I buy most of my dvds at B&M's.
First thing I do is shake it, if it passes the floater test then I inspect the case for any damage at all, no matter how small.
If the case is cardboard (like LOTR) then I check each corner to make sure they aren't dented.

I also check if the paper cover is sticking out of the clear plastic on top or on bottom. This happened to me once.
The paper cover underneath the clear plastic was sticking out above the clear plastic and when I removed the security sticker it ripped part of the cover !
The cover has to be completelty underneath the plastic otherwise I pick another one.

I don't care as long as it plays in most cases. I give the case a quick once over when I pick it up off the shelf, but nothing more than that.

I'm not gonna pay money for Something that I'll have for a long time if its damaged or doesn't look good.

That is fine with me.

I rarely get problems with regular release stuff in keepcases, but I get most of my problems with the big box sets. If I get a disc that has one or two light scratches i'll usually keep it, but if I get a disc that has one of those huge white looking scuffs from rubbing against one of the tabs on the hub then i'll automatically return it.

Must be perfect before money changes hand. Getting it damaged on my way home is another store... no wait, thanks to Costco, I always take it back.

I pick up the most pristine copy and shake it really hard until I hear the disc come off the spindle and rattle around. Then I put it back, pick up another copy and buy that one.

Wow I thought I was the only one, glad there's others out there like me. I do the 2 minute inspection on each DVD I buy including the shake test.

I can accept some flaws, but if it doesn't pass the shake test, I won't buy it.

The day after X-mas I went to Wal-Mart to return some DVD's, and they gave me a gift card, so I went through the $5.50 bin. I found a copy of Ford Fairlane, and was going to buy it...but it failed the shake test, so I didn't.

I kept digging, hoping to find another, but there were no more. So I gave up, went to Fry's and found it there in pristine condition for $6.99.

Sometimes you need to pay for quality...or just to get out of the big bin.

I am as fussy as you can be while still realizing that the Bargain Bin at WalMart is not kind to snap or keeper cases.

I put Cheers season Two back and got another one when I saw a notable scratch on the socer at Costco.

I ALWAYS shake every keep case, to be sure that it is in place and not bouncing back and forth.

I primarily buy from DDD online. Only two discs have been displaced within their keep cases, and both, luckily, turned out okay.

--LVM

If it's a movie I absolutely searched long and hard for, I could let it go. Normally, it does have to be perfect though.

Ditto! Most of the floaters I've gotten have been from mail-orders, not B&M purchases. I did return one WB DVD to Borders because the snapper case was broken inside and I didn't have a replacement case at the time. (I'm stocked up on snappers now...thanks to a local Blockbuster.)

it's a strange world. I've found(at the store) many loose discs...more than I can count. I've been doing a jiggle test for the past 2 or 3 years, but before that...maybe had 20 floaters happen to me. the hundreds I've got on-line... zero loosey goosies.

I usually don't shop in B&M store for DVDs. But for the few times I did, I checked the box carefully for any defects. I also shake the case and make sure the disc is not loose in the case so it's not scratched up. Some may argue that small imperfection on the case itself is nothing to worry about. But think of it this way, if the stores are willing to be so careless when handling the case so defects are visible to customers, what do you think the interior of the case is like? Aren't they even more likely to have defects since they are hidden from customers and so the stores have even less reason to care they are not defective? Since the customers can't tell if the interior is defective, right?

I do the same thing, small shake just to make sure it isn't a floater.

I'm not anal about pristine cases and unbent corners. Cases are going to get knicked accidentally when I pull movies in and out of my shelf when I take them out to be watched anyways.

I'm always amused by those who reply with something along the lines of "I buy DVDs for the MOVIE, not the PACKAGING."

Since you're at a store where they have a number of copies, why would you knowingly buy one whose packaging is scratched or otherwise not perfect?

I tend to buy most of my discs through mail order, though, and sometimes when I get a boxed set or other digipack a corner will be dented or something. Usually I'll keep these.

The only times I've returned a disc was when I got a rattler in a snapper case, since you can't easily change out the rattler.

The other major problem with rattlers, though, is that the disc will often get scratched up as it rattles around in the case rubbing up against pieces of broken plastic.

A drone at Best Buy actually admonished me for shaking a DVD once, very rudely: "HEY! Stop shaking the DVD cases!" I told him to f**K off but then decided to have a chat with his manager on the way out.

I like to chat with the management at Best Buy. There seems to be a need to about once a month.

i've bought dvds in stores with minor scratch/dent. not really a big deal for me.

I'm usually really picky with buying new or used dvds. If the dvd has little scratches here and there I don't mind if they play right, with no skips. I usually get more annoyed by cases and packaging that isn't in good shape. Especially slipcase DVDs like Jackie Brown: Collectors Edition, Army Of Darknes: Boomstick Edition (which had some glue that tore a piece of the inside off...boo), and others. Same with hardcases, little dings are ok, but any big time cuts or slashes or ugly marks are looked down upon. I mean we are all dvd collectors here right? we like our selection to look nice.