HOSALE

I did a Big Lots run this weekend combined with a Ross Dress for Less run and had the most success at my "go-to-store on West Campbell Ave, near San Jose. The Redwood City/Fremont/Milpitas/Sunnyvale Stores were stripped of interesting and hard to find titles, but Campbell did have a lot of sought after treasures.

I did find, one lone Godard set at the Campbell store two weeks ago. Either the stores in the Bay area are not getting them, or as I suspect, the store employees are taking the cream before it gets onto the floor. During last years Season set madness for 3 dollars, for example, I did not see any of the Imax Collection, WB Looney Tunes, Superbowl etc collections put out in any Bay Area store, and I am in them practically every day. Employees get first pick, and I suspect many are supplementing their income with no-brainer DVDs for resale (although in many cases they are in for a disappointment when they see all the sellers competition for Big Lots titles). If anyone in the South Bay managed to get any of the large collection sets last year, I'd love to hear from you, expecially where and when.

Here is what I did pick up at the Campbell store:

Just about everything below was priced at $5

Max Payne unrated
Hair Spray 2D Shake and Shimmy edition
Magnolia 2D (tons of them)
Apaloosa
Golden Compass 2D Platinum series
Natural Born Killers Original Uncut Directors Version
Blade Runner The Final Cut
Blade Runner the Director's Cut
The Brave One (Widescreen)
Poseidon 2D
Mean Streets Special Edition
Field of Dreams 2D Anniversary edition
Without Reservations (John Wayne and Claudette Colbert)
Music and Lyrics (FS)
Body of Lies 2D
Nights in Rodanthe
The Aviator 2D Full Screen
Dinner for Five hosted by Jon Favreau
Zodiac Directors Cut

I did pick up the Trans/Gullivers Travels/Dirty Sanchez 3 pack for 3 bucks as well as the Cochise County USA/Hologram man/Expecting Mercy mainly for Gulliver and Cochise County USA. I've also been able to pick up The Unknown Lives of Great Comedians as well as The Unknown Marx Brothers at this store.

I have also found just about every reported 3 pack at this store as well. The sole exception is that I have yet to find a 5 D copy of the Bronx is Burning in the South Bay region. The Bonnie and Clyde rerelease is also something that I have yet to see in the South Bay Area.

I pretty much cover the Big Lots from Redwood City, Sunnyvale to Fremont and Milpitas quite frequently. I'm pretty sure that no Goddard or Herzog sets have hit the floor (with the exception of the one I found lying oddly in a stack as if it had been returned) and I suspect it is due to the employees/managers.

On the positive side, with a few exceptions, once something is reported found at Big Lots, and I can not find it after a couple of weeks, I simply go online to Amazon market place, and often buy it for close to the Big Lots price plus $2.99 shipping. For example Natural Born Killers cost me 5 bucks plus tax at Big Lots, but is available from Amazon market for 7 bucks plus shipping. I've noted that if you check out Amazon market during the height of a Big Lots madness release, you'll often find the product there for sale for close to the Big Lots price plus shipping. Once the surge of supply recedes, the prices creep back up there. These sellers are Big Lots resellers, so often they stock the exact titles we are looking for, and are willing to consolidate shipping charges if you buy more than one title for them.

The Bay Area is ultra competitive, and this forum has a ton of Forum lurkers that make Big Lots runs but rarely ever reveal when they've hit a gold mine or that a big shipment has arrived at their store. I go frequently enough to a wide variety of BL locations and use the forum as an advance notification of what is coming down the pipeline. I'll do a better job of announcing new shipment arrivals at a specific store in the South Bay, and see if the spirit of sharing is contagious.

karsten

I'm in Binghamton and the State Street store still has a large selection of the 3-packs and the $5 titles. For some reason the Vestal store never seems to get much of anything - or perhaps they just add to the wire rack when it get low as on occasion there will be a few new titles.

As of this past weekend, the Cortland store still has a good selection, but Ithaca is picked over as is Elmira.

Cubicle Morlock

Odd, that store is one of the local ones I'm most tempted to give up on. Some bozo insists on stocking the wire rack with all the titles at a slant (just slanted enough you can't easily pull them to scan the title tags on the top without pulling all the titles in then next row, not slanted enough to see the titles from the sides without pulling them out). And then there are the ones near the fridge, which are a crap shoot whether they're the same leftovers that has been sitting there for a year, or that someone has snuck a new batch title or three in the effort to make the latest restock fit. While you're hunting to find out, there's that pleasant "something must have crawled under that fridge and died" odor. Then you also have to remember to check around the last cash register, as sometimes they "hide" the latest release there - if they put it out at all. I've found they're pretty hit and miss about putting new release shipments on the floor - and for a while last year, I was near certain someone was stripping the best (and a lot of not so best) of the shipments out of the batches before they even hit the floor. Because you'd look around with absolute certainty that they hadn't got anything new since the day before, then you'd see a copy or three of the crappiest title from the new wave you were looking for, and realize that somehow an entire 4 tier display had been cherry picked down to nothing in 24 hours.

