Michael Corvin

Media was perfect for using small gift cards and $5-$10 RZ certificates. Not having any sub $25 items in the store makes those RZ certificates pretty useless.

JeffTheAlpaca

I hope not

When the Sunday flyers come out they use pictures of the latest big release on their TVs in the ads and I assume they would still have to carry the latest Marvel and Star Wars movies whenever they come out plus they have those get 2 blu-ray for $20 deals.

Also aren't the store exclusives that Best Buy and Targe offer quite popular and you can't stop those promotions?

Alan Smithee

They must want me out of their stores altogether. What's the point of buying equipment if there's nothing to play on it?

Gizmo

The way my local BB has the DVDs/BD is so weird. They are in clear magazine-like racks in the back corner of the store by the video games and toys.

I imagine they will have some sort of BD/DVD for a long time, even if its just that weeks new releases and some of the evergreen titles.

BobO'Link

Same here... most B&M have rarely carried the media items I want to purchase. The closest was Hastings but I had to special order from them several times for lesser known CD titles. I didn't buy new DVD/BR from them as the prices were far too high and purchased used only from their online store (again, local used prices were often higher than many vendor's new price). I rarely purchased video locally as it was/is mostly the latest releases with prices higher than I'm willing to pay. Best Buy was/is only used for items in their sale flyer - I never browse there as the selection just isn't that good (never has been) and prices are on the high side. Right now, Target is the only local store whose DVD/BR section is worth browsing on occasion. There's the occasional "find" at WM (they've not completely raped the video section at the larger of two stores here) but I tend to rely on threads here to find out about them.

DVD Josh

There are about 8 Best Buys around me. Some have large media sections and others have very small ones with only latest and top releases It's always nice to go to the larger selection ones but I can see these are moving out of stores.

JeffTheAlpaca

Is Best Buy doing ok in sales?

I remember a couple of years ago they were closing stores since everybody was going to Amazon.

I hope they don't file for bankruptcy since there are not a lot of stores like Best Buy.

PhantomStranger

Best Buy is in solid shape these days, though every brick and mortar retail chain faces existential extinction in what some Wall Street analysts are calling the Retail Apocalypse. Basically Best Buy has successfully transitioned away from their old business model and have found profitable market segments (mostly smartphones and such) that should be around for a while.

JimRochester

The stores around here are really pushing the smart home hardware. Home monitoring, ring doorbells, floodlights with cameras all look pretty cool. Probably in our future at some point. We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a little monitoring.

Alan Smithee

slop101

I haven't stepped inside a store to buy physical media in months!
While I buy a lot less than I used to, I just buy it all online now.
Not really by choice either, as most of what I buy (mostly records now) isn't being carried in any local store I can drive to.
Last time I stepped inside a Best Buy was just sad, and made me not want to go back.

Gizmo

My Targets are now remodeling and moving sections around. The DVD/BD area is now is a rectangular (very well-lit) endcap with the most recent releases and one side of an aisle with evergreen stuff (mostly kids movies). If I had to guess, they cut by 60-65%. Videogames also seemed to take a hit as they increased collectibles and toys.

PhantomStranger

Target seems to be reimagining how their stores are laid out. One location I rarely visit has copied the spoke-and-hub model I first saw at some Best Buys. There's like a mini-playground area aimed at children in the exact center of the store, filled with books and toys for pre-schoolers. Most of the aisles feed into that center area, almost laid out like an English garden.

This is what happens when you pay management consultants outrageous fees and they have to justify those fees to corporate bosses. They are trying to deconstruct how retailers operate and service customers.

DVD Josh

My Target moved their media section from the back to the front, then three months later to the middle, now to the back again. I feel like their entire movie inventory just lives in boxes.

mattysemo247

Target knows their audience, families. It's a lot easier to get your kids to go to a store if they know there is a play area there. I can pretty much guarantee you the movie section brings in less than 2% of a stores revenue and it also has a high theft rate. I don't think they would care if that area shrinks down to a single aisle with new releases and Disney movies only.

DthRdrX

My BB moved their media around .... again. Like the third time in the last year. I can only imagine the employees complaining about moving that stuff over and over. The strange thing is this time they really just opened up a small wall flipping one row 180 degrees and moved the new releases back to the front of the store where they should be.

OldBoy

I actually browsed Best Buy for first time in a long time. Everything different. They used to have dedicated section for 3D. That’s gone. In favor of more relevant, I guess, 4K display. Pretty plentiful actually. But just browsing same ole shit. Some tempting SteelBooks, but got nothing. I just don’t care anymore about the thrill of browsing physical media. Amazon is simple and easy and more often then not just get digital if same extras and and mostly $14.99, it’s a no brainer. Amazon has the special and limited editions and anything else. Retail is done...

Gizmo

DVD Josh

Best Buy and Amazon typically have the same prices as they comb each other's site. Target and BBY get all the cool steelbook and digibook editions of hot new release. So, really, I have no idea what you are talking about.

OldBoy

what exactly is unclear? buying physical media at retail stores is basically done as seen with many diminishing media sections in many b&m stores. a few store exclusives per year ain't gonna bring anything back so, really, i have no idea what you are talking about.

LorenzoL

Check what you initially wrote as you are contradicting yourself. That’s what he’s questioning about.

OldBoy

well, special and limited editions i was actually referring to stuff like Criterion, Arrow, Shout, etc. which most b&m don't carry. i guess i was unclear in that regards, but everything else seems straightforward...

DthRdrX

ALL of my local stores have even more BD media now than they did five years ago.

Thankfully stocking DVD in bulk seems to be on the way out in all but Walmart.

albert_m

Something that I see some of at Best Buy, that they should lean into more are things like Shout (Factory and Scream) titles. Their 4K section is expanded (though I'm not a participant) so clearly if they want to get more hardcore fans they should expand the specialty/catalog titles beyond Shout.

asianxcore

There was a time where Best Buy stores were fairly solid on the Collector's Edition of Scream Factory titles. I have a few titles such as The Thing, Carrie & Return of the Living Dead, that I bought at a Best Buy B&M.

I can't think that Shout/Scream Factory particularly enjoy Best Buy's sale pricing, considering various Cult Film Retailers have spoken out on Shout/Scream Factory forcing Price Fixing upon them.