Weekly RoundUp 5-21-2013 (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

As far as I know, the FYE's in UMall and the Town Centre Mall downtown are still open (and, I believe, the only two remaining in VT). The one near me that closed was in the Berlin Mall. The store at UMall is now my closest FYE, but I don't get there very often.

I had JUST discovered the FYE on Williston Road (strip mall) a few years ago but when I was in town I didn't have much time to browse--but it looked great (large and well set-up). My next time in town I was going to have all the time in the world as I dropped off my wife and mother in South Burlington to a baby shower. I pulled up to the store and there was a sign on the door saying the store had been relocated to the University Mall. So I went and checked it out...but it was a pretty pedestrian experience.

 

[Malcolm R]

I had JUST discovered the FYE on Williston Road (strip mall) a few years ago but when I was in town I didn't have much time to browse--but it looked great (large and well set-up). My next time in town I was going to have all the time in the world as I dropped off my wife and mother in South Burlington to a baby shower. I pulled up to the store and there was a sign on the door saying the store had been relocated to the University Mall. So I went and checked it out...but it was a pretty pedestrian experience.

Yeah, that was my favorite of the Burlington-area TransWorld stores (I think it was actually a Coconuts...may have been re-branded as FYE at the end). I shopped there quite a lot over the years. I was surprised that location closed, as it was their closest store to both UVM and Champlain College.

I've never much enjoyed the FYE at UMall, not sure why (this location has been there for years, but has relocated a couple times within the mall). At one time, Burlington had four TW stores (two Record Town [now the remaining FYE stores in the malls], one Coconuts [Williston Rd], one Strawberries [Shelburne Rd]).

 

[Moises]

As noted in all reports on Best Buy's last earnings call, we're only going to see more "mini-shops" pop up in their stores. Apple's original ploy has turned into Best Buy's new revenue model: landlord for consumer electronics brands.

I wouldn't be surprised if BB HQ has a giant set of floorplan diagrams chopped up into mini-stores for Sony, Microsoft, LG, and others.

As to their eliminating packaged media...that seems like an odd choice at this point, since those $2 DVDs and Blu-rays still sure bring in a ton of foot traffic on Black Friday. Their reorganization of discs into badly-deineated genre on top of their reducing their selection size (often not having much beyond major studio new releases in-store) is troubling, however. I do much more in-store shopping at Fry's here in Austin, even though they often don't get some Tuesday releases until later in the week.

God, now I'm just getting sad.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

Will the mini-store's employees work for Best Buy or for Apple, Samsung, etc.? I can imagine trying to buy a new TV.
"Can you show me the TVs?"
"I can show you the Sony lineup. The guy for Samsung is sick today so you can try again tomorrow if you want to look at those."

 

[Malcolm R]

The mini-store model seems to be the new thing in retail. JCPenney is attempting the same thing, I think. It's one way to reduce overhead if you can pass your space leasing costs directly to the manufacturers.

I'd imagine the retailers have a certain amount of power to convince manufacturers to go this route..."You want your product in our stores? Then you'll have to rent space."

 

[Charles Smith]

I went to two B&Ns in Northern NJ today and scored a couple of very nice handfuls of Blu-rays. But though I found a few more Olives and Kinos, etc., than I'm used to seeing at the smaller stores, there was still nothing like the kind of stock and the displays you're talking about at the Glendale store.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Even if Best Buy gets rid of their in store DVDs and BDs I'm sure they will have a selection on Black Friday

 

[TonyD]

I'll take a gamble on the Last Stand for $14.99. WB will eventually release a three disc set of the Vacation films (if they follow the usual pattern) so I will wait to pick that up then.Thanks Mike!

Three disc set?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Here's my report on my trip to Barnes & Nobel yesterday.

I picked up a number of discs which were on my wish list. I was armed with my B&N membership card (giving me another 10% off and two coupons which had been e-mailed to me (one for 20% off one item and the other for 15% off one item).

There were a number of Olive titles there...along with their usual fine collection of Criterion titles. I struck up a conversation with their media sales guy after he questioned me about the Criterion disc in my hand. It turned out he was quite a film buff (as well as an independent film maker). In a matter of just a few minutes we had sequed from Robert Altman to Plasma displays and back again. I took one of my business cards and wrote the URL to the HTF on it so maybe we'll be getting ourselves a new member!

Anyway, when I answered his question about the Criterion I was holding, I remarked that I had a number of Olive titles in my hand that had really captured my attention. That got him even more curious and he rattled off a number of Olive titles that he had his eye on, too! He then told me it was a good thing I was picking up the Olive titles I wanted because he said his store, after the end of the 40% off sale was going to be sending back most (if not all) of the Olive titles on their shelf! I asked him if he knew why and he responded that there is a list, every week, of titles which need to be returned from the store...but that he had noticed that this week's returns were exceptionally Olive heavy. He speculated that maybe Olive had lost their rights to some of the titles which had been licensed to them. I told him I didn't think that was the case but then regaled him with the news about some Best Buy stores giving up their floor space for CDs and films to their in-house stores. He didn't think that was in the future for B&N.

He did, however, provide some affirmation about how he, too, often stops into Best Buy because of their loss-leader prices on new releases only to be totally disappointed with their DVD/Blu section (disorganization, lousy inventory, etc.)

So, I hope it doesn't mean that B&N brick and mortars aren't going to stop stocking Olive titles altogether. I guess time will tell.

My haul:

Broadcast News (CC) $21.59
Long Day's Journey Into Night (Olive) $12.95
Indiscreet (Olive) $13.76
The Sun Shines Bright (Olive) $16.19
Neil Young: Americana (Blu-ray) $11.87

 

[bujaki]

I'm unable to find any Olive releases in the Dallas area B&N stores. Anyone living in the area having a different experience?

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Olive collapse before too long.

 

[TonyD]

need improve your home theater? go to !

Sorry no report a post on mobile from what I can find.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I noticed that, too. I just took care of it at home.