Jessops gone. Who's next?

High Street shops need to re-think their opening hours. 9-5.30 doesn't suit the majority.

Intermanaut wrote (see)

 If I want superb audio quality, then I buy vinyl.

You're a lucky chap/chapess if you can get all the music you like on vinyl.
Unfortunately most of the bands / artists I'm into don't release on vinyl so I buy the next best, uncompressed option, CD.

Yes I also want superb audio quality and mp3 doesn't have it.

I'm old school.
Plenty of comments about how easy it is to download music (and books) these days, and nobody needs it on CD. I'll agree that downloading is the simple way, but what if you don't know what you want?
The beauty of record shops (and book shops) back in the day was that you could have a browse, and often you actually spoke, face to face, with other like minded people who would give you a tip off. In some shops the retailer would also let you have a listen either privately or over the stores airwaves (and were always 'musos' who knew their onions) 
Thus your music (and literal) tastes widened and you walked out with something you didn't know you wanted. I agree that the street retailer is more expensive, but thats a price I'd pay for a bit more in the way of service.
When we go shopping the wife and girls go off to wherever, and I oscillate between HMV and Waterstones. "Why don't you get it on amazon" they ask, the answer is obvious, "I don't know what I want"

Not knowing what you want or exposure to new things is the beauty of online media. Install something like Spotify, or even browse Youtube and you have free access to thousands of tracks and artists. You can discover music from any genre all at the click of a button. Unlike a retailer who in terms of HMV have staff with little to no knowledge of the media they sell and will only ever recommend things they have heard about.

You want a book, search the subject. Most book retailers have a view before you buy online, or read reviews and feedback.

If anything high street shopping restricts your options to new genres and possibilities as they can never match what is available online.

@Gee Raff - I only by one vinyl album a month (a decent pressing is around the £25 mark for a double LP), and go for classics (Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Kylie Minogue).  Most of the music I buy is MP3, and I save vinyl for the good stuff I'd sit and listen to, rather than what I'd hear while I'm doing something else.

not sure what will catch my eye at a click of a button, and wouldn't know what to type in the subject (or genre) line.
I don't buy my clothes online either (apart from running shoes, as I know what I want with them)
I'll agree though that staff are less knowledgable now.

I very rarely buy clothes online. Mostly as being a tall thin lad I need to try things on to make sure they fit. Most clothes for men seem to be designed that if you are tall you must be a big fat git too!

@Eggyh73 - I've recently realised that, in FatFace, I'm too small for their jackets (5'9, 72kg, 30" waist). Their range starts at S, and goes upto XXL.  They shouldn't make clothes for people who are XXL!

Blockbusters about to go by the look of it

their falling like flies

I got a £50 decathalon card for christmas so I reckon they'll probably go bust next.

AgentGinger wrote (see)

Blockbusters about to go by the look of it

To be honest it's more of a shock they haven't already gone bust.

blockbuster went bust last year, they have gone in america, somone gave them a cash injection in the uk but it was always borrowed time.

my money is on thornton's being next. they're the kind of midrange brand that don't do particularly well in a recession.

maybe one of the smaller pub chains too.

are these the same high streets that everyone always moaned about as being 'identikit' and 'boring' and 'too dominated by chain stores'?

some of what you say is true, but i refuse to shoulder the blame as a consumer.

the one thing all of these shops have in common is that they are crap. i don't see john lewis having too many problems.

contrary to popular belief, some (but not all) high streets are thriving. it just takes a bit of imagination. something absent in most of these dying chains.

Those of you that illegally downloaded music and film are responsible for HMVs demise. Now go stand in the corner and think about what you've done you naughty boys and girls. 

partly true but why are cinemas still open and thriving, and not extinct as was widely predicted?

all of the films at the cinema are available for illegal download.

people like shopping. people still want to leave their homes. it is up to retailers to change the nature of the retail experience to offer them better. HMV just wasnt a nice place to spend time.