Wal-Mart and DVD (Positive) (1 Viewer)

[Matthew Furtek]

Hello Everyone,
I went to my local Wal-Mart today, was buying some $3 bedsheets and felt like padding the bill with a DVD. Browsed the DVD section, and noticed that my Wal-Mart at least has some pretty comparable prices ($15.19 for Training Day for example). Well, I couldn't find anything in the normal section, but then I saw a $14.44 display (this one had all the new Full Screen releases.. blech!). I picked up Caddyshack 20th Year Edition, although I kept remembering that I thought they had Ghostbusters for $10. As I was leaving the DVD section I saw another set-up that had some $9.44 DVDs... among them was Ghostbusters. Woohoo!!

As I was leaving I left a note at the customer service desk (David L. you are my inspiration!) saying how much I love widescreen and thanking them for even stocking it (SK display looked like it had more full then widescreen).

Anyways... I don't think Wally World is half bad to buy DVDs from... sure they don't have obscure titles but pretty cheap nonetheless.

Matthew Furtek

 

[Bill Balcziak]

$3 bedsheets?
Just like the ones Martha Stewart will be sleeping on in prison.

 

[Lee Petty]

i find that walmart is one of the few places that i can easily find superbit titles.

 

[David Lambert]

Heh! Thank you, sir!

 

[Christopher Cheadle]

I have a Wal-Mart story that, although not quite a bargain, is interesting in a positive sort of way. My parents were shopping at Wal Mart and happened to notice the Fellowship of the Ring display and decided to pick it up sight unseen (they don't get to the theater much). Anyway, they hadn't even opened it by the time they told me about it. They explained how they just grabbed it off the shelf to which I replied "You know there are both a widescreen and P&S version out there?" They said they hadn't known and just picked up the one in front of the display. Well, it turns out that the version they grabbed from a display in the front of the store was indeed widescreen. Who would have that you could randomly grab a copy of anything at WM and end up with the WS version.

Needless to say I was very surprised.

 

[Malcolm R]

Pretty good trip to Wal-Mart today. Plenty of WS of "The Scorpion King." The store has now locked up all their DVD's, however, so I had to grab a kid to unlock the case.
I told him I wanted "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and he unlocked the case and flipped through all the copies, then looked back at me and said, "Looks like its only in widescreen, you still want it?" :rolleyes
"I wouldn't buy it if it wasn't," I replied. :wink:

 

[David_Jr]

Was in the Pittsfield, MA store today and saw that they had several Di$ney OAR titles for $9.44. Unknown as to whether they are anamorphic, couln't tell from the packaging. Off the top of my head thought I saw Cool Runnings, Mighty Ducks, and two or three others, no blockbusters though.

 

[Adam_WM]

I told him I wanted "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and he unlocked the case and flipped through all the copies, then looked back at me and said, "Looks like its only in widescreen, you still want it?"

I'm going to be sick.

On a funny note, I use the opposite line when I'm at work (Circuit City).

 

[Kenneth Cummings]

I see some good prices there at times. Like the box sets tend to be at great prices, like Fantasia (got it a while back) for fourty (or fifty, I forget), Die Hard Trilogy for fifty, Scream trilogy for thirty (need to get) and other stuff at good prices. And they sell older Disney gold collection (not too many) at a nice price of fifth-teen dollars. Some one on sale are Resucer Down Under, Robin Hood, Oliver and Company, and something else.

 

[steve nn]

Is this true they lock-up there DVD's now? "Brotherhood Of The Wolf" is a keeper imo. Good LFE to. We have WM kind of close buy and I have been thinking of going out there. Its been some time.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

In my area they lock up a few DVD's (mostly box sets); the rest are openly displayed.

And yes, the bargains are incredible (especially at the recently-opened "Superstore") :

* $14.95 for premier titles that have been on the market for six months or more.

* $9.94 for premier titles that have been on the market for a year or longer. (Titles like Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.)

* As low as $5.44 (!) for "non-premier" catalog titles.

