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Hastings closed all their stores within the past year. I really miss them. There are really no other retail stores that offer old videos, old books, old records/dvds anymore. Of course there is ebay and Amazon, but it isn't the same. The tactile feeling is perhaps gone forever. Sad.
There were many Hastings in the Spokane area, also in Tri-Cities and other areas. Can this type of store still exist today? Or have we moved to a point where everything is now only available on-line?
I shake my head when I think of the last several months of the Hastings franchise.
I have high school, college, and construction friends scattered from Idaho to California to Texas and I'd been to a few dozen Hastings stores in my day. The first time that franchise really got my attention was in 1993 as I was coming back home from the Austin Music Show, held twice a year. Their headquarter store, based in Amarillo, Texas had a parking lot sale of "out of print and deleted" cd's. I wound up buying boxes of them and got some great import pressings, stuff that goes for a tad more than your usual $4.99 price at your local mom and pop store.
I buy stuff online but it is stuff that I can't get in my area. The first time I bought an album was at a Woolworth's in Colorado Springs in 1963. The last time I bought one was last week in Durango. I like to get out and meet people. Am I going to spend most of my time behind a computer screen wondering if what I buy is going to be what I actually ordered? No.
Thinking back to 1972, my collecting habit went into steroid mode after the Denver area started to open up a album/45/8track/cassette used store in different parts of the metro area. You could go into stores and dealers would play you some imports that few mainstream stores in the mall stores would stock. You could run into people who would tell you about the Rolling Stones/Stevie Wonder concert at the Coliseum that they just went to. And how they were juiced up about how Led Zeppelin's upcoming show just got sold out. And ditto for the Jethro Tull concert two weeks after that.
You could get tips from other collectors regarding what kind of cutout albums that stores like Woolco, KMart, Gibsons, and other discount stores were selling off at 99 cents or less.
When Hastings first set up shop in 1968, they were a little above your basic used neighborhood record store. But in my travels to visit friends in several states, I would venture off the highways and hit Hastings stores in some of the out of the way places--like Dumas, Texas--and Kerrville, Texas--and Olathe, Kansas---and Layton, Utah---and Norfolk, Nebraska---and Ponca City, Oklahoma---and Rock Springs, Wyoming---and Twin Falls, Idaho. And more---much more.
I would buy cd's that would be discounted to 3 for a dollar in one of the stores "blow-out" bins, keep them for a while, and trade them off to a different store and make 5 times the profit--and more. . And better yet, I would see the country, visit the small towns, talk to the folks in the coffee shops and the antique stores, go to a minor league baseball game, visit the national parks and monuments.
Ya can't do that sitting behind a computer screen I spend enough time doing that already moderating the football forums of City-Data.
I would buy cd's that would be discounted to 3 for a dollar in one of the stores "blow-out" bins, keep them for a while, and trade them off to a different store and make 5 times the profit--and more. . And better yet, I would see the country, visit the small towns, talk to the folks in the coffee shops and the antique stores, go to a minor league baseball game, visit the national parks and monuments.
Ya can't do that sitting behind a computer screen I spend enough time doing that already moderating the football forums of City-Data.
I know-I'm a dinosaur--heh, am proud to be one!
Hey, DOUBLE H - I totally agree with you. What's weird is it looked to us like Hasting's was rockin' and rollin' and doing well. I am still in shock that they've folded. And really sad. I loved Hasting's!
Is that because in western WA (or Puget Sound region) there are more likely to be separate stores/shops selling old/used books, comics, games, videos/dvds, cds/records, software, etc., with less demand to have one store selling it all?
I don't know. Hasting's is now bankrupt and gone, but your reason is a good one. Let me ask you a question, CrazyDonkey. What is a good CD/DVD store over in the Seattle area these days? I am over on Lake Chelan - we've been here two months now and I've been over to Seattle once so far with many more trips planned.
Burton Cummings of The Guess Who has found a great music store in downtown Los Angeles that is probably the main reason he moved down there from Winnipeg, Manitoba! He just loves it. I would love to know what anyone's thoughts are on a good music store in the entire Seattle metro area.
I would venture off the highways and hit Hastings stores in some of the out of the way places--like Dumas, Texas--and Kerrville, Texas--and Olathe, Kansas---and Layton, Utah---and Norfolk, Nebraska---and Ponca City, Oklahoma---and Rock Springs, Wyoming---and Twin Falls, Idaho. And more---much more.
I know-I'm a dinosaur--heh, am proud to be one!
ROFLMAO => Olathe's a slice of the Metro KC universe. For out of the way=> we had a Hastings here in Manhattan. Rock Springs is much larger than I remember, ~ 1977.
