Why hasn't a major retailer cornered the market on movies?

[kyloren]

I check this site everyday just like the bulk majority of you do. I was reading some stories today how Best Buy (among others) didn't have a strong 4th quarter because -- basically to sum it up "online retailers."

Now, I would say I'm 50/50 when it comes to purchasing online and in the store. It's not that I don't want to shop in person, but if I can save $10, 20 times a year by buying online who wouldn't want that $200 back in your pocket?

The point I'm getting at is why hasn't a store like Best Buy, Target or Wal-Mart corned the market on movies? Best Buy has GCU which saves you 20% off every new game you buy for $15 a year. Essentially you save $12 every NEW game, so DAY 1 purchases are $48 instead of $60. That $12 stacks and stacks and stacks in savings and now, I only buy my games at BB.

Imagine if a major retailer had something similar! Pay $25 a year to join 'Movie Club' and you save 15% on all movie purchases. That would be (on average) $3 off Blu's & $4.50 off 4k's. It seems small, but it'll stack in the end and take away money from the competition. For example, I know if there's a day 1 purchase for me and it's $3 cheaper at Target vs. BB, I'm getting it at Target because I want that $3.

Note: Clearly there would be rules -- so you couldn't buy multiple copies of everything and resell for profit, among other things.

Just a thought, I know it's not an original idea, but why hasn't it happened? If I knew I would ALWAYS save a couple bucks at a store, I would only get my movies there (outside of exclusives) because it makes sense. Everyone would want to only buy their movies there = company makes more money = competition doesn't.

Seems like a no-brainer.

EDIT: I'm not looking for a handout in any way, I'm owed nothing from retailers. I'm simply curious in creating a discussion as to how B&M can keep up with Amazon in a field like (hence why I'm posting on this forum/site) 'movie media.' I like picking up movies physically, I don't want that to go away.

[MifuneFan]

People just wouldn't care enough, and would still just buy from Amazon. Even when Amazon holds companies like Disney hostage, there's many still waiting to give them business for titles like Moana and Doctor Strange, rather than doing the sensible thing and buying it anywhere else.

[StingingVelvet]

Amazon pretty much is what you're talking about in my case. I pre-order everything there when it's available and the price drops to match everyone else 99% of the time. On the rare occasions I pay more it's not a huge deal. It's very nice to just pre-order and forget, to not worry about it, and have everything show up on release day.

However when Amazon messes up, like with Doctor Strange, it's easy to stop by Best Buy on the way home.

[thatguamguy]

The short answer is, it is not in the distributors' best interest to allow one single store to have that much power over the distribution of their product. (As it is, Amazon already has too much power.)

[BluMonday]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Amazon pretty much is what you're talking about in my case. I pre-order everything there when it's available and the price drops to match everyone else 99% of the time. On the rare occasions I pay more it's not a huge deal. It's very nice to just pre-order and forget, to not worry about it, and have everything show up on release day.

However when Amazon messes up, like with Doctor Strange, it's easy to stop by Best Buy on the way home.

Pretty much me. The Best Buy/Doctor Strange fiasco was the first time I've shopped for physical media in a bricks 'n mortar. Living like it's 2002 again.

[kyloren]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Amazon pretty much is what you're talking about in my case. I pre-order everything there when it's available and the price drops to match everyone else 99% of the time. On the rare occasions I pay more it's not a huge deal. It's very nice to just pre-order and forget, to not worry about it, and have everything show up on release day.

However when Amazon messes up, like with Doctor Strange, it's easy to stop by Best Buy on the way home.

Amazon is pretty much what I'm talking about, that's why Amazon is Amazon. lol. I mean outside of online-shopping why can't these other stores do the same. Are their hands tied?

[The Great Owl]

I go online to Amazon Prime, Deep Discount DVD, Barnes & Noble, Family Video, Diabolik, and other such sites most of the time for my Blu-rays, but I tend to buy newer discs from either Target or Best Buy.

