Tower Records Files for Bankruptcy

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yesterday the tower on wabash in chicago did an extra 10% off.

deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 9 November 2006 15:31 (seventeen years ago) link

All music DVDs are 40% off now. Most CDs and non-music DVDs still at 30%.

nickn (nickn), Sunday, 12 November 2006 06:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Ive stashed quite a few pricy imports at the Cambridge store, waiting for the 50% sign to go up before pulling the trigger...I feel so squirrelly!

hank (hank s), Sunday, 12 November 2006 15:23 (seventeen years ago) link

I think the Alexandria, Virginia Tower has rap/r'n'b cds for 40% off--there's not much left in their r'n'b department...

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Sunday, 12 November 2006 18:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Just swung by my local one for the first time in this whole shebang -- to my pleasant surprise, a lot of stuff still left, and they had added a further 10% off for today and tomorrow for all CDs so the baseline prices throughout were 40 to 50% off. Got a few things while concentrating on my planned gift shopping, which went v. well!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 12 November 2006 20:57 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, there are definitely "good" deals now. Unfortunately Tower's base prices were so high that even at 60% off takes it down to just "pretty good". I did buy the last copy of Golden Afrique Vol 2 at the Market Tower today, figuring that I was unlikely to see it new for $24 and if I tried waiting until it was less than $20 someone else would probably have grabbed it.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:52 (seventeen years ago) link

It ain't perfect but comparing prices on my run today made it the equivalent to a pretty good trawl through the Amoeba used bins, say. Which is fine by me.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh I agree. The only difference is that most of the stuff that Tower has left is not OHMIGOD I have to have this record right now stuff because I'll never see it for this price again, but more I will buy 50 of these records when they are $6 each but if they are $10-11 I'm not gonna because I'll find it again and it won't kill me not getting it now.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 13 November 2006 02:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Right, right. And like I muttered, it's *perfect* for gift shopping for my family. Combine that with a slight pay raise I got and I'm able to splurge a bit on them properly! There's also enough odd low price gems that turned up in a first run -- that Walter Gibbons box I mentioned on the other thread, for instance -- that I might start making weekly visits from here on in. We'll see!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 13 November 2006 02:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Does anyone happen to know if there is a limit as to how low the prices will go? (Do they just pack everything up and send it off to some other business past a certain point?) Some stuff at the Tower in Philadelphia is still only 30% off.

R_S (RSLaRue), Monday, 13 November 2006 02:43 (seventeen years ago) link

There is still a month or so to go. I'm sure that it will go up soon enough. Esp. if product isn't moving at 30% off.

I doubt there is a limit on some stuff (magazines, crappy shelfing, 12"s, etc) but I doubt that the discount for pop/rock, etc, will go higher than 70-75% unless all that's left is unsellable crap.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 13 November 2006 03:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Based on what happened when the Wherehouse went down, it could easily go all the way to 90%. And like Alex says, they will want to get rid of almost *everything.*

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 13 November 2006 03:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Haha well the fact that no one was buying the More Fire Crew albums from the bargain bin when they were 50 cents is making me feel good about there still being some good stuff even at the 90% point.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 13 November 2006 03:07 (seventeen years ago) link

There was an additional 10% off at the DC store yesterday but alas, their once plentiful Brazilian section had been picked through pretty heavily. Not too many Fania salsa reissues left either.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 13 November 2006 14:46 (seventeen years ago) link

My local Tower is down to 30% off most CDs, which just about brings it to regular prices. The place is still quite well stocked. I'm waiting eagerly for the drop to 60% though, so I can complete my New Order collection at $4 a pop.