We bought a DVD player in 1998. There were very few video stores here with any DVDs, just VHS. Hastings likely came to town AFTER Blockbuster. We also had a grocery store chain, Dillons, 2 locations with video rentals; and 2 locally-owned rental joints. Dillons would rent new releases on Tues & Wed for $1. I only picked up a Hastings rental card after all of those other places closed a few years back. The only place to rent now is RedBox. Hastings was the last to go out of business.
As for music, man I miss those days of flipping thru the albums. Sold LPs, 45s & 8-tracks in '72 @ a dept. store. I have a bootleg LP of Little Feat's Electrif Lycanthrope purchased just before KS Attorney General Vern Miller put an end to such vices.
The video side of our Hastings was about 1/2 of the store, near the end. CDs had shrunk to about 1/4th the previous floor space. Albums were introduced a few years back; but were packed so tightly together it was hard to "flip" them. Each had to be pulled upward to free it from the others & see the cover. The open bins had pull-out drawers beneath. You had to bend over to flip; and they were also packed like sardines. Only new releases deemed "hot" by the stocker made a spot where you could see them, sitting above the bins, or in the new releases rack. I miss Hastings, but it never really felt like the 70s record shops. Particularly if a new Harry Potter book were coming out . . . .
I shake my head when I think of the last several months of the Hastings franchise.
I have high school, college, and construction friends scattered from Idaho to California to Texas and I'd been to a few dozen Hastings stores in my day. The first time that franchise really got my attention was in 1993 as I was coming back home from the Austin Music Show, held twice a year. Their headquarter store, based in Amarillo, Texas had a parking lot sale of "out of print and deleted" cd's. I wound up buying boxes of them and got some great import pressings, stuff that goes for a tad more than your usual $4.99 price at your local mom and pop store.
I buy stuff online but it is stuff that I can't get in my area. The first time I bought an album was at a Woolworth's in Colorado Springs in 1963. The last time I bought one was last week in Durango. I like to get out and meet people. Am I going to spend most of my time behind a computer screen wondering if what I buy is going to be what I actually ordered? No.
Thinking back to 1972, my collecting habit went into steroid mode after the Denver area started to open up a album/45/8track/cassette used store in different parts of the metro area. You could go into stores and dealers would play you some imports that few mainstream stores in the mall stores would stock. You could run into people who would tell you about the Rolling Stones/Stevie Wonder concert at the Coliseum that they just went to. And how they were juiced up about how Led Zeppelin's upcoming show just got sold out. And ditto for the Jethro Tull concert two weeks after that.
You could get tips from other collectors regarding what kind of cutout albums that stores like Woolco, KMart, Gibsons, and other discount stores were selling off at 99 cents or less.
When Hastings first set up shop in 1968, they were a little above your basic used neighborhood record store. But in my travels to visit friends in several states, I would venture off the highways and hit Hastings stores in some of the out of the way places--like Dumas, Texas--and Kerrville, Texas--and Olathe, Kansas---and Layton, Utah---and Norfolk, Nebraska---and Ponca City, Oklahoma---and Rock Springs, Wyoming---and Twin Falls, Idaho. And more---much more.
I would buy cd's that would be discounted to 3 for a dollar in one of the stores "blow-out" bins, keep them for a while, and trade them off to a different store and make 5 times the profit--and more. . And better yet, I would see the country, visit the small towns, talk to the folks in the coffee shops and the antique stores, go to a minor league baseball game, visit the national parks and monuments.
Ya can't do that sitting behind a computer screen I spend enough time doing that already moderating the football forums of City-Data.
I know-I'm a dinosaur--heh, am proud to be one!
Speaking of geeky, I actually took a trip from my home in Tri-Cities, WA to Boise, ID in late April '16 as I knew what was coming. Tried to find bargains at the several Boise locations, and indeed found a number of them, mostly used DVD's. I think DVD players will still be around for years to come...back to the geeky, and dinosaur! LOL.
Apparently it was a problem with overall management of the company, and then being bought out by liquidation "experts" who were not interested in keeping the few profitable stores going.
The store in Richland always seemed to me to be doing a good business.
At least we still have Barnes and Noble down near the mall. And, of course, Adventures Underground.
Apparently it was a problem with overall management of the company, and then being bought out by liquidation "experts" who were not interested in keeping the few profitable stores going.
The store in Richland always seemed to me to be doing a good business.
At least we still have Barnes and Noble down near the mall. And, of course, Adventures Underground.
Barnes and Noble have also been closing stores, but yeah, hopefully the Columbia Center location will survive. I note that unlike some B&N locations, the CC store does not have a DVD section. On the same subject, Macy's has been going through many closings and hopefully its CC location will maintain the store, but there certainly is no guarantee.
