This is mixing two classes of show. Smallville, NCIS and Bones are current when it comes to DVDs. all their seasons outside the latest have been released. They're still considered New releases that get promoted when the come out right before the new season. CHiPs and All in the Family will have the problem of fighting for the limited shelf space. They won't have the same level of promotion since they're later seasons.
This condensing plays more into the Complete Season set is what a store wants to put on the shelf for their inventory. Last time I went to Best Buy and poked through the TV section, most they had up there was the latest release and only a select few series like Seinfeld and Family Guy had their older boxsets.