Entertainment

Don't worry, HMV Canada is ok.

  • Last Updated:
  • Apr 11th, 2013 2:52 pm
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Newbie
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Oct 13, 2012
62 posts
12 upvotes
Quebec
I didn't mind HMV in Quebec because aside from the Internet, this is where CDs are the cheapest, and by far. At Archambault, a CD that usually costs $10-15 at HMV (like Iron Maiden) will cost $18.99-21.99. Walmart isn't that much better and they don't carry all kind of music. Future Shop/Best Buy selection is just terrible.

However, since the past months, HMV never have what you want in stock and it takes them 3-4 months before restocking their shelves. In most cases, you have to order your album, else they won't bother getting it in stock. Their selection is just getting worse and worse, which seems like a sign that they are slowly dying.
Electronic musician since 2002
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Deal Guru
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Mar 12, 2005
11677 posts
3489 upvotes
Victoria
I find selection at the local future shop/walmart/best buy is also getting pretty bad. They'll always the latest and greatest, but trying to find something older is like finding a needle on a hay stack. Walmart might have it, but not on the shelf, go rummage through the bargain bins. FS/BB has poor selection too, but they also use under 10 dollar displays, under 5 dollar displays, so even if they did have it, its probably not somewhere you'd easily find it.

I think online is becoming the only way to find music/movies, because the in store selection is getting so small.
Deal Expert
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Jun 27, 2004
15215 posts
4405 upvotes
Vancouver.bc.ca
The same company that bought HMV Canada just bought HMV UK. Seems they're holding their own in Canada, or why bother buying the UK arm?

Having said that, I haven't gone to HMV since they closed the downtown Vancouver store. That was the only one here with a decent selection.
Newbie
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Sep 10, 2011
70 posts
1 upvote
ETOBICOKE
I always had either rude and/or unknowledgable customer service @ HMV.

Its been so long since I actually even stepped foot in one.
Back in the days they were at the top of their game when it came to new releases, games, hard to find cd's/dvd's, etc.

But now you will see more and more people shopping online instead. That or going to smaller mom and pop used record shops where they can find the more obscure items for more reasonable prices.
Sr. Member
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Nov 29, 2011
977 posts
354 upvotes
Milton
The main problem with HMV is that their only competitive pricing is on their "sales" (ie 2 for $30).

Back in the age of physical media like 10 years ago, the problem was using pop to subsidize non-new releases. You'd go in an Britney Spears' newest album would be $9.99 while Tool's Aenima (then only 3-4 years old) would be $25. If you wanted anything other than pop, you had to buy it right away when you could get it for $15 otherwise it'd go up to $20-25 a few months later.

That's when I moved to online. Unfortunately even that went to crap because of duty and shipping. I used to often be able to order from companies in the UK or US for cheaper than Canadian counterparts, but the duty (and unpredictable nature of it) killed that, around 2007-08 is when it really became affected. Upside is, I buy much less stuff because I refuse to get ripped off for it.
Deal Addict
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Dec 13, 2002
2939 posts
580 upvotes
Ottomaddox wrote: People are still buying cds, dvds, bluray and games. The difference these days is that you need to embrace the internet culture to drive sales to your b&m (and online) stores. oh, and IB 'physical media is dead'.
TLDNR@bottom

I usually go in HMV exactly twice a year - once in the week before Christmas and once during Boxing Week.

Last December, I was browsing a friend's massive music collection on his media centre (over a thousand CDs ripped to FLAC) and I noticed that although he had lots of classic rock, he had nothing by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Later, looking on Amazon, I saw the remastered & expanded version of their first album, "(Pronounced 'L?h-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)" and thought it would make a nice surprise gift.