Best Buy occasionally surprises me by stocking good catalogue movies, but I swear that their in-store checkout process is an unbelievably godawful pain in the neck. The clerk rings up the price, asks you for your Rewards card or phone number, you verify your home address on the screen, the screen asks you to choose if you want a paper receipt or an email receipt, you wait a while before being able to insert or swipe your card into the machine, the machine asks you to verify the price, etc. etc. It's like you have to push about 40 buttons, verify all sorts of information, and produce a vial of frozen unicorn semen just to buy a $10 Blu-ray.
For this reason, I try to do in-store business with Target as often as possible. The clerk rings up the Blu-ray, you insert or swipe your card, a receipt comes up, and you're done. Sort of like what stores have been doing for, like, the past million years or so. The Target clerks are generally attractive females as well, at least in my area.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by kyloren

Amazon is pretty much what I'm talking about, that's why Amazon is Amazon. lol. I mean outside of online-shopping why can't these other stores do the same. Are their hands tied?

They want to compete with Amazon. Walmart just did a big push for free two-day shipping. The problem is Amazon have a decade plus head-start and Walmart and Best Buy also have to balance funding their stores and promotions in other areas.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by kyloren

Amazon is pretty much what I'm talking about, that's why Amazon is Amazon. lol. I mean outside of online-shopping why can't these other stores do the same. Are their hands tied?

Well, the time to do it would've been a decade ago when people were still buying movies in stores. But at that point, the distributors had already lived through allowing Blockbuster to amass that level of control over the rental market, and they weren't going to make that mistake again. When one company has that much power, they start to do things like demand discounted prices, so the distributor can either give up some profit to them or give up some profit by having the store ignore or down-promote their products (which is exactly what Blockbuster used to do).

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by kyloren

Amazon is pretty much what I'm talking about, that's why Amazon is Amazon. lol. I mean outside of online-shopping why can't these other stores do the same. Are their hands tied?

I wouldn't be surprised if they're doing price-matches purely to try and give the death blow to B&M stores, losing money on those releases in the process, while banking on the idea that once the other stores are dead, they won't have to do it anymore and will be operating at more of a profit. The fact that their own sales are absolute garbage and all good prices are reactionary is the main reason I'm thinking this. :P

[kyloren]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

I wouldn't be surprised if they're doing price-matches purely to try and give the death blow to B&M stores, losing money on those releases in the process, while banking on the idea that once the other stores are dead, they won't have to do it anymore and will be operating at more of a profit. The fact that their own sales are absolute garbage and all good prices are reactionary is the main reason I'm thinking this. :P

Wouldn't be shocking though right? Redbox $.99 movie rentals removed all competition and now its $1.50 a rental. Loose money - get rid of the competition - make the money back with increased prices.

[KeithVK]

I know that in my case that brick and mortar stores just don't have the space to commit to only movie sales. Every time I go in to a store I'm disappointed in the selection and I'm still amazed by the percentage of DVD to BD after all these years. On top of that, I don't buy just new releases or even super "popular" big budget movies.

[MrsMiniver]

Originally Posted by kyloren

I check this site everyday just like the bulk majority of you do. I was reading some stories today how Best Buy (among others) didn't have a strong 4th quarter because -- basically to sum it up "online retailers."

Now, I would say I'm 50/50 when it comes to purchasing online and in the store. It's not that I don't want to shop in person, but if I can save $10, 20 times a year by buying online who wouldn't want that $200 back in your pocket?

The point I'm getting at is why hasn't a store like Best Buy, Target or Wal-Mart corned the market on movies? Best Buy has GCU which saves you 20% off every new game you buy for $15 a year. Essentially you save $12 every NEW game, so DAY 1 purchases are $48 instead of $60. That $12 stacks and stacks and stacks in savings and now, I only buy my games at BB.

Imagine if a major retailer had something similar! Pay $25 a year to join 'Movie Club' and you save 15% on all movie purchases. That would be (on average) $3 off Blu's & $4.50 off 4k's. It seems small, but it'll stack in the end and take away money from the competition. For example, I know if there's a day 1 purchase for me and it's $3 cheaper at Target vs. BB, I'm getting it at Target because I want that $3.

Note: Clearly there would be rules -- so you couldn't buy multiple copies of everything and resell for profit, among other things.

Just a thought, I know it's not an original idea, but why hasn't it happened? If I knew I would ALWAYS save a couple bucks at a store, I would only get my movies there (outside of exclusives) because it makes sense. Everyone would want to only buy their movies there = company makes more money = competition doesn't.

