The HMV in Cheltenham is shutting down now. I've worked in the town for five years. Many times I've popped in there to see what's out, or to buy myself something. It was a... stalwart. Today, half the store is empty and all the stock is discounted (albeit from a high starting price). Strange as it may sound, it's a sad sight.

 

I was in there last week. It is indeed a sad sight. The only place to get DVDs and CDs now are the 2nd hand shops, or travel down to Bristol. I'd have thought they'd keep one of Cheltenham or Gloucester open

 

I think the CEX Electronice Exchange places that are popping up around here are part of what hurts places like HMV. Because all the stuff in those places in used the price is quite low and you can get credit by selling them stuff and using it to buy other stuff. I have found lots of DVDs there for less than £5 or sometimes just £1, games and phones and consoles are cheaper there too.

The only thing they don't do is CDs, but I'm not sure how many people even buy them now since it's so easy to make them on a computer or just use MP3

 

Never seen a CEX down south, but the ones in Huddersfield, Leeds and Wakefield were crap. Half the stuff it's a wonder they could sell it at all.

 

Exactly. I would've expected them to keep some presence in the area. When the first round of closures were announced I was surprised both were kept open, and now I'm surprised both are being closed.

 

Most of the stuff in the local ones here is decent enough, though I guess it's always likely there will be a lot of the same things.

Cheap games is good. Cheap TV series are good when you can't see a lot of them on TV and internet watching wastes usage and isn't as comfortable.
I got my dad a Marx Brother box-set and all of The Thick of It for not very much at all.
Not to mention you can get most Trilogies and TV shows there I've found, and it's a good place to get rid of old stuff you no longer want (even if you get about £3.50 for most of it )

 

The Gloucester branch had a sign up last week saying it was staying open. Most odd.

 

Yep, the Cheltenham branch seemed a lot healthier today when I popped in. No sign of any imminent closure. Good news.

 

I will admit that my motivation for seeing the Cheltenham branch stay open isn't so that I can actually purchase items. I would do that online. No, I have Monday lunchtimes earmarked as 'errand hour'. If I have to pick up anything in town during the working week I try to do it on a Monday (I only work ten minutes walk from the High Street). Whilst I'm there I like to pop into HMV and check out the artwork on the latest DVD / BR releases.

 

People who do that are why they are in trouble...

 

Seems that HMV wants to focus on selling CDs and DVDs primarily, yet wasn't that the area where they were losing out in the first place and has caused them to go into administration?

Digital music is the future, not CDs.