Anyone notice that Hot topic has changed?

[Axelthefox]

I remember before the store had gates in front and was really dark and used to blast death metal,goth music or punk rock and used to have goth fashion. But seems the store now has gone preppy and is playing pop music and such on the radio in the store. Nothing against pop,but it really doesn't fit in with what hot topic is supposed to be.

 

[Prime_Hunter_H01]

I remember in middle school it was still the goth/emo/scene?/something some one correct me on but they like to wear all black with black makeup and dyed hair store. The jokes were made, but during my high school years it transformed in to a nerd store. Show, movie, and game shirts, other stuff, maybe some hair dye and risque stuff is still in there.

You are right, it has definitely changed. I think its because the cool/mock-able thing changed from emos to hipsters, so they evolved to survive and the shift was when "nerdy and geeky things" started to become more mainstream. Which was about 2008-9 if I remember.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

That store wasn't been that way in over 12 years. It used to be the haven for goth cloths and black and death metal music, and some pandering to the goths that think Marilyn Manson was THE image of goth, but I digress.

Then they changed to scene, to pop, and then to nerd related stuff with Harry Potter shit everywhere. The last time I walked into a Hot Topic was over a year ago and it's a weird amalgamation of stuff. Still smells weird in that store though.

 

[Axelthefox]

I remember when girls at the store used to look just like this'

http://mariaamanda.deviantart.com/art/Medieval-Gothic-Stock-304730210

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

It depends on the location. They still sell goth stuff, just the stores stock what sells in that region. Some areas, Goth still sells, in others, they have expanded their merchandise to cater to what sells there.

There are still stores that sell this stuff:
http://www.hottopic.com/product/anarchy-strap-back-girls-tank-top/11001238.html
http://www.hottopic.com/product/royal-bones-by-tripp-lace-keyhole-hi-low-dress/10647078.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=8
http://www.hottopic.com/product/tripp-black-strap-halter-dress/11024990.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=11
http://www.hottopic.com/product/blackheart-beauty-green-iridescent-nail-polish/10912660.html?cgid=accessories-beauty#start=9
http://www.hottopic.com/product/supernatural-anti-possession-symbol-suede-faux-wrap-choker/10868240.html#q=choker&start=16
http://www.hottopic.com/product/black-overlay-pole-climber-boots/331961.html#q=boots&start=7
http://www.hottopic.com/product/blackheart-black-3d-bow-peek-a-boo-over-the-knee-socks/10634811.html

My sister is very much Goth and there is a store near here that keeps her fully stocked.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I remember when girls at the store used to look just like this'

http://mariaamanda.deviantart.com/art/Medieval-Gothic-Stock-304730210

They still do in some regions.

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

Somewhere, out there, Tara Gillespie/Enoby Darkness Dementia Raven Way screams in absolute, sheer rage at what happened to that store...

 

[CrazyGirl17]

From what I can tell, the Hot Topic at my local mall still sells some pretty gothy clothes... But mostly geeky apparel. And I'm okay with that. I've gotten lots of good stuff from there over the years.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

It depends on the location. They still sell goth stuff, just the stores stock what sells in that region. Some areas, Goth still sells, in others, they have expanded their merchandise to cater to what sells there.

There are still stores that sell this stuff:
http://www.hottopic.com/product/anarchy-strap-back-girls-tank-top/11001238.html
http://www.hottopic.com/product/royal-bones-by-tripp-lace-keyhole-hi-low-dress/10647078.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=8
http://www.hottopic.com/product/tripp-black-strap-halter-dress/11024990.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=11
http://www.hottopic.com/product/blackheart-beauty-green-iridescent-nail-polish/10912660.html?cgid=accessories-beauty#start=9
http://www.hottopic.com/product/supernatural-anti-possession-symbol-suede-faux-wrap-choker/10868240.html#q=choker&start=16
http://www.hottopic.com/product/black-overlay-pole-climber-boots/331961.html#q=boots&start=7
http://www.hottopic.com/product/blackheart-black-3d-bow-peek-a-boo-over-the-knee-socks/10634811.html

My sister is very much Goth and there is a store near here that keeps her fully stocked.

I had a pair of Tripp pants. More chains and straps than the local bike shed. Went well with my Demonia boots. I had a situation where I had to take both off to get through an airport scanner. You only make that mistake once.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

It depends on the location. They still sell goth stuff, just the stores stock what sells in that region. Some areas, Goth still sells, in others, they have expanded their merchandise to cater to what sells there.

