Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

I ask because I noticed that the new season of Fringe on Bestbuy.ca is $56.99.

I have trouble believing that a new season of a broadcast show, on DVD is more than a HBO show on DVD. I mean even the new season of Dexter is cheaper then that.


Could this be a placeholder price or am I indeed gonna have to pay that much money to buy it?

Edit: keep in mind I live in Canada so please don't say "buy from Amazon". Amazon.ca is as bad as stores here

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

If you mean placeholder pricing as in MSRP pricing for cars (MSRP means Maufacturers Suggested Retail Price), then yes. In other words, it's how much the company that made it, thinks it should sell for.

The actual sale price very often changes changes by the date or period the item first goes on sale. For example, Amazon had the Hatfield & McCoys series with a pre-order price of $29.99. By sale date on 7/31/2012 , retailers like Best Buy had put the item "on sale" for $19.99 and Amazon matched that price and then beat it by pricing the item at $19.96 which is what I got it for.

Anyone will tell you to wait as very few will ever pay full MSRP on any item (unless they want to).

Fringe will probably be on the higher end of pricing; most likely at $22.99 - $24.99 the first week. With DVD pricing in swift decline it's possible someone may have on sale for $19.99 the first week but as we've been seeing the price will fall within the first couple of months.

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

Wasn't the original MSRP on alot of the HBO season sets about $100?

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

Original MSRP on Star Trek: Next Generation was something like $125-140 per season.

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

Yes.... way back in the day.

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

The X-Files was the first TV show to be done in season sets and was at $150 per season. When TNG was released, Paramount didn't actually set an MSRP, they just had stores setting what they wanted, and many retailers used the X-files as an example and so the TNG sets were super expensive.

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

I remember paying over 100$ for each of those xfiles sets. Makes me cringe that I spent probably close to 700$ for the entire series.. But I still have them and the packaging is still top notch.

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

I remember when season 1 went on sale for $70 and thought it was a great deal. $10 for each disc. But weren't the future later season releases priced much lower?

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

Ouch. I can't imagine spending $100 on a single season of a show, unless it's a limited edition.

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

I remember buying the first couple seasons of Sopranos and (maybe) Six Feet Under for $100 a pop, but I didn't care because the quality was so great.

I mean, back then, if you paid MSRP you paid an average of $20-$30 for a 2 hour movie. What's $100 for 12+ hours of top notch entertainment?

Re: Do stores have placeholder prices on TV shows?
 

You have to remember, this was the first time a show had been released in this manner. Before X-Files, you had the original release of Star Trek. For the original release, 2 episodes were released per disc, and each disc cost $15. That was $600 for all 40 discs.