Farewell HMV...

 Just over a week ago I went into HMV, fully intent on buying some DVDs (those that my nearest and dearest had failed to get me for Christmas, despite them having a very clear list, with preferences!) yet I walked out with nothing. Now HMV have gone into administration: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/15/hmv-administrators-4500-jobs-at-risk. In the words of that great philosophical character, ‘Oh great, now I have guilt!’ (Rex from Toy Story, in case that had you stumped).

Here’s the thing; I went in with two DVD titles in mind. First up, The Raid (2011, Gareth Evans), so I headed over to the foreign language section, friend in tow, ready to scan the various shelves in order to find it. But the first issue arose before we’d even got there: there were too many bloody people! Now, ok, it was sale time, and usually it’s not that busy, but, as someone who would not really class myself as a ‘people person’, well you can see the issue I had there. This did not stop when I reached the usually quiet and introvert friendly foreign film section – which due to its generally low footfall, is situated in a very narrow aisle – needless to say, claustrophobia ensued. Standing there, not being able to concentrate, because you know that both your exits are blocked – one by a couple so absorbed in their own search, that they haven’t even noticed you’re there and might want to leave, and on the other side by a guy whose crouched down on the floor looking at the titles on the lower shelves, not to mention the various crowds blocking all the other aisles on the way to the exit – by this point the blood pressure has started to rise.

But it was ok, this has been a relatively popular foreign film, so it’ll definitely be there, all this will be worth it… erm, well, no.

It was not there! With everything in alphabetical order, you’d think that finding what you needed would be simple, that is of course, if they have it in stock. So there we go, ten minutes of my life wasted already, pointlessly looking for a DVD that was never there. It ran through my mind that maybe it was over in the special offers/sale section, but to be honest, by this point I had lost the will to try (I was on a lunch break, time was short). 

Ok, on to the next one: The Expendables 2 (Simon West, 2012). This is ok, I know where this will be, only recently released, it’s going to be over in the DVD chart section. Result! That’s exactly where it was! Oh, wait, it’s £13.99, that’s a bit steep – after all, I’ve had to walk into the shop, find it myself, and then, imposition upon imposition, I have to take it over to the till point myself(!) to pay. But it’s ok, there’s a big sticker on the front declaring that it’s in the ‘2 for £20’ offer. Brilliant, I love a deal as much as the next person – even if it does mean buying something I wasn’t necessarily planning to (I’m such a sucker, I know!). This would’ve turned around my little shopping trip – that is if I could find another DVD with the same sticker on! Alas, there were none. Usually it’s a case of deciding which other DVD in the offer will suffice – as in, I don’t already own, and wouldn’t mind seeing, but no, this was the most redundant special offer sticker in the shop – unless I bought two copies of the same DVD, of course. 

So that was it, I walked out with nothing; annoyed, frustrated and dissatisfied with my shopping experience.

Here’s the problem, I think I’ve been ‘Amazoned’ as far as shopping for DVDs is concerned. HMV and other high-street retailers of DVDs, music etc. just don’t stand a chance when you compare the two shopping experiences. This isn’t like clothes shopping, where holding the garment, feeling the quality of the fabric, or trying the item on to check the fit are essential elements of the shopping experience. When buying a CD (if you’re still resisting the digital invasion) you’ve generally already heard a song or two, you know the band, and you know that that is the item you are going in to buy. It’s the same with a DVD, most, as I did, go in with a list of titles in mind that you’re willing to part with your money for – unless you’re just on the hunt for bargains, but again, actually seeing the physical product will have little impact upon these purchasing decisions. You don’t really need to see the product out on display, it won’t catch your eye and take you unawares (oh, I didn’t even know I wanted a pair of shoes like that, but seeing them in front of me, I do now. Just doesn’t quite have the same effect with a DVD) unless, as had already been said, it’s a major bargain. 

This is the major flaw with high-street retailers as compared to those online. When online, all I have to do is type in the name of the title that I want, hit ‘search’ and there it is; all formats, all the prices, editions etc. No searching, pushing through the crowds, having to crouch down to rummage through the lower shelves, basically no stress! Oh, but wait, what about the personal touch, the member of staff who can point you in the right direction for a present for someone whose tastes are well out of your comfort zone? Well, first of all, good luck if you can actually find someone – they seem to only man the tills these days. But this is also another area where online retail can excel; type in the name of a DVD that you know they already own and it will give you a number of examples, without prompting, of similar titles, or a ‘customers who bought this, also bought’ section. Everything is right there, at your fingers, in the comfort of your own home.

It’s a shame, because it’s another one of our high-street shops falling by the wayside – not in the least for those who will unfortunately lose their jobs as a result. But it just seems that as far as the retail experience goes buying films, music and books is one of those that makes more sense when done online. One just can’t compare to the other – well, at least for one as anti-socially inclined as myself anyway.