Best Buy to Eliminate DVD Inventory & Anime (1 Viewer)

[Mark Talmadge]

According to Anime News Network and ICV2, Best Buy has announced that they are cutting back on their DVD inventory titles for most of its stores. This includes includes a lot of its anime inventory as well.

This doesn't bode good news for the DVD industry as Best Buy has been trying to increase its blu ray inventory for a long time now. This isn't going to motivate consumers into buying blu ray and in our economy, DVD is still the better seller over blu ray.

 

[Ockeghem]

Well, I don't use Best Buy for anything, so it doesn't bother me. I will still continue to order my DVDs online. It's relatively quick, less expensive, and the return policies are much better.

 

[Brian^K]

And that's probably why they're doing this. Why incur B&M-related distribution and carrying costs when most folks are just going to make their purchase based on the lowest price? And now, with CC out of the way, it isn't a competitive concern to do away with DVDs.

 

[pitchman]

You couldn't prove that by me. I went to my local Best Buy bright and early on Sunday to get the $14.99 Amadeus Blu-ray featured in this week's circular. Not only did they not have it in stock, the clerk who looked it up in the store's inventory computer informed me that they had none on order, would not be getting any, and if I really wanted it I should order it from the Best Buy web site. In the end, I opted to spend 10 minutes at customer service wrangling a raincheck, so if/when it does come in, I'll get it at the sale price and not have to screw around with shipping. BTW, this happens to me with regularity at this store - at least once every four or five weeks. And, it's always the same thing. I make a special trip to the store for an advertised Blu-ray disc and they don't have it in stock.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I posted a topic thread in the Bargains & Deals section noting that most Borders stores are now dropping media (CDs and DVDs). I found this out from a local Borders employee after getting an email announcing 30% off of all media through March 1. In other words, they're clearing inventory out.

Sure, we mostly buy DVDs online now for the best price (with the exception of first-week releases at Best Buy, etc.), but there was still something about the opportunity to browse in a B&M when you weren't in a target-hunting mode, but just wanted to see what you felt in the mood for on an impulse purchase. Those days are going.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Well Borders can kiss my butt; they are totally overpriced on all their dvds anyway.

 

[Gary OS]

I buy 99% of my dvds online anyhow, so it's not that this news is particularly distressing to me on a personal level. The bigger issue, IMHO, is that this can and probably will hurt the DVD industry in general. I've been told, or read, that WalMart is cutting back on their TV on DVD shelf space in particular. Add to all this news the apparent fact that DVD sales fell again last year and we might have a problem. I certainly hope that studios and independents are able to weather the storm, but I must admit I'm gravely concerned about this hobby I've come to love so much.

Gary "I don't see how all this info is anything but bad news for fans of TV on DVD" O.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Agreed, except for the fact that they email coupons every week for 30-40% off most of the time to Rewards members, which often brings the prices down comparable to the best you can do online (and without waiting for shipping). I imagine that they will have some great clearance prices soon on the stores dropping media.

 

[TravisR]

Can we change the title of this thread to something more accurate? 'Eliminate' would mean that they're getting rid of DVDs all together.

 

[Corey3rd]

CC might be out of the business, but they still have to compete with Target and Wallmart. I think the display cases at Best Buy are a major turn off to the casual consumer. It's like a maze inside them. Most of the time, you can't find what you're looking for. People seem more comfortable scanning the new releases as they enter the store and then just keep on moving. They're not great browsing spaces.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

I just know that I won't be doing my business with Best Buy anymore. Personally, I think Best Buy is shooting themselves in the foot by eliminating their DVD inventory. If they're working on the analysis that by eliminating their inventory and increaing their blu ray inventory that that will entice consumers to buy blu ray, then they're working on a false assumption.

Most consumers still prefer the standard DVD format, as do I. The format is still too early to be doing this. I think that companies like Target, Best Buy, Walmart and the remaining box box discount chains are trying to hedge blu ray as the winner.

The fact is that most consumers are still buying DVD's and while the company directs consumers to their website I stopped ordering through their website because of the horrible shipping service they now have.