Vinnie (vprabhu), Monday, 13 November 2006 15:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Down across the board to 40% now.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 16 November 2006 16:22 (seventeen years ago) link

i guess i know where i'm going on my lunchbreak then. ;_;

hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 November 2006 16:28 (seventeen years ago) link

I gather the goal is still to complete this thing before Xmas, so hopefully more precipitous dropoffs are forthcoming.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 16 November 2006 16:29 (seventeen years ago) link

naw everything i've heard says january at the outset. i wouldn't be surprised if prices drop a ton just before xmas tho.

hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 November 2006 16:34 (seventeen years ago) link


The 40% is more appetizing. Seattle's store was looking picked over last week, but still well-stocked with CDs and DVDs. I'm hoping some of the Asia Extreme movies stick around for the 60%+ price drops. When they're the same price as a theater ticket, I'll be happy. Initial retail prices for those DVDs were $27+, versus < $20 online. Very steep. I wonder if they bumped their prices even higher, prior to the liquidation sale.

lumberingwoodsman (Chris Hill), Thursday, 16 November 2006 16:35 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm waiting for 60%, then box sets here I come!

hank (hank s), Thursday, 16 November 2006 16:46 (seventeen years ago) link

At the Alexandria, Virginia Tower they have a sign on the door that they're looking to hire people to work during the holiday season, so I think they'll be around to January I guess.

Lots of the box sets at that store and at the DC store are gone, although they have a sign up in the VA store that new stuff is coming in from their warehouse every day. I'm skeptical that there's much left in a warehouse--or at least much left of anything but real popular stuff.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Thursday, 16 November 2006 17:22 (seventeen years ago) link

there's still plenty of box sets at the Cambridge store, probably because they keep 'em behind the counter like they were porno mags or something...

hank (hank s), Thursday, 16 November 2006 17:38 (seventeen years ago) link

It's dangerous to look through a discount bin with hstencil. I put it all back but N.Y No Wave.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 16 November 2006 20:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Vinnie, there will be no new New Order left at 60%... Republic will be flying off the shelves at 40%, even.

All New Order is sold out already at the Tower in Seattle/Lower QA. (although they may stock more later.)

Tower's liquidators are pulling off a great scheme here, I have to admit.

gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Thursday, 16 November 2006 20:29 (seventeen years ago) link

Classical and Jazz have been already rummaged and rendered practically useless at Seattle Tower.

The only domain left where there can be finds still? African.

(ohseattlepaws, etc.)

gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Thursday, 16 November 2006 20:36 (seventeen years ago) link

oday:

papa m, "papa m sings" (seanote) cd
rose tattoo, "scarred for life" (repertoire) cd
cristina, "sleep it off" (ze) cd
caspar brotzmann, "mute massaker" (thirsty ear) cd
bodeco, "callin' all dogs" (safe house) cd
windy and carl, "the dream house/dedications to flea" (kranky) 2cd
rufus thomas, "stax profiles" (stax) cd

$67 at 40% discount

also found roky erikson 2cd, lizzy mercier descloux cd, scott walker "the drift" cd various other good things that i already have.

wtf morbs you put back the roky 2cd?!?!? you're insane!!!!

hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 November 2006 21:37 (seventeen years ago) link

and donut how do you not already have every new order release?!?

hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 November 2006 21:37 (seventeen years ago) link


I'm not quite enough a Garage Boy to need that much Roky.

I almost took the Rufus T tho.

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 16 November 2006 21:42 (seventeen years ago) link

a lot of that isn't garage?!? weird.

hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 16 November 2006 21:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, but you could still put a car in it.

and I didn't even get to the DVD store!

Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 16 November 2006 21:45 (seventeen years ago) link

I had about a hundred fifty bucks of stuff in my hand, but put everything back but the four Funkadelic remasters that I was thinking might be gone by next week (by the way there are more copies of them hiding under the displays if you're in SF and head to the Tower Market--I got scared when I came in and realized the copies I had been coveting over the weekend were gone which was ultimately what convinced me I should buy now!) World and Jazz were heavily picked over, but hip hop is still pretty strong and there are a bunch of good rock/pop things left (no more Eno though haha.) I may make a trip down to the Columbus one this weekend actually.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 17 November 2006 03:23 (seventeen years ago) link

Could not find a single thing I wanted after 45+ minutes of looking. I guess it's just all been picked over already.

