HMV

I visited the store on ¹²⁄₁₃ September 2011. It is located about 1500 meters from Bayswater Station on London’s Underground.
My only other experience with HMV in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada which used to be a Virgin Megastore (one of Sir Robert Branson’s spinoffs).
So, by comparison, this store is about ¼ the size of the Vancouver location.
The staff appear pretty friendly and helpful without being overbearing. They allow you to walk in the store and to get your bearing before chiming in with their «Can I help you…» mantra.
The store is laid out as most music stores with CD’s sorted by genre and alphabetized within the genre.
The selection of DVD and Bluray is smaller than I expected. Additionally, some of the staff is not familiar with the region coding issues that can occur when you buy DVD media in countries other than those you reside. They do, however, seem to understand PAL vs. NTSC.
Unlike it’s Vancouver counterpart, it did not have as many accessories for music players (but this is probably because of the small size).
The music is not played loudly and the lighting is adequate so the store atmosphere is pleasant. There is not an abundance of over-​advertising of movies or music as I would have expected as I have seen in other non-​HMV stores.
Converting British Pounds to the US/​Canadian dollar, there were actually many cheaper products than buying them in the US/​Canada.
Hopefully, the store is still there when I make my next trip to London as I will do my homework on movies and such to determine if I can play purchases on my home system.