Tsk I'm back writing in the shopping category again (yes Missie!! Again!!! - sorry, a comment aimed at someone in particular there - promise it won't happen again!!), anyway what could I possibly have to actually write about in Shopping this time? Well anyone who knows me will know that Music ... Read review
Advantages: Huge selection, personal touch Disadvantages: Prices
...then - and thats where HMV come in, it used to be Andy’s Records, but sometimes you can’t resist the call of the major high-street store.
But onto the actual store itself - why is it the one to drag me away from my former employers (along with the staff discount that I blag when the right persons behind the counter), simple really - its all a matter of choice. No matter what CD I want almost every time you can be assured its there, ... ...waiting for my perusal, now HMV didn’t have to do that - but because it was going that extra bit further for a customer - they were more than happy to help out, this is the sort of thing that splits good stores from great stores.
But what about the standard expectations of stores - you know, lay-out, design, selection, prices, services and the like? Well as I'm a complete shopping opinion novice as such - allow me to break each of ... more
Tsk I'm back writing in the shopping category again (yes Missie!! Again!!! - sorry, a comment aimed at someone in particular there - promise it won't happen again!!), anyway what could I possibly have to actually write about in Shopping this time? Well anyone who knows me will know that Music is one of the biggest things in my life, if it wasn’t for Music I don’t know where I’d have been at times and heck in recent times I don’t know where I’d have been if it wasn’t for my local branch of HMV.
Now I know that most of the time I resort to buying online at sites such as play, cd-wow and amazon but there are times when I simply have to have a CD there and then - and thats where HMV come in, it used to be Andy’s Records, but sometimes you can’t resist the call of the major high-street store.
But onto the actual store itself - why is it the one to drag me away from my former employers (along with the staff discount that I blag when the right persons behind the counter), simple really - its all a matter of choice. No matter what CD I want almost every time you can be assured its there, and that includes imported CDs as well, in fact since they opened their branch here in Grimsby there’s only been one occasion that the CD I wanted wasn’t there already - that was Kelly Osbourne’s album, but of course that’s to be expected every now and again.
However lets give Old Father Time a good slap till he decides to reverse the clock to the Summer of 2002 - as some of you know, I was on crutches for the best part of 2 months due to torn ligaments and later on broken bones in my foot, and the store had just opened up so of course I had no way of actually getting to the store and looking for CD’s that I wanted - but you know what I was able to do? - give the store a quick phone-call and give them a list of CD’s that interested me - then late in the day when I could get into Town (thankyou Dad for giving me a lift!) and not be bustled by other shoppers there’d be a pile of CD’s sat at the store waiting for my perusal, now HMV didn’t have to do that - but because it was going that extra bit further for a customer - they were more than happy to help out, this is the sort of thing that splits good stores from great stores.
But what about the standard expectations of stores - you know, lay-out, design, selection, prices, services and the like? Well as I'm a complete shopping opinion novice as such - allow me to break each of these categories down for you:
Lay-Out and Design: Each branch I’ve been in has been easily accessible for both people who have full use of their facilities and for those less fortunate than us (and I can testify to that!), plus each category is easily found - be it Pop, Rock, Metal, Computer Games or DVD’s you’re searching for you’ll be able to spot the section within seconds, and once you get there you can be assured that all the products you’re looking at will be in Alphabetical Order (by the artiste’s surname for musical items and books), and definitely easy to find.
Selection: Well as I mentioned up there CD-wise there’s only ever been one time that I was unable to get the CD of my choice - but away from CD’s you may find it a bit more difficult - you see most importantly HMV are a Music store - they offer Games and everything else, but they don’t offer any back catalogue as such, it’s only going to be the latest releases, a few cheap games and whatever titles are in the charts, anything else then you’re going to be better off going to a more dedicated store - and sadly the same can be said for Video’s and DVD’s.
