HMV

This store is situated in the manchester arndale centre
is newly opened .
it doesn’t take any pushing for me to go and look around and
christmas is another good excuse,.
inside there are two floors downstairs as dvd/​blue ray
and upstairs as games and more films.
They have a range of films starting from £2.99
childrens disney films were at around £7 each and they had a large
range of things from the new disney frozen film
or sing a long books from £3.
They also sell some cool t shirts altought a bit pricey if it
had the logo on i wanted then i would buy it.
couldnt find the film i was looking for so the nice chap was
very helpful in showing me where to find it.

HMV is a bit of a meh point for me. Yes, I know, my love of Fopp is always going to get in the way of ever committing my time to HMV properly — I’m not the kinda girl to become embroiled into a DVD based affair — but really this HMV seems to be a success purely due to location.
First off, why have the music SO DAMN LOUD? We know you sell music, so move on. On that note, why always have boring chart music blasting out? Why not educate the masses in the ways of jazz, country, or folk? I know, because it’s music for the masses. Yawn. I ventured into HMV for literally the second time during my four years in Manchester for their blu-​ray selection which is vaster than that of Fopp. I headed straight upstairs to the correct section, found my blu-​ray, and was ready to walk straight back outta there. However, their pricing of series and seasons caught my eye — both seasons of the BBC hit Sherlock for £10? The Lord of the Rings trilogy for £12? Idiot Abroad 1&2 for £10? If Christmas wasn’t around the corner I would’ve bought more than my fair share of these.
I was ID’d for an 18 rated film, of which I attempted to make a joke, but the till man didn’t see anything funny about it. Ho hum. You can’t always get the service.

Brilliant shop down Market street. Always blaring out music to persuade you into the shop and I have spent many an hour just looking at the huge variety of genres available and huge amount of CDs instore.
Prices start from about £8 for a chart album up to £40 to the games for the new consoles available. The store is split into two large floors with the entire bottom floor based on music and the upper floor for games/​DVDs.
Definitely worth a visit.

I have never been in this HMV when there hasn’t been a swarm of people surround it and actually in it. It seems to be a popular meeting place for folk out front. There is usually always music blaring out into Market St as if to shout «come and join the party!». But the only party aspect of this store is the amount of people inside. Not that this is a bad thing of course, the business is booming… like the music.
Anyway, there is pretty much some sort of sale on all the time, DVD’s for £3, CD’s 2 for a tenner and they have a big selection to choose from. I tend to find that what I want isn’t in the sale and usually about a fiver dearer than on Amazon but I end up buying loads of rubbish anyway. But speaking of Amazon, I find it so much easier to buy this type of thing on the internet because you can search exactly what you want within seconds without having to fight with folk and queue up forever and a day.
Now on the other hand some people love the hustle and bustle of shopping in big packed stores searching and searching through what they may not need or want and this giant of a store would be perfect for them. But when you want perhaps a CD that you don’t know what category it comes under and you can think of better ways to spend your time then I would revert back to the internet.
My most recent visit was to find if This is England 88 was out on DVD, not only did I not find it I couldn’t find out whether it had been released or not yet and how much it would or wouldn’t be. A couple of clicks and i find it will be released on 5^th March for £11.99. But I did end up buying 6 other DVD’s. But what I did notice was there was a new phone section run by Orange in the middle of the shop and it seemed to have taken too much room out of the shop for the usual stuff. There was also a car boot style root through box section from the phones to the tills. Not a good look.

It’s a difficult one for me this, on the one hand it is the Best HMV branch for many a mile. On the other hand it could be so much more…
The problem for me isn’t the music side of things, it’s everything else that they have decided to sell. Things which will eventually bring about it’s down fall.
I have nothing against stocking films and games and books and headphones and cuddly toys and a hostess trolley (ask your parents). But keep them to a minimum and let the music do the singing :)
Market St has three floors and only one and a bit are being used to stock music. Am I wrong in thinking that this is odd for what is supposed to be a music shop?
As I said, it is still the best HMV around but nowadays it’s somewhere that i pop into, rather than it being an essential stop off between Waterstones and The Northern Quater.
Oh, and don’t get me started on the prices :)

A HMV is a HMV is a HMV.
You know exactly what it’s going to be like as soon as you walk in.
That is, slightly too loud in-​house PA, shelf after shelf after shelf of CDs, mostly rubbish.
T-​shirts in tubes, books, films, computer games, escalators, disaffected staff in polo shirts depressed to the point of tablets because people keep asking for Mike and the Mechanics ‘Best Ofs’ and albums in the sale at prices that seem like non-​sale prices.
«£8 for a Primal Scream album? In a sale?»
«You’re kiddin’ right?»
Of course, that’s not to say that HMV is a relentless cloud of misery. Because it’s so familiar, all these things become background noise.
It’s not so much a temple of pop-​culture, but rather, akin to going to Asda. This makes the music you buy feel like an equivalent of Value Baked Beans, but y’know, there’s nothing wrong with cheap beans if you think about it.

