Poll of the Day > does anyone remember when hot topic was a goth/punk store?

(+) Yeah! (+)

and not just some place to get a bunch of funko pops and random merchandise based off the latest hit tv show
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You must be remembering an alternate reality or, more likely, hadn't stepped foot in one and were relying on what you saw on South Park. While it wasn't always Pop!s (mostly because those weren't around at the time), it was never just a goth/punk store.
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Did/Do you do a lot of shopping at stores that sell corporate packaged goth to wannabe pubescent girls, NMB?
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Zeus posted...

You must be remembering an alternate reality or, more likely, hadn't stepped foot in one and were relying on what you saw on South Park. While it wasn't always Pop!s (mostly because those weren't around at the time), it was never just a goth/punk store.

Of course NMB has never been to one. He never leaves his house.

Again it doesn't matter to you what that store is as you'll never be in it as you don't leave the house.
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They've literally always sold a ton of merch from TV shows and cartoons and stuff.
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Metalsonic66 posted...

They've literally always sold a ton of merch from TV shows and cartoons and stuff.

but that wasn't what the store was about though
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https://imgur.com/ohLohOQ
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NightMareBunny posted...

Metalsonic66 posted...

They've literally always sold a ton of merch from TV shows and cartoons and stuff.

but that wasn't what the store was about though

lol
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the only time i stepped into at the mall was in the early days when it looked like a puked up marilyn manson album
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NightMareBunny posted...

the only time i stepped into at the mall was in the early days when it looked like a puked up marilyn manson album

Was you a toddler then?
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but do you know who kate spade is?
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I thought it was supposed to be an emo store instead.
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Always felt it was a poser emo store
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Um, it was never a goth/punk store lol...That place has always been about 'alt pop-culture' memorabilia lol

Just cus they sell a lot of clothes that are black and studded belts doesn't make it goth or punk

Ir used to be really great for band t shirts now it has decent shirts sometimes, I usuallygo in just to check but haven't actually bought something from there in years
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I can safely say that, as of 25 years ago, Hot Topic was still a cynical attempt to exploit counterculture marketing that made most of its money off selling pop-culture to mall goths and proto-hipsters.

So no, no one on this board remembers it as being an actual goth/punk store.


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I remember they used to sell a lot more band shirts and would always have a decent sized bob Marley section

Now 2/3 of the store is adult swim/Nintendo themed

tis a silly place
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Mead posted...

Now 2/3 of the store is adult swim/Nintendo themed

I bought a Mario 1-Up mushroom t-shirt there 15 years ago.


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Im not sure, Ive never really liked that store
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That's where I used to get most of my band shirts, but yeah it did have a lot of "mall goth" stuff.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Mead posted...

Now 2/3 of the store is adult swim/Nintendo themed

I bought a Mario 1-Up mushroom t-shirt there 15 years ago.

Sure Im just saying the ratio has changed greatly

Im sure it reflects sales though so i cant blame them
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Look at GS now... if places like Walmart and Target had better Pop selections, it'd be dead overnight.
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I dont even know who still buys games from a gamestop

I think the last one I got from them was a ps3 game in like 2013
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Mead posted...

I dont even know who still buys games from a gamestop

I think the last one I got from them was a ps3 game in like 2013

I do once in a while. They have a policy at the ones here where I can return it if I don't like it within a week for something else (you can't return the replacement item for that reason). I usually just get Xbox cards though then buy digital sale stuff.

Last gen, I probably bought 2-6 new releases per month from them. Now? Maybe 10 per year. The only games I get from them are ones I may want to resell later or return.
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i never went into hot topic pre-2008 or so, so i dont know what it was really like, but the "goth" kids at school definitely shopped there.

i mean, where the fuck else where these kids supposed to get

https://tinyurl.com/ycklj227

Mead posted...

I dont even know who still buys games from a gamestop

I think the last one I got from them was a ps3 game in like 2013

I probably would if I could afford to. I would probably just order of Amazon or go to Best Buy now though. Otherwise I suppose I could go to a Fry's Electronics. Back when I use to go to one they had a far larger selection for video games than any other store. I have no idea if its any different now. There's only like 3-4 of those stores anyway though.
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

Look at GS now... if places like Walmart and Target had better Pop selections, it'd be dead overnight.

Target and Wal-Mart already have pretty large Pop! selections; actually, maybe even on par with GS (although obviously not with Hot Topic)

Mead posted...

I dont even know who still buys games from a gamestop

The NMB is strong in this one =p

I still see people buying games there, but I mostly just stop there for Pokemon codes and to check out collectibles. Their "open/new" policy -- as well as their prices -- basically killed any interest I might have in getting games from there. Then again, I don't buy maybe games in general these days so it's not really just a GS thing.
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The NMB is strong in this one =p

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Zangulus posted...

When I worked at Wards, Id go down to the Hot Topic too much to buy stuff because I thought the cashier was really cute.

I can relate to this. I used to go to the Hot Topic here cause one of the cashier's was super hot. Ah, the memories.
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I haven't been in one in probably 10 years. But the place was always corporate edgy. I think Daria summed up Hot Topic pretty well.

As far as I can make out, "edgy" occurs when middlebrow, middle-aged profiteers are looking to suck the energy - not to mention the spending money - out of the "youth culture." So they come up with this fake concept of seeming to be dangerous when every move they make is the result of market research and a corporate master plan.

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Mead posted...

I dont even know who still buys games from a gamestop

I think the last one I got from them was a ps3 game in like 2013

The staff at the one bear my house is pretty cool, so I buy from there pretty often

Just look at the name. Hot Topic in an edgy font, thus they sell edgy (counterculture) popular stuff.
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Zangulus posted...

Holy shit. Bear shopping mall! But who is driving car?!

Judge Reinhold


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