I purchase nearly all of my anime DVD's through Right Stuf.com and my regaulr DVD purchases are purchased through Overstock.com or through Amazon.

For those television shows on DVD that aren't available through stores, I've been downloading through services such as Rapidshare.

 

[RickER]

OK, so i went to one of the web sites that Mark mentioned. Its not as bad as his thread title sounds. The way Mark says it BB is out of the DVD business. In fact they seem to be out of the crap no one heard of, and sits on the shelf for 5 years business. Anime, and B and C titles seem to be whats affected.

While i agree anime seems to be the hardest hit, they wont stop selling it outright, but they are cutting the number of stores that carry anime.

I have to tell you, as a big anime fan myself, i have been hard pressed to find many good shows and movies. If its not Ghost in the Shell, or Cowboy Bebop, i cant say its thrilled me. In the last few years anyway, Japan has been holding on to the BIG titles, and selling the US license for about the cost of the show to produce. I know anime bootlegging has gotten out of control too. That means the DVDs sit on the shelf. Also, a single disc can cost $30 in store, but if you wait for the box set, that comes out a year or two later, it will be $30 as well! So, i see people waiting, not buying the single disc release.

As far as old movies, and TV shows, Best Buy has been crap when it comes to having any stock on them. I dont even know if they ever got Adam-12 season 2, because i got mine from Amazon. If they ever do stock older titles, it sure isnt on release week.

If they want to stock A titles, so be it. I have no problem ordering online. Saves me a trip.

But they are NOT getting out of the DVD business.

Dont even get me started on their Blu-ray prices! I only buy from them if its a GOOD sale, or i have a Reward Zone card burning a hole in my pocket!

 

[Gary OS]

But Rick, what you said actually confirms my concerns. If places like Best Buy are going to be taking classic TV off their shelves then that can directly impact my favorite portion of the entire DVD market. If the B&M stores stop stocking those type of dvds, then the studios may very well have to start scaling back their output in those areas. So that is alarming, at least to me.

Gary "does that make sense?" O.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

Not only that but this will also affect those studios in releasing TV Shows to DVD meaning that such future releases of All in the Family, Chips, Smallville, NCIS, Bones and c ountless other titles will never see release to DVD.

 

[Gary OS]

That's what I'm saying Mark, although I was specifically thinking of vintage TV as opposed to new releases. I believe the older material would be the first casualty. New shows would be the last ones to get the axe.

Gary "there's no way all these variables don't add up to at least potentially bad news for vintage TV on DVD" O.

 

[RickER]

Oh i agree 100% Gary. You know BB has always been bad about stocking anything from Shout! Factory, one of my favorites for a long time. I also really liked BCI, which BB did stock many of their titles, and we know what happened to them.
I always thought they should cut down on the number of direct to video, or worse, lasted at the theater for one week titles.
I am sure some of the classic TV titles we do see in store, are only stocked because the studio tells them, "you want Iron Man, you gotta take 100 units of B titles too!"

Shout! doesnt have the pull that Paramount, Universal, or FOX has. Makes me wonder if the big studios will even take a hit at all. Not that they were stocking 30 year old shows very deep anyway.

 

[Gary OS]

Yep, we are on the same page here Rick. Thanks.

Gary "I'm hoping Amazon might see this as a place where they can really prosper and the studios will still give us some 'direct to e-tailer' vintage releases - that might be the only way left to make classic material available in a physical media form pretty soon" O.

 

[DeWilson]

This isn't good.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Y'know, I kind of wish the studios could get away with doing classic TV the same way Marvel Comics does their Masterworks (reprints of old comic books, for those who don't know)...

Manufacture enough for the pre-orders, with some extras for people who don't know a release is coming out or can't afford it at this time, and that's that.

Of course, there are probably many reasons why that is not possible (and I'm sure I'll soon be told most of them), but it would be interesting to see if it could be done.

I guess the other way would be making more material available through Amazon's Burn on Demand program.

 

[TravisR]

Exactly. 'Eliminate' means to remove or get rid of. They're reducing their inventory. There's a huge difference between the two words.