I used to work in this enormous HMV, and I think I ended up spending more on books, DVDs, CDs and vinyl than I was actually earning! Mind you, you can hardly blame me; although the prices can be a little on the high side, I think this huge shop has the best selection of music, games and films in Manchester!
The shop has one huge floor dedicated to music, another for DVDs and one for games. Sadly, though, the snazzy new games floor has come at the expense of bringing all the easy listening, classical, folk, soundtracks and rock ‘n’ roll upstairs with rock and pop. A wise move financially, perhaps. But I miss browsing while listening to the Ronettes, Chiffons and the Shangri-La’s!
Now, I suppose I’m a little biased, but, aside from the huge range of titles available, one of the other good things about this place is the staff. Always friendly and knowledgeable, they’re happy to help you find what you’re looking for and to make recommendations. There’s an ordering service if you can’t find what you need, too. Although I have no idea why someone would use it when they have the Internet!

I remember panicking like mad in my first year at uni after deciding to write an essay based on the film Goodbye Lenin. Unfortunately I’d left it until the last minute so couldn’t order it online, didn’t know any friends who owned the DVD and couldn’t find it in the HMV on Market Street or in Virgin (later Zavvi and now HMV). AAGH. Luckily this big HMV came to my rescue and I purchased a copy for £20. Hello Lenin! Nowadays I’m sure I could pick up a copy in any shop and probably get it in Fopp for under a fiver, but that’s not the point.
This HMV has the widest range of CDs and DVDs in town including a decent enough metal section and a completely separate classical music section where classicists can listen to Bach as opposed to Biffy Clyro. I’ve picked up a few 5 CD classical compilations for my Grandad here, which are good value and make good presents for the oldies. Personally I tend to buy my music online (though the only song I have downloaded is RATM’s Christmas number 1… CDs are not dead!), but I have made a few spur of the moment purchases in this store, mainly taking advantage the 2 for £10 CDs which span a range of genres.

HMV is hu mongous, you could easily get lost in here. Have a root around and chances are you can find any bit of media from the past 20 years, I’ve lost memory of when you turn up and search for a title you could hardly ifnd on amazon let alone tangible and in front of you.
All this must be taken with a pinch of salt tho, even tho HMV can tend to every whim of abstract music you could think of it ain’t the cheapest.
If you were to head around the corner to the fop I’m sure you could pick up more elusive titles for less money. Have a gander tho, HMV has a small countries worth of DVDs, CDs and vinyl’s etc.

If you definitely want to give someone a CD or DVD for a present, look (and walk) no further than HMV in Market Street, next to Holland & Barret and o2 shop. And if you are prepared to spend a little fortune on your own music and cinema needs, look and walk no further than HMV in Market Street, full stop.
I love classical music, so the lower ground floor is the first destination for me, where you can find, say, the works of Antonio Caldara, a long-​forgotten 17^th c. composer.
And then I love Cinema, and once I find myself on the Cinema floor, it will take something to drag me out of there. There will be films I’ve seen, and naturally recollection will flow their way. There will be films that I must see, and I’ll be thinking if or not I can afford buying a Pedro Almodovar collection now. And there will be films that I WOULD LIKE to see, judging by what I know about the director, some of the actors, the subject, or whatever else. In short, once I’m in the Cinema section, I’m lost, literally and figuratively.
I’m not a games fan, so I cannot comment of their selection, but apparently it is good. I will wholeheartedly agree about the staff, however: they are indeed very helpful and attentive. It is no wonder that this particular HMV store attracts so many visitors and good commentary.

I can’t really see why that many people are going to be shopping at HMV anymore, or any physical music shop for that matter. I suppose the act of physically purchasing the CD is comforting, but its:
a) more expensive
b) more time consuming
c) a lot less cool (possibly the most important reason of all)
The internet renders the whole music shop moot, because to be able to compete with the likes of iTunes you’d have to have premises as large as the Arndale. Everything else they sell is far too expensive and can be bought for cheaper elsewhere.