* Although you have to be careful, at least 90% of these are OAR presentations.

The only exceptions are the Disney titles which seem to always cost $19.95, and are never placed in the "bargain areas".

If they keep this up, they're going to put the used DVD store in my area out of business!

 

[JJR512]

Is this true they lock-up there DVD's now?

It varies. I believe it is up to the store's general manager, or maybe the district manager, to decide how each store will do it. There are several different DVD security methods you will find at various Wal*Marts. They include:

• All DVDs openly available on the shelf (nothing locked up)
• Higher-value or newer DVDs (only) locked up, others openly available
• Each title represented by an opened, empty display box (keepcase or snapper or whatever with disc removed) on shelf, with sealed copies locked up in filing cabinets

There may be other methods in practice as well.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, I think it varies from store to store. This particular store has been open for about 4 years and last week was the first time the glass doors were in place (only for the newer releases, budget titles are still out on the floor).

Definitely a pain, since you now have to get an "associate" to struggle with the locks and retrieve your discs. It also stifles any impulse buys I might make, since I can't read the backs of any of the DVD's I haven't seen to see if they sound any good.

 

[Joe Szott]

Let me tell you a secret about Walmart: it's a great place (in ways you never knew.)

This is a little OT, but if you ever need to paint your house or an inside room Walmart has the best paint anywhere. I'm not joking, when my wife and I were going to paint we asked a couple of pros where to go. All of them replied, "Walmart!" After using their paint (at $9.95 a gallon no less) I can say that it rivals the best paint out there in coating, color, and durability. I will never go anywhere else for paint as long as the Walmart stuff is so high quality at such rock bottom pricing. I think we've painted 4 rooms in the last 2 years for under $200 using Walmart paint and primer, it's always turned out perfect.

Occansionally pick up some DVDs there too, as stated above they are decent about carrying WS versions. I never expect them to have jack squat, pleasantly surprised when they have what I want.

 

[SusanO]

quote:

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I told him I wanted "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and he unlocked the case and flipped through all the copies, then looked back at me and said, "Looks like its only in widescreen, you still want it?"
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Huh - just got off the phone with a Buena Vista Home Entertainment rep who 1) can't definitively answer from her available info whether Muppet Christmas Carol is indeed widescreen as promised (you cannot tell from BHVE's retailer website which version it is, nor could she tell from her database) and 2) she (unlike my customers) PREFERRED not having those black bars at the top and bottom of her TV screen. No wonder they've been butchering flicks like Muppet Treasure Island, Ernest Scared Stupid and The Road To Wellville to name but three. When I see a copy of Christmas Carol in person I'll post but it looks like it's widescreen.

*This* is why y'all need to support indie retailers, well the ones who support 'no OAR, no sale' like my company does (we just started selling DVDs to keep our music customers happy and we struggle to match those low prices even when Wal-Mart's screwing around with us) ;-)

But hey Wal-Mart's cheap, especially on big push titles (Scorpion King and such) and especially when you all don't think they're so new and hot anymore (ie The Mummy Returns anyone? - Wal-Mart's either got it for $14.44 or $9.44). Sometimes I buy some of my store inventory there as they're often cheaper than the distributors I use even if I have to pay sales tax and they're more likely to have the title in stock as my local music distributor is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

Wal-Mart's not all bad to retailers like the one I work for. Their low prices mean I can stock a few hot hits in with classic catalog stuff and I don't have to stock lots of Scorpion King when I'd rather stock say North By Northwest.

 

[David Lambert]

In terms of news, Disney has announced the supplements for one of the most highly-anticipated DVDs, the one Muppet film not yet available on the format - Muppet Christmas Carol. While it sounds like the supplements will be in line with the Treasure Island DVD released in June, one must ask the same question we did in June - why bother putting together extras if the main feature is a pitiful pan & scan job?

 

[James_M]

How long do Wal-Mart's low prices last? Do you think they'll go even lower for Christmas?