As for what you picked up there, it appears they released this latest wave in batches, rather than all at once. Hit there two weeks ago, and they had the "other half" - with the Superman sets, Batman sets (sans 'Begins'), Stardust, Blazing Saddles, and several others. They didn't have NBK or Blade Runner at that time.

The Milpitas store put out their stock just before the weekend. Blade Runner, Batmans (all reported titles), Magnolia, Stardust, Zodiac (both), Searchers, Field of Dreams. No NBK or Hair Spray, but those could have been snapped up. Wasn't looking for the former myself, and I had already passed up on the latter when it showed at the El Camino store (the other store near bottom on my check list, for the ridiculous 'can't touch this' wire rack shelves they pack DVDs in - you can't see the titles without pulling entire stacks off the shelf, and then figuring out someplace to put them while you dig further).

Saw a Wonder Woman full set back then, didn't pick it up. As much of a goddess Linda Carter is, I couldn't bear sitting through that series, and wasn't about to pick the set up just to be greedy. Also swear I saw someone carrying *2* of the Looney Tunes Golden Collections at the Hillsdale Ave store, by a guy who nearly got an ear full by having the gall to walk up and start snagging titles right from the column I was flipping through (not just the same shelf row, but the very ~10 DVD stack I was finger flipping through). But other than that, I saw only a handful of the Hanna-Barbera sets, and they vanished fast. The Tales From the Crypt sets were in better supply, but didn't last much longer. Basically if you didn't get there within a couple hours of the items hitting the shelf, you'd think they never got anything in stock.

Only saw 1 of these, at the "Little Mexico" store on White Road. Picked it up. Every other "Sanchez pack" I've seen has been sans Gulliver. Haven't seen Strings either. As of Sunday, this (White Road) store has yet to stock any of the newest (post ESPN / 3 pack) wave titles, my guess is they're due soon (or else got theirs *weeks* ago and sold out, they are really odd in their stocking schedule). The other 4 stores in the San Jose area have, at varying times the past 2 weeks.

Oddly the TV season box sets wave reported months ago (Wiseguy, Greatest American Hero, etc) may have also hit a long delayed stocking there, as I saw those last week. Passed on each - already own the Wiseguy set (not going to double dip on a set with an altered musical score), didn't want the GAH set. Have yet to see that wave at any other San Jose store, and never saw the Invisible Man set at all. Not sure if the stores sat on them like the White Road store, or somehow managed to blow them out in very short time.

I saw two different cover versions of the BiB sets (suspect one type was the 3 disk, the other the 5) in a couple bundles at the White Road store, but that was well over a week ago. Wasn't interested, didn't pay much attention to them. Not certain what edition you're referring to with Bonnie and Clyde, but the Milpitas store had 2-3 of that title when I checked Friday (only San Jose area store I remember seeing it at). Slightly kicking myself for not picking one up, was trying to keep my register bill down.

From my experience, by the time I get back from a Lots run in this area and have found something, I'm fairly certain posting about it would be too late for anyone else. Anyone scanning the forums that frequently is probably trolling the stores frequently, anyone who isn't probably won't see the post in time. I just restrain myself from being greedy, leaving extras / titles I don't want even if they're "hot" for the next guy, and leave it at that.

As for my take on the local stores, things seem to have shifted a bit over the last year. For a while the El Camino and the Campbell stores were nearly worthless - stock wouldn't get put on the floor anywhere near the forum reported times, and were either rapidly picked over or (more likely) employee pre-picked. Now they're getting a bit better, but (more than) twice burned habit keeps me from checking them regularly anymore. The Milpitas store is stop #1 for me, they put new waves on display fast and in large quantity and seemed to just barely be off the normal vulture squad radar. But recently they've been quite slow at stocking items, and these last couple waves were way tardy compared to the El Camino and Campbell stores. The Hillsdale store used to be #2 for similar reasons, but they've really gone down the crapper lately - until this weekend their latest stock was the remnants of the Bad News Bears wave. Lastly, the White Road store was a nice "secret cache" store, as having a customer base of mostly Spanish speaking customers meant a lot of normally hot titles didn't get snapped up as quick. But (sensing a theme here), they've also been very slow recently about putting new stock on the floor, and they've made the DVD section nearly inaccessible during their recent remodel.

At present I'm not certain which stores are the best picks - the old reliables that don't seem to be delivering anymore, or the old waste of time stores than seem to be surprising me with the goods now.

docdoowop

Warner $5 restock at Knollwood (St. Louis Park, MN.) Picked up:

Superman the Movie 4 disc SE (Many copies there)
Letters From Iwo Jima

I have a hunch the other Eastwood $5 titles will still be around July 18th, for the 20% f&f coupon.

