snausages

It's a hip trendy young women & men's affordable clothing & accessories
store. See Forever 21

BuckNaked2k

Never heard of it. Never will.

db27

Wow ultimate suck. I love browsing in this store, I hope the union square one survives.... It is such an experience going in Virgin and they have so many great events, plus being able to pick up music at midnight is awesome. BUMMER.

ctyankee

Those titles at those prices is a sale but not much of one. As others have pointed out, there sales were quite lame but they did have a tremendous selection to explore no matter what music you were into.

So, sad to see this landmark go. In its day, no store had a larger or more diverse DVD selection. Everything from Japanese imports to a separate Criterion section. It will be missed, but that's just the brutal reality of the digital age.

toddly6666

Not a big loss for being the most expensive DVD store - just an overpriced store...No wonder they've been having their 10 dollar DVD sales for a bunch of months now - I don't remember them ever having DVD sales in the past...

inri222

Fuck all this tourist shit.
Bring back the old Times Square.

ctyankee

Not really true. They had a sale display for years ... they just sold crappy movies for 9.99 you could get at Best Buy for 6.99.

diggerbeast

Wow this sucks....def was one of my fav. stores to go to while I was in Times Square!

slowcloud

Well, I'll visit the store next week some time. I do find good deals on music from their website during their random sales, and they had a few, very rare great used DVD sales (Criterions for $8).

toddly6666

used dvds and criterions for $8...where? This is Virgin megastore?

marty888

It's "from their website" - I don't think I've ever seen used DVDs at their stores.

ctyankee

Agreed. Accept I don't remember seeing any used DVDs on their website either. Has anybody else?

Meanwhile, below is some questions from Virgin's website FAQ section. I like that they have a sense of humor but it comes off a bit snarky and unprofessional in my view.

VirginMega Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the value of my gift card?

Without seeing your card, we'd have to say probably between one and fifty thousand Dollares Americanos. Actually, please call any of our stores, they can determine the value of your card over the phone; please have your gift card number handy.

I have a Virgin Megastore gift card, but the store I purchased it in closed - how can I use my gift card?

The funniest route would probably involve you going into a Best Buy and insisting that the card doesn't say Virgin. Best case, they'll just give you a TV to get you out of the store. Worst case, you get arrested. Either way, it's a doozy of a story for the grandkids, and all thanks to Virgin.
Actually, in a little place we like to call "reality," you can use it on our all new fancy website, which you can also tell your grandkids about.

How do I apply for a job at one of your stores or your corporate office?

Our cousin totally hooked us up with a job here, so we're, like, not sure or whatever.

Please visit your local Virgin Megastore and ask for an application or send your resume to [email protected].

What is the US Virgin Megastore return and exchange policy?

1) We don't accept imaginary product or invisible product, or product that is on fire or encased in ice. 2) We do not accept clothes that you're wearing. 3) We will not exchange an 80 GB iPod for 20,000 songs or any other such equivalent.

We'll gladly accept exchanges or returns on all sealed product accompanied by a receipt within 20 days of date of purchase ... snip.

How can I track my order?

With VirginMega.com, there's no need to hire a soothsayer or animal tracker to find your order. Just log in with your email address and password; then click on "Account". You will be able to see the status of your order including the tracking number when provided by the shipper,, so no need to employ Malbar the Magnificent and His Tea Leaves of Package Location any longer. Apologies to Malbar.

Can I sell my CD or Book at Virgin Megastores?

Please note that anyone who steals a Virgin Staff T-shirt and tries to hauk their own merch will be arrested for being a crackpot. But if you're really good and make it big, Virgin Megastores retains all film rights to your story. Yes, we are talking to you, Randy.

Virgin Entertainment works directly with CD distributors; distributors can contact the corporate office at 323.935.1500. If you are interested in consignment, please contact your local Virgin Megastore and ask the manager on duty if there are any consignment opportunities at their store.

For any Book-related inquiries, please note that we do not do any consignment for Book Product in our stores. All of our Book Product is ordered through a shadowy national distributor that Shall Remain Unnamed.; if you’re interested in possibly having your book carried in Virgin Megastores, you should send both a sample copy, as well as all pertinent contact info (plus candy, preferably of the peanut butter variety) to the following address:

Virgin Entertainment Group
Attn: Book Product Manager
5757 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Please note that due to the volume of inquiries received, and also due to horrible, bloodthirsty monkeys, any sample product submitted for consideration will be unable to be returned.

Pizza

^ What's wrong with a little sense of humor? Granted, it's not the funniest thing I've ever read, but the information needed is there.

ctyankee

Like a wrote, I like that they have a sense of humor.

