HMV

I don’t mind going into HMV shops, most of the time there are quite a few good offers. However, the HMV shop in the St. James centre is somewhere I really do not like to go.
Unlike the HMV in Princes Street, this one is very small and I mean very small. The isles are all bunched up so two people struggle to get past! You are squeezed in like a pack of sardines when it is busy! Indeed, the stock is very limited, all it seems to sell is what is on offer! Different sections of the shop are all blurred into one big collage.
So if you want a wide range of CD’s, DVD’s and books to look at then I would pop along to the bigger branch along the street!

I will always be a fan of HMV, and I love buying CD’s and DVD’s. While most people nowadays buy their music off of iTunes, I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know what it is… but I don’t like the idea of paying for something when you don’t actually have a physical purchase. For me, CDs are just as good as buying a new outfit and I love looking through album artwork, it just seems like a cop out to just have the MP3 version and the prices of some CD’s in HMV are so cheap that it can work out cheaper than buying it off of iTunes… I’ve bought tonnes of CD’s for as little as £3!
As other reviewers have mentioned, this branch of HMV is small, so the selection isn’t the best but if it’s new releases that you’re looking for then you’ll find them here.
Tip: If you’re looking for bargain CD’s or DVD’s then why not go on the HMV website? I love a bit of internet shopping and the stock on the website is nearly always cheaper than it is in HMV stores, PLUS, you get free UK delivery! Great at Christmas time when you can’t find the time to go shopping, just get your shopping list delivered to your door.

Whilst I’d love to win a Supermarket Sweep in the main HMV, I wouldn’t thank you for three minutes of free shopping in this branch. The square footage is much smaller than the flagship store on Princes Street and as a result, they tend to stock the most mainstream and chart friendly CDs and DVDs.
We’re talking radio friendly pop, rock, soul, R&B, jazz, folk, world music and country and very little in terms of more imaginative genres like psyche-​rock, 60s pop, free jazz, americana, psyche-​folk, drone or grime. The DVDs are equally disappointing with blockbuster dramas, thrillers and rom-​coms taking centre stage next to Disney cartoons and Bourne Supremacy box-​sets.
Where are Woody Allen and Jim Jarmusch when you need them, eh?

Not being a regular shopper at this store I am generally shocked and disappointed when I come in to buy occasional last minute birthday/​Christmas presents. Everything seems to be incredibly expensive; I do usually buy things online and i know they can’t compete with those prices, but still, over £10 for a DVD seems incredibly steep to me. I find the selection of stock on display generally uninspiring and I can never be bothered trawling through the alphabetised CDs and films: if I knew what I wanted to buy, I’d get it on the internet for half the price. All in all, not a great place to shop.