Chop2Chip10

Found Shea Goodbye in a 3 pack with two boxing DVDs today

http://www.amazon.com/Shea-Goodbye-d.../dp/B00190XKNE

MooMooMooMoo

Was told of a $5 partial season Television series batch & a $3 cartoon batch. Haven't seen them personally. I've forgotten the titles I was told of on the $5's; they were pretty weak imo. The only title I was given on the cartoons was Sabrina. Also a restock on the $8 4 TV show multiple episodes sets. Washington State.

x3bowens

Moved in a new pallet of $3 DVD's

Found
Spiderwick chronicles 2D field guide edition
Elvis - Speedway, Spinout, Etc..
Charlie Wilson's War
A Fine Madness - Sean Connery
and more, pretty good assortment

I grabbed

Cruising - DE, Al Pacino
The Outrage - Paul Newman Film Series
Strangers On A Train 2D SE - I will have to take back that single disc I picked up!!

Oh.....and Tin Cup

I Ran by Big Lots at Lunch and was running late...I was eyeballing a few more titles, I will have to go back tomorrow and see what is left!

Shawerma

finally i found some good stuff

saw

Mission Impossable 3(2 disc)
Chocolate war
i hear huckabees(was going to buy but it looked like a 1 disc version)
hairspray 2 disc
batman begins 2 disc(didn't buy because i already have and will prob buy blu ray soon)
Women vs men(looked ok)
Mean streets(already had/

Bought

Robin hood prince of thieves extended version 2 disc
Magnolia 2 disc
Superman 2 2 disc

i would have liked to see cruising for $3 because my copy is messed up bad

Tim Tucker

Haven't seen Superman II yet, but I did find multiple copies of Superman III on Tuesday.

x3bowens

I did see Supergirl recently at Big lots!

JiM T

You mean Helen Slater? She wasn't working there, was she?

Dave23

was going to get body of lies, but then i finally found the only copy of zodiac directors cut! and i woulda missed it had i not looked over one of the pallets another time. alls ive seen the past few months is the regular edition. ive never seen zodiac before, im pumped to watch it

KrazyJason

I'm posting my most recent finds spread out over 3 stores. One in Sptbg, SC and two in Greenville SC. i'm posting only what i saw as new, not old stuff that's been sitting there since last summer.

Levity
Rumble Fish
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Roaring Twenties
The Man with the Golden Arm
Payback: Straight Up the director's cut (one of the 5.00 ones, but a good buy i thought)

g

I was pretty happy to find The Unknown Marx bothers bundled with 2 other crappy movies. I've been looking for this.

PopcornBandit

Ah, cool another upstate South Carolinian. I guess I have some competition.

dlinke01

Rumble Fish is an amazing movie. Great find there.

KrazyJason

I knew it! I thought, surely there are other film lovers around here who have discovered this paradise. So...when do you think they'll starting stocking blurays?

KrazyJason

Yeah, i also picked up Youth without Youth there recently. I haven't gotten around to seeing it, but heard it was a dud. But, the premise is really cool. I'm a Coppola fan so i'm rooting for him. Haven't seen Tetro either.

Cabbage

In Central Ohio, many new WB titles at $3 price point.

Purchased previously mentioned titles like "Cruising", "Strangers On A Train" 2-disc,"Supergirl" and "The Outrage".

Also found "Anchors Aweigh" and "Robin and the Seven Hoods" (Frank Sinatra Collection editions).

IN THE DARK

From the new Warner $3 batch:
Round Midnight
Beetlejuice
Trouble Along the Way (Odd that this is $3 while another Wayne Collection title, Withour Reservations, was included in the recent $5 bunch.)
Space Cowboys (snapper)
The Outrage
A Fine Madness
Supergirl
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (snapper)
Anchors Aweigh
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Strangers on a Train 2 disc SE
Tickle Me

JohnIan

Colton, CA store.

Finally found those copies of "Gulliver's Travels" and "Dinner For Five: The Complete First Season" bundled in those 3 packs. Nice.

I search, but was unable to find "The Unknown Marx Bothers" documentary.

dlinke01

Youth Without Youth is an amazing movie too. It captures the themes much better than Benjamin Button. Tetro is even better than Youth Without Youth. He is still at the top of his game for sure. I just can't believe he is still at that level.

Texan26

I also found the new Warner batch.

I picked up for $3 each:

A Perfect Murder
Collateral Damage
The Invasion (Nicole Kidman)
Supergirl
16 Blocks
The Neverending Story
Believers
Elvis: Spinout
Elvis: Speedway

I would have picked up other titles but they were full screen versions only.

Dining Dead

Are you sure it was Rumble Fish and not Swordfish? I looked at my local Big Lots today at lunch and saw tons of copies of Swordfish but no Rumblefish.

I saw pretty much the same as what everyone else has mentioned. However, it should be noted that the Field of Dreams 2-Disc Anniversary Edition is FULL screen.

Nate the Great

+1. Greenwood represent!

(Actually, +2, as I hit them up with a pal of mine from Easley.)

I wouldn't say we're competition, per se, but we could use some consolidation of effort. We don't always get the awesome deals you post up.

Granted, one day we hit up ALL the Greenville & very close (it ended up being 5 stores); one of the best hauls of any DVD trip I'd ever been on!

But competition or no, nice to know we're not the only crazy ones in this state!