Best Buy To Exit Physical Media Business In 2024 (5 Viewers)

[Alex...]

The Bits

 

[Wayne_j]

My local Best Buy was 'renovated' around 2 years ago and they haven't had physical media since. Suffice it to say I never go there anymore.

 

[Andy Dwyer]

Our Best Buy stores have maybe 50 titles at most now. It's about time they get out since they probably are losing a lot of money on non moving inventory. They can make better use of that floor space.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I hope they go out of business. They opened right next to our Virgin Megastore and killed them with loss-leader pricing, not to mention several other stores that would’ve stuck with physical media if they were still open.

What’s even the point of buying quality AV equipment with nothing to play on it?

 

[Andy Dwyer]

BB is reinventing itself. Its money makers now are laptops, printers, TVs, soundbars, and especially appliances. They aren't going anywhere.

People aren't using discs for music or movies anymore, They are buying smart TVs and streamer devices and couldn't care less about disc playback equipment.

 

[bmasters9]

I hope they go out of business. They opened right next to our Virgin Megastore and killed them with loss-leader pricing, not to mention several other stores that would’ve stuck with physical media if they were still open.

What’s even the point of buying quality AV equipment with nothing to play on it?

Indeed-- it would be utterly defeating the purpose (unfortunately, many people lately want only the newest and latest on streaming, and could care less for the oldies we love on physical).

 

[Malcolm R]

I can't seem to load the article. Are they abandoning it completely (no online sales, either) or just in stores? They've eliminated a lot from stores in recent years already, so that's not surprising. If they're doing away with it completely online too, that would be sad.

 

[bmasters9]

I can't seem to load the article. Are they abandoning it completely (no online sales, either) or just in stores? They've eliminated a lot from stores in recent years already, so that's not surprising. If they're doing away with it completely online too, that would be sad.

The answer to that will come if we go to the Best Buy site, search for any DVD set, and then find that not only is that set unavailable, but that none are available.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

I can't seem to load the article. Are they abandoning it completely (no online sales, either) or just in stores?

From the article, "This includes not just their in-store Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD sales, which the retailer has been gradually phasing out for a couple of years now in their many store locations nationwide, but online sales as well. This means no more Best Buy-exclusive Steelbook titles, and no more titles from Best Buy period."

 

[bmasters9]

From the article, "This includes not just their in-store Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD sales, which the retailer has been gradually phasing out for a couple of years now in their many store locations nationwide, but online sales as well. This means no more Best Buy-exclusive Steelbook titles, and no more titles from Best Buy period."

So basically, all we'll be able to find is equipment and appliances? Quite appalling.

 

[EricSchulz]

I’ve also read about Target cutting back/phasing out media. One store near me has cut back to a 16 ft run plus 2 end caps for CDs/DVDs/LPs TOTAL. A larger store a little further away has maybe twice that but it’s nothing compared to even a few years ago.

 

[Malcolm R]

So basically, all we'll be able to find is equipment and appliances? Quite appalling.

Agreed. And most likely no reason for me to ever buy anything from them again. For appliances, I usually look to Lowe's. Electronics are generally from Amazon or Costco.

 

[Garysb]

I stand corrected from what I posted on the other Best Buy thread about them stocking up on media for Black Friday month. If they are leaving the media business in a few months it seems unlikely they will be promoting media during the holiday season. I haven't gone to Best Buy or Barnes and Noble much since Covid . Just got out of the habit. Target seems to sell out of what I want before I get around to buying it. They haven't been much good for bargain hunters. I often can't find enough in stock items I want during their buy 2 get 1 free sales. I guess it is just Amazon , GRUV, and KINO for my media purchases going forward. The Walmart website seems to be selling much of their media through 3rd parties. I noticed their Universal titles were coming from GRUV recently.

 

[titch]

I've purchased three Best Buy exclusive 4K steelboks: The Hurt Locker and The Limey, as well as Dirty Dancing. The first two have yet to have a standard US release. Best Buy don't ship to Europe, so it costs a small fortune purchasing their exclusives from re-sellers via eBay. That factor notwithstanding, I don't think the demise of Best Buy will be an advantage for collectors.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Our discussions on this sort of topic here tend to get so narrow and selective that I feel like I have no choice to post the disclaimer that I am a physical media fan before making other comments, otherwise my posts get purposefully misconstrued as wishing for the end of physical media.

But this shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone who’s been honestly paying attention to the state of physical media outside our enthusiast circles. The average, everyday consumer that decides whether any product is mainstream or niche moved on from discs a decade ago.

Stores carrying physical media face a difficult road in making that practical. Best Buy can stock six different models of air conditioner or refrigerator and satisfy the majority of demand for those products. You can walk in looking for one model of dishwasher and not find it and still walk out with a dishwasher from another brand that fills the exact same role and specifications. It doesn’t really work that way with movies. If you want in for one specific movie and they don’t have it, you’re unlikely to buy a completely different movie instead. That means that they have to stock a huge variety of titles that in all likelihood won’t sell, in order to be able to play the odds of having that one copy of one specific title for that one person who might come in for it. That just doesn’t work as a business plan.

For physical media to survive at all going forward, it needs to be a niche product carried mostly online by retailers that can manage having limited quantity inventory of a variety of titles. It’s going to mean that people who want discs rather than digital are going to have to pay more for them. It’s going to mean that release dates will go from being set in stone where everyone gets the same product at the same time to being more nebulous, where product ships when stock arrives from the manufacturer.

 

[John*Wells]

The post says Best Buy will stop selling physical media in 2024

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Best Buy already gave up any chance of making money on digital movies when they shuttered CinemaNow. Same with Target and Target Ticket. Now instead of getting just a piece of what’s left of physical media, they’ll be getting NOTHING.

Sure wish it had been Best Buy that went under instead of Fry’s. Their stores were so huge they had room for everything they carried. Not a day goes by when I don’t miss that store.

Last time I was at a Best Buy they had all their projectors sitting out on a shelf, with no way of actually seeing them work. I asked a sales guy how they expected to sell any that way, he said “You can take one home but we do charge a restocking fee.” Maybe I should start a delivery service for all of this stuff that you either can’t or have no reason to buy in stores?

 

[Capt D McMars]

Our Best Buy stores have maybe 50 titles at most now. It's about time they get out since they probably are losing a lot of money on non moving inventory. They can make better use of that floor space.

Yeah, Walmart did the same thing this year...it's a dismal shadow of it's former self!!!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Unfortunately, it is what it is. Really just the nature of this bizz and market...

Hopefully, what remains will still provide enough for us physical media fans...

_Man_

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I can't seem to load the article. Are they abandoning it completely (no online sales, either) or just in stores? They've eliminated a lot from stores in recent years already, so that's not surprising. If they're doing away with it completely online too, that would be sad.

The article says online sales, too. That means I may not be shopping there anymore -- I generally only shop at BB if we need something large I need to pick up (like a TV or appliance). When we do that, I use the reward points to buy a disc or two online, since those point expire (unlike Amazon's reward points). Without the reward points, I may as well shop someplace else.

I actually need to buy a new TV for our SC condo (the 65" display in our living room was zapped by lightening this summer). I planned on getting one at the BB in that area when we get down there soon.