There are still stores that sell this stuff:
http://www.hottopic.com/product/anarchy-strap-back-girls-tank-top/11001238.html
http://www.hottopic.com/product/royal-bones-by-tripp-lace-keyhole-hi-low-dress/10647078.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=8
http://www.hottopic.com/product/tripp-black-strap-halter-dress/11024990.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=11
http://www.hottopic.com/product/blackheart-beauty-green-iridescent-nail-polish/10912660.html?cgid=accessories-beauty#start=9
http://www.hottopic.com/product/supernatural-anti-possession-symbol-suede-faux-wrap-choker/10868240.html#q=choker&start=16
http://www.hottopic.com/product/black-overlay-pole-climber-boots/331961.html#q=boots&start=7
http://www.hottopic.com/product/blackheart-black-3d-bow-peek-a-boo-over-the-knee-socks/10634811.html

My sister is very much Goth and there is a store near here that keeps her fully stocked.

I had a pair of Tripp pants. More chains and straps than the local bike shed. Went well with my Demonia boots. I had a situation where I had to take both off to get through an airport scanner. You only make that mistake once.

Yea, I have learned my lessons from what to where and not to where as well a few times now.. The worst I think was when I was wearing a lace up dress out clubbing in Deep Ellum and someone cut my laces up one side with a box cutter on the dance floor and the entire dress fell apart. Due to it being a lace up dress, you cannot wear any undergarments with it so my friends were helping me hold my dress up to keep me clothed. Lucky for me guys are always wearing black leather coats when they don't need them so I wound up wearing a friends jacket as a dress with some of the dress laces tied around the waist with my thigh high boots the rest of the night making me look like a flasher. LOL

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

Hot Topic is owned by The Gap, aren't they? I'm not surprised. Once they dipped their toes into the licensed, nostalgic cartoon and nerdy tshirt market, they really haven't had any signs of going back. Now they just sell pop culture stuff to varying degrees of annoying.

Still though, I'll find myself going into one if I ever happen to be in a mall. Our local Hot Topic ditched our dying mall a few years ago and just left us with a Sea the Source, which is basically the same thing, except they also sell Magic the Gathering and fantasy stuff.

For the longest time it was the only place I'd buy pants from, even when they stopped carrying Tripp pants. The ones I bought from there had the perfect amount of slim fitting but still enough room to move around and accomadate my increasingly chubby body. Haven't had any recently though. My stress eating while working in retail made sure I won't be wearing pants like that for quite awhile.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I can't find any evidence of this, but I remember the one in my mall being called Hot Gothic for years. It really felt like that kind of store too. then in like the late 2000s they changed it to the word Topic and while the store and lighting didn't really change, Their stock and employee attire became lighter and more colorful. Now it's just a tame Spencers, if any of you know what that store is.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Hot Topic is owned by The Gap, aren't they? I'm not surprised. Once they dipped their toes into the licensed, nostalgic cartoon and nerdy tshirt market, they really haven't had any signs of going back. Now they just sell pop culture stuff to varying degrees of annoying.

Still though, I'll find myself going into one if I ever happen to be in a mall. Our local Hot Topic ditched our dying mall a few years ago and just left us with a Sea the Source, which is basically the same thing, except they also sell Magic the Gathering and fantasy stuff.

For the longest time it was the only place I'd buy pants from, even when they stopped carrying Tripp pants. The ones I bought from there had the perfect amount of slim fitting but still enough room to move around and accomadate my increasingly chubby body. Haven't had any recently though. My stress eating while working in retail made sure I won't be wearing pants like that for quite awhile.

They still carry Tripp pants.
http://www.hottopic.com/brands/tripp/?CM_MMC=SEM-_-GGL-_-NB-_-1_9999W1_SEM_GGL_NB%7cBRANDTRIPP_PANT&gclid=CJ_R0p6O29QCFQO2wAodlpQO5A&gclsrc=aw.ds

The store near here is still all Goth stuff. It just depends on how much they sell of it in the area to whether or not the local stores still carry it. Depending on the region, the local stores carry what they sell the most of.

ALSO:

The "Owned By Gap" Legend[edit]
Okay, people, listen up. I used to work for Gap Inc, so I would know: Hot Topic is not, nor has it ever been, owned by Gap. There are four stores under the Gap, Inc. umbrella: The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Forth & Towne. Nothing else. (While I'm on the subject, I should point out that American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch aren't owned by Gap, either.) Go the Hot Topic's webpage. Are there any mentions of its supposed ownership? Now go to Gap Inc's site. Golly, where's Hot Topic on that list of brands?
Despite what the misinformed TearAwayTheFunerealDress would have you think, this is an urban legend with a very obvious moral, at least to those people who define their identity by where they buy their clothes. --Funkmistress 16:54, 13 November 2005 (UTC)

Hear hear! I'm on the other end of this spectrum. I work at Hot Topic...This rumor wont die. So I talked to my Distric Manager today about it. From the horses mouth, "We aren't owned by the Gap now. We've never been owned by the Gap in the past. We'll never be owned by it in the future."
I don't see how they could be a subsidiary of the Gap, since they're a separate publicly-traded company on NASDAQ. --Delirium 10:11, 11 November 2005 (UTC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AHot_Topic#The_.22Owned_By_Gap.22_Legend

 

[Ugicywapih]

Huh, I think I found Hot Topic's official response to that:

That's it, you just don't get us anymore, man! We're our own store and we're not going to conform to your lame ideas! *shuts door*

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I can't find any evidence of this, but I remember the one in my mall being called Hot Gothic for years. It really felt like that kind of store too. then in like the late 2000s they changed it to the word Topic and while the store and lighting didn't really change, Their stock and employee attire became lighter and more colorful. Now it's just a tame Spencers, if any of you know what that store is.

