Price cut on Star Trek: TNG? (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

The funny thing about ST:TNG, if I recall correctly, is that there was no MSRP set by Paramount. Retailers could choose their price point. They all chose to set them high.

...and the retailers, not knowing what else to do with that, decided to look at the wholesale price they paid for TNG, find a comparable wholesale price they've paid (like that of the X-Files sets, for example), and base their discount scheme for TNG on the MSRP price of the other item they decided was comparable. For TVShowsOnDVD, we went with an "SRP" of $139.99 for these, basically because that's what the generally accepted logic seemed to point to. The alternative was to have left it blank, which would do our user base a disservice since they wouldn't then have a clue where to start budgeting!

In my personal opinion, this entire "let's not set an MSRP" plan was one of those things that sounded great in the planning stages, but the reality turned out quite different.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Dave is correct

If you really want them cheaper, save your cash for the inevitable US version of the TNG suitcase.

I'm betting on a roughly $699 equiv SRP

I'm sure Paramount is regretting the "no SRP" deal now, by my calculations the sets compute out to about a $129.99 SRP given the typical discount structure.

SO my suggestion to all of you complaining about the prices

Buy from Canada. You can get the sets for $80-85 shipped from Total Action Universe and Amazon.ca and the like. You'll save $15 a set over Best Buy.

 

[Will_B]

Perhaps Paramount expected retailers to compete with each other and get the price down to $50, rather than pull an OPEC on us and make it sky-high.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

that won't happen Will

The wholesale price on those sets is around $90

 

[Malcolm R]

The warehouse clubs were selling them for $90 or less, so it must have been lower than that as I'm sure they weren't selling them at a loss.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Well according to the computers at 2 seperate retailers that I checked last year when TNG was coming out, their cost was $87.39 and $88.42 respectively.

And yes the warehouse clubs DO sell videos at a loss as a perk to get people to sign up and stay so they spend $$ on less discounted items

 

[Brian E]

From what I've read Paramount has been happy with TNG's sales so I wouldn't count on a price drop for a long while if ever. I usually see them used for around $50-$65 in my area. Most series wouldn't be worth the $80-$100 of TNG to me, but this is so much cheaper than they've ever been available. That combined with my enjoyment of the show it's one of the few series I'm willing to pay a little more for. Others aren't of course and if the market stops bearing the current pricetag the sets will either be lowered in price or retired for a while.

 

[Dick]

Like any business-savvy company, Paramount will maintain the original retail price as long as sales are meeting their expectations. They will likely drop them when this ceases to be true. Nothing new about that strategy.

 

[Scott Kimball]

Let's not just blame the retailers for the prices, given no MSRP. Every retailer has a formula for computing markup. The only way for retailers to sell the sets cheaper is if they got it from their wholesalers cheaper. This would only happen if the studio dropped the price... and so on...

There are few shows that I can justify $100 per season for. They are:
X-files (thru s5)
ST:TNG
STS9

Thankfully, other shows that I like (24, Buffy, Angel, SG1) are at a lower price point.

Then again, shows like Space:1999 and Red Dwarf has a much hogher price-per-episode than TNG... and I have bought those... but then again, the release strategy makes it easier to pick these up.

For me, the number I'm most happy with is under $2.50USD per episode. I don't hesitate to buy a season set that I like at that price. I have acquired SG1, Buffy, Angel and 24 at that price, and it's very reasonable.

The $9 per episode for Star Trek: TOS is unreasonable, and I have not purchased any of them (even though it is my favorite show).

. side note... just once can we have a thread that doesn't turn into "Buffy Vs. Trek Vs. X-Files Vs. Etc" Really gettin' tired of seein' that...

That's a very valid comparison to make in a thread that is about prices. There is a huge disparity in prices for these shows, and that difference does not always show up on screen. Where TNG may have higher production values, Buffy, Angel, X-files, et al, have very good production values, good acting and excellent writing. In terms of pure entertainment value and a $ per hour figure, you get much more bang for your buck out of 24, Angel, Buffy and SG1 than you do out of TNG and X-files, assuming you have a taste for all of the shows. For those on a tight budget, if they were to ask me, I would steer them clear of anything over $3 per episode of a 1 hr series.

But that's just my opinion.

-Scott