Fopp

For some reason, the music playing in Fopp is really great. I’ve discovered 2 new bands this way! I’ve paid two visits in recent times, to Byres road and to Union Street. I love Fopp for their reasonable prices, great selection of books and obscure CDs you wouldn’t really find anywhere else.
There was a dog on my visit which was great and we made friends.
I also got two books for a fiver. You can’t even get that in a charity shop…
The staff are friendly, it’s a good atmosphere and they let dogs in, which is bloody great!

I kind of love Fopp but then part of me remembers the good old days when they had WAY more books and that makes me a little sad.
Nonetheless, I still go back to this Fopp for a quick browse every now and then. On Wednesday, I had some time to kill so decided to buy a couple of books. I visited here rather than Waterstones because Fopp is all about the bargain basement books — I managed to get 2 for £5 and they were actually books I’d wanted to read which was all the better. The books aren’t really presented all that nicely — they’re mostly laid in front of the counter which breaks my heart a little. Stand them up on a shelf, please!
Other than books, Fopp is all about the tunes and movies. I’ve well and truly moved into the digital age though, so I don’t really bother unless it’s special release or favourite band. It’s always worth a browse though and I find their prices are pretty decent.

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the expansive and super reasonably priced book range in Fopp, considering that it’s main area of expertise is film and music? I was pleasantly surprised by the selection and at £3 for paperbacks, that’s as close to secondhand prices that you’ll get. Whilst you can’t beat a good old bookshop browse, Fopp might just have what you’re after and at a bargain price.
Also, there’s an awesome jazz section and I was totally enamoured by the impressive documentary selection, the docu-​geek that I am. In fact, it’s all awesome, it’s all cheap and it makes for a good half hour browse. Sure, Fopp now operates as an independent part of the HMV group but, whilst it feels like HMV is pushing the blockbusters in my direction, Fopp’s definitely suggesting I try something different. — Which I like.
With just eight stores in the UK presently, I’m on board with Fopp. The blockbusters and the chart CDS are there, of course, but for something that started as a one-​man stall in Glasgow in 1981, it doesn’t feel a million miles away from its humble beginnings.

Ahh Fopp, never quite sure what to make of it these days… On one hand it does do very cheap CDs/​DVD and their selection is ok, but on the other hand it is just a mini «indie» version of HMV. Now this shouldn’t matter in the rating, but it’s always at the back of my mind when in Fopp, a bit like Innocent smoothies being owned by Coke…
Not having a CD player anymore I tend to only check the vinyl section, which over the last few years has gotten bigger and bigger, as vinyl has had a resurgence. Their pricing of vinyl is sometimes randomly whack though. New releases are okay, and some times have represses for a tenner which is nice, but some of their other «standard» LPs are priced at £30−35 for no apparent reason, not even rare or OOP ones?
Also anytime I’ve wanted to know stuff, it tend to be a «computer database says…» answer. For example I was looking for the white vinyl version of Factory Floor’s debut LP (which is amazing if you’re asking), upon asking if the version they had was white vinyl they didn’t know cause the computer didn’t specify one way or the other. 10mins later in Rubadub i had both the answer and the record… and a recommendation of another new record which I might like. Maybe this is why I don’t consider Fopp a «proper» record store, even though it sells records, a bit like… erm…HMV?
Anyway having said that, quite a few time Fopp has come to the rescue for a last minute (i.e desperate) bday or secret santa pressy for which it gets an extra star and I would have been sad to see it go. It may not be perfect for me, but for the vast majority it very much is.

Fopp. Where your wages magically disappear.
Slowly but surely getting itself back on track after the previous owners of HMV Group nearly ran it in to oblivion. They are now focusing again on what made them great, £5 albums, a quality vinyl section (stock is constantly getting better) and cheap books!
Miles better than scrolling through the iTunes budget section.
Even when you have no money you will find yourself buying something. I don’t know how that works but it does.

Good place to have a look at cds & dvds. IF your going to be hard pressed for time or just cant be bothered (if its xmass) with all the crouds in order to get to the hmv store in buchanan street.

It’s got a good selection for being quite a small store, the prices are good and it’s always a nice change from only HMV.

If you are looking for a place to spend money you shouldn’t be spending, Fopp is it. Outside of Amazon, this is the place where the mister and I buy a good deal of our DVDs – because they have good and sometimes esoteric gems for low prices. This particular Fopp is dead good, with a decent book selection as well as their wide DVD and CD offering. It’s just a touch cramped.
As a cheapskate, even I can’t resist buying stuff I’ve wanted for months or years but didn’t due to prohibitive cost. Today, I got a double-​album CD and a DVD for £9 total. Checking costs, the two would have run me $ 30 even at discounted US Amazon prices. Not bad for a day’s work, even with a Region 2 DVD (not that that matters, I do live here now…).

This place holds very fond memories for me as it was where i popped my Fopp cherry.
As part of the unfortunate population that grew up in Paisley, i would frequently commute into Glasgow for a dose of diversity and a visit to some alternative stores (yes, for Paisley Fopp is alternative!!). Being situated right next to Central station, this place was and still is ideally positioned for a quick visit.
With a fantastic selection of the usual CD’s, DVD’s and books all for prices ranging from £3 up to the usual rip off rates, Fopp was a forerunner is non stupid priced media.
Bless thee Fopp.

