FabSwingers.com forum: So, who called time on HMV in the Jessops thread ?

By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

You were right !

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hmv-set-to-go-into-administration-8451438.html

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

not surprised, so much easier to buy online from places like itunes, no need to trak into town to root round a store nowadays

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Oooh er I think it was me

HMV and Blockbuster, but I would have put money on Blockbuster going first!!

Sorry

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By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire

My money is on argos by the end of the year, its actually becoming a bit of an obsession with me

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

now can some of the people who slag off us recently(me) or long term unemployed please stop?...unless I am a lazy arsewipe fair comment...however if I have this impending pessimistic view that I cannot find job security in many sectors- perhaps its time some folk seen the truth about the retail economy.It might be booming online wise....but it isnt for the people that work there.

automation wins over peoplemation...its a sad but true fact

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I could never understand how HMV stayed in business, their prices were staggeringly high compared to the online competition.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

after the last 12 months in the retail world, there are going to be alot more casualties to come on the high street

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I could never understand how HMV stayed in business, their prices were staggeringly high compared to the online competition. "

running a warehouse and online distribtution centre takes alot less staff and a lot less overheads than having a high street store, staff, wages, rates etc

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"My money is on argos by the end of the year, its actually becoming a bit of an obsession with me"

They deserve to go bust for the most generous "returns" policy known to man.

I am surprised that Asos has not yet caught a cold. Can't tell you how many women I know who order a dress from Asos, go out in it and then return it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"now can some of the people who slag off us recently(me) or long term unemployed please stop?...unless I am a lazy arsewipe fair comment...however if I have this impending pessimistic view that I cannot find job security in many sectors- perhaps its time some folk seen the truth about the retail economy.It might be booming online wise....but it isnt for the people that work there.

automation wins over peoplemation...its a sad but true fact"

Look outside retail then? Or maybe look at fundamental retail - food.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The only way to go is down hill on the high street. It will get to a point where all goods are sold by a small number of chain retailers, the main ones being supermarkets.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"running a warehouse and online distribtution centre takes alot less staff and a lot less overheads than having a high street store, staff, wages, rates etc "

Well, yeah, but what does that mean to the customer? Who says to themselves "oh, look how inefficient this operation is. I'll happily pay £11.99 for a £6 CD as long as I can see what the money's being wasted on"?

Some high street shops like butchers and greengrocers have some redeeming features like quality and personal service compared to the more modern competition but HMV? Well, a CD is a CD and there's nothing personal about them.

Hell, even compared to other high street shops they were way too expensive.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Did that thread get pulled as well?

I went back 15 pages of lounge posts and cant find it :-/

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By *r mrs pCouple
over a year ago

taunton

"You were right !

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hmv-set-to-go-into-administration-8451438.html"

It was Fabio

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

automation wins over peoplemation...its a sad but true fact"

Total agreement mate will those now losing jobs be called dossers.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

i like shopping online but still a fan of shopping around town. HMV is a regular for me so gonna be sad to see it go

hope the online outlet sticks around atleast

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

automation wins over peoplemation...its a sad but true fact

Look outside retail then? Or maybe look at fundamental retail - food."

lol thats a rather basic view is it not??? and do U really think automation stops at retail??

are we going to be a nation where everybody works in food production? how unlikely is that.

There is no escaping that in the next few years there may not even be what u would call a 'high street'- and when we get more efficient AI for computers etc, we probably wont even have delivery drivers.I keep abreast of my science and science fiction...and who can say half the shit isnt already happening?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Have a look at any factory these days.

1 worker for every dozen machines.

1984 is here and will only become stronger.

Everyone is equal, though some are more equal than others.

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

A case in point.

Diageo (was Guinness) opened Roseisle distillery near Elgin in 2009, with capacity to make 35 million bottles a year, it's just opened its new bottling hall at Leven in Fife, with plans near there for a big expansion in warehousing.

Roseisle operates round the clock on a workforce of only 12 people.

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By (user no longer on site)
Forum Mod
over a year ago

Our high streets are going to be full of shit shops,the smaller business can't afford the rates so all high streets will be generic big stores,charity shope,phone shops and pound shops

I think its really sad,while shopping online is cheaper sometimes its just really nice to go into a specialist shop like Jessops and speak to a el person and get some decent human advice and interaction

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Been coming for them for the past few years...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I don't take the view that we are all now buying on line. The figures released recently; less than 25% of us do this.

