Mister Ed: Season 4 ... where is it? (1 Viewer)

[smithb]

Originally Posted by LeoAmes
I assume it's because it's a Shout Select title?


It's probably pay the higher price to help justify the smaller production run, or leave the show incomplete. I'm sure most fans will choose to bite the bullet and just pay the cost to help see the show through to the end. It's not too terribly unreasonable since it's only around $5-$10 more than I remember the other sets being when they were first released.

But do Shout select title get discounted? I've never purchased that way. I've generally only paid between $20 and $25 for each of the previous three seasons. So unless they provide decent discounts at some point they are helping to ensure only a limited run is necessary. IMO at least, the later seasons are not as good with the cast changes. In addition, they are playing on the THIS network right now (albeit cut to around 22 minutes) and the quality is more then acceptable. Priced at around $20 to $25 I might bite but not almost $40. Still too much competition for my funds with other options being available.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

Originally Posted by LeoAmes

I assume it's because it's a Shout Select title?


It's probably pay the higher price to help justify the smaller production run, or leave the show incomplete. I'm sure most fans will choose to bite the bullet and just pay the cost to help see the show through to the end. It's not too terribly unreasonable since it's only around $5-$10 more than I remember the other sets being when they were first released.

It is a Shout! Select title. Unfortunately, die-hard and casual fans of Mr. Ed can't get this DVD set anywhere else. It is exclusive to Shout! which means they can charge us any way they like as it is offered only by them. And boy, it seems they are taking full advantage of this as they are charging $40 and an additional $$$ for shipping & handling just for a DVD set of a 50-year old black and white show that contains ONLY 26 episodes. At this point, I as the buyer would be willing to pay for a used copy at a cheaper price than be screwed over by getting a brand new copy from Shout! at their current asking price (which by the way doesn't even include shipping & handling).

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Did you ever happen to look at the MSRP of Mister Ed seasons 1-3?


I'll spoil the surprise for you... they're all $39.99.


Since those first three are general releases, they're so much cheaper (that's said sarcastically, BTW) because that's the discount Amazon gives.


However, if you were to walk into a retail store and actually be able to find Mr. Ed S1-3, they would be charging $39.99 for them. I've seen it before in Best Buy. And $39.99 is *GASP* The exact same price Shout is charging for S4 on their website.


And the whole reason Mister Ed went to Shout Select was because seemingly, the retail stores didn't want to stock it.


So, it's pay the "extra" 10 dollars for it at Shout, or never see it released.


You don't like it, don't buy it. But quit whining about it.


Oh, and to the poster above, yes, sometimes Shout Select titles get put on sale. In the past 6 months or so, I recall Mr. Belvedere and Room 222 being on sale. Keep checking the site, especially around holidays like Father's Day. That was the last time I recall a Shout Select sale.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

Originally Posted by smithb

But do Shout select title get discounted? I've never purchased that way. I've generally only paid between $20 and $25 for each of the previous three seasons. So unless they provide decent discounts at some point they are helping to ensure only a limited run is necessary. IMO at least, the later seasons are not as good with the cast changes. In addition, they are playing on the THIS network right now (albeit cut to around 22 minutes) and the quality is more then acceptable. Priced at around $20 to $25 I might bite but not almost $40. Still too much competition for my funds with other options being available.

Great Points! All the more reason why this DVD set should be sold at a decent price. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the season 4 DVD set turns out to be a sales failure. Shout! is surely asking for it!

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

I've been collecting since 2002. Most old shows these days range between 14 to 30 dollars for a new/latest release. I recall back in 2002 that the asking price of season 1 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was $40. I also recall that the asking price for a volume (4 episodes) of season 1 of I Love Lucy was between $10 and $14 dollars. The Mister Ed season 4 price might have been acceptable to me back in 2002 but it isn't in 2011.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Originally Posted by Theodore J. Mooney

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

I've been collecting since 2002. Most old shows these days range between 14 to 30 dollars for a new/latest release. I recall back in 2002 that the asking price of season 1 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was $40. I also recall that the asking price for a volume (4 episodes) of season 1 of I Love Lucy was between $10 and $14 dollars. The Mister Ed season 4 price might have been acceptable to me back in 2002 but isn't in 2011.
[/QUOTE]

Then that's your problem.


You're not willing to adapt.


The classic TV on DVD market is shrinking. Cheap sets aren't as easy to come by for old shows as they used to be. In fact, look at how many shows that were released for 20-25 dollars were abandoned until Shout picked them up.


And no other company even offers an option like this.


Would you feel better if S4 of Mr. Ed didn't come out at all, so you could complain about how the mean old company didn't release it and just abandoned it? At least it's out there for when you want to buy it.


You don't have that option with shows like Green Acres, or the Bob Newhart Show, because when the sales didn't meet the standards of the company releasing it, they dumped the show and never looked back.


