FYE Dropping Prices?

Neither of the FYE's in Huntsville had a sale like this. It would be nice. FYE and Best Buy are the only good places to find some decent heavy metal around here.

So I was in the local FYE this weekend for the first time in I-dunno-how-long and I immediately noticed that their music section is rapidly shrinking. The place looks more like a Spencer's Gifts with all their pop-culture tchotchkies and t-shirts. Which I guess makes sense because Spencer's is more like a head/sex shop these days.

And what few cds they still keep in stock are still outrageously over-priced. $17.99 for a 5-year old release? Even new releases on-sale seemed high. I imagine they'll be the next retailer to ditch cds sales (dvds too) altogether in the next few years and concentrate on the Funko POP collectibles market.

I don't figure too many folks here venture into FYE's anymore, but I thought it was interesting to see how their focus on music has shifted.

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So I was in the local FYE this weekend for the first time in I-dunno-how-long and I immediately noticed that their music section is rapidly shrinking. The place looks more like a Spencer's Gifts with all their pop-culture tchotchkies and t-shirts.

That's the exact same tactic that Hastings stores tried... less emphasis on the old "record and video store" vibe, more "destination for comics, Funko Pop figures, t-shirts and other pop culture junk."

...of course, we all know how well that worked out for Hastings.

Fat Freddy wrote:

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So I was in the local FYE this weekend for the first time in I-dunno-how-long and I immediately noticed that their music section is rapidly shrinking. The place looks more like a Spencer's Gifts with all their pop-culture tchotchkies and t-shirts.

That's the exact same tactic that Hastings stores tried... less emphasis on the old "record and video store" vibe, more "destination for comics, Funko Pop figures, t-shirts and other pop culture junk."

...of course, we all know how well that worked out for Hastings.

Moviestop, Target, and Best Buy as well.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Moviestop, Target, and Best Buy as well.

Speaking of Best Buy... I'm told that they're currently taking something like 15% or 20% off whatever CDs are left in their stores to blow them all out before their July 1st "no more CDs in our stores" deadline, but I haven't had time to stop in there and pick thru whatever flotsam may be left.

They're going to have to knock a lot more off the price than that for me to go to the trouble of picking through the pitiful selection my Best Buy has remaining.  If I find out they get to 50% off I might make the effort.

FYE in our mall is like that too. But they have expanded the vinyl section. They actually have more records than CD's now! It was like I was in 1983!

There are two FYE's close to me and both absolutely blow. The one in the mall in Warwick is almost nothing but candy, Funko Pops, and clothing. The way they organize their racks is terrible (weird stand up ones where the alphabet seems more like a suggestion to follow rather then a rule) and the staff is pretty much disinterested in you until checkout. The one in the Emerald Mall in Attleboro is even worse. Rude staff, the same Taylor Swift song playing over and over again, and absolutely terrible selection of Metal, Unfortunately, since physical CD's are not an important seller and vinyl is moving still, most chain music stores are selling the pop-culture tchotchkies as MG pointed out.

  In fact, even the Spencers in the same mall is looking rough, and 2 have recently closed nearby. I actually popped in to that store a while back as they advertised "exclusive Metallica" shirts; but of course they were way overpriced and not really all that exclusive. I was very surprised how much theses stores have turned into sex shops. Maybe it's b/c I am a 44 year old father (of a girl) now, but there are 12 year olds flipping through posters of naked chicks.
Anywhoo, back to the music. I have always been a fan of a local New England chain called Newbury Comics (so named for the street in Boston where the first store opened 40 years ago) as they have always had a friendly and knowledgeable staff and a really cool vibe combined with selection and good prices. I work for the largest sporting goods retailer in the world so I am not a big proponent of online sales, but the last 2 years I have found myself buying most of my music online. This morning I bought the new Michael Schenker Fest CD/DVD combo with a signed poster brand new for less than $20 shipped. I already have an auto of the mad axeman but I figured I was going to buy this anyway, and if I did, it would cost me at least $24.99 plus tax at the mall. I know the brick and mortar chains can't match the online prices of Ebay and Amazon, but there is no attempt being made. In fact, the big retailers as we mentioned before are just simply giving up and doing away with CD's all together.