However, if someone bought an item with a defect they might not be in the frame of mine for much humor whilst finding out how to return things, that's all. Not exactly good business practice, but then again, looks like they may not have to worry about being in business much longer.

slowcloud

Apologies for any confusion! I was thinking about tower.com for some reason.

Anyway, I went to the the store yesterday, and there was no hint that it was closing down in it. All regular and normal sale price items. I figure it will change in a month or so.

BKenn01

The problem is consumers want low prices more than great selection. So you get big box with low prices, poor selection and crappy customer service. As opposed to niche store with great selection, high prices and well a little better customer service.

I just wonder what will happen once the big box shuts down all the small stores. My bet is you will have high prices, poor selection and crappy customer service. Joe Consumer screwed again.

ctyankee

Yes and no. Selection: Amazon has far more items than Virgin could ever stock, with lower prices and if something is defective they will give you a pre-printed label or even home pickup of the item (for large items). If I were to need to talk to Customer Service, I give my number and they call me immediately. That ain't bad.

I wish Virgin did better. Particularly when I had younger kids, it was nice to bring the family there while waiting for a show. Everyone could browse for an hour and enjoy themselves. As anybody with young kids knows, just something in a bag can go a long way to making their day. The problem is that their prices made you feel like they took you to the cleaners. They never seem to get the art of the promotion. Give the consumer a bargain and then they don't feel so bad about the impulsive purchase they also made (and at a better profit for Virgin).

They also cut back on things. They used to have live band perform and celebrity signings. That dwindled after the first year. They also had Virgin Cola at a great price in vending machines. But they never kept them stocked. They had a nice cafe in the bottom level where you could relax and browse a book but that only lasted a few years.

Cruel but true, Amazon has a better handle on promotions than Virgin. Every day they have true bargains items to keep people checking them out. Virgin never went that route. Their sale items were a joke. You could do much better at CC or BB.

tpockets

I went the store over the weekend and no clearance sales or any sign they were closing at all. They had the Guitar Hero Aerosmith with guitar for $39.99 for PS3 and 360. But I heard about that deal awhile back. And the usual $10 dvd bin.

BKenn01

Amazon also has a lot lower cost of operation. That allows them to run the "LOSS" leaders. It is hard to sell at a loss when you pay so much in rent and employees. Amazon also has the ability to take the loss on media items and make it up in others. I have heard that they make more off commissions from other sellers on their site than their own products.

But yes it is cruel but true. That is capatalism. Just better hope that more of these stores dont go out of businesss or you may be surprised how fast Amazon loses their "handle" on promotions.

Mickactual

I was there yesterday, and it's true - there is no sale or liquidation going on, but...
The store is looking noticeably sparse.
Downstairs magazine section is half empty.
Upstairs magazine section is gone.
Half the upstairs entrance area DVD & CD racks are gone.
Nearly the entire TV-On-DVD section is empty.
All the CD & DVD racks have product spread out very thin.

It was very depressing to see. I'm truly gonna miss this store. It was a regular stop of mine whenever I'd visit the theatre district for years. Isn't it ironic that that ridiculously overpriced "Colony" store across Broadway is actually gonna be outliving Virgin?
I somehow doubt they're gonna liquidate, as other stores in the chain are remaining open. Does anyone know the exact date they're closing?

Ajay C

I can vouch for all of these observations, as I was there myself today. Sparse is indeed the word. Fewer kiosks, fewer products on existing shelving, half-empty sections, etc. I was actually informed by one of the associates that they'll be receiving fewer and fewer new releases, and those they do receive will be in smaller quantities. I also learned the date of the sad final day...

April 15th.

lovgun7

VMS always was over priced ... the only time i ever shopped at the store was when one exsisted in burbank Ca. and i had a $40 gift card to spend walked out with KISS Alive and a KISS Song Retrospective ... total was like 42 and change lol

db27

official liquidation starts today, I got the email from my VIP card that discounts are up to 30% off starting. Guess I'll stop in before work to see if any deals on vinyl can be had.

ctyankee

Lower cost of operation yes, but that doesn't change the concept of a loss leader. Best Buy and Macys have higher cost of operation than Amazon and that doesn't stop them from running loss leaders all the time. So, what stopped Virgin other than their inability to know how to promote?

db27

for the record, pretty much everything is 20% off, so deals are not so good. rock band bundles were heavily discounted though, I think to like $130 bucks so that is not a bad deal. I am in the market for GHWT bundle for wii, however they had zero guitar hero stuff. Tons of rock band.

DVD and blu ray was 20% off. They have TONS so I imagine prices will drop further before they consolidate the inventory to the union square location.