Is Target ruining your DVD cases?
 

I was in a Target today, browsing for some good buys. I picked up a copy of "South Park" to see if the new price reduction had gone into effect yet. There was no sign so I took it to a scanner. When I was scanning it, I noticed a small hole in the case and insert, like someone had taken a pinback and stuck it through the keepcase. I went back to the section to get a different copy and found they were all like that. I had noticed that many of their DVDs had a red mark on the title strip that goes across the keepcase. I previously figured it was some sort of inventory identifier, but as I checked other titles, I noticed all the other ones had this pinhole in them. This included the recently price-reduced Fox and Paramount titles, as well as brand new titles like "Moulin Rouge." The only ones that hadn't been "pierced" were ones that didn't have red marks, and those were limited to "Evolution" and a few random discs scattered about. I asked someone why they were like that and they had no idea. Anybody else have any ideas? Granted, this isn't really a BIG deal, but at the same time, if I'm buying something brand new, it should be in brand new condition. If they were clearance-priced, and this identified it as such, that would be another thing entirely. Plus, in cases like snappers, "Moulin," or the "Sex And The City" DVDs, it ruins the packaging, which can't be replaced like a keepcase. Is this happening in other Targets? I haven't checked others in the area, but this seems to be a rather bizarre and pointless policy.

I think those holes were made in order to plant their security device inside. The holes are in the front center near the bottom of the case. My nearby Target used to have those holes in their entire DVDs on display, and now I don't see the holes anymore (I assume they had stopped doing it since most DVDs have security device built-in nowsaday). As for the red marking, my nearby Target never have it.

I wouldn't shop at any Target that 'ruins' the case and artwork.

Your description sounds just like punchouts that are done to CD's and laserdiscs. Manufacturers do that to distinguish reduced merchandise from the full-price versions of the same items. I wouldn't imagine Target would be selling punchouts, though.

Yeah, initially I thought maybe the recently-reduced titles may have been cutouts, to distinguish them from ones bought before the markdowns, but it was on ALL the DVDs on display, not just bargain priced ones. Like I said, had they been cutouts, which are typically sold at a steep discount, I wouldn't have minded a bit. Incidentally, I made it to a different Target in the area and found their DVDs to be undamaged. Must just be some bizarre thing related to particular locations, though I've noticed the markings on the tops at other Targets.

None of the DVDs at my store have any of the markings you talk of.