Buying Blu ray movies before release date?

[AutomaticDriver]

I was wondering is it possible to buy blu ray movies before a tuesday release, if the store has the movie in the back? I hear people talk about getting movies a few days before release day without any problems. but everytime i ask they tell me now they cant sell it. Is there anything I need to say to pursuade them to let me get it earlier?

[stargazeruk]

Originally Posted by TheFatalPhenom

I was wondering is it possible to buy blu ray movies before a tuesday release, if the store has the movie in the back? I hear people talk about getting movies a few days before release day without any problems. but everytime i ask they tell me now they cant sell it. Is there anything I need to say to pursuade them to let me get it earlier?

The shops don't break the release date but online retailers ship the product when they seem to get it.

I got one item a month ahead of the release date simply becasue the online store got it delivered a month early to them and shipped when avilable.

I got x-men trilogy here in the UK and its not due out till monday simply because they shipped mine on thursday and royal mail got it to me early.

With US releases I noticed some online retailers will ship weeks ahead of the release date if your luckly.

[AutomaticDriver]

Originally Posted by stargazeruk

The shops don't break the release date but online retailers ship the product when they seem to get it.

I got one item a month ahead of the release date simply becasue the online store got it delivered a month early to them and shipped when avilable.

I got x-men trilogy here in the UK and its not due out till monday simply because they shipped mine on thursday and royal mail got it to me early.

thanks for the help.

[AutomaticDriver]

anybody else have any ideas? has anyone on the forums gotten a movie before the release date? what did you say?

[danbenzvi]

The circumstances behind pre-release buying tend to vary a lot. I'll try and make this short.

1) If the item is not on the sales floor, you cannot buy it. Retailers (and retail employees) will get in trouble for bringing stuff from the back and selling it pre-release.

2) If the item is on the floor, it can usually (but not always) be purchased. Most stores, when this happens, will do it with what are called "catalog" releases, usually because they assume that the title should already be out.

For instance: Sin City on Blu-Ray, set for release this Tuesday. This would be considered "catalog" as it's already been released on one home format previously. Hence, why I wasn't completely surprised to find it available at several local Blockbusters.

If the release is considered "new" and is available pre-release date, it is usually due to employee carelessness or ignorance.

For instance: I was able to purchase The Reader on Blu-Ray today from a local Blockbuster, despite the release date being 4/28. While I can't say for sure, my guess would be that, since the DVD was released on 4/14, the employees assumed that the Blu-Ray would be released the same day.

Typically, you don't want to draw attention to the fact that you're buying a release early. Sometimes, the register/computer will flag that the release should not be out yet and they will not allow it to be sold. If that doesn't happen, just pay your money and enjoy.

[retablo]

I've tried buying titles early at Fry's, and even though they often times stock titles early, they never sell them to me. They put a date on the price tag and the computer reads that and wont sell anything before the date printed. Sucks when I find Criterion blus just sitting there with no home.

[AutomaticDriver]

Originally Posted by danbenzvi

The circumstances behind pre-release buying tend to vary a lot. I'll try and make this short.

1) If the item is not on the sales floor, you cannot buy it. Retailers (and retail employees) will get in trouble for bringing stuff from the back and selling it pre-release.

2) If the item is on the floor, it can usually (but not always) be purchased. Most stores, when this happens, will do it with what are called "catalog" releases, usually because they assume that the title should already be out.

For instance: Sin City on Blu-Ray, set for release this Tuesday. This would be considered "catalog" as it's already been released on one home format previously. Hence, why I wasn't completely surprised to find it available at several local Blockbusters.

If the release is considered "new" and is available pre-release date, it is usually due to employee carelessness or ignorance.

For instance: I was able to purchase The Reader on Blu-Ray today from a local Blockbuster, despite the release date being 4/28. While I can't say for sure, my guess would be that, since the DVD was released on 4/14, the employees assumed that the Blu-Ray would be released the same day.

Typically, you don't want to draw attention to the fact that you're buying a release early. Sometimes, the register/computer will flag that the release should not be out yet and they will not allow it to be sold. If that doesn't happen, just pay your money and enjoy.

