? Why is there reams of space at the front for Funko Pops & Stranger Things doormats etc when the likes of Forbidden Planet already cater to that? Why aren't they employing staff with a genuine insight & passion for music?

As the last surviving music retailer they could corner the market as the go to high street store for anything & everything music related & instead they struggle on as directionless as they have been for about 15 years. We've all got nostalgia for what HMV was in its heyday, but if they finally go under soon, they've only got themselves to blame.

 

[Sheena]

There must be a logical business reason why Funko Pops and novelty doormats work, but I’m afraid I don’t see it…a vinyl revolution that has been almost entirely ignored by our supposed flagship music retailer. It makes zero sense.

It jumped the shark for me when they had a much trumpeted “50% or better off” sale and they had Songs In The Key Of Life for £45 in it.

FUCK. OFF.

 

[funky]

The music industry really does love to self harm doesn't it?

Gets given a lifeline with vinyl and essentially "puts the rent up". I guess thanks to Spotify they now have an easy cash cow and everything else (that appeals to true music fans for instance) can get fucked. They'll probably sleepwalk into the next music crash as well, no doubt caused by AI.

 

[Shoat]

Aren't Funko Pops supposed to be on their way to bankruptcy? Perhaps having 50% of their shop shelves becoming suddenly empty will force a rethink.

They've been talking about more store expansions, and it does feel a little like they may be inviting history to repeat. Vinyl resurgence or not, physical media is ultimately still becoming a niche market, so trying to turn themselves back into a MASS presence feels optimistic. Their pre-tax profit margins are barely above 2%, so they have fuck all room for anything to go wrong or to reduce their pricing to palatable levels. I wouldn't expect them to shift their stance on vinyl pricing; with their primary audience being hardcore music fanboys, they'll gamble that they'll buy whether a vinyl is £30 or £40.
[I speak with all the economic expertise of Liz Truss]

 

[supermassive]

Their Oxford Street store is appalling, the whole first floor are huge bulky Kpop albums/varients, Funkopops and other similar TAT.

 

[octophone]

My main beef with HMV in recent years is that they started putting price tags on the back of the item. I'm sure there's a psychology in being interested enough in something to lift it out of the rack meaning that you've already made a partial commitment or some such but it feels more likely that its to stop people twigging what a pisstake most of the prices are.

The current 2 for £16 CD offer is good online but instore the range is limited or even not available - the most recent Joy Crookes album is in the deal online but when I looked for it, it was just under C at normal price (£13.99).

 

[ButterTart]

I hate HMV with such a passion because I want them to do so well but it’s all so fucking dreadful. Every time I go in, I just get annoyed and walk out

The sales are appalling
The fact every shop is just a bonfire of mostly shite that has nothing to do with music
The inanity of the staff who have no clue
The fact the displays are of Fleetwood Mac and Oasis rather than current music

It destroys me. It could be SO good.

I know they've had to pivot to merchandise and tat to make ends meet but our local HMV has a few DVDs and CDs apologetically huddled together right at the back and the rest is fucking Moomins plushies, badges and 'Sounds gay, count me in!' mousemats.

 

[lolly]

I think Exeter probably has the best HMV of the ones I've been in recently. Large store - biggest I've seen outside of Oxford St and that huge one in Birmingham. Downstairs is their usual tat, but upstairs very much has the feel of an 80s or 90s music store.

The Oxford St store I find really unpleasant to be in, for some reason.

 

[supermassive]

Fopp really is the way to go, the Covent Garden store is so good and you can tell it's cared for by the staff.

 

[Jark]

Rough Trade east is a lovely experience all round