HMV to close ?

[ICGenie]

Thorntons - not a patch on Hotel chocolat

[TheGayTent]

?? Both are overpriced shit

[philipsteak]

WH smith have a further infrastructure as the delivery service for newspapers and magazines up and down the country, which is strong enough to support their retail arm. I can't see them ever going under as the shops are merely the tip of the iceberg.

[Guest]

Argos - another with high rents undercut by internet retailers

Thorntons - not a patch on Hotel chocolat

Peter Jones - we've got 2, who buys this shit?

[lost]

Peter Jones...? part of the John Lewis group? one of the more succesful retailers. Don't they sell everything (who buys this shit?).

[Guest]

no the other one, just checked and you don't have them down south

[lost]

oh..ok..

what do they sell? (I'm curious now)

[mrtourette]

I've always been pleasantly surprised that Waterstone's seems to be going strong, given that as with HMV their high street business is bound to have been affected by online sales.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I've always been pleasantly surprised that Waterstone's seems to be going strong, given that as with HMV their high street business is bound to have been affected by online sales.

[zero000]

I know so.e of the academic bookstores have had problems. The main medical and nursing one in Manchester went toys up, and I know Blackwells has been struggling. I know a few universities that if they give a bursary part of it is paid as a credit for the onsite bookstore.

[jump]

Argos won't be going anywhere.... Sales are up for them, they have a good & strong internet offering and their customers apparently like the concept of reserve & collect which gives values to the store presence.

[A-Rob]

Major record labels assemble rescue package for struggling HMV

story here; http://www.nme.com/news/hmv/68267

[Rufus Gwertigan]

That's not true, I have a few friends who work for them. They are planning on doing away the current store format as it doesn't work which will eventually lead to no more catalogues and they have only been making a profit in the last few years thanks to Homebase who have been making a a profit (fuck knows why when B&Q is better) which Argos. It was only the xmas period profits were up but there is very little chance of it being closed down soon tho as they are sitting on £300m.

Reserve & collect could be in trouble in a few years as a few online stores now allow you to pick up you orders for free from your local cornershop a day later.

[jump]

Is that the Collect+ thing? I have used them for a few things I flogged on eBay. Really cheap. I sent an Xbox for about 6 quid. Dropped it off late Monday night and they guy had it Wednesday.

[Spindles]

Good to hear of something like this working. The fact that most couriers only deliver when people are at work is still a real difficulty for ecommerce.

[Ruwise]

Edinburgh is pretty shocking for independent record shops. I a nightmare trying to find Netsky's new album; ended up going to HMV after trying three shops. There there but one of them only sold back catalog one had it on order (despite it being out for two weeks) and one didn't stock that sort of music, though offered to order it in and pointed me to the one where it was on order.

Think I've been spoilt in Wales with Andy's Records in Aberystwyth and Spillers in Cardiff.

For who ever it was looking for indie record stores sites.

Andys: http://www.andys-records.com/

Spillers: http://www.spillersrecords.co.uk/

[jump]

HMV are going to start to accept gift cards again and Hilco (who own HMV Canada) are likely to buy HMV.

[kaosmark2]

I've found Blackwells really stingy when it comes to buying 2nd hand books, rarely paying even 1/3 value even if in mint condition, then they charge nearly 3/4. Not got a lot of sympathy on the academic front.

I love the Oxford bookstore though, it's just a wonderful experience to wander round in.

Collect+ is awesome. My local pick-up store is only 3 minutes from my flat, and they're open until ~10-11 most days.

[jump]

A Grandad got into an argument with HMV staff so he threw his Grandson's gift card at the HMV staff and ran off with 4 headphones.

http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/Grandad-hands-defunct-gift-card-HMV-staff-Lincoln/story-17939760-detail/story.html

[eFestivals]

A Grandad got into an argument with HMV staff so he threw his Grandson's gift card at the HMV staff and ran off with 4 headphones.

http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/Grandad-hands-defunct-gift-card-HMV-staff-Lincoln/story-17939760-detail/story.html

Brilliant!

[Rufus Gwertigan]

It is brilliant bt surprised the police view theft as a civil matter....

If he is told his method of payment isn't acceptable and takes the goods anyway surely that is criminal theft?

[eFestivals]

It is brilliant bt surprised the police view theft as a civil matter....

it's not theft, It's a commercial dispute.

Another case of Barry's unthinking attitude to law.

If he is told his method of payment isn't acceptable and takes the goods anyway surely that is criminal theft?

the claim that it's not an acceptable method of payment is contradicted by what is written on that method of payment, and both claims are made by the same legal entity (the HMV company - it's still the same company when in administration).

So it's very definitely and very clearly a commercial dispute. A ruling on that is made in the civil courts, for where the police have no part of the process.

[Ruwise]

This is pretty funny.

[lost]

A Grandad got into an argument with HMV staff so he threw his Grandson's gift card at the HMV staff and ran off with 4 headphones.

http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/Grandad-hands-defunct-gift-card-HMV-staff-Lincoln/story-17939760-detail/story.html

[mrtourette]

The annoying thing is that prick has probably given some poor sod who is likely to lose their job a right load of grief and hassle and embarrassed them in fornt of other customers and come away from it thinking that he's fighting the man and taking on the system, all the while setting a great example to his grandson that if things aren't going your way then just make a public scene and a bit of noise and you'll get away with anything.