Strangely enough, they had at least 20 copies of the Melvins out of print 10 Songs CD (not the 26 Songs version)

Lee is Free (Lee is Free), Friday, 17 November 2006 04:22 (seventeen years ago) link

I went to the downtown Tower in NYC on Monday. Not too much left in jazz and especially classical - I guess I'll have to get that Mozart flute concerto another time. There was still a fair amount of stuff in rock/pop. I only ended up getting one Creedence Clearwater Revival CD though, which was about $8 after the 40% discount.

o. nate (onate), Friday, 17 November 2006 16:28 (seventeen years ago) link

Went to the West Covina store today, and it was looking pretty bad. It was picked through pretty hard. Lots of singles left though.

van doh (van smack), Saturday, 18 November 2006 21:51 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost to stence.. i'm not a crazy NO fan actually, so I'm missing Republic and a few other peripheral things, but that message was to someone above who was hoping get NO stuff well after the discount, if I read it correctly.

gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Saturday, 18 November 2006 22:44 (seventeen years ago) link

went to the LQA store in Seattle today. made off with some old rave comps, the remastered Belle Album, Classic New Jack Swing Mastercuts, and the Ray Charles box. I have more I'm scoping out but not mentioning yet. (This is like playing the stock market, innit? "I'll leave this one till later because it'll still be here but if I don't get this RIGHT NOW I never will see it again.")

Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Sunday, 19 November 2006 00:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Is there still much Al Green @ the Seattle store?

Rodney... (R. J. Greene), Sunday, 19 November 2006 02:58 (seventeen years ago) link

The remastered Belle album sounds horrible. The version from the mid-90s is much better.

These Robust Cookies (Robust Cookies), Sunday, 19 November 2006 08:02 (seventeen years ago) link

the one in emeryville is devoid of any interesting records, or at least, anything I wanted. no neil young back catalog, none of the depeche mode remasters, and what imports they had of things were still overpriced even with the 40% off. maybe their stock will adjust later on, but color me disappointed

kyle (akmonday), Sunday, 19 November 2006 14:44 (seventeen years ago) link

I think the Philadelphia Tower needs another week to ripen.

R_S (RSLaRue), Sunday, 19 November 2006 15:33 (seventeen years ago) link

(OTOH, a lot of stuff is already gone. I'm mostly waiting for the Latin music to drop down a bit more.)

R_S (RSLaRue), Sunday, 19 November 2006 15:34 (seventeen years ago) link

donut, there is no reason to own "republic."

hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 19 November 2006 16:16 (seventeen years ago) link

the south st. location has closed!

blackmail (blackmail.is.my.life), Sunday, 19 November 2006 16:27 (seventeen years ago) link

I never even made it down there (since the close-out sale started). I mostly just stick to the Broad Street store. I used to go there all the time, but that's a long time ago, when the selection of esoteric imports was better (and I didn't have much cheaper online sources for them).

R_S (RSLaRue), Sunday, 19 November 2006 16:41 (seventeen years ago) link

I wanted to get a bunch of the cheap freakbeat/girl-group/psych import compilations, but they all disappeared along with their rack before the Dallas store hit 30% off.

milo z (mlp), Sunday, 19 November 2006 18:37 (seventeen years ago) link

The Village NYC Tower box sets were pretty ravaged, except for a Van Der Graaf box, a Venom box, and tons of the giant-deluxe cube package version of the last Red Hot Chili Peppers CD.
Plenty of copies of the Scott Walker Drift CD, though i was hoping to nab the super-young Scott disc when he had an Elvis haircut that I kept putting back over the last year.

Does anyone know the close date of this store by chance?

Brian Turner (btwfmu), Sunday, 19 November 2006 18:47 (seventeen years ago) link

donut, there is no reason to own "republic."

Sigh, I know. At this point, the only reason I want it is just for anthological reasons i.e. hey, kid, here is where the gang totally misfired, etc. I still don't have it because I refuse to pay more than a buck for it, although I see it used all the time but for $8 or something and never any less.

gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Sunday, 19 November 2006 18:50 (seventeen years ago) link

not one thing to buy at the Harvard Square store...after the person that snagged the Comsat Angels cds i hid. i hope you feel a twinge every time you listen to them.

nerve pylon (flat_of_angles), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Plenty of copies of the Scott Walker Drift CD

don't rub it in, brian!

no word on close date yet.

hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:51 (seventeen years ago) link


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