The real reason for the demise is price and a lack of diversification. It's what happened to Woolies too.

It's ironic that our old Woolworths premises now regularly has them queuing out the door. Why? Cos it's now a pound shop chain. So if they can make it work, other retailers can do so too.

Diversify or die.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I used to get moaned at about our prices at the last job I had. My answer my personal service and my knowledge.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Looks like we are heading for a modern day industrial revaluation but now it's the Internet vevalution taking over everything soon be no high street shops Tesco is going that way with its .com I have delivered to a warehouse laid out like a shop but the only people in it are staff working on the .com business

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I remember HMV selling albums for £15 when smaller stores were selling them for £10:99 it was always gonna catch up with them.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Our high streets are going to be full of shit shops,the smaller business can't afford the rates so all high streets will be generic big stores,charity shope,phone shops and pound shops

The problem with this and particularly Jessops was that the staff were not that bright.

So stay at home research everything you need to know about the camera that you fancy, check out people reviews and do a price comparison to get the camera delivered directly to your door.

No pain in the arse getting into town, no reliance on the suspect knowledge of the sales assistant and pay significantly less - a winning formula guaranteed to put any suspect retailer out of business.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I think M&S are in trouble

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By *eavenNhellCouple
over a year ago

carrbrook stalybridge

"A case in point.

Roseisle operates round the clock on a workforce of only 12 people.proctor & gamble have a nappy factory at trafford park making pampers that has five operators per shift and three of them are fork lift drivers all done off laptops

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Our high streets are going to be full of shit shops,the smaller business can't afford the rates so all high streets will be generic big stores,charity shope,phone shops and pound shops

Ours already is filled with shite like that - about 10 charity shops, 3 phone shops, 2 banks, a couple of filthy cafes, a handful of sandwich shops and a shop which opens 3 weeks before Christmas selling naff decorations then vanishes again without paying business rates or anything else.

Oh yes and we have the shop which sells something for the little ones - Greggs! Sells the 'Ashington Dummy' aka a Gregg's pasty - keeps the kids quiet for hours.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I stopped going into town years ago, for me, ordering online is so much easier. I dont have to find a non exsistant mother and child space; and even with delivery it is cheaper.

The staff at Maplins got my goat before christmas; non of them knew that memory cards/sticks have a class system!

I want a decent memory size yes, however I dont want to be waiting forever on upload and download speeds.

China again it is then

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I remember HMV selling albums for £15 when smaller stores were selling them for £10:99 it was always gonna catch up with them."

All HMV were/are is a reseller, selling commodity items to which they did not add any value. Basically, if you are buying something in for £10 and selling it for £15, when your competitor does the same but then sells it for £14 - you have a problem unless you can add 'something' between buying it in and selling it to you - and that's what HMV has never done. Like in your example, just parting with you hard earned cash in an HMV shop was not a sufficient 'added value' to justify the extra £4.01... and like you say - it was a ticking time bomb and it would catch up with them.

At least with Jessops, they did try to add some value to the chain of transactions.

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

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By *r mrs pCouple
over a year ago

taunton

"I remember HMV selling albums for £15 when smaller stores were selling them for £10:99 it was always gonna catch up with them.

At least with Jessops, they did try to add some value to the chain of transactions.

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

The snob factor.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I think M&S are in trouble

They deserve to be in trouble - nearly 20quid for Yule Log !!!! Fuck me I know it's quality but no Yule Log is worth nearly 20 sodding quid

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By *ugby 123Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

O o O oo

"Did that thread get pulled as well?

I went back 15 pages of lounge posts and cant find it :-/"

http://www.fabswingers.com/forum/lounge/143615#last

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

WH Smiths will be next. I can't put my finger on what they actually do that others don't do better and cheaper

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

[Removed by poster at 14/01/13 21:51:55]

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I think M&S are in trouble

"
They've been surviving in spite of themselves for years.

