HMV... General non-scientific straw poll as another retailer struggles..

[Geoff1946]

As regards retail white goods outlets, I've had some disappointing (putting it mildly) experiences with the only big company nearby, as named above, BUT have found Euronics.

I'm not sure how widespread it is, but certainly it's here in Blackpool and Preston. It's like a small shop to deal with but in a group of some kind to allow decent pricing. 

I've bought a few things off them and been quite happy.

 

[Evans Electric]

Wierdly HMV & Carillon have them same auditors.

OOooooo    Spooky ! 

I had a Kerching type experience with the orange aproned brigade  .  

Looking for a marble fireplace  ,  we have 20 min burst up the M6 to the Yam-Yam land branch .   Mrs Deke  spots the one but its just the base  , then for mobility reasons has to return to the car leaving me to enquire .

It went thus :-  

" I'd like that fireplace but the back section is n't there " 

" Yes it was broken leaving just the base on display"

" Well we'd like that style ,complete of course , shall I pay now"? 

Looks on computer .

"You'll have to go to Redditch or Bromsgrove  , you can collect it there "  

Delivery from those branches is £25  ..free from the the one I'm in because its closer.

 " I want it delivered , can't get that in my car and I could break  it anyway , specially the back  so can you get a back to go with your base & deliver it , I'll pay now  and I don't want to drive to Bromsgrove."   

" We can't do that because we don't have one in stock here" 

"You have half of one in stock  so can you replace the broken section , then deliver it , I'll pay now"? 

" We can't do that because  its a display , we can't sell you that "

"OK  well just order one to be delivered direct , I''ll pay now."?

  "We can't do that  I'm calling the manager " 

We go all through it .Manager looks on computer .

"We have one at the Castle Bromwich branch , thats free delivery to that address"  

"Wonderful  , order it from there then , I'll pay now"  

" We can't do that , you have to go there & buy it "  

After a few choice words ...  much in the style of Kerching...I left to explain it to the Missus. 

Oh  on the way home  called into a small fireplace shop on a high street  1 mile from home , theres a similar one on display ... yes Sir we can have one made  & delivered 

in about four days or you can have this one off display this afternoon . Job done . ! 

 

[ProDave]

Oh  on the way home  called into a small fireplace shop on a high street  1 mile from home , theres a similar one on display ... yes Sir we can have one made  & delivered 

in about four days or you can have this one off display this afternoon . Job done . ! 

THAT is the short of shop that deserves to remain in business and thrive.

 

[rapparee]

As regards retail white goods outlets, I've had some disappointing (putting it mildly) experiences with the only big company nearby, as named above, BUT have found Euronics.

I'm not sure how widespread it is, but certainly it's here in Blackpool and Preston. It's like a small shop to deal with but in a group of some kind to allow decent pricing. 

I've bought a few things off them and been quite happy.

Funny, I was thinking of them whilst reading the other comments on Curry's.

They are a franchise each shop is individually owned by person who runs it. We have two semi local to me. The one we use, my parents have built up a relationship, he will always look after you. An appliance has failed 6 months past warranty, no problem, I'll send a man out to fix or replace. We wouldn't go anywhere else.

 

[binky]

Couple of Euronics places near me, service is generally good and if necessary they will sell you the display unit. Trouble with the big chains is that they don't give customer service becuase their shops are manned by muppets with no power to be flexible even if they wanted to be. 

As for HMV, I pop in for a few CDs once a year, Xmas. I never got into DVDs, as I rarely watch a film more than once, so 'owning it' is not important. I do prefer CDs to downloading - a hangover from owning vinyl I suppose, but I rarely buy any form of muisc these days as I have little time to play it.

 

[phil d]

We are seeing massive reductions being offered in the so called 'sales' at this time of year and I think that far from attracting more customers, it is actually starting to make people aware of just how much we are being ripped off by these stores!

Be honest, if a company can sell a coat for thirty quid in the sales, and the normal price is 130 quid then it shows just how much they are making, or more accurately, how much they are ripping people off for!

I remember many years ago and I ended up doing some work for a fashion store in Manchester City centre, the client was well pleased with the work, we did it outside trading hours to avoid affecting his trade. at the end of the job he paid up and said that if there was anything in the store that I fancied, I could have it at cost price. I had seen a pair of shiny leather trousers that my girlfriend wanted, but they were expensive, so thinking they'd be a nice treat I asked him how much they'd cost me, the tag said £100!

I was speechless when he said they only cost him £30 a pair, so that shows just how much he was making.

 

[Evans Electric]

I've thought the same for years Phil  .   My Missus won't have it that wev'e paid the inflated price all year but now someone has applied the word "Sales"   they 're giving them away .   No they're not , no one  "gives" anything away  , they are still making a profit  , nothing wrong with profit but lets not forget what we've had to pay all year.  

