I haven’t swung by HMV for a while, but I recall seeing this type of thing happen in the past. Avid Bitterwallet reader Kirsty and her chum bought a pair a headphones in a sale at the Bullring store in Birmingham, only to discover shortly afterward that she hadn’t saved a bean:

General electronic doofery or the curse of having a new sale every other day? You decide. Or, alternatively, don’t. Send more, none or less of the same to bitterwallet@gmail.com.

Borders chain of bookshops could be on the brink of collapse if they don’t find a buyer soon, with speculation suggesting that administration is looming and that the company may not have enough money to survive until Christmas.

BBC News are reporting that WH Smith walked away from a prospective buy-out deal at the end of last week and that Waterstones owner HMV are also sniffing around the Borders chutney, with a view to buying all the jars. Some metaphor that eh reader(s)?

Borders flagship store in London’s Oxford Street closed earlier in the year following a massive ‘everything must go’ sale which left the place looking a bring and buy sale in a typhoon by the time it was over. Shame.

HMV have announced that they’re plonking a mini-cinema on top of their Wimbledon store, in a trial that could be rolled out across the country if it’s a hit. The cinemas could also become part of Waterstones stores, also owned by HMV.

The company have linked up with arthouse chain Curzon Artificial Eye on the 200-seat, three-screen cinema and have said that the movie house will be accessible to customers during trading hours via the store, but will have a separate entrance for out-of-hours screenings.

Earlier in the year, HMV took a 50% stake in 11 live venues around the country, including the Hammersmith Apollo and The Picture House in Edinburgh. Perhaps we’ll see other high street names following HMV’s lead and diversifying into other areas. Anyone for a crack house round the back of Primark?

[Retail Week]

With the bank holiday weekend almost upon us like a keen-eyed hawk all over a bewildered shrew, we’ve got a equally vicious selection of bargains for you here, swooping in from their nest over at HotUKDeals.

Your job? Dunno really, have a look, see what you make of it all, maybe buy some stuff. It’s up to you, we’re not here to tell you what to do, although if enough of you say that’s what you’re into, we can change the direction of the site a bit. We’re crowdpleasers at heart,

First up, there’s an Easter Eggstravaganza sale on at Argos, with major reductions in departments like HD TVs, garden power, BBQs, sheds, photography, and hen’s teeth for all we know. Plus, their ever-popular voucher giveaway has kicked back in – a £10 voucher for a £100 spend and a £5 one for a £50 spend.

By the way, we gave it the Eggstravaganza name, not Argos, just in case you thought they were a bunch of unimaginative dicks. We’re the unimaginative dicks, not Argos. This time anyway.

Next, another vague nod in the direction of a bunch of deals for you to sift through, with the possible outcome of nothing whatsoever. It’s a DVD box set sale at HMV.com. Box sets of all shapes and sizes, with some starting at just £3.99.

We won’t even tell you the names of any of them… oh go on then, but only in riddle form. Right… my first is in wheel but not in spoke, my second in laugh but not in joke. My third is in hop but not in scotch, my fourth is in arse but not in crotch. Ah, sod it, here’s the link.

Finally today, we’re going to hurl out a link to yet another long list of deals for you to go through, mumbling ‘Nah, nah, nah, crap, nah, yeah… oh, out of stock, nah, nah, ah bugger this for a game of soldiers” to.

It’s a consoles, games and accessories clearance at Choices UK. There’s a big old list here for you to rattle through and if there’s nothing here you want, in the words of Victor Kiam, we’ll give you your money back. Except you’ve paid us nothing in the first place. Happy bank holiday to you.

They may be dead and buried but the war between Zavvi (and Virgin before them) and HMV will never die. This pic has appeared on Twitter and was upped by Coupey. It’s from the window of the closed Zavvi store in Sheffield.

Speaking personally as someone who toiled at the music retail coalface for HMV rivals Our Price for five years, I fully endorse the message and its sentiment.