I know a lot of women are deeply unhappy with the clothes on offer, but speaking from a mans perspective they have REALLY shot themselves in the foot with their near-obsession with going down their 'Autograph' highly fitted clothing range. It might fit guys who are in the gym all day, but you see a never ending line of 'normal' blokes trying the stuff on and putting back on the hanger.

As for their food range - wtf have they done with the jam roly poly??????? Or the Cauliflower Cheese? Or the bread and butter pudding..????

They come up with something good, then drop it at a stroke!

You shop in M&S cos it's somewhere you can rely on - not because it keeps changing - that is NOT it's clientele.

Keep listening the the city reports to see if they suddenly can't meet there covenants. If that happens, then they ARE finished.....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I think M&S are in trouble

They deserve to be in trouble - nearly 20quid for Yule Log !!!! Fuck me I know it's quality but no Yule Log is worth nearly 20 sodding quid

sodomizing with a yule log is wrong also

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire

thing is when we have all saved a few bob by buying cheaper than the 'high street' there will only be a few big beasts in the retail jungle..

then they will have the field all to themselves..

some of them have too much power already..

carefull what we ask for..

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We are getting near the tipping point of whether we will all not work

If you look at science fiction from 50s/60s etc the plan always was computers would take over running everything ad we would all leave happy lives relaxing

But are we ready for it?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I remember HMV selling albums for £15 when smaller stores were selling them for £10:99 it was always gonna catch up with them.

At least with Jessops, they did try to add some value to the chain of transactions.

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

The snob factor.

Partly, I'll give you that, but one thing you know you'll get in there is to be served by someone who, generally, knows what they are talking about when it comes to the products, treats you with respect and like a human being, and knows they are there to provide you with, oooooh, what's the word I'm looking for.....? Oh yes.... SERVICE.

I don't call having the CD I got for Crackling for Xmas in HMV chucked at me across the counter 'service'....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I think M&S are in trouble

They deserve to be in trouble - nearly 20quid for Yule Log !!!! Fuck me I know it's quality but no Yule Log is worth nearly 20 sodding quid

sodomizing with a yule log is wrong also

Fun though...

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By *abioMan
over a year ago

Newcastle and Gateshead

"I think M&S are in trouble

M&S are fine... they just had a blip...

If you want one that may go next... I wouldn't be surprised to see "game" go.... and argos to become internet only....

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

M&S food sales were up in the last quarter, clothing was down a bit but their venture into homeware and furniture is costing them dearly.

They will never be in trouble though, they don't carry a lot of debt.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Went in HMV last week and asked if they had anything by The Doors.

The spotty youth behind the counter said 'yeah,two fire extinguishers and a mop bucket'

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

" ...........

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

I have no personal experience of John Lewis but what about the 'never knowingly undersold' motto?

Just a load of bollox?

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

HMV are themselves victims of the same tactics they used when they and Virgin buried most of the independent record shops in the past...

Now they know what it's like to be undersold by competitors, I have little sympathy for the company but plenty for those about to find themselves out of work.

They also suffer from achronic lack of expertice and product knowledge in their shops....which the independent record shops had in abundance.

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By *ethany10Couple
over a year ago

falkirk

"You were right !

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hmv-set-to-go-into-administration-8451438.html"

Sadly it was me

Steve

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

" ...........

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

I have no personal experience of John Lewis but what about the 'never knowingly undersold' motto?

Just a load of bollox?"

No...they price match any identical item you find cheaper elsewhere

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire

"Partly, I'll give you that, but one thing you know you'll get in there is to be served by someone who, generally, knows what they are talking about when it comes to the products, treats you with respect and like a human being, and knows they are there to provide you with, oooooh, what's the word I'm looking for.....? Oh yes.... SERVICE.

would agree with that..

its a concept that some in the UK fail to understand let alone carry out well..

'service' seems to be something that some think is either below them or not important to their role..

we have a Department store, Collingwood & Batchellor which has the same ethos as John Lewis..

not the cheapest, but good quality ..

their staff know what they are doing and do it well, not rocket science..

have walked out of shops before when 'staff' have an attitude..

and its their jobs at the end of the day..

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

" ...........

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

I have no personal experience of John Lewis but what about the 'never knowingly undersold' motto?

Just a load of bollox?

