. . have they done a runner?
Shutters were down and the Fascia sign has disappeared.

It was only ever here for the Christmas period wasn't it?

It was just temporary.

I notice Game have closed in the town. I thought computer games were still big business considering every kid I know (and a lot of adults) have an Xbox or PS3.

Internet shopping is killing shops.

it serves Game right for being extortionate robbing bastads

Game or Gamestation? Game were already stupid prices, where as grainger games is very cheap!

Yeh, it's harder to nick cd's,dvd's and games off the internet.

Game is the same company as Gamestation arent they?

A big store like HMV shouldn't really just have a store in a place for 3 months...they should be either there indefinitely or not be there at all.

OH NO NOT AGAIN

It was GOOD business by them and the shopping centre. HMV will have made a little profit over the Xmas period knowing that there is insufficient demand for them all year round and it was another one less empty premise in the shopping centre. (and it will have saved some people trecking through to boro HMV for Xmas gifts)

If HMV hadnt appeared there then no doubt another phone shop/Poundshop/Greggs (delete as appropriate) would have.

Please try and think before posting for a change POK. Just for once.

But don't you think that them only being there for 3 months is a bit pointless?

They wouldn't have done it if they thought they wouldn't make any money POK. Even I bought a DVD there - something I haven't done in over a year.

Not at all. A profit for them and helped improve the shopping centre albeit only for 3 months. What good does an empty shop do? It will have created a handful of jobs in the run up to Xmas aswell.

But what will happen once HMV leave - will the town have anywhere to buy DVDs?

If not, everybody could go back to using Amazon and websites like that, couldn't they?

Not at all. A profit for them and helped improve the shopping centre albeit only for 3 months. What good does an empty shop do? It will have created a handful of jobs in the run up to Xmas aswell.[/quote]

What happens to the jobs after Christmas?

What happens after the profit ends?

I dont give a damn what happens to the jobs now. The fact is that some poeple got off the rock 'n ' roll for 3 months which can only be a good thing.

Likewise I dont give a feck about the profits "ending".

LOL I cant believe Im having this conversation. You must be a good fisherman POK!

Poks not a grafter ?

That's progress. Shop bought DVDs are dying out and most people buy online... or download. The real tragedy from this is the death of the small independent record shop.

Thank Allah for the Other Record Shop ... or has that gone too.

Now what sort of "work" would that be?

I bet that place was a one-time goldmine.

doesnt he still run john the con gig buses

this town... ah ah.... is coming like a ghost town

But ...Video killed the radio star..
..

Putting the sign on the door saying "Back in 10 Minutes".

Always got very pissed off hanging about outside with a bag of records to sell having seen the "Back in 10 minutes sign". Eventually realised that you could just go and get John out of the back room of the Grange if you were in a rush. Eventually worked for John for a while and made excellent use of the sign myself.

I know you have to call him the con but he is actually a very nice, honest bloke who never made more out of the shop than a decent living.

Does anyone know 'John the Con''s surname?

Thecon

I've actually lost the will to live reading this thread, jesus kent, your not serious? You can't be!!

He takes a genuine offence to being called john the con too, i was talking to him about this when i worked at the mail and he almost got a bit choked about it.

Right, I had an idea it was him. We used to go around in the same crowd in the Nursery about a quarter of a century ago.

I miss the proper record shops that used to be everywhere, even Hartlepool had its share with Hit Parade as well as John's. The Blind Centre (might actually have been the Deaf Centre) sometimes had good record fairs on in Avenue Road, and the Grand Hotel

There were 3 or 4 cracking record shops in Newcastle

I can still remember about 30 years ago shops like Binns and even Boots sold records in our town. Used to always go to Boots for singles as they always stocked the Top 75 - always had the full chart on the counter.

That is probably my favourite ever film that dibble

You all know what HMV stands for dont you?

Hartlepool Men - Virile.

Rumbelows sold Spunk, the Sex Pistols bootleg LP while Binns had a great selection of Buzzcocks and Clash singles. Sadly, WH Smiths sold me a piece of card when I thought I'd bought Working For The Yankee Dollar by The Skids

did it still play alright?

Fully agree John is a grand bloke,always enjoyed a pint with him before gigs when I went on his buses.

And what about Bruce Moore's? That was the best, in my memory. No-one else had booths, did they?

How's your gramophone, Granddad?