And if Fox or MGM offered me the option to pay the outrageous sum of 40 dollars for the next season of Green Acres or Bob Newhart, after three years of waiting, I'd jump at the chance.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

I've been collecting since 2002. Most old shows these days range between 14 to 30 dollars for a new/latest release. I recall back in 2002 that the asking price of season 1 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was $40. I also recall that the asking price for a volume (4 episodes) of season 1 of I Love Lucy was between $10 and $14 dollars. The Mister Ed season 4 price might have been acceptable to me back in 2002 but isn't in 2011.
[/QUOTE]

Then that's your problem.


You're not willing to adapt.


The classic TV on DVD market is shrinking. Cheap sets aren't as easy to come by for old shows as they used to be. In fact, look at how many shows that were released for 20-25 dollars were abandoned until Shout picked them up.


And no other company even offers an option like this.


Would you feel better if S4 of Mr. Ed didn't come out at all, so you could complain about how the mean old company didn't release it and just abandoned it? At least it's out there for when you want to buy it.


You don't have that option with shows like Green Acres, or the Bob Newhart Show, because when the sales didn't meet the standards of the company releasing it, they dumped the show and never looked back.


And if Fox or MGM offered me the option to pay the outrageous sum of 40 dollars for the next season of Green Acres or Bob Newhart, after three years of waiting, I'd jump at the chance.


I am asking for reasonable-priced sets not cheap ones. $40 or more dollars a pop isn't reasonable.


Besides, if Shout! can sell Dennis the Menace - Season 1 for a little under $25 and All in the Family - Season 8, Adam-12 - Season 5, and various seasons of Leave it to Beaver for a little under $30 then why can't they do that for Mister Ed - Season 4? And why are they selling seasons 1-3 of Mister Ed ten to fifteen dollars less than that of season 4? All four seasons contain the same amount of episodes so why the price difference between the seasons?


So your argument is ... either buy the expensive sets or face the consequence of future seasons not coming out. Well ... I am at the point where I just don't care anymore because almost all companies have used this argument against their customers. And in some cases, the show DOES get abandoned despite the customers giving into that argument. And then there is that scenario with the loyal customers getting every season that comes out at the asking price only to see the company thereafter release the whole series in one deluxe DVD set at a major discount price. I know this may not reflect Shout!; however, after seeing what happens to loyal customers with various companies one has to wonder and be skeptical .


If a fan really wants to see the remaining seasons of a show, they will get a hold of it one way or another. A company releasing seasons of a show is just ONE option out of a possible many.

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

I have to say, I've never understood this rationalization (other than a maybe a bit pyschologically speaking). If fifteen+ years ago the norm was to pay $200+ for a season then that was the market at that time. When I would have determined what to put my money towards, I would have been basing it against other similarly priced $200+ a season shows. But the current market for shows of a similar nature is much cheaper a season with discounts. Look at the now pre-order price of "Car-54", which is listed at $20 on Amazon. During the past few months there have been many sales with seasons going for anywhere from $10 to $15 a season.


As far as adapting to higher pricing (especially for older series) that may be concern for me at some point (same as MODs), and i will probably just have to buy less. But as long as I can still find series I want just as much for less, my money will go there first.


Now if "Mister Ed" was a must-own for me that would be different. I have paid higher prices for series I just have to have. But as far as nice to have's I try to get the biggest bang for my buck. And I will continue this way as long as the market bears out this way. By pricing it this way, Shout is basically saying we are going after the hardcore fan not the casual fan on a budget. That is their choice, it just won't get my dollars at this point. Unless of course I have everything else priced cheaper then I might reconsider. That is what I would call adapting. Maybe you are already there.

 

[LeoA]

Theodore J. Mooney, the price was already explained to you.


Sales of season 3 weren't high enough to justify trying to get retailers to stock it so it became part of the Shout Select program. That means a small production run trying to match the number of sets they produce with the demand they project for direct sales of the set.


That means cost are being spread across a smaller pool of customers, and if their projections are correct, they won't have a large surplus of these sets a year or two down the road that need to be sharply discounted in order to clear them out. So they shouldn't be saddled with a lot of stock like they were with their earlier general retail releases. And also, because they have to compete with the retailers carrying their product, they can't very well remain at MSRP forever anyways. Neither is a problem with a Shout Select title. And like has already been explained to you, it is being sold at the same MSRP of the earlier sets.


The price has nothing to do with the number of disc and episodes on the set.

 

[FrancisP]

Originally Posted by LeoAmes

Theodore J. Mooney, the price was already explained to you.


Sales of season 3 weren't high enough to justify trying to get retailers to stock it so it became part of the Shout Select program. That means a small production run trying to match the number of sets they produce with the demand they project for direct sales of the set.