Yea, Spencer's changed quite a bit as well too. Half the store is now poor quality sex toys, bad party games and random mainstream figurines. I don't think Hot topic is like Spencer's though, the Hot Topic here still carry's mostly goth stuff. Though with all the T-shirts they sell now, they are more comparable to Gadzooks before they were bought out by Forever 21 in 2005.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I can't find any evidence of this, but I remember the one in my mall being called Hot Gothic for years. It really felt like that kind of store too. then in like the late 2000s they changed it to the word Topic and while the store and lighting didn't really change, Their stock and employee attire became lighter and more colorful. Now it's just a tame Spencers, if any of you know what that store is.

Yea, Spencer's changed quite a bit as well too. Half the store is now poor quality sex toys, bad party games and random mainstream figurines. I don't think Hot topic is like Spencer's though, the Hot Topic here still carry's mostly goth stuff. Though with all the T-shirts they sell now, they are more comparable to Gadzooks before they bought out by Forever 21 in 2005.

Not familiar with Gadzooks, But My Topic Doesn't really have any Goth items. Just Geek and Band apparel. Band apparel is half my Spencer's with the shitty sex and games stuff being the other. That's where the comparison came from for me.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I can't find any evidence of this, but I remember the one in my mall being called Hot Gothic for years. It really felt like that kind of store too. then in like the late 2000s they changed it to the word Topic and while the store and lighting didn't really change, Their stock and employee attire became lighter and more colorful. Now it's just a tame Spencers, if any of you know what that store is.

Yea, Spencer's changed quite a bit as well too. Half the store is now poor quality sex toys, bad party games and random mainstream figurines. I don't think Hot topic is like Spencer's though, the Hot Topic here still carry's mostly goth stuff. Though with all the T-shirts they sell now, they are more comparable to Gadzooks before they bought out by Forever 21 in 2005.

Not familiar with Gadzooks, But My Topic Doesn't really have any Goth items. Just Geek and Band apparel. Band apparel is half my Spencer's with the shitty sex and games stuff being the other. That's where the comparison came from for me.

I wish Spencer's still sold all those cool lights they used to carry. The ones they have now are lame compared to the ones I bought there years ago.

Spoiler: I still have quite a few lights I bought from Spencer's in my collection

I bought my 51cm blue lumiglas Plasma disk like this there:

I put that one inside a table top.
I have 4 of these I bought there:

I have 6 of these type lamps but they are larger floor lamps rather than what I can find for sale now:

I also bought a few plasma balls plasma skulls, and Fog machine for Halloween over the years there, but most of what they have now is just junk in comparison to what they used to carry.

Yea.. I might have a freaky light addiction.. LOL

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I can't find any evidence of this, but I remember the one in my mall being called Hot Gothic for years. It really felt like that kind of store too. then in like the late 2000s they changed it to the word Topic and while the store and lighting didn't really change, Their stock and employee attire became lighter and more colorful. Now it's just a tame Spencers, if any of you know what that store is.

Yea, Spencer's changed quite a bit as well too. Half the store is now poor quality sex toys, bad party games and random mainstream figurines. I don't think Hot topic is like Spencer's though, the Hot Topic here still carry's mostly goth stuff. Though with all the T-shirts they sell now, they are more comparable to Gadzooks before they bought out by Forever 21 in 2005.

Not familiar with Gadzooks, But My Topic Doesn't really have any Goth items. Just Geek and Band apparel. Band apparel is half my Spencer's with the shitty sex and games stuff being the other. That's where the comparison came from for me.

I wish Spencer's still sold all those cool lights they used to carry. The ones they have now are lame compared to the ones I bought there years ago.

Spoiler: I still have quite a few lights I bought from Spencer's in my collection

I bought my 51cm blue lumiglas Plasma disk like this there:

I put that one inside a table top.
I have 4 of these I bought there:

I have 6 of these type lamps but they are larger floor lamps rather than what I can find for sale now:

I also bought a few plasma balls plasma skulls, and Fog machine for Halloween over the years there, but most of what they have now is just junk in comparison to what they used to carry.

Yea.. I might have a freaky light addiction.. LOL

I don't remember those being in my Spencer's last I checked. That was a little over a week ago. Those are now found in those hobbyist stores with the pop culture icon cutouts in the front of them. That or Target maybe.

 

[RaikuFA]

I was in there the other day. Bought some Gravity Falls mystery figures(got the twins) had a mix of both nerdy and goth stuff. Still playing pop music. I think people complained. I remember for awhile there was no music.

Just play some Kontrust in there.