Prices: Ooooh it’s a bit of a mixed bag this one, you see there are bargains to be had out there, specially as there never seems to be any one time that HMV don’t have a sale of some kind on, and you’ll find that some of the top CD’s will be in the sales at anything as low as £2.99 (which is what I paid for my replacement copy of In Utero), but move away from the sales and expect the price to go flying - disc’s such as Coldplay’s last album I had to have on the day of release - which was a bank-holiday, and the only place open for me to buy it was........ HMV who proudly charged £13.99 for it, add on that an import album is going to cost you at least £16.99 - but still, with UK albums if you wait 2 months it’ll drop into the ‘2 for £22’ offer.
So of course I personally don’t find these prices *that* competitive, especially when you compare it with the online stores, but as high-street store prices go I’m sure I could bring myself to class them as average.
Services: Second to none, and the reason I keep coming back, know the words to a song but don’t know who sang it or what it’s name is? Sing it to a staff-member and they’ll try and help you, not too sure which album to pick? ask their advice and they’ll talk through the pro’s and con’s of each album you’re considering, then of course there was that personal touch that I mentioned earlier in the review, all of this is a huge breath of relief in the world of CD shopping - a lot of major high-street retailers have ‘lost the love’ (i.e. Woolworths, WH Smiths, all the supermarkets) - yet HMV seem determined to prove to you that they are just as interested in the music as you are.
Add on to that that they have a great web-service (http://www.hmv.co.uk) and it all leads up to one of the top stores for music that’s out there at the moment.
So then - all in all, it’s pretty obvious that I’m one of HMV’s fans - nowhere else seems to have that ‘je ne sai quois’ so to speak ;)
Advantages: Offers are excellent, good selection in rock, pop, alternative and video Disadvantages: Bad atmosphere, very average in general - better options elsewhere
...Thanks HMV!
HMV is a nationwide chain for music and video. My local HMVs are in the Braehead shopping centre and Glasgow. The Store
The store itself is pretty basic. The shelves are very regimented, and this is typical of the personality-less impression. The atmosphere is intrusive, with horrible fluorescent lighting and thumping music, which you can't escape, whether you're browsing rock or classical. The lack of listening posts is disappointing, ... ...comprehensive selection, to equal Virgin. HMV is good for American bands which are hard to find elsewhere, like Hootie and the Blowfish or Ben Folds Five. HMV's alternative section is also excellent, with punk, ska and metal all well-represented. Unfortunately, rock, pop and alternative is where the good selection ends. Jazz is woefully hit-and-miss - there are some standard CDs and some incredibly unusual titles. This pattern continues into classical ...
JaySee 12.06.2001 (30.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of HMV
Advantages: Good sales, exchange policy, playlist Disadvantages: Quite expensive
For years there wasn’t an HMV in Colchester, giving Virgin Megastore a near-monopoly in CD sales (despite the incredibly cool independent Time Records – recently closed – and WHSmiths selling pop singles to kids along with pick n mix). It was only moving to Oxford that gave me a real taste of HMV (Cornmarket Street – almost opposite Virgin), though there’s now a small HMV in Colchester (round the corner from the library, what used to be Mothercare) ... ...honest, I’m not sure how HMV ranks up against Virgin in my opinion. Both major high street retailers of mainly CDs with the odd book/magazine/t-shirt/computer game/etc have been hit by online retailers that show up just how expensive their prices are. HMV do have their own site (www.hmv.co.uk) – I’ve only used that once, and I’m sticking to offline retail here.
The high street shops are as guilty of over-pricing as anywhere though. They may not ...
a-true-ben 30.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of HMV
Advantages: Excellent Stock levels and Superb Customer Service Disadvantages: Prices on computer games often high and out of date
...I visited the simply huge HMV store near Picadilly circus. I actually live in Swindon and thought our store was big but this one took the biscuit. Spread over 4 floors it was a massive expanse of every album you could ever want.
Amazingly for a store of this size the staff knew where everything was. I asked 2 seperate members of staff for directions to specific CD's I had been after for a long time and they tok me straight there, picking out the ... ...other similar music shops though, HMV also sections their albums into genre such as Rock or Pop. This can be a little confusing at times as not all albums will slot nicely into a category and help may then be needed from one of the normally plentiful assistants.