Barnes and Noble have also been closing stores, but yeah, hopefully the Columbia Center location will survive. I note that unlike some B&N locations, the CC store does not have a DVD section. On the same subject, Macy's has been going through many closings and hopefully its CC location will maintain the store, but there certainly is no guarantee.
The heyday of malls was in the late '80's, and they have been slowly going downhill since. Heck, the days of many brick-and-mortars are numbered at this point. I'm definitely not a shopper, but it's still kinda sad, for this dinosaur.
I vote you a raise, CrazyDonkey. Great work! This is great, because now that we're back in Washington state and we've located my sister in Bothell, we'll be coming back to the Sound to visit her on a constant basis. Now, I've got two great record stores to visit over in Seattle. The Ballard store would be a blast from the past as my Grandma on my Mom's side lived in Ballard. I think it's 15th St. north and south that us kids would take a dime from Grandma over to Frank's Grocery store to get popsicles back in the 60's. Grandma lived about 6 blocks west of Frank's Grocery on 15th NW. I would love ta head over there to Ballard and try to find Grandma's house. My Grandpa on her side I never met - it was their house together - he was a fisherman in Alaska in the 50's - he died of a heart attack at age 52 and unfortunately I never got to meet him. But that was his cute little white house in Ballard. The Lock's in Ballard were down the hill - Grandma lived north of the Lock's about a mile or so on a slight incline up a hill. I could find if I have my 2017 Toyota Yaris iA in red and 6-speed stick I plan on buying for great fuel economy. 31 city and 39 highway smiles per gallon in that little red screamer. I would love ta pop my USB stick in that Yaris iA and dig some great music as I look for Grandma's house. Then I can look for the record store in Ballard over there as well. I'll stay for a couple hours and buy several CD's while I'm there - and then when I get back home to Manson I'll burn them to that one thumbdrive - I've got about 15 albums on that one USB stick and it'll hold 39 more! It's got room for 54 albums on it. The Yaris iA has a whole host of musical options as standard equipment - I'm gonna be in 7th heaven in that thing.
Those are two great options for me, CrazyDonkey. I'm going to save each one as an icon on my desktop and probably on my cellphone, too, so I can go browse. Yep - they're both the kind that Burton Cummings of The Guess Who and I would like. The kind in which you can get lost inside browsing around - and, what's more, the music is probably not expensive. I know Amazon is cheap and you can get new CD's on there with great selection, there's something magical about the "up close and personal browse", don't cha know.
Thanks again - I feel like I have gained a new friend in the music business. Regardless of what they say about you, CrazyDonkey, you're all right!
Last edited by elkotronics; 12-05-2017 at 07:22 PM..
Speaking of geeky, I actually took a trip from my home in Tri-Cities, WA to Boise, ID in late April '16 as I knew what was coming. Tried to find bargains at the several Boise locations, and indeed found a number of them, mostly used DVD's. I think DVD players will still be around for years to come...back to the geeky, and dinosaur! LOL.
I believe that would be me!
I think the reason why you didn't find that many bargains is most likely the used store in the Boise area, called Record Exchange. They used to have two stores, paired it down to one. But I ran into the manager of that store at Hasting's Meridian location. It would make sense for the owner/manager of a mom and pop music store to go in there two, maybe three times a week to scarf up on markdowns and out of print cd's that go for good coin on e-bay.
Hastings made a number of decisions that I questioned, and I mean questioned. One was buying vinyl. A year, maybe a year and a half before they pulled the plug, they were buying vinyl in huge quantities, and I found in a lot of stores that they did not know what they were doing at all. You can banter back and forth about junk--one man's junk is another---yada yada yada. But at the very least you buy albums where the right album is with the right cover. And you check condition with that record. And that you don't put albums out in the store with water damage. I have more observations on this subject, IMO these three are enough.
Another was putting replacement cases on cd's that were put out in the bins. Whether you're a hard core collector or just a casual buyer, think about improving the look in your product. A compact disc standard case when bought in bulk costs you around 20 cents apiece. I can't count the number of times I heard people complaining about trying to sell a used cd for $7.99 and when checking for condition they would open up the case and it comes out in two pieces.
And another is making sure the cd's are in mint condition before pricing them with mint condition prices. If they have scar marks on the disc use your buffer machine and clean it up. Then price at half the amount you normally would. The buffer machines aren't cheap, IIRC they cost over a thousand dollars. But when you're a franchise with dozens of stores in three time zones, there is no reason why you shouldn't have a buffing machine in your store.
Tri-cities? I'm not from Washington, you talking about the Pasco area? If you are you're hard core like me!!
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