Seems like a no-brainer.

I am not exactly sure what you mean by cornering the market. Best Buy will price match DVD and blu-rays if you visit their store, and Amazon.com is for sure one of the companies that Best Buy will price match. The idea behind Best Buy is that you may buy other stuff if you go their store. DVDs are only one thing they sell.

[Musicguy]

If retailers would stock older films/catalog I would buy from them. Especially when the prices are at the $10 mark. Sometimes when you order a catalog release from Amazon you don't know what you'll get - some look like they've been used as hockey pucks.

[Musicguy]

Originally Posted by KeithVK

I know that in my case that brick and mortar stores just don't have the space to commit to only movie sales. Every time I go in to a store I'm disappointed in the selection and I'm still amazed by the percentage of DVD to BD after all these years. On top of that, I don't buy just new releases or even super "popular" big budget movies.

That's why Best Buy's stores are half empty with plenty of floor space

[BuckNaked2k]

I can't remember the last time I bought Blu-rays in a store...wait, I buy Criterions twice a year at B&N.

Outside of that, my collecting has leveled off to the point where most of what I buy is from overseas, like UK SteelBooks, etc. I buy a few Target exclusive DigiBooks (shipped for free), but that's about it. Most new movies suck, and new catalog titles I want I'll order from BullMoose.

[meremortal]

Originally Posted by Musicguy

That's why Best Buy's stores are half empty with plenty of floor space

The sad thing is, I used to pretty much avoid BB ten years ago because their massive dvd aisles were usually pretty cluttered with people and the associates working the floor would constantly bombard me at every turn to ask what I'm looking for. Fast forward now and the movie aisles are deserted, understocked, and employees are never in the section. I regret not buying more stuff from back then.

[LeeFanatic007]

I used to support the brick and mortar stores, every Tuesday I went to Best Buy and Target to see what they had, pick up new releases, but as I started buying more and more online to get catalog titles. I figured why not just buy everything on Amazon. Pre-order months in advance, get the lowest price most of the time and get everything including the catalog titles on release day.

Felt like a no brainer to me, why support a store that only caters to part of your needs? That is why so many retailers are failing (Macys, Sears, Kmart, JC Penneys) they don't cater to the customers who can get everything they want online, and in stores they can't get their size, color, whatever. The stores didn't keep up with the times and now are failing miserably.

[LoneWolfCub]

I buy all my blu rays from the pawn shop for 4 bucks each. if I find it less than 4 I pick it up. but my pawn shop has a entire wall of blu rays gets new stock in every month. it doesn't matter if its a 3d set, 4k, season, anime, Disney , new release , full moon, troma whatever their all 4 bucks each.i even find same month releases for 4 bucks. i spend so much they don't charge me tax anymore. this pawn shop has thousands of blu rays i spend 40 to 50 dollars every visit almost. i been to other pawn shops and they probably have 20 or 100 and titles you wouldn't want. and even discount pawn sales blu rays for 2 dollars each but every discount pawn i been to only has like 5 titles to choose from. so ill stay with my pawn shop. just not for me. why wate money when u can get it cheaper eh

[kyloren]

Originally Posted by MrsMiniver

I am not exactly sure what you mean by cornering the market. Best Buy will price match DVD and blu-rays if you visit their store, and Amazon.com is for sure one of the companies that Best Buy will price match. The idea behind Best Buy is that you may buy other stuff if you go their store. DVDs are only one thing they sell.

I mean 'be the only spot people buy movies at' in the sense that you don't have to go to the store, find your item, check for a cheaper price, price match, check out. That process has people (like me) and other people in this forum Pre-Ordering on Amazon and getting that cheapest price with no-hassle.

If these B&M stores created -- for lack of a better term an "Amazon Style" approach they would lose less money IMO. I would rather go to the store after work on a Tuesday and pick up new releases in person, but it's just easier with Amazon and it'll be at my doorstep (in most cases) at the cheapest price when I get home. (if no one steals it)

I and everyone else is going to get what we want the cheapest way, I think an actual "Movie Club" or whatever they would call it at these stores could work with automatic discounts, deals, etc.