That means cost are being spread across a smaller pool of customers, and if their projections are correct, they won't have a large surplus of these sets a year or two down the road that need to be sharply discounted in order to clear them out. So they shouldn't be saddled with a lot of stock like they were with their earlier general retail releases. And also, because they have to compete with the retailers carrying their product, they can't very well remain at MSRP forever anyways. Neither is a problem with a Shout Select title. And like has already been explained to you, it is being sold at the same MSRP of the earlier sets.


The price has nothing to do with the number of disc and episodes on the set.

With brick and mortar retailers you are probably right however I find it hard to believe that online retailers like Amazon are not interested. I've seen some of the most obscure titles that I have ever seen.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

Shout! Factory is currently charging (as of 3/10/11) ...

... $28.99 for season 1 (26 episodes)

 

[borisfw]

I have been waiting for the Shout select prices to drop . But at this point I'm not so sure that's going to happen .


I also have checked the web for coupons for the shout select dvds and haven't found any .


I bought all the season sets for Mr Ed , Father Knows Best and Ironside till they went exclusive on the Shout site .


Now i guess i just need to be patient .

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

Originally Posted by borisfw

I have been waiting for the Shout select prices to drop . But at this point I'm not so sure that's going to happen .


I also have checked the web for coupons for the shout select dvds and haven't found any .


I bought all the season sets for Mr Ed , Father Knows Best and Ironside till they went exclusive on the Shout site .


Now i guess i just need to be patient .

I believe it is a matter of patience. Season 4 is still a somewhat new release but as time goes by it won't be that case anymore. So sooner or later they are going to have to drop the price or suffer the consequences.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

There is NO joking around by Shout! Factory on April Fool's when it comes to their price of Mister Ed: Season 4. Unfortunately, this set is $39.99 plus the added expense of shipping & handling. Well, as a potential customer, I am no fool to fall for an atrocious price like that.

 

[smithb]

I've come to the conclusion that we won't see the same kind of discounts on "Select" titles as has been done with their standard titles that are made available on various discounted web sites. These are marketed completely different. My reasoning is as follows:


- For early seasons they need to get the word out as much as possible to maximize getting the attention of all fan types from the most casual to hardcore, and they can't rely on people finding them as Shout! only select titles.

- It is hard to predict sale numbers in the beginning when it is riskier, so again they need to maximize exposure and go with lower profits per sale but higher sales numbers.

- It has been documented that sales generally decrease as seasons are released so the later seasons are generally for the more hardcore fan.


So they release later seasosn as "Select" titles, when:


- The predicted numbers are too low to chance lower profits per sale.

- They know they will risk losing some sales this way but they are counting on the most hardcore fan's to know their website and still be willing to purchase at a higher price to complete their collections, justifying Shout! putting out further releases.


I really can't blame them for going this route, it makes more business sense. In my case, "Mister Ed, S4" is not important enough to me to pay that amount when I can readily get them off of THIS network and I find the later seasons without the Addison's to be not as good. Now when it comes to "Father Knows Best, S5 and S6" I really have no other choice if I want the complete collection. So after dragging my feet for a while I finally decided to bite the bullet and order them.


I'm sure they might appear at some point lower on for a brief sale if you monitor their website. I just wouldn't expect the type of discounts we would find periodically when these titles were also available on Amazon. At least that's my take.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

I am getting this feeling that seasons 5 and 6 may be in limbo. It has been five months since season four was released and still no word on the remaining seasons. And let's not forget that season 4 was Shout-select title to begin it. Another series that is experiencing a similair situation is Rhoda.


I guess I will just write off this series as another abandoned one for now. I may have no other choice than to look elsewhere for seasons 4 through 6. This sure has turned into a disppointment.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Well, yeah, if does look abandoned if you conveniently forget that the usual wait between seasons of Shout Select titles is 8 or 9 months, and they don't announce the title until around a month before it's due to be released, and as you said, it has been five months since season 4 was released, and five is less than nine, so there's no reason to expect an announcement for the next season of Mister Ed yet.


But, no, time to start talking about getting seasons 5 and 6 elsewhere, and complain that season 4 is only 10 dollars higher than seasons 1-3 were, and is therefore astronomically priced.

 

[LeoA]

Shout has a lot on their plate at the moment. I wouldn't write off Mister Ed, The Facts of Life, Adam-12, or Rhoda as stalled series just yet.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithb

I've come to the conclusion that we won't see the same kind of discounts on "Select" titles as has been done with their standard titles that are made available on various discounted web sites. These are marketed completely different...


I'm sure they might appear at some point lower on for a brief sale if you monitor their website. I just wouldn't expect the type of discounts we would find periodically when these titles were also available on Amazon. At least that's my take.

I agree, Brad. There's almost no way we are going to be seeing 50% off sales with the Shout Select titles. You outlined the reasons so I won't repeat them. But I do think you are spot on with your conclusions. I'm not whining about the prices on the Select titles. They are fine with me. I'm just going to be more selective when looking at the Select titles (no pun intended).


Gary "glad you pulled the trigger on the FKB sets, Brad - I'm sure you won't regret those purchases" O.