Member Advice > Member Advice on High Street Shops

Advantages: See text.
Disadvantages: See text.

...Having already been in to HMV previously this week in order to look for another item (for which I did not actually buy for whatever reason but anyway), I had actually in fact noticed that they sold this item - in my mind, I had £10 for the triple box DVD set. As I went in there to the store today, I went to the place in which I had originally seen the item in question. However as it was not there, I spent some time in looking for it in the immediate ...
...noticed that the staff in HMV will do whatever they are able to in order to help you out. Even if the item is not in stock (this being a rarity), they will even offer to order it for you. People may disagree with me, but this has in fact happened to me before now - I cannot say for other people. In terms of returning an item, the same stands as per any shop - 28 days in order to return an item in its orginal condition with a proof of purchase, etc. ... Read review

Advantages: got some diffrent stuff food wise
Disadvantages: not much of a range of music ect

seriouslly am i the only one who goes there who can t seem to manage to everything i require for my weeks shop never mind trying to get a dvd for the kids then if you do find one the checkout girl can t seem to get the security box open but on a positive the have a good range of pizza express pizzas which are so good and the staff are pleasent most of the time fine if you just need somthing nice for tea i think my problem is i like online shopping ...
...to the supermarket apart from that they have a good veg section with a nice range and do you know there is actually a banana called an apple banana which is tiny well who says you cant learn anything in sanisburys its also clean and well presented but a little expensive for me ... Read review

Advantages: A good overall range of stock ,the occasional bargain though you have to search them out.
Disadvantages: Eye-watering high prices for the unwary, lack of imports, store I recently visited was cramped and dirty.

i've been a customer of Virgin since back in days pre CD when the closest store I had was based in Bull St Birmingham and involved a thirty mile round trip from Wolverhampton on public transport , but was always worth it as I could purchase a wide range of Japanese Import vinyl at reasonable prices. That was back in 1981-1984....ahh those were the days! Well things have changed since then an Virgin have moved with the times having relocated to Corporation ...
...February and although I've visited Virgin stores before then, it's the one example I can refer to where Virgin have lost the plot. Now back in the days of 1981-84 Virgins trade was just recordings. It had a good range of stock, fair availability of Imports etc and reasonable prices but thats now all been turned on it's head The store I visited is now a physically bigger store on three levels. On the ground floor the floor is split into specialist ... Read review

Advantages: small and handy
Disadvantages: new management

As i worked in an Our Price store, i could witness the collapse from the inside. As part of the huge Virgin empire, Our price was a compact and convenient to many people. Placed in smaller towns in the country, it was an advantage for many people who didnt want to travel to the bigger cities and the bigger Virgin stores. When Virgin took over certain of the Our price stores, the smaller ones were tossed aside and some were taken over by an austrailian ...
...Having only worked in Our price and Virgin stores, i can only compare them to each other but businesses have to be focused on the customer and cds should not cost £20!!! its ridiculous and is bringing the end of shop buying. When things are 75% cheaper on the internet, why bother going out!?!? ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap ~ Good mix of music ~ Cheap ~ lots of genres
Disadvantages: Bad layouts

Fopp is my favourite out of all the "big" CD/DVD stores at the moment. I like the way that, unlike all the other stores, they don't need to have big days full of cheapness and then go back to usual prices- they are always full of cheap goodness. They have a nice system where as they have a few price points that all there CD's are priced at and they're not just the rubbish "end of line" products that are low prices. They have a good stock of music ...
...to see the logic of their sorting system and am left scratching my head looking for "K" when I have enough trouble finding "A"! I usually go to Fopp just for a browse, but coming out with 4-ish CD's- that only cost a tenner! So well done Fopp! ... Read review