No...they price match any identical item you find cheaper elsewhere"

So they can't actually be "one of the higher priced retailers in the country" then?

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

" ...........

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

I have no personal experience of John Lewis but what about the 'never knowingly undersold' motto?

Just a load of bollox?

No...they price match any identical item you find cheaper elsewhere

So they can't actually be "one of the higher priced retailers in the country" then?"

They tend to sell high end makes of products which you don't find in other high street stores in the same quantity of range, for example they will take a range like 'Joseph and Joseph' kitchen utensils and although it is an expensive range that most other stores only cherry pick certain items from....John Lewis will stock the entire range.

They are not a store I frequent regularly, even though we have a new John Lewis locally, but if I was looking for a wedding gift for example I would use them first.

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By *ap AdgeMan
over a year ago

Wirral

The worry with this is that others shops will go. We are only thirty percent in what will happen. House prices next

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

" ...........

Have to ask yourself why people flock to John Lewis when it is one of the higher priced retailers in the country.... what do they add that the others don't...?

I have no personal experience of John Lewis but what about the 'never knowingly undersold' motto?

Just a load of bollox?

No...they price match any identical item you find cheaper elsewhere

So they can't actually be "one of the higher priced retailers in the country" then?

They are not a store I frequent regularly, even though we have a new John Lewis locally, but if I was looking for a wedding gift for example I would use them first."

Ta.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

automation wins over peoplemation...its a sad but true fact"

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By *r mrs pCouple
over a year ago

taunton

"You were right !

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hmv-set-to-go-into-administration-8451438.html

Sadly it was me

Steve"

& _abio lol

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

Sometimes we forget there's still a lot of people, mostly older, who aren't only and a lot of them have considerable purchasing power.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Have a look at any factory these days.

1 worker for every dozen machines.

1984 is here and will only become stronger.

Everyone is equal, though some are more equal than others.

That's from animal farm. Might as well stick to one dystopian horror story at a time, eh?

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By *umourCouple
over a year ago

Rushden

I really don't understand all this about having to pay extra for the shops and staff! HMV have to do that anyway and also have to pay the staff for their .com business.. But... I can get a CD online for £10.99 or £14.99 in the shop! Surely, they would have been better off at a mid point for both and they may well have increased the sales..

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"but speaking from a mans perspective they have REALLY shot themselves in the foot with their near-obsession with going down their 'Autograph' highly fitted clothing range. It might fit guys who are in the gym all day, but you see a never ending line of 'normal' blokes trying the stuff on and putting back on the hanger."

This seems a bit speculative - isn't it possible that filling a niche in the market can work just as well as trying to cater for "'normal' blokes", whatever you think that amounts to? High and mighty seem to do ok for themselves after all.

Personally, I find M&S clothes generally a good fit and I'm doing well if I get in the gym once a fortnight. Some people are just generally built heavier than others.

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By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

"Have a look at any factory these days.

1 worker for every dozen machines.

1984 is here and will only become stronger.

Everyone is equal, though some are more equal than others.

That's from animal farm. Might as well stick to one dystopian horror story at a time, eh?"

Mixing his Orwellian dystopian metaphors ?

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By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

"Have a look at any factory these days.

1 worker for every dozen machines.

1984 is here and will only become stronger.

Everyone is equal, though some are more equal than others.

That's from animal farm. Might as well stick to one dystopian horror story at a time, eh?

Mixing his Orwellian dystopian metaphors ?

Is Animal Farm dystopian or allegorical ?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

City centres will soon be a thing of the past at this rate. Everything will be online and then the higher prices will come back in because it'll be internet competing with internet.

I always liked hmv but their prices are just uncompetitive in the current market with so little disposable income around.

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

Over inflated High Street and Shopping Mall rents, high Business Rates, heating all those large shops, lighting all those large shops, cleaning, shoplifting......all goes towards making a High Street shop largely loss making for many companies.

Weigh that up against One large warehouse for Internet sales, no need to heat it to the same standard as a shop, no need to keep it as clean as a shop, no shoplifting, cheaper security, less Business Rates....

Easy to see why High Street prices have to be higher than their Mail Order division.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Is Animal Farm dystopian or allegorical ?"

