|
Walmart Dump bins removal :(
Source: Home Media Magazine editorial
Studio executives are still cringing over the so-called “Pali Report,” in which New York’s Pali Capitol Inc. projects a 5% drop in packaged-media sales in 2008, despite a tripling in Blu-ray Disc sales. But if you really study the report, you’ll find it’s not all doom and gloom ahead. For starters, one of the key drivers behind the projected sales decline is the fact that Wal-Mart is getting rid of many of its DVD dump bins, huge vats in high-traffic aisles packed to the brim with DVDs selling for around $5 each. Now, I’ve long held these dump bins are bad for the business, as they devalue DVD in the consumer’s mind. These dump bins are ubiquitous, stationed like big fat sentries around the entrance to the electronics department, home of more sensibly priced DVDs. I, for one, am not sorry to see them go. And if you make the next logical jump — that Wal-Mart is dumping the dump bins to make room for bigger Blu-ray Disc displays, something that’s in the cards at most big retail chains — then it’s easy to paint the move in a rosy light. Getting rid of the dump bins may have a negative impact on overall DVD sales in the short term, simply because there are so many of them, in so many stores. But it certainly positions Wal-Mart to capitalize on Blu-ray’s likely upward trajectory by giving the chain a significant footprint in a category with dramatically higher margins than $5 DVDs — and a whole lot of growth potential. Sure, the number of cheapo DVDs sold this year may be off, dragging the whole category down. But that’s a hit our industry can easily take, if in fact Wal-Mart does allocate more space to Blu-ray. And I happen to believe this question is a moot point. Of course Wal-Mart will allocate more space to Blu-ray, as will smart retailers everywhere. For years, these big chains have relied on DVD as their No. 1 traffic driver. They’ve discounted the newest hits to bring people into their stores — and once these people are inside, they rarely leave without a cartload of other purchases, from toilet paper to underwear. With the DVD business maturing, the appeal of new DVDs isn’t what it used to be — and surely the powers that be at Wal-Mart and other big chains realize they need to reinvigorate the category, unless they want to risk hurting sales of other goods across the board. Now that the format war is over, Blu-ray is clearly DVD’s designated successor — and to retailers everywhere, nothing short of a potential savior. |
Fine by me. No reason to go to Wal Mart now... Their new release DVDs are usually the same price as either BB or CC and their selection (and price) isn't that great for the rest.
|
A lot of the titles in the dump bins could be had online for the same price.
|
Originally Posted by cerial442
A lot of the titles in the dump bins could be had online for the same price.
plus the 4.99 and 3.99 sales at BB/CC... |
I've never bought a DVD from the dump bins.
I tend to avoid Wal Mart like the plague.. although I must admit I do enjoy our new Supercenter. :D |
I just spent about 20 minutes yesterday cleaning up one of those bins and stacking the DVDs nicely (obsessive neat freak) while looking for all the first four Rocky movies. After I found them all I decided I really didn't want to spend even $20 (remembering the Alien Legacy 9 DVD set I got on Amazon for $20 and no tax or shipping and envisioning finding a similar deal one day on a "complete" Rocky set with all six movies) on just the four movies that I'm only "meh" about to begin with and took them back to the display. People were already messing up my neat, easy to read stacks of DVDs.
If they get rid of the bins, mainly it will just save me a lot of thankless work on their behalf. |
I don't consider the $5 price point hot stuff anymore. Spoiled by Big Lots forever.
|
I haven't bought a dvd out of the bin in quite some time so I'm not really bothered by this news.
|
Well, this may just be a nomenclature thing. While the "dump bin" itself is gone from the WMs near me they were replaced with "dump cabinets". They have 4 book case style cabinets placed in a square configuration with the selections lined up on the shelves and microwave popcorn on the top shelves. Since the shelves are deep, the selections are 2-deep. When organized, it's very easy to search through. Even when it's not, it's still easier than the "dump bin" simply because everything is on shelves. So, the "bin" is gone but not the $5 selections...
|
Originally Posted by BobO'Link
Well, this may just be a nomenclature thing. While the "dump bin" itself is gone from the WMs near me they were replaced with "dump cabinets". They have 4 book case style cabinets placed in a square configuration with the selections lined up on the shelves and microwave popcorn on the top shelves. Since the shelves are deep, the selections are 2-deep. When organized, it's very easy to search through. Even when it's not, it's still easier than the "dump bin" simply because everything is on shelves. So, the "bin" is gone but not the $5 selections...
I've seen the cabinet things at several walmarts as well... for quite some time now. Typically they have both the cabinet and the bin. Based on the original article, I'd be pretty surprised to see $5 DVDs remain. I don't think a change in display causes a shift in DVD sales of that magnitude. On the bright side, Walmart will still have cheap DVDs in general. Especially their non-new releases. |
Originally Posted by EdTheRipper
I haven't bought a dvd out of the bin in quite some time so I'm not really bothered by this news.
|
Now, I’ve long held these dump bins are bad for the business, as they devalue DVD in the consumer’s mind. These dump bins are ubiquitous, stationed like big fat sentries around the entrance to the electronics department, home of more sensibly priced DVDs. And you just have to love that bit about "more sensibly priced DVDs." |
My local Walmart actually has 2 bins, one of regular dvds and one for Mexican dvds.
But they have gotten rid of the digiview $1 dvds all together. It used to be by the clearance aisle, but it's been gone for about 2 weeks now. |
Crap. Where am I going to get all of my Leslie Nielson and Michael Keaton movies now?
= J |
Originally Posted by DouglasRobert
My local Walmart actually has 2 bins, one of regular dvds and one for Mexican dvds.
|
I'm holding out for the Blu-ray dump bins. :)
|
Kind of odd to me. I have a friend who is an Assistant Manager at our local WM Supercenter. He said they make more money margin wise off them than the other dvds.
|
No big loss now with sales every week.
I remember the first dump bin one Christmas, and how I was freaking out about movies for $5.88, and it was just average stuff like The Crush, 10, Pee Wee etc. But then it was a great deal. Then when I worked there in electronics, it was nice to get first dips on stuff, before it was dumped in. They were huge sellers though. So many people walked by not even shopping in electronics, and just stop like "OH SHIT $5 movies!!!11" dig dig dig... If there were people already digging, when you brought more boxes out, it was like dogs salivating. And then I'd crush them and say it was the same crap thats at the bottom. But now, just give me the Blu Dump :) |
Originally Posted by flix1
I'm holding out for the HD-DVD dump bins. :)
At my local Wal-Marts, they replaced the dump bins with 4-sided shelving racks that makes it a lot easier to look through and see what there is. |
I got a $5 Witness from the bin this weekend
|
I've gotten a lot of good stuff out of the dump bins. We've tried a BD section twice and both times disappeared.
|
Originally Posted by GuessWho
I got a $5 Witness from the bin this weekend
damn i'll have to look for that one! anyone else have luck finding this? |
Probably about 20% of my collection came from the bins, but it is getting less and less frequent that I find something I want that I don't already have. It always makes me sad, though, when I see something in the bin that I paid dearly for. I still kinda like searching through the bin for some reason, that hope of finding treasure in the trash bin, I guess. Every now and then, I still find something decent, but I won't miss the bins too much.
"devalues DVD in the consumer's mind" is MBA-code for "we need to be trying to move DVD prices UP, not down". Good luck with that, Charlie. |
Will Wal-mart still carry $5 dvds after the bin is gone? Does anyone know when this supposed to take place?
|
Walmart devalues everything it touches.
|
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:23 PM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.