Thats what happen to me At my best buy they had Sin city out about a week ago. i feel stupid I didnt buy it then, but they removed it from the bluray area. I have a quick question. If I was to ask someone about a movie and ask them if I could by it early and they tell me no they cant sell it early. Then Can I see if they can ring it up and if it goes through then that means they can sell it early without any fines right? or do most stores have it where even if they cant sell it , it can still go through?

[danbenzvi]

Originally Posted by TheFatalPhenom

Thats what happen to me At my best buy they had Sin city out about a week ago. i feel stupid I didnt buy it then, but they removed it from the bluray area. I have a quick question. If I was to ask someone about a movie and ask them if I could by it early and they tell me no they cant sell it early. Then Can I see if they can ring it up and if it goes through then that means they can sell it early without any fines right? or do most stores have it where even if they cant sell it , it can still go through?

1) If they tell you no, you'll have to wait. They know that the item should not be available to purchase yet (hence why it's not on the floor) and asking them to try and ring it up will get you nowhere.

2) A number of stores have it where an item can be rung up as soon as its entered into stock. For example: FYE, where I used to work, is that way. I've removed a number of titles from the floor because I saw them out there pre-release date.

[Kartoon]

Why don't you just try it if you really care that much? There's no way anyone here will be able to tell you what a specific person at a random store near you would do, that's just not going to happen.

[Mr. Al]

I picked up X-Men 1&2 already from Wal Mart.

[PH3AR]

Originally Posted by TheFatalPhenom

anybody else have any ideas? has anyone on the forums gotten a movie before the release date? what did you say?

i never heard of getting them early unless they live in europe or asia and i comes out early, but you could always pre0order it on amazon and have it by the day its supposed to come out

[koontz1973]

The only sure fire way to get your blu's early is to either get a job in a shop that sells or rents them or become a professional burglar. Asking in a store is like flogging a

[horrorfanatic321]

Blockbuster does!
I went there in September and they were selling all:
The Thing
Land of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
and a few other things 2 weeks before the release date!!!!!!
The internet sometimes will send early. I got SAW 5 a week before it came out.
http://www.tower.com tends to send early. Again, Blockbuster sometimes slips them out. Only one or two copies, though.

[dvd_mazter]

Anytime something is out early at Future or BB, the system never allows the employees to sell the product. I have grabbed Clerks II and a few other titles they have put out early and when they scan it, I guess the UPC code shows it not "suppose" to be available till the street date.

However I have had more luck at Walmart, their system doesn't catch that the product is out early so I have been able to get The Bourne Trilogy a week early and Batman: The Movie three weeks ahead of time (how that happen, I don't know)

[broganreynik]

Originally Posted by dvd_mazter

Anytime something is out early at Future or BB, the system never allows the employees to sell the product. I have grabbed Clerks II and a few other titles they have put out early and when they scan it, I guess the UPC code shows it not "suppose" to be available till the street date.

However I have had more luck at Walmart, their system doesn't catch that the product is out early so I have been able to get The Bourne Trilogy a week early and Batman: The Movie three weeks ahead of time (how that happen, I don't know)

I've bought stuff early at Best Buy before. Last year, I bought Unbreakable almost 2 weeks before it was due out.

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by broganreynik

I've bought stuff early at Best Buy before. Last year, I bought Unbreakable almost 2 weeks before it was due out.

Yeah sometimes Best Buy does put their items on the shelves a little too early because I know I have purchased some dvds, blu-rays, and even a couple of video games before they were supposed to come out. They even just let me purchase them without saying a word that it was too early and just let me purchase my items like as if the street date didn't matter. But of course it all depends on which Best Buy you go to.

[masc360]

i Have found a couple of catalog titles here and there a couple of days early, like i just found sin city and bestbuy yesterday. but i have not gotten any new releases early.

[atomik kinder]

I used to get movies about a week early all the time from Tower Records website, but after the Iron Man fiasco last year, I haven't been ordering from them regularly. I think they have stopped shipping early now too because of it.

[HD 335]

As another member here pointed out, there is no one line or reason you can get them to sell you a movie pre-release. Of course you can always demand it at gunpoint and I'm sure they'll do it for you

[zahinn]

Dont got to a BIG retail stor..Look around your neighborhood for those small DVD stores..They usually sell movies VERY early...I picked up TDK about 2 weeks early... Tomorrow I am going to pick up Sin City =]