Can't it be both?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I think M&S are in trouble

I wouldn't be at all suprised

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

"...........

.................."

Lackadaisical attitude towards paying Corporation Tax.

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By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

"Is Animal Farm dystopian or allegorical ?

Can't it be both?"

It could be but I don't think Animal Farm is.

When God invented way off-topic

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"It could be but I don't think Animal Farm is.

When God invented way off-topic

No? A dystopia is basically just a really awful fictional society. I'd have thought animal farm would qualify.

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By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

"It could be but I don't think Animal Farm is.

When God invented way off-topic

No? A dystopia is basically just a really awful fictional society. I'd have thought animal farm would qualify."

Animal Farm was just an allegorical tale about what a crap idea Communism was, so he wasn't creating a fictional society, merely commenting on an existing one.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Animal Farm was just an allegorical tale about what a crap idea Communism was, so he wasn't creating a fictional society, merely commenting on an existing one."

Well, you're right in saying that he was commenting on an existing society but I don't see how you can maintain that the farm animals don't constitute a fictional society in themselves - they're clearly fictional, and a society?

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By *asandmeCouple
over a year ago

camden town

So, I'm just wondering, Can HMV continue trading whilst in Administration?

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

"So, I'm just wondering, Can HMV continue trading whilst in Administration?"

Yes. It's the job of the administrator to keep things going till the best outcome can be agreed upon.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Animal Farm was just an allegorical tale about what a crap idea Communism was, so he wasn't creating a fictional society, merely commenting on an existing one.

while not even having read the book...I'm pretty sure fictional characters may represent people..or whole groups of people..i.e pigs= police

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By *ixson-BallsMan
over a year ago

Blackpool

"Our high streets are going to be full of shit shops,the smaller business can't afford the rates so all high streets will be generic big stores,charity shope,phone shops and pound shops

Oh yes and we have the shop which sells something for the little ones - Greggs! Sells the 'Ashington Dummy' aka a Gregg's pasty - keeps the kids quiet for hours."

but at least there are shops...employing people..whether its shops you like or don't.

the high streets of the UK are going to have to go through a metamorphosis of what we grew up with...

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By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

"Animal Farm was just an allegorical tale about what a crap idea Communism was, so he wasn't creating a fictional society, merely commenting on an existing one.

Because the fictional society had the same structure as the society he was commenting on, which wasn't dystopian. Or at least as far as I'm aware, the USSR was never considered a Dystopian Society in the classic sense.

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

"..............

Oh yes and we have the shop which sells something for the little ones - Greggs! Sells the 'Ashington Dummy' aka a Gregg's pasty - keeps the kids quiet for hours.

but at least there are shops...employing people..whether its shops you like or don't.

the high streets of the UK are going to have to go through a metamorphosis of what we grew up with...

The charity shops probably only employ one person each - the rest'll be volunteers.

Why do we need High St banks? When did anyone last actually NEED to go into a branch?

The cafes I can maybe understand but shutting the sandwich shops and Greggs would go a long way to halving the NHS bariatric surgery bill.

Your local High St sounds quite normal. Mine is full of bookies, pubs (none of which you'd frequent), nail and threading bars, a kebab shop (see comments re bariatric surgery above), a poodle parlour and a completely out of place top end hi-fi shop.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"while not even having read the book...I'm pretty sure fictional characters may represent people..or whole groups of people..i.e pigs= police"

Yeah that's basically it, all the animals represent different factions of communist Russia.

"Because the fictional society had the same structure as the society he was commenting on, which wasn't dystopian. Or at least as far as I'm aware, the USSR was never considered a Dystopian Society in the classic sense."

No, because a dystopia is by definition fictional. Unless it's one hell of a hoax, the USSR was completely real.

Do you mean maybe that a dystopia has to not just be awful but awful way beyond anything we've known - if it's realistic it doesn't count? You'd maybe have a case for saying that.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I think M&S are in trouble

M&S are fine... they just had a blip...

If you want one that may go next... I wouldn't be surprised to see "game" go.... and argos to become internet only.... "

I'd agree there Fabio. Game are over priced and I would say seriously suffering from online sales. Already lost its Gamestation arm, I think it's inevitable.

I don't think it'll be long before a big name really hits the skids or goes online only.