Retail is nothing like our trade , it makes much more profit in my opinion.    We did some work for a greetings card company  some years ago ,  my mate sussed out they were buying cards in  at 1 p    cheapest ones marked up at around 75p     most  at £1.50  .

Working in one of their high street shops , the manageress  cashes up about 5.00  , phones in for the company van to collect cash .  I heard her answer a question  .."erm  just under  £3500 .00  today "   

Had a letter yesterday saying "We will renew your house & contents insurance  automatically  at £210.00  in three weeks time " 

I thought no you won't ,   its gone up by £90  in two years .    Got a quote on the compare site  , £87.00  phoned to cancel , guy says I can do it for £150  if you stay with us .  

Can you match £87 .00   ...No ...byee !     

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

 Trouble with the big chains is that they don't give customer service becuase their shops are manned by muppets with no power to be flexible even if they wanted to be. 

I think to be fair, quite a few of these "Muppets" are actually reasonably genuine people....

trying to earn an honest living, working quite long hours...

in a business that may not be their first choice of employment.....

But they are limited by geography and availability of work.

The exact same people if working in a smaller Euronics type outlet, may come over as very different types of sales assistant..

I think the big problem with the large shed-outlets, is the Automated computer systems that allow the staff no leeway to amend anything or offer any personal extras, or to bend the rules to move stock around from A to B, etc.....

Basically its done by the book or not at all!!

Whereas a smaller independent outlet can adjust or rewrite to book to suit different customers..!

( just as we who are sole traders can easily offer different arrangements any time it suits us!)

Guinness    

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Retail is nothing like our trade , it makes much more profit in my opinion.    We did some work for a greetings card company  some years ago ,  my mate sussed out they were buying cards in  at 1 p    cheapest ones marked up at around 75p     most  at £1.50  .

Working in one of their high street shops , the manageress  cashes up about 5.00  , phones in for the company van to collect cash .  I heard her answer a question  .."erm  just under  £3500 .00  today "   

Retail has some pretty heavy overheads to carry..

If work is quiet....

We can probably go home get on with some other jobs / admin between calls... 

Retail shop still got to be open, stocked with bucket loads of dead cash sitting on the shelves..

Wages paid to shop assistant(s) keeping shop open heated, lit-up, all day rates paid.. etc...

Even if only one person comes in, browses and buys nothing!

You need to make some serious profit margins to cover those extra overheads..

If retail was all easy big profits, we wouldn't see as many shops going bump as we have over the recent years!

opcorn

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Ok just to expand on this HMV topic a tad further with a real world example....

For those who were Teenagers during the era when ABBA hit the headlines with Waterloo etc...

(or have wives/partners who were...)

Maybe ABBA aren't your cup-of-tea, but they were without doubt one of the biggest bands on the pop scene mid70's to mid 80's...

So I noticed in our local Tesco they have an ABBA boxed set 9 CD's    (8 studio albums + 1 Singles & B-Sides sort of CD)...

COST... £18.00

(That's £2 per CD)..

So I was up at our big Out-O-Town shopping centre where the nearest HMV is...

{I guess Deke will know if I say  "Merry-Hill Shopping Centre?}

And this same Boxed set is  £29+  {which is the same as Amazon have it listed}

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Albums-Abba/dp/B001F9Y2CM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547168780&sr=8-1&keywords=abba+the+albums

now that is not just a few quid difference but a whopping £11.00 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How come a "Music" retailer, (or Amazon for that matter), can't get nearer to Tesco's   £18.00???

Tesco MUST be making a decent profit on £18.00 price ticket.....

So is it any wonder that HMV are losing out??

 

[Blue Duck]

Tesco have buying power, they can buy whatever they desire so probably bought millions of albums in the run up to Christmas and now are trying to get shot.

HMV are probably tied to a label or distributor that sets the prices.

Amazon don't give a monkey's, selling CD's isn't profitable.

But saying that I had a look on camel camel camel and it got as low as £14.99 last April.

 https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/Albums-Abba/product/B001F9Y2CM?context=search

So who knows? 

Amazon uses some wierd algorithms.

 

[Evans Electric]

{I guess Deke will know if I say  "Merry-Hill Shopping Centre?}

I know it as  The Merry Hell Shopping Centre    and also knew it's previous incarnation  as The Round Oak Steel Works  where I spent many a  happy hour amongst the white hot  15 ton ingots of steel  passing above our heads ...or in the DC sub  working next to the bare output bus bars  behind the switchgear  and doing 11K  jointing with the Boss , best gaffer I ever worked with .      Its probably Harvey Nicks now.    

 Working for F.J Southall Electrical in Stourbridge  back then ,  they used to be near the bend in Lower High St  opposite The Woolpack  was it ?     

they just have a label making company there now  called Electro Graph .