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HMV online shop back from the dead

  Belatucadrus 22:39 18 Jun 2019

For those of you that like an alternative to Amazon, HMV store is almost back in business after a five months sabbatical due to their financial problems. As of yet they are only accepting pre orders as they don't appear to have stock allocated. However as it's always nice to have a choice I count it as potentially good news for a UK company (OK so they're now owned by a Canadian company but the head office is still in London.)

  Menzie 23:43 18 Jun 2019

When a company comes under new ownership things can potentially change. There were many online sites I made many purchases from and were my preferred vendor years ago. However as the companies changed hands usually things went downhill and I and other fans move on in droves.

I know Amazon gets some flack for pretty much controlling the market but for me any time something has gone wrong they have been great. The Same Day delivery for my Prime account has been great as well as their product subscription service which gives a discount on frequently used items.

  Belatucadrus 09:18 30 Jul 2019

Now over a month since the HMV "Pre order" website appeared and it's still Under development and goods appear to transition from Pre-order to Out of stock when the release date arrives. Very odd way of conducting business.

  Old Deuteronomy 15:29 30 Jul 2019

Since buying a new DAC/headphone amp and headphones, I have bought a number of CDs from Amazon, most only a fiver each. I'm not even going to consider HMV as things are.

  oresome 13:18 31 Jul 2019

It surprises me that when a company in difficulty is taken over, often nothing seems to change.

It seems clear that something needs to change to address the problems experienced by the previous management or the new management will find themselves in exactly the same predicament.

In some cases technology or consumer interest has moved on and there simply isn't the market for the goods on offer. No doubt there is a niche market for the revival of vinyl, but nothing like the market for CDs in their heyday.

Mike Ashley's take over of some tired department stores seems to be an example of nothing's changed except customer numbers have dwindled further.

  Menzie 16:51 31 Jul 2019

oresome - Unfortunately it's because many of the companies taken over still have to answer to shareholders. If a company promises a year of £2 million; then they actually go on to make £1.99 million shareholders start pulling out. Likewise when it comes to growth, if a company makes £1 million in a year profit and it makes the same the following year their stock price will dive overnight.

It's a tricky thing running corporations, having to keep things growing at pretty much any cost.

We had an electronic store here that shuttered overnight. When everyone was switching to HD and TVs were flying off the shelves; they opened store after store. Sometimes they had stores within spitting distance of each other.

As things slowed down and every home had the TV they needed, people stopped buying. Sales didn't help and one morning the staff literally turned up to work to find a closure notice on the door.

There were also angry customers who reserved their purchases online the previous night, paid, and came by to collect it.

There is an issue with stores like Amazon however. It is that as they get bigger and more entrenched in people's lives; they can pretty much be a nightmare when things go wrong.

There are some articles floating around about Amazon accounts being closed. Many of those closed used Prime, depended on the Prime Video service for their entertainment and Kindle service for reading.

The more digital we get the more chance of things happening increase. I don't know if the UK has an equivalent as yet but we have two completely online banks. They have no physical branches. Instead you use cashpoints for other banks they have partnered with, and any issue or service requirement that arises is done over the phone.

  Belatucadrus 17:02 26 Nov 2019

Just a footnote, after months operating on the slightly bizarre "Pre-Order" mode, HMV are now selling things in the old fashioned way again and in the interest of maintaining Choice I've put an order in to check them out. So far so good I'll let you know how things work out.

  Belatucadrus 15:15 29 Nov 2019

I'll let you know how things work out.

Goods received, packed well and on time.

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