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By *ethany10Couple
over a year ago

falkirk

Think it is natural evolution as technology and market changes develop. When I think back to my childhood in the early sixties there were loads of small shops that were replaced by supermarkets. Also smaller grocery chains like Liptons etc.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The administrators of HMV have just announced that vouchers and gift cards will no longer be accepted in HMV stores. I find that despicable to be honest. People bought those things as Xmas gifts for loved ones and now they have lost their money. Gift cards should be treated as cash already spent and hand over the goods on demand. It makes no sense at all to deny holders of gift cards the goods they are entitled to because if the company is going out of business it will need to rid itself of it's stock anyway. It is nothing more than legalised theft, and for a company to act so dishonestly I say Goodbye HMV, and good riddance.

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By *ust_for_laughs OP Couple
over a year ago

Hinckley

"Think it is natural evolution as technology and market changes develop. When I think back to my childhood in the early sixties there were loads of small shops that were replaced by supermarkets. Also smaller grocery chains like Liptons etc."

There was no internet to bemoan the loss of these shops back in the olden days though...oh, the irony !!

A friend of mine was complaining about his local Waterstones shutting as it was the only bookshop in town...couldn't understand when I told him that if it hadn't been for Waterstones, it wouldn't have been the only bookshop in town !

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By *ixson-BallsMan
over a year ago

Blackpool

has the wheel come full circle now?...as you pointed out the big chains came in and destroyed the smaller independent shops (remembering all the record shops, grocery shops from my growing up etc)...but now the independent shops have adapted by going online and so have fooked the HMV's/jessops, and all the corporate share holders up?...

what goes round etc ...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

My first thought for almost anything I need is Amazon. We're Amazon Prime members and what we order is with us the next day, undamaged and exactly what we ordered. I can't fault Amazon at all.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Argos already announced it was closing stores and concentrating on it's online business. It announced that last year when it realised the profit statement.

I was a little annoyed as they made ample profit and it seems greedy that they will still close stores, so cut staffing costs

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Im heading to HMV very shortly... have 35 pound give card and a ps3 package game that needs exchanging.. wish me look and don't forget to tune into the news later, you may see me being dragged out by security

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Im heading to HMV very shortly... have 35 pound give card and a ps3 package game that needs exchanging.. wish me look and don't forget to tune into the news later, you may see me being dragged out by security

Luck*

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By *kmale421Man
over a year ago

wirral

"The administrators of HMV have just announced that vouchers and gift cards will no longer be accepted in HMV stores. I find that despicable to be honest. People bought those things as Xmas gifts for loved ones and now they have lost their money. Gift cards should be treated as cash already spent and hand over the goods on demand. It makes no sense at all to deny holders of gift cards the goods they are entitled to because if the company is going out of business it will need to rid itself of it's stock anyway. It is nothing more than legalised theft, and for a company to act so dishonestly I say Goodbye HMV, and good riddance.

Morally your right, but this is no different to almost any other high street store thats gone into administration.

Effectively each Gift Voucher is an unsecured debt held by the individual who owns the Gift Voucher. As most people will have Gift Vouchers averaging perhaps £20 (purely a guess at that figure, but I doubt many people were given HMV Gift voushers with a higher value than £20 for Xmas) while the total amount of cash owed by the company will be a high figure the individual creditors will have very small amounts of money owed to them. Most of the stock in the HMV stores is unlikely to have been paid for in advance, so all those DVD's etc will have a huge bill to pay to someone (which they are unlikely to get paid) and in addition to that there's building rents and rates that are likely to be in arrears, plus staff wages plus taxes and the list grows and grows.

In effect the administrator has no choice but to stop Gift Vouchers instantly, and the lesson that many consumers never learn is don't give people gift vouchers, give them a gift or money.

Unfortunately as the owner of a small business I have seen over the last 5 years several businesses go into administration oweing money to me, and for that money to effectively be lost forever, while the stock that was supplied to them can't be recovered, mainly because it's already in use and is worthless to me. It's not even easy to see it happening in many instances because theypay their bills on time, only to place an order just before they went into administration and hey presto, problems occur.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Comet continued to take them until they closed.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"The administrators of HMV have just announced that vouchers and gift cards will no longer be accepted in HMV stores. I find that despicable to be honest.