I have a huge collection of DVDs, I just love film but I love it even more when I’ve snapped it up for a bargain price. I find most of these bargains in Fopp. It’s great at Christmas time where you can get plenty of stocking fillers for about £3! I bought Elf for £3 last year and I watch it all the time, I just love it!
They also have a good selection of World Cinema and I managed to get the box set of Kielowski’s Three Colours Trilogy that I was studying in a Slavonic Studies class I took in second year. I’ve also managed to get a few bargains on Studio Ghibli films which never seem to be on offer anywhere else.
As well as DVD’s they have a good range of CD’s and books which are also pretty cheap.

While this incarnation of Fopp perhaps opened at the wrong time to quite become the all-​encompassing megastore it threatened to be, it remains a great resource in a particularly grim area of town.
Given alternatives in Union Street generally consist of scrapping, drinking in the Goose or both, Fopp represents the ideal place to kill time if you are waiting for a train in Central Station. The selection of CDs and DVDs is excellent and there is also a good range of t-​shirts. Spanning over three floors, even when it’s busy it rarely feels crowded.
Getting numbers in the door, however, has never been a problem for this shop, and the biggest battle remains getting people to spend as well as browse.

I love Fopp.
When it closed down, I was actually devastated. It was like a friend had moved abroad.
When it reopened, under HMV, I was at first delighted. but worried.
Ultimately, it is as if it never closed and business is as usual with a phenomenal array of CD’s, DVD’s and books at great prices.
Everything costs £5, £7 or £10 for e.g. rather than £4.99 or £8.97 so it makes it easier to keep track of how much you are spending (usually, lots).
They have good world cinema DVD’s, cheap CD’s and books and play great music in store.
It’s ideal for treating yourself on pay day or for killing time, just browsing.
An integral part of Glasgow for me.

For those of you who don’t know already, Fopp is a gem on the high street with affordable CDs, DVDs and books. For those of you already familiar; as Fopps go, this is a goodie.
It’s a large store and so it has a much wider selection than its smaller branches. They have a particularly big selection of DVDs from blockbusters to the obscure and some really decent books on offer.

Despite now being under the ever-​expanding HMV umbrella, Fopp has remained true to its roots and continues to be one of the best and most affordable record stores on the high street.
As one of the cheapest locations for DVDs and CDs, it’s worth a look for all popular titles. Fopp also has a great selection of books, which is fairly limited but, compared with HMV, a vast improvement. Their selection goes beyond the typical rock biographies and cult classics. Prices are amazing also, with several titles as low as £2−3. A couple of months back I picked up Trainspotting and Oliver Twist for £1 apiece! However don’t expect to find exactly what you’re looking for as stock varies week-​to-​week.
Union Street in particular is an excellent location, with 2 floors and a mezzanine dedicated to all types fo media. Brilliant selection, with bits and bobs such as posters, t-​shirts and headphones for all your impulse-​purchasing needs. Try to walk out of here empty handed — I dare you!

Back in the day I used to be a daily visitor to Fopp, as their selection of vinyl was second to none and nothing could beat having a good rake around.
Sadly, things have changed since then, but despite Fopp becoming somewhat like a slightly edgy version of Poundstretcher for the entertainment industry, you can’t fault their prices or selection. I don’t really buy CDs anymore, but for DVDs Fopp is excellent with a huge range going from the mainstream to the obscure.
A brilliant place for a browse.

Good place to look for those hard to find CD’s or books. Although not always found here I have to admit. A good vinyl selection is still to be found for the purists out there and they do have the best bargains on older CD’s possible.
Do not go in expecting to only buy one thing! You always come out with more!

An aladdin’s cave of mainly alternative, and some mainstream music. A big challenge is to leave without actually buying anything! It is cheap as chips, and with lots of CDs that you may have missed out first time around it’s a place to revisit on every payday!
As well as CDs, they have a fantastic selection of books and DVDs, again at very cheap prices compared with other high street retailers such as HMV and Zavvi.
It is much bigger that the Fopp strore on Byres Road, in the city’s west end (although that is great too) so it does have a very wide selection on offer. And the friendly and knowledgable staff are a bonus too!

Good choice, good staff, if you love music then this is the place for you.
You can find all sorts of treasures in here. Fab.

If you want something cheap, something weird or something harder to get then you should look here. Unlike most music shops this place seems to be run by people who actually like music.
Fantastic if your on a budget, Fantastic if your not!

One of only a few of the Fopp branches to survive the business going into administration in 2007, eight branches now operated by HMW have re-​opened.
Since it opened, and post the closure of Tower Records round the corner, I think this is the best music shop in Glasgow city centre; not only for general choice but the irresistible £5 wall, where a good selection (I don’t know how many but lets say about 100) of albums are available for a fiver.
I don’t mean bargain-​bin fodder either but perhaps the earlier albums of bands you only got into a couple of albums down the road, The White Stripes (?), or classic stuff everyone should have, Johnny Cash or Lou Reed.
They also have a similar stock and price approach to DVDs and books and you’ll pick up some random stuff for a couple of pounds.