The availability is also something to marvel at in HMV as I rarely see an album sold out. The few times I have seen them absent they have been stocked up again very quickly so the customer ...
robsgirl 25.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of HMV
Advantages: Good range of albums Disadvantages: Too expensive
...this money has gone to HMV so I can safely say I have contributed greatly to their continued retail success. It is only now I am beginning to tire of it all. In my town we are limited to HMV cornering the music market. ‘Our Price’ was across from HMV until they closed down, however, they could never really compete with the choice available in HMV. Having said that, Our Price was good for blasting out cool music in the shop – they ... ...me but I still think HMV has the better range. But it is their prices that are really getting to me now. New albums having been out only a week suddenly rise to £17 having been £12 or £14 before. Everyone hears about CD’s costing pittance to produce and inflated prices for the shops, but it’s really getting ridiculous. Especially when surfing the net you see the prices in America which are less, even before you convert the dollars to ...
hakkved 19.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of HMV
Advantages: It has everything that I want Disadvantages: None that I can think off
HMV The Three Letters For Me.
It's a Saturday and you jump out of bed, funny how I just crawl out of bed any work day but today is mine. Not sure what to do so I think I might just log on to ciao to see what to review. And sure enough I see those three letters HMV are there so I shall get the bus into town and give it the once over. Before I log off I check out the latest review by Beatlesgal25 as that young talent writes a mean review. Enough waffle ... ...HMV and out I hop, I don't really hop, just one of those silly sayings. Then shout "Thanks" to the bus driver, nobody does this and I think it's really bad manners, the guy has a stessful time in that traffic and it doesn't take much to thank him.
This HMV store is just so massive and even the front window is a joy to behold. It's plastered in posters showing all the latest offers and all the new releases in the dvd and cd charts. I quickly move ...
BadCompany 05.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of HMV
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Overpriced and Unhelpful
I consciously try to avoid shops like these. They are geared for making the maximum profit for the minimum outlay and seem to be of the opinion that a visible high street presence gives them the right to charge what they want for what they sell. Don't get me wrong , everyone has to make a profit, but sometimes their profits are extortionate. HMV and Virgin are just as guilty.
Why should I pay £15.99 for a CD or £19.99 for a DVD when local record shops sell the CDs for £11.99 and DVD for £14.99? Unfortunately most people are too lazy to vote with their wallets and get value for money. Woolworth and Tesco are cheaper.
Also , when they have their sales on how can a CD be £16.99 one week, £6.99 for three weeks , then £14.99 after that???
There was an instance many years ago of a local record shop being just round the corner from ...
mikeydred 06.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Our Price
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Tiny selection, cramped, overpriced, dark and dismal
Whose Price is Our Price? Its even more expensive than HMV and Virgin by at least a quid on albums! And their selection is tiny (their store in Bradford is at least half the size of HMV, probably smaller)!! The store is crampted but not with much music to show for it and the walls red and black, which make it closed in. Only go here if all the other shops in town are sold out of what you want - these MAY have it. What I can't understand is why so many people go in here, its all so crowded but that might just be because of the cramped layout and ony 1 of the 3 terminals being open. My advice - go to HMV! ...
killip 10.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Our Price
Advantages: Its Nice to look at Disadvantages: Not alot in it
Whats in my purse
My purse is an average size purse, its black with pink lining, saying IM Worth It
My Purse has an identity section where I put my id cards.
? My Student Card
? My Electrol Card to vote
? My L license
? My Boyfriends Electrol Card.
? My Mums Photo (Miss her so much)
The Inside:
Two Slots where you can hold money or whatever ? I have:
? Five Pound Note
? Six 2p?s
? Four 1?ps
? Bank Slip
? Whether spoon Vouchers.
The Card Sections
? credit card No 1
? Credit Card No 2
? Gym Card
? Printing Card
? Work Clockin Card
? Hmv Card.
For such a small purse I hold a lot of crap in it. I don?t even use half of the stuff in it, but I take it everywhere with me, just incase, you never know when you will need any of them. ...