  There is a small independent shop in Providence which carries nothing but Metal for the most part (even though most of it is stuff I don't listen to and has band logos I can't make out) I recently found and have been finding an excellent selection of old school genres at great prices. I wonder if this stand alone shop can have new vinyl release from $15 -$22, why can't the bigger stores (FYE/ Newbury) have the same prices? Case in point: Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls" vinyl is $17.99 at Armageddon Shop and $30 at Newbury and $35 at FYE. Same exact record pressing.

  Sorry for the long post, but this is a subject that is near to my heart. I get it that pop culture sells, but how many people are still buying GoT merch and Bob's Burgers stuff?

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how many people are still buying GoT merch and Bob's Burgers stuff?

Not enough to keep an entire store chain afloat. Just ask Hastings.

mikeinfla wrote:

FYE in our mall is like that too. But they have expanded the vinyl section. They actually have more records than CD's now! It was like I was in 1983!

I saw some vinyl at the store I was in but it didn't like a huge selection. And it seemed horrifically over-priced as usual. $34.99 for this...?

I promise not to go on another rant, but yeah, there is vinyl at both of the FYE stores I spoke of above and both have kind of meh selection and prices. Also, the Newbury Comics chain I mentioned has about 2 dozen locations' all have vinyl, but only a handful actually carry used vinyl.

Fat Freddy wrote:

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how many people are still buying GoT merch and Bob's Burgers stuff?

Not enough to keep an entire store chain afloat. Just ask Hastings.

True dat, Keith! I think you need the pop culture stuff to sell well in addition to your bread and butter merchandise. Unless a band or artist comes along and it's a phenomenon akin to the Beatles in the 1960's, then I don't see compact discs make any sort of comeback.

On a related note, is anyone actually buying new releases on cassette? In the past year or so I have bought about a hundred cassettes online and in thrift shops, comic stores, music stores, etc. but they have all been either used or "new" old stock. Plus, I am only paying $1-$5 most of the time versus about $18+ for a new release. The only new release I have purchased is the re release of the Garage Days EP. I know it's kind of the same as vinyl a few years back where there is only so many plants producing new tapes, so I will wait it out to see if CD's disappear completely and the prices come down a bit.

The last record album I bought at FYE was Jimi Hendrix "Freedom The Atlanta Pop Festival". I don't quite remember the price, maybe it was $29.99. I had no plans of buying it there, I was going to order from Amazon. Then I noticed it was a numbered edition. It was # 5000 out of 5000. The last one! That's like getting #1! So that is why I bought it there. Before that I preordered Styx Equinox on vinyl for 21.99 but ever since I only order vinyl from Amazon because it's cheaper.

the sentinel wrote:

On a related note, is anyone actually buying new releases on cassette?

No. Please stop doing that. Don't encourage them. It's a format that should die a slow and painful death and the parts scattered and burned so there is no chance for resurrection.

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I don't see compact discs make any sort of comeback

The next generation after hipsters get old and cranky will find the compact disc format kitschy and collect them in an "ironic" way, whatever the f**k that means.

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On a related note, is anyone actually buying new releases on cassette?

I haven't bought a cassette since 1992 or '93, I've been all-CDs-all-the-time since then.

The only tape player I still own is a small radio/tape/CD boom box that I used to keep on my desk at my last job. When I changed offices I brought that home and my 10 year old son asked if he could keep it, so I gave it to him along with my last two dozen or so remaining tapes.

Every once in awhile I walk past his room and hear some vintage AC/DC or Ozzy playing so I know they're still getting some play.

I'll sometimes buy old cassettes at thrift stores, but only if they're a dollar or less. Of course, even finding rock tapes at the thrifts around here is rare since most of what's in the bins are 60s-70s soft rock, Christmas albums, or religious tapes (and I dont mean Christian rock either).

wow this is an old ass thread lol. My FYE turned to garbage as well. The music section is really small. and the stuff on sale is still over priced even used stuff. Records as well. They have a clearance section and its just all way over priced. Actually now since they are trying to get rid of music they just filled the store with so much junk. So much so that you can't walk in the store anymore. It wasn't like that before. Newbury Comics just moved in maybe last year and they sell exactly the same stuff.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Moviestop, Target, and Best Buy as well.

Speaking of Best Buy... I'm told that they're currently taking something like 15% or 20% off whatever CDs are left in their stores to blow them all out before their July 1st "no more CDs in our stores" deadline, but I haven't had time to stop in there and pick thru whatever flotsam may be left.