Morally your right, but this is no different to almost any other high street store thats gone into administration.

Effectively each Gift Voucher is an unsecured debt held by the individual who owns the Gift Voucher.

In effect the administrator has no choice but to stop Gift Vouchers instantly, and the lesson that many consumers never learn is don't give people gift vouchers, give them a gift or money."

The reason why the Gift Cards/Vouchers won't be honoured by the Administrators is that all those CD's, DVD's etc etc sitting on the shelves or in the warehouse of HMV may well turn out to not be HMV's property if they have not yet paid the suppliers, and with their inventory, that could take months to sort out.

Also, once in Administration, first call on anything goes to HMRC (certainly if they then go into Receivership, which is looking very likely as no one seems to be coming forward showing some interest in buying the business).

As ukmale said, the money paid into HMV for Gift Cards is like giving them a small unsecured loan of, say, £20. The repayment of that 'loan' being when it is exchanged for goods.

The key word in all that is... UN-secured.....

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By *kmale421Man
over a year ago

wirral

"The administrators of HMV have just announced that vouchers and gift cards will no longer be accepted in HMV stores. I find that despicable to be honest.

Morally your right, but this is no different to almost any other high street store thats gone into administration.

Effectively each Gift Voucher is an unsecured debt held by the individual who owns the Gift Voucher.

In effect the administrator has no choice but to stop Gift Vouchers instantly, and the lesson that many consumers never learn is don't give people gift vouchers, give them a gift or money.

As ukmale said, the money paid into HMV for Gift Cards is like giving them a small unsecured loan of, say, £20. The repayment of that 'loan' being when it is exchanged for goods.

The key word in all that is... UN-secured.....

Actually HMRC no longer have first call on anything, they are simply an unsecured creditor like everyone else with a vote for any agreement based in line with the debt owed to them. The only people who have a first call are staff wages on a statutory payment basis followed by secured creditors followed by everyone else.

If as was the case with Comet that the company has insufficient funds to even pay off it's staff, then the government have to step in and pay the statutory notice payments to staff, in Comets case I think this wa about £25 million.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

HMV has been on the slide for years.

I've been telling family not to buy me HMV vouchers for a few years now, knowing this was going to happen. I tell people not to buy us vouchers for any high street shop, as most are going under.

HMV will prob stick around online, or come back to just online trading, with the highstreet stores just closing.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Déjà vu from 1982.#

#You let them in power and they will strip the country to its bones.

The Bitch did it last time, now Dave is doing it all again.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Déjà vu from 1982.#

#You let them in power and they will strip the country to its bones.

The Bitch did it last time, now Dave is doing it all again.

its not just about political aspects...its just the natural way automation works...the more advanced our machines become and more efficient- then the human becomes essentially obsolete from the production process

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Actually HMRC no longer have first call on anything, they are simply an unsecured creditor like everyone else with a vote for any agreement based in line with the debt owed to them. The only people who have a first call are staff wages on a statutory payment basis followed by secured creditors followed by everyone else. "

When did that change then? They had first call on me!!!! Money grabbing buggers....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

the franchise owner paid loads thinking he had a great deal?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

Ditto with HMV, why issue new gift certs a couple of weeks before Xmas when they must have known the state of their finances. It smacks of blatant fraud/theft.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

Keeping up appearances.....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Déjà vu from 1982.#

#You let them in power and they will strip the country to its bones.

The Bitch did it last time, now Dave is doing it all again.

How ignorant of fact is that post. Sheesh!

Why can't you accept that policies of the previous govt almost bankrupted this country and to put it right we have got to make sacrifices. It amazes me how blindly some people follow the Labour Party and choose to totally ignore how inept they were and how they'll bugger up this country again if they're given the chance to govern again. Incredible.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Feel sorry for HMV's staff...

Trekked all the way down to HMV recently to buy something they were advertising for a certain price on TV, when I got to the store was told it was £22 quid more than what they were advertising!? (£50+ for something I thought would cost me £30 after seeing THEIR advert)

Manager looked at me like I was smoking crack in his living room while his wife sat on my lap lol...went down the road & got what I wanted for the price i was expecting so it's no surprise they went under to me with business & store management like that.

