Buying Blu-ray films online or at a supermarket? (1 Viewer)

Brick and Mortar stores have a hard time keeping up with online retail, and the simple reason is because online retail has a wider variety of choices than the brick and mortar stores, which frontline themselves consistently with mainstream releases or Disney releases. May that's why many video stores have closed over the past decade, along with that other reason, the VOD streaming services. I like Blu-ray because of the high quality involved. I also like the Blu-ray Rips I find on the Internet, because they offer higher quality than Netflix, at the finest. Question is, with many Blu-ray fans on this particular section of the site here, how many of you get your Blu-rays online and how many of you get them at a brick and mortar retail store?

I get all my groceries from Stop & Shop but never, in all my years of shopping, have I purchased a single DVD or Blu-ray along with my cat food and peanut butter.

I've never purchased a Blu-ray at my supermarket either. Mine don't sell them. I'd remember if I ever saw them there.

The Redbox in my supermarket does sell them.

There might be a Redbox in my supermarket. But I thought they only rented discs.

They sell previously viewed discs.

Huh. THAT'S good to know.


Are prices decent?

I think prices are decent, I haven't bought anything from them in a while so I don't know what the price is. Maybe I'll check when this storm is over.

One other question. Do you get a case/artwork with the disc...or just the disc in an envelope?

You get the regular red box plastic holder.

The problem with the question as stated is that most grocery stores/supermarkets in Michigan are part of a big box store such as Meijer, Walmart, Target, etc. I have bought groceries and blu rays/DVDs at all of those. If you are into old movies or out of print movies Meijer can be an interesting place if you are willing to spend the time to do a little exploring.

Here in SoCal, they do sell DVD's in supermarkets but I don't recall any BD's for sale. I have never purchased a disc at a supermarket because their prices are way to high. I don't buy DVD's anymore, just BD's. I'm a bargain hunter and only buy when a title is on sale from stores, whether it be Fry's, Best Buy, Walmart, etc. but most of my purchases are from local record stores, they have great prices but selections vary. I don't go in looking for a specific title, I just look to see if they have a disc I want. Some are "used" but in perfect condition and many are still sealed. I pay anywhere from $3.99 to $9.99 for BD's and have always been satisfied. Granted buying BD's this cheap causes me to have a fairly large library but I'm happy. I rarely buy online unless it's something really hard to find or if the price is too good to pass up.

I would estimate that I buy 70% of my blu rays online. The prices tend to be better and picking a package up from my mailbox is more convenient than making a trip to the store. If I'm in a grocery / retail store like Walmart it's not even worth my time walking through the electronics department. If I'm at Fry's or Best Buy I'll see if they have any good sales, but I expect to leave empty handed.

sampsoninc916 said:

Brick and Mortar stores have a hard time keeping up with online retail, and the simple reason is because online retail has a wider variety of choices than the brick and mortar stores, which frontline themselves consistently with mainstream releases or Disney releases. May that's why many video stores have closed over the past decade, along with that other reason, the VOD streaming services. I like Blu-ray because of the high quality involved. I also like the Blu-ray Rips I find on the Internet, because they offer higher quality than Netflix, at the finest. Question is, with many Blu-ray fans on this particular section of the site here, how many of you get your Blu-rays online and how many of you get them at a brick and mortar retail store?

Click to expand...

I buy ALL mine online from many countries.I prefer European and Asian films to that of English language films. One of our local free to air TV stations has 400 (mostly European and Asian) free movies to watch on one's computer. (after they have been screened on TV). The IMDB also have a stack of old movies to watch for free. With 19 local free to air tv channels,the are generally some great foreign films to watch.

I am buying more and more of my Blurays online, mainly Amazon, some from Twllight Time or Olive. I've bought a handful at Walgreen's, which only have a handful on sale at any time, and mainly closeouts and poorly selling titles.

100% online......unless I impulse buy something at Wal-mart. But most of the time, I've pre-ordered on Amazon, get it either on the street date or within a few days of, and generally have paid less for the disc plus Prime shipping than I would pay for just the disc at a store. I also order via Screen Archives for TT titles, and occasionally from Zavvi and Ebay.

Just bought Monsters University from a Red Box for $5.40.

I buy almost exclusively online, though I always check the rapidly-disappearing Blu-ray bargain bin at Walmart and occasionally find a good sale at Best Buy. Then again, I work at Amazon so, you know, gotta keep my job in demand.


As for Redbox, used discs are hit-or-miss. Usually miss because many of the discs are the rental versions that purposefully leave off any special features. Disney-released discs are usually fine since they seem to be identical to the retail versions. As was mentioned above, there's no case or artwork.

I buy almost exclusively online, but not by choice. I still occasionally check out Barnes and Noble, since I have a discount membership and their sales are plentiful. If brick and mortar stores still carried the classic titles I seek, I'd still buy them there. I enjoy browsing the shelves and miss the days of DVD Planet and Tower Records.

The last couple of brick & mortar shops I used to patronize have closed and I have very little interest in wandering aimlessly into places like Best Buy for movies because I know I'll walk out with a "why the heck did I bother" expression on my face. Back in the DVD glory days I always walked out with armfuls of DVDs and a happy grin - that hasn't happened since about 2007. I've spotted some DVDs at Family Dollar, some have even caught my eye but ultimately I decided not to bother. Now, back in the VHS days we used to see movies sold everywhere, including at check cashing outlets (where I found many of my favorites), gas stations and even at church!