Why Is It So Hard To Find Even Recent Releases In Stores?

I

Invisible Crane

Adventurer
First off I know I could just go on the net and get something but I admit I'm not the most patient of people so I like the whole getting something from a shop cause I know I'll avoid the possibility of waiting up to a week if I bought it on the net. Here's the thing, I would like to get my hands on both seasons of Jormungand on BD, problem is I go to to HMV and I can't find them and the show has only been out for I think well over a year or two now (and keep in mind where I live there are 3 HMVs). Problem is HMV is really the only place (well there is Fopp but they don't have that good of a selection at all) that sells anime on DVD/BD so it can be frustrating but I'm also curious is it just where I live (Glasgow) thats the problem. if I say went all the way down to London and went to an HMV there I'd have a better selection?
 
Well the Glasgow HMV is pretty big - I was impressed when I went there, it's almost as big as the Oxford Street one and that has probably the best selection of any HMV. That said, it's a bit hit and miss and the Blu Ray selection isn't great either. They seem to get new releases on time but typically just one or two copies, and then when they're gone they're gone.

When it comes to physical stores, Forbidden Planet is by far and away the best - the one in London and Bristol stock pretty much every in print anime release.

But yeah, I imagine smaller HMVs have pretty poor selections - I've always seen new stuff when I go in though.
 
I was dragged into HMV Swindon earlier, it's sort of mid-sized, not small but not big. I looked for anime, all I could find were some Ghibli blu-rays and DVD, which had an aisle end, and one copy of each Attack on Titan release and one copy of Animatsu's recent Nadia release, all on blu-ray. I didn't look too closely at the DVDs, but I don't remember seeing any, not even Naruto.

It seems the normal print run for an anime blu-ray is not 1,000. HMV has 125 stores, are 12.5% of purchasers likely to go to HMV, probably not...
 
If impatience is the issue, maybe it'd be worth getting an Amazon Prime subscription. You could probably get a lot of releases cheaper than in the shops so that saving could potentially cover the cost and you'd get next day delivery on everything (bearing in mind the potential for post delays, of course). Plus you get access to free shows on their streaming service, which can include some decent things (especially if you like DC animations, although don't expect them to have both parts of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns on prime at the same time). Another benefit is that you save the time of going to the shops so that can be put towards watching things.

On the downside, you might never again leave the house and that can be bad for your joints. Also, there's that whole "evil corporation" thing but that's tough to avoid (and at least Amazon is one of the more likely ones to end up ruling the world so maybe being a Prime member will put you in a better position with our new masters).
 
It's going to depend a lot on where you are; in my town (not a small place) it's hard to find a single shop selling DVDs/BDs at all now, let alone one which stocks anime. The high street is, regrettably, dying.

I used to ask the HMV near my old workplace to order specific titles to show there was demand, but they switched to making preorders go through their online website, making it a pointless exercise since I could have done that from my front room - that store is long gone now. It might be worth talking to the staff though, just in case they care more about saving their business model than the branches that used to exist down here. They have no way of knowing they're not satisfying demand if they miss a sale from not stocking a title to begin with otherwise.

R
 
I don't have a HMV really local to me now but when I did I found they had a copy or two of every recent release on or around release day. After that they didn't seem to re-stock a title. That's the problem you seem to be describing in your post, that your trying to pick up a title that's been out a while and HMV basically don't want to risk restocking such titles as the market is niche.
 
The big Glasgow HMV is closed now. The one in Edinburgh is OK but not fantastic. Some old Manga series are £20 for a complete set, which isn't bad, but some other shows are insanely expensive. It's impossible to tell.
 
I've noticed at HMV here in Sheffield that we have something of an ironic situation whereby the city centre store gets better stock than the Meadowhall branch (Meadowhall essentially being traditionally considered the greater sibling of the two), though I have to admit to some conflict here. I was surprised to see the likes of Lull in the Sea, Captain Earth and more recently Magical Index appear on the shelves. I recently posted a thread decrying the lack of competitive pricing between online and high street stores, but to see these titles appear like this is somewhat heartening. That being said there are still many more which are well regarded and remain absent, and it does kinda grate when you see more derivative films taking up shelf space which could otherwise be holding quality works which never get mass public attention (the world cinema section notwithstanding).
 
Just a quick shout from across the water, but the Belfast HMV is somewhat lacking and getting worse. I asked a while back why stock is random and was told it was down to supply and demand. Due to the niche nature of anime in the UK and the general lack of high street trade for it, anything that is stocked is the most recent ongoing serial (naruto, Bleach, One Piece) and a small number of recent releases (but not all). Once a title clears (or early volumes clear) they are not replaced due to the generally low demand. In short if you don't get it early you won't get it at all. As it stands the best places to look are still HMV as well as CEX for the off chance, but online is the best of all.
 
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