Not the Best Buys here sadly.

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

wow this is an old ass thread lol. My FYE turned to garbage as well. The music section is really small. and the stuff on sale is still over priced even used stuff. Records as well. They have a clearance section and its just all way over priced. Actually now since they are trying to get rid of music they just filled the store with so much junk. So much so that you can't walk in the store anymore. It wasn't like that before. Newbury Comics just moved in maybe last year and they sell exactly the same stuff.

It seems as though Newbury Comics is moving all their stores into malls for more foot traffic and the chance to sell more pop culture ephemera. It's funny, I've been a customer of theirs since 1993 and it's always been more of a music store to me despite it's name. Even when I collected comic books (94-95) I never bought anything other than music there.

A number of years ago, FYE would run a sale that was buy 3 get 1 free (now they do a buy 2 get 1 for a buck) and I really struggled to find the free one; even when my collection was half it's size a decade ago, I had trouble. It seems as though they never do a percentage off sale, which to me, makes more sense. From a business perspective (and UPT), I know why they do it, but I just don't like it.

I remember those FYE sales. When I had one closer to me i'd be there all the time cause they always had good stuff. Some metal head must have gotten rid of his whole collection at one point I was finding a lot of rare stuff too but that all ended.

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

I remember those FYE sales. When I had one closer to me i'd be there all the time cause they always had good stuff. Some metal head must have gotten rid of his whole collection at one point I was finding a lot of rare stuff too but that all ended.

Yeah, it's cool when that happens. About a decade ago it happened in my little state (RI) at a bunch of different stores. I knew it was all the same guy (or girl, who knows) b/c all the discs had a loose leaf cut out with the song times written down and placed in the back corner under the tray. The ones I bought I left the paper in there as I thought it was pretty neat.

It happened again about 3 years ago where one person sold about 1000+ cd's and vinyl to one Newbury Comics location over the course of a month or so. I'm pretty friendly with the SM and the staff there and they told me he would come in every few days with a hundred or so discs each time and a stack of records. They bought everything and literally gave it it's own section titled "That Guy's Stuff." There were lots of rare titles (some I had, some I bought) that you just don't see in the used bins each day : Keel, Hericane Alice, Malice, Shotgun Messiah, Lizzy Borden. And a ton of the Rock Candy re masters like Rage, TKO. Heist, Helix, and a few other bands I had never even heard of. I wish it would happen again with some great titles on vinyl. Ha.

Lucky. Sadly, some cd stores wont even take used stuff if they've never heard of the band.

Hadley wrote:

Lucky. Sadly, some cd stores wont even take used stuff if they've never heard of the band.

They pay shit though for used stuff. When Walmart had all the AC/DC albums in the digi packs back when Black Ice was released, I figured I would get rid of my old copies and get all the digi's brand new. I had about 8 discs from them and a few Aerosmith I was moving to get up some cash for the box set. They (Newbury Comics) offered me $5 cash or $8 store credit for 11 discs. I get the fact that I had pretty common stuff for sale, but that's not even a buck a piece. amd they had those same cds in the bins for anywhere from $7-$11 bucks each. I realized then that the truly rare stuff on my want list (at that time) was not going to be found there; why would anyone come in and settle for a dollar or two for something that was fetching twenty plus on the bay? Sad but true.

I learned the hard way to check the 'net for prices of stuff you're thinking of getting rid of before selling them or trading them in.  Sadly I learned that by selling some hard to find Running Wild discs to someone here for a lot less than they were going for used on the internet at the time.  I looked them up after I'd already set a price so I decided I had to honor the price I'd set.

I wish I could remember who I sold them to so I could keep reminding them of it but sadly the old memory ain't what it used to be.

the last time i went inside a FYE was back in October of last year, to really tell you the truth, the CD section seemed to have stayed the same, though the variety is still kinda good, but hey, at least there i had come across a used copy of the Deluxe edition pressing for Deep Purple's Fireball, so that was a plus (that f*cker does not show up at all down there).

as far as Best Buy, i have not been into the one in Reno in a long time, i may be going their finally tomorrow to pop in and see what has come of the CD section. though i know Best Buy will still be selling their Vinyl when they purge their CD section for good. but if i want Vinyl, i'd go over to Recycled Records in Reno, where i'd have better time looking for titles that are more interesting and more worth my time.