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By *mallteaserWoman
over a year ago

Central

Home base too shut its doors in march, x

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Home base too shut its doors in march, x"

Are they?

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By *mallteaserWoman
over a year ago

Central

Yeah so I hear, brother in law, inside scoop, lol

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

Ditto with HMV, why issue new gift certs a couple of weeks before Xmas when they must have known the state of their finances. It smacks of blatant fraud/theft.

In every single business collapse it has always been thus.... those of us old enough to remember when Laker Airways went bust around 1980 saw it happen, through to Farepak Hampers - you name it, they've all done it.

Fact of consumer life.... caveat emptor and all that....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Feel sorry for HMV's staff...

There were signs just before Xmas that they were getting desperate though - one small example - I bought Cracklings daughter the Big Bang Theory boxed set on Amazon in November for £40 (approx). Then two weeks later HMV start advertising it for.... £30. Now, they would have known Amazons price (which didn't change) so why beat it by 25%??

Reason - along with a number of other 'too good to be true's' - they needed the cash....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Feel sorry for HMV's staff...

Reason - along with a number of other 'too good to be true's' - they needed the cash....

Wouldn't have taking my £30 been better than nothing though???

Should have just given it to me for a score if they wanted cash, hell I would have lent them a fiver on top too lol

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By *amie0151Man
over a year ago

Wallasey

"You were right !

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hmv-set-to-go-into-administration-8451438.html"

RIP HMV

I love HMV.

I collect CD's and have gotta a couple of thousand on my iPod especially for the journey to and from work.

I love going into HMV and spending ages looking through all the CD's and choosing what to buy.

There'll soon be no more record shops left

The Internet has made it much cheaper to buy on line but where's the fun in that...?

Nostalgic rant over...

Nearly...

Remember 'Our Price' 'Woolworths' 'TJ Hughes'

Blast you damn Internet (apart from your pornographic content lol)

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

[Removed by poster at 15/01/13 14:04:35]

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

i agree, and to make matters worse, people who purchased presents for others, which turned out to be unwanted or duplicate gifts,HAD to accept gift cards, no refunds given, even if the item was sealed and with receipt, which i think is terrible. luckily i only lost out on £15 but some people will lose hundreds

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By *amie0151Man
over a year ago

Wallasey

"i agree, and to make matters worse, people who purchased presents for others, which turned out to be unwanted or duplicate gifts,HAD to accept gift cards, no refunds given, even if the item was sealed and with receipt, which i think is terrible. luckily i only lost out on £15 but some people will lose hundreds

It's amazing how many HMV gift vouchers are currently for sale on eBay... and people are still bidding for them!

Crazy!

I feel sorry for the staff whose jobs are at risk.

I hope they manage to find a buyer.

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

It's hard to believe anyone who watched the death of Comet and the confusion surrounding gift vouchers would actually have swapped hard cash for such nonsense.

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By *nnyMan
over a year ago

Glasgow

"What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

Ditto with HMV, why issue new gift certs a couple of weeks before Xmas when they must have known the state of their finances. It smacks of blatant fraud/theft.

They had no choice. The first sign of waekness (like stopping selling gift vouchers) brings vultures down like you wouldn't believe.

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

"What I find difficult to understand is why Jessops opened a new store in Gloucester? Surely they must have known that their finances wouldn't support a brand new store

Ditto with HMV, why issue new gift certs a couple of weeks before Xmas when they must have known the state of their finances. It smacks of blatant fraud/theft.

They had no choice. The first sign of waekness (like stopping selling gift vouchers) brings vultures down like you wouldn't believe."

Of course they didn't, they were having to continue running the business on a day to day basis in the belief that their lenders and debtors would be prepared to restructure their debts and loans right up to the point where they decided they wouldn't.....

They had a duty to continue in this vein right up to the point of it being a hopeless task, and you are right....the sudden withdrawal of Gift Voucher sales would be unacceptable.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Who called blockbusters?????

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By *abioMan
over a year ago

Newcastle and Gateshead

"Who called blockbusters?????

its the season.... with the rents going up post xmas, anyone who has done badly is really going to struggle....

not surprised again...

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