I don’t think anyone would be surprised to find out that this HMV is reassuringly similar to the other HMV that sits barely a hundred yards away in the Arndale centre.
There’s the same monumental selection of CDs, DVDs and games all at ok-​ish prices. By comparing prices online you’re always likely to be able to find a cheaper option, but browsing physical CDs still has its charm. Certainly for me at least.
There’s often some kind of god awful busker outside this HMV harassing the ears of those shoppers on Market Street. I bet HMV does quite well from people actually wanting to hear and buy some music that’s actually any good.

There are two HMVs in Manchester’s absolute centre, both within strangely close proximity of one another, and another further into the Arndale Centre that’s replaced victim-​of-​the-​recession Zavvi. I will always recommend the largest because not only does it have a vast music collection including vinyl, it has a superbly gargantuan DVD collection as well as a fantabulous gaming section. Yeah, I’ve bought Sims expansion packs here. I’m a girly gamer and not ashamed of it, no siree. But I managed to snag a Wii on some kind of amazing super-​duper deal HMV had going last year whereby I managed to get games and accessories in the bundle or something like that. There’s nothing more fun than a drunken Wii tournament. I challenge you.
I’ve always loved this HMV because you can find the slightly obscure and off-​the-​wall through its doors. For example my father always used to pop in here when searching for rare Zappa stuff. As well as this, the downstairs has a completely separate section, walled off with glass, for classical music. Walking in there is like entering a different shop, with its calm ambience and quiet background music.
Also selling computer accessories, headphones and docking systems as well as much more, this HMV caters to everybody’s tastes and I’d recommend it above all others in Manchester. Plus I love a company with a cute dog for a logo. It’s the only reason I still wear Hush Puppies.

Blood
Sex
Death
Religion
Redemption
Transgression
Violence
Beer
Wit
& pecan pie
Popped into HMV earlier with the sole intention of buying my dad the Clint Eastwood boxset he’s been after and somehow found myself leaving with the 1^st series of True Blood! It was reasonably priced, the staff were friendly and I found myself planning to go back and take a proper look at their extensive TV drama and world cinema DVDs.
As for True Blood, that southern charm works every time…

Same old format same old shit. And since the opening of Liverpool’s flagship L1 store last year Manchester’s biggest effort is starting to feel rather creaky.
Though there is tons of choice and lots of admittedly fantastic offers on DVDs Cds and games, the samey feel of those matt black walls and black shelves with their little monochrome, alphabetized name tags really makes you feel like any attempt at rooting out a gem is futile as you’ve probably seen it, heard it or played and completed it.

This store is the hub of browsing the latest video and music delights the world has to offer. It’s been my regular entertainment store since I was a toddler, it’s got a massive range of stock that can keep you browsing from day till dawn. I especially like the hands on features of playing the latest games through standing console machines, playing vinyl’s on the decks and having a quick listen to the latest charts through the provided headphone docks.
Anything you want will be in stock here, if not they can pre-​order it from other branches and get hold of it in about three days. The CD and DVD deals is what I like best such as the 3 for £10 offer is an absolute bargain.

Probably the best HMV store i have visited.
The collection here is huge!

This is a massive branch of HMV situated in the very core of where the shops and likewise shoppers are.
It takes up three floors and stocks everything you’d ever imagine a store of this type to stock.
It’s well organised, well sign posted (believe me you’d easily get lost without this!) tidy, lit right for teh correct atmosphere and there is always an abundance of available staff more then willing to help you in any way they can.
The prices are competitive but wait for the sales as they often slash the prices by up to 70% and you can fill your basket with bargains.
My only gripe about this store is that when they play music it is often at an unacceptable level that can really put you off browsing and on occasion even put you off entering the store.

Ok, so this is a high street store, but due to internet competition, the prices are getting silly! When these guys have a sale its 70% off, Cds from as little as £1.99 and Dvds from £2.99! This store on market street is huge and spread over 3 floors! The ground floor is full of CDs and a section at the back for books and merchandise. The basement is purely folk, blues, jazz and classical and the top floor is DVDs and games! If you’re like me and love your entertainment, you’ll get lost looking through everything! The staff are very helpful and will always assist you to find what youre looking for.