With the news that HMV
very nearly fell into the abyss that has claimed various high-profile highstreet victims in the past couple of years, including chief rivals Zavvi, and entertainment store Borders, the days of going into a store to pick up a DVD or blu-ray to consider before buying look less and less cheerful. And while we sincerely hope that HMV can turn the corner to preserve that consumerist institution, there are alternatives, which invariably come at a cheaper cost, especially with the additional help of discount vouchers to further knock down the prices. Voucher finding sites like MyVoucherCodes offer such an opportunity, and it's a hard one to pass up. Increasingly, consumers have refused to spend anything close to the occasionally astronomical RRPs set by distributors (which is a major part of the retail problem, and until that toxic relationship is sorted out, there can be little hope that further problems won't arise), and passed on by retailers, and have taken to the internet, to buy or increasingly rent films and TV shows. The current climate is one of temporary ownership, whether through streaming services like NetFlix or LoveFilm, which is something retailers like HMV will always struggle to cope with, unless they somehow adapt it into their business model, or counteract it through bringing in trades and second hand products. For those film fans who prefer to not buy their physical copies, services like LoveFilm offer a comprehensive database of new and classic films and TV shows for the price of a couple of newly released DVDs, it's wholly possible to
find a LoveFilm voucher that further reduces that price. But then, that ignores the issue of collectors who want to buy physical copies, and who don't begrudge spending a few extra pounds on premium editions. The problem there is that distributors have painfully cheapened the "Special Edition" tag, and now anything with a Gag Reel, some promotional material and a slipcase go into that pile - which is an abomination for real collectors. Especially since it means they are still compelled to buy them. It's still very possible to buy worthy special and ultimate editions - recent tin-case releases prove as much - but they still come at a hefty price, so the opportunity of
using Zavvi discount codes or anything else that drops the cover price, even for online purchases can't be ruled anything but a great thing. Whatever happens, it's still important to buy films, or at least rent them - the ideal solution is for retailers to adapt to the market, and perhaps boutique stores to start opening (just as some record stores specializing in vinyl continue to thrive) - and as long as the vouchers are provided, it'd be rude not to use them.