Posted 10:06pm on Mon 14 January 2013 |
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Wido- Posts: 13,763
| News has broke out that HMV will be calling in the administrators with proper confirmation in the morning.
Personally, HMV have priced themselves out of the competition like GAME did for themselves. I suppose when you look at it, HMV's loss and GAME's gain. GAME being the only retailer on the hgh street for that gaming goodness and having those rare titles you wont see stocked at a supermarket. Thus bad news must ring alarm bells for GAME to lower their prices instore and finally merge their online prices for the high street.
I use HMV as a browse and purchase the odd CD, DVD or game now & again. The only time I used HMV for games was the trade in value as they did beat GAME quite regularly. I can see HMV gone from the high street and be online only Zavvi gate part 2!
What are your thoughts? Your past shopping experiences with HMV and was you satisfied leaving their shop buying their goods? |
Posted 10:45pm on Mon 14 January 2013 |
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pblive- Posts: 16,465
| Only ever used them for Manga DVDs and Blurays.
Their trade ins were always beaten by GAME/Gamestation and their price matching, anyway, and often by CEX.
They really need to turn themselves around if they survive this (and they could well continue with less stores). |
Posted 11:10pm on Mon 14 January 2013 |
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SelfSuicide- Posts: 98
| For the past few years I've only ever used HMV as some kind of reminder tool around christmas; It gave me ideas for gifts and then I'd walk down the street to Fopp (it's sister shop) and buy them alot cheaper.
While I was at uni I spent a bunch on £3 DVD's each week at HMV but subscription services such as Netflix have rendered that sort of shopping a tad bit pointless. |
Posted 12:25am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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Catterick- Posts: 246
| I honestly haven't bought any music, games or DVDs from a "brick and mortar" place in a long, long time.
I pretty much buy all my games either from Amazon or via Steam, music from Amazon and Lovefilm caters for my DVD needs now.
I truly am a child of the digital age. |
Posted 2:50am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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FantasyMeister- Posts: 5,311
| Same here, I haven't had a real life conversation for years, everything is digital now.
*Sends a text to the cat* |
Posted 8:45am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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dav2612- Posts: 5,866
| I've preferred HMV to GAME for quite some time. Better bundles, better trade in prices and when not, they would beat them. My last 4 consoles came from HMV. Always preferred them to Virgin when it came to music too.
Sad state of affairs when a company like HMV goes. I spent a lot of time in HMV in my student years but it is a sign of the times.
Now I need to see if I can spend my gift card before they disappear. |
Posted 9:16am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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Grammartron- Posts: 313
| HMV just haven't moved with the digital trends over the last decade, so this always felt inevitable eventually - I've not bought anything in HMV for at least 5 years now.
For me one of the worst things is that it once again increases the percentage of the physical market controlled by the supermarkets. Tesco's and Sainsbury's are never going to stock a lot of the B-list or fringe console titles (let alone any PC games), making it harder for casual and younger markets to break into gaming, or at least gaming beyond COD and FIFA. Maligned as places like HMV and Game are, they do/did at least carry a broad spectrum of titles. |
Posted 11:01am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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rbevanx
| I think HMV stock was also a problem, before in Cardiff for example the choice in CD's was far better than anyone else (even Virgin Megastore at it's peak) and then they decided to remove that element and fill up the store with Iphone accesseries etc that no one wanted.
Their great range of choice was what made them unique in my view. Yes digital is the reason why they can't do that but instead of moving with the times and just like GAME they thought people were stupid and the name it self HMV will be enough to bring people in.
They should have very early accepted the likes of online shopping ( I think it was 3-4 years after PLAY had started, they created HMV.co.uk) and changed the dynamic store greatly.
Make it somewhere to be socially as well, just not big pop stars signing theree but local bands using the space or something, a cafe where you can have an HMV coffee and in the middle of the table headphones to listen to the lastest tracks and buy them there on the table.
There are so many things they could have done years ago to avoid this but overpaid "morons" execs and £150m+ debt will now sink them.
Nevermind their products being well overpriced, even for high street stores. |
Posted 11:02am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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CheekyLee- Posts: 7,122
| I don't think anything is going to change any time soon. We still live in a world where the people in charge and making all the decisions are slow to react to what is actually happening. Once upon a time, we were limited to physical delivery methods for music, but then some bright spark invented compact discs. These changed the way we played music, and more importantly, the way we perceived how music could be delivered. There was dissent from purists back in 1982, with people insisting that digital was only replicating analogue and could therefore never quite match it. They were probably right, in a technical sense, but what the market really wanted was more music, for less money, in a more convenient format. Hence, CD overtook vinyl.
Step 2 was when the web exploded into the public consciousness. MP3 was a complete and utter game changer. Even then, and to a lesser extent today, there were people who talked about sound quality and bitrates. But, once more, convenience won out. Suddenly, I could have 300 songs on a CD, instead of the 12 I was limited to earlier. TO MY EARS, they sounded pretty much the same, and I've got good hearing.
Apple took notice, invented the iPod, and it was that more than anything else that made buying digital product WITHOUT the physical delivery method acceptable. And, right now, it is hard to imagine anyone who doesn't download music, or books, which have gone the same way with Kindles making their way into more and more homes. We stream movies on Netflix, and we buy games through Steam, PSN, and XBLA. The horse has bolted, shutting the gate isn't going to work.
Of course, High Street retail will always have a place. However, retail needs to destroy its own business model in order to survive. I already know that if I want to buy DmC today, I am financially better off doing it online. But since I didn't order in advance, then retail needs to do a better job of convincing me to pay the extra if I want to play it TODAY. Which means that if I walk into Grainger Games, they need it playing on the TVs behind the counter. Maybe a demo pod. Maybe give incentives for in-store purchases instead of only giving them to people who ordered online 2 months ago. Simply put, compete in ways that online can't, like arcades did when home consoles and computers started offering the same graphics. (Ever wonder why they are full of gun games these days?)
The problem is somewhat more complex, as well. A large part of the blame for the current woes of the High Streets has to be placed at the feet of the councils who either charge ridiculous rates, or the companies who own the shopping centres and charge rents that less and less stores can afford to swallow. My own local shopping centre has more empty units than I have ever seen before, but Frincon Holdings would rather they remain empty than charge somebody less to rent the space. Obviously because then every shop would insist on paying less, and Frincon Holdings only care about their own shareholders instead of the country in general.
The path we are walking down right now is one that ends up with practically no games on the High Street at all. An important shot has just been fired, with the Wii U version of Fist of the North Star 2 being digital exclusive. One day earlier than the XBox and PS3 versions, so we need to see what price point it comes out at. Logic dictates that it will be cheaper, but the evidence so far suggests otherwise. However, it is a definite barometer for how much difference no physical presence at all can make. |
Posted 11:11am on Tue 15 January 2013 |
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dudester- Posts: 4,039
| I have said for a long time now companies have to adapt and think of retail spaces as massive changing rooms if you will for people to try a product. Give them great service and even if they don't buy there and then make it simple and easy for them to complete that purchase later on at home.
It's not just mediums that can be replaced digitally as well, clothing more often then not is cheaper online from a stores own site, But you cannot try on an item before you buy online.
Thats the approach I would look at anyway giving people great service make it an experience to be visit the stores and tie in to your online purchases. |