I went to HMV.ca, found the album there, and saw that it was currently unavailable to be ordered online. I wanted to pick it up locally anyhow so using the 'check availability' button I found it claimed to be in stock at my nearest store location. Nice! I placed an online reservation for it and the next day received an email that it was picked and waiting for me at their front counter. Very nice! Hours later, I was on my way to the mall when I received a follow-up email apologizing saying they'd just realized it was the "basic" version and they couldn't find the remastered version despite their computer saying they should have it. Groan... that's just sloppy (doubly so).

I checked FS and BB but they didn't have it and looking online again, the nearest HMV location claiming it was in stock was 30km away.

A few days later, while out shopping for something else I realized I was near that HMV so dropped in, hoping the CD would still be in stock. I went to the "L" section and found exactly one copy of every LS album.. *except* for the one I wanted. I checked online and it still showed '1' so I then asked a clerk if their in-store system showed the same - it did. After explaining the situation, staff reluctantly checked through the under-rack overstock for me, but it wasn't there. "If it says '1', good luck with that", they said cheerfully. They then directed me to a table of over a probably 200 miscellaneous CDs waiting to be re-filed in their correct homes, saying "If it's not there, we don't have it". 4 or 5 minutes later, I'd confirmed it wasn't there.

I went back to the "L"s and went through the entire section hoping it had been misfiled by a sloppy customer. Another staff member (who'd been helping another nearby customer earlier) came by, pulled a face and snarkily said, "Still here?". My reply: "If I find it, will I get a discount for time wasted?". They laughed and headed to the cash area to do something else.

A few minutes later, still empty-handed, I found the same staff member, who now happened to be next to who I believe was the manager, and I said:
me: "Just letting you know... I found the CD and just bought it!".
HMV clerk: "Great! Where did you find it?"
me: "On Amazon.com"
me... walks out of store
I didn't tell them that even with shipping, it cost me $8 less on Amazon than I would have paid in store at HMV, if they'd had it. And I knew this ahead of time and was still prepared to pay. It must be depressing for HMV employees to know their jobs are on borrowed time..

Yes, it's nice to browse the racks of CDs and find that CD or 2 you'd always said you were going to get but never did, and it's nice to catch a CD on special every now and again, and sure, you might hear a track playing on the store sound system, like it and ask a staff member "What is this?" and buy it (I've done this many times over the years), but music retailers with a physical store presence like HMV did not adapt to changing times in the way I thought they would and should (they just added websites and increased the DVD floorspace). As they're seemingly unwilling to consider new possibilities of music delivery and promotion, I see no reason for them to exist.

TLDNR:
- HMV.ca has "check store stock" option and "reserve in store option", which would be great if store employees didnt' mess up the pick-up and/or could actually locate the copy their stock system says they should have.
- Store staff at another location seemed incredulous that I expected a system stock count of "1" to actually be physically present.
- Product NOT in stock at any of the 7 stores within 30km of me
- Amazon price inc. shipping was $8 cheaper than HMV in store.
- bye bye HMV retail stores in the not too distant future unless they're willing to be creative and offer a whole new music store experience.
Deal Fanatic
Sep 6, 2007
6706 posts
2352 upvotes
Only reason I've walked into HMV this year is to blow a $50 GC I got for Christmas. My first purchase was Finding Nemo on BR which was priced equally with everyone else at $24.99 (at the time of release). The second was yesterday for Jurassic Park on BR. When it scanned, it was $29.99 (so were the two sequels) which is $5 more than retail. Luckily the sticker said $24.99 and I blew the rest of the GC.

HMV's prices are consistently higher (sometimes ridiculously) than its competitors. If/when that ship sinks, I don't think many people are gonna miss them. As many people have noted above, they're lagging behind the competition in product, price and customer service.
Deal Addict
May 3, 2008
4442 posts
248 upvotes
Eugh frustrates me to no wits end when a new album comes out even when it's by a Canadian band and they only have it in stock in a store here and there. They might have 10 of it in stock at a store in the city beside yours but none in any store in your city. Plus the online stock thing is soooooo inaccurate.

I'd recommend BeatGoesOn and similar places for CDs.

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