HMV falls into administration but will still accept gift cards

[Iota]

I just get the impression that they're not actually using the physical bricks and mortar they have to their full extent. Take for example Games Workshop, they have events in-store and will do free delivery to their stores (free footfall).

So why don't HMV have music events in-store (small events), create that free footfall that can translate into something more community based. It's something they could offer that Amazon etc can't offer without bricks and mortar. Same for Game, events in-store.

They're being one trick ponies at this stage, even the larger retailers like Sainsbury's and Tesco have diversified over the years offering more than "just food" (Magazines, Books, Media, Chemists, Argos, Phone shops, Cafe, Clothing, etc etc). If bricks and mortar retailers want to compete then they need both a strong in-store offering as well as a well managed and designed online offering. HMV and Game? They don't do this from what I've seen, they'll go the way of the dodo if they don't diversify to their own strengths for their markets.

[Ttaskmaster]

I might as well just do the entire shop at Sainsburys and save one trip.

You should do that anyway. Far better place to shop. I'm actually starting to quite enjoy ours, although it is a pretty massive one...

So why don't HMV have music events in-store

Probably some licencing issues over publicly broadcasting music or hosting a live event.
I believe Waterstones sometimes get authors in to sign stuff, but there are so many authors of so many books that you'd likely not hit a wide enough range of people without doing a full signing tour, and there again are fees to be paid...

[DanceswithUnix]

You should do that anyway. Far better place to shop. I'm actually starting to quite enjoy ours, although it is a pretty massive one...

lol. Our current house is quite near a large Tesco, but we drive some distance to use Sainsburys instead. I presume you are talking about the Theale branch, that's a bit bigger than ours from memory. They don't annoy me too often, though I find myself hunting the shelves for items with a use by date beyond the next day far more than at Tesco.

Back on topic...

Last time I saw an HMV I wandered in and looked around wondering what the point in the place was these days. In my youth I would travel to London with friends to prowl the record shops for rare LPs and CDs, these days it just seems bizarre to leave your seat to find music to listen to.

[Ttaskmaster]

I find myself hunting the shelves for items with a use by date beyond the next day far more than at Tesco.

Theale yes... But the use by date is actually the reason I won't go to Tesco. I'll see some things on their shelves that are actually in the past!

I would travel to London with friends to prowl the record shops for rare LPs and CDs

Sister Ray, perchance?
Certain musician's work I have always collected on CD or vinyl, most of which has also been autographed, so I continue in that. You can't really offer a download for someone to sign...

[walibe]

Just had a waltz around yesterday and saw many staff just plain old chatting and a few working their arses off to restock shelves. Far too many staff in most HMV stores. Guess I won’t bother with anymore steelbook pre orders just yet.

[Saracen999]

.... The final straw was when I couldn't find corned beef. I figured if I was going to have to go to Sainsburys to get a few basic items like that on top of my weekly Tesco shop, I might as well just do the entire shop at Sainsburys and save one trip.

That's quite a well-known phenomenon in retail management.

Some years ago, I was involved in a store refurb of a large supermarket. It was a massive job, building huge extension, etc, and my part was right at the tail end, the computer installation, and I asked the store's project manager

"Rather than weeks or months of chaos, closing this bit, then rotating to that bit, with all the effort involved in doing that evrry few days and the job taking weeks, why not just close entirely, empty the store, bung loads of labour in, and re-open after a week or two, instead of six?"

He told me they did that once. Closed a small branch for one week. But it forced ALL customers to go elsewhere for that week. They estimated 30-40% never came back, even though the new store was hugely improved.

The moral? Consumer inertia is a piwerful dtiving force. Mess with it at your peril. Once you push a customer away, even temporarily, you run a serious risk of them staying away. As my local Waitrose is currently doing with me.

[brainphrozen]

Thing is if people don't go out shopping then shops like HMV will go into administration, Online shopping has a lot to answer for.