Wal-Mart to expand Blu-Ray selection

[Darko]

I just got this info that Wal-Mart plans to expand their Blu-Ray section sometime in May. For now it is expanding to an extra 4 foot. So most stores should have 8 feet of Blu-Rays sometime in May. They are removing another 4 foot modular to give the extra feet towards Blu.

Yeah I know its not a huge expansion but its better than no expansion. The 4 extra feet will go towards having more copies of new movies and having newer movies on the shelf longer than they currently stay. Also for popular back catalog titles that come out.

There is a chance some stores might not get this expansion right away due to location. Not sure if that involves high theft stores and low volume stores, but that would be my guess. But for most we just gained another 4 feet and each four feet gained is closer to making Blu the future.

This information came from me prying and pushing the Dept. Manager to ask questions.She got an email giving her the information along with contacting the vendors that stock the dvds and Blu-Rays for the information. They gladly spilled the beans.

If I get anymore info I will pass it along to you.

[Thertel88]

Well maybe we'll see sales because thats why they never had sales, only having 5 blu rays is just pathetic for a huge retailer like them..

Any news if its all Walmarts?

[tech_guy2011]

I have noticed that 2 of my local wal-marts have moved the blu-ray/hd-dvd section from an endcap to the actual aisle. And then when they get rid of the hd-dvd I guess they will put more blu-ray where the hd-dvd was.

[Darko]

Yes, the last modular update moved the Blu-Rays into the aisle along with the Hd-DuD's. This was put into a 4 foot modular. Most of, if not all of that section is dedicated to Blu-Ray and we all know why.

Coming in May is when that 4 foot section in the aisle is expanding to 8 feet of just Blu-Rays. Many stores has this section facing the registers to prevent theft.

Some people have mentioned having seen their Blu-Rays locked up in cases in stores. This is a choice that has been made in-store or for the stores in that particular market as a theft protection. Its not the actual program or modular layout from the company as a whole.

The actual lay out for most stores is the 4 foot section in the aisle. With the expansions rolling out to 8 feet in May.

These modulars can vary from store size, location, and volume. But the average store should see this expansion.

As one of the posters above said, hopefully this will allow for better sales and bargains.

[Rob71]

I'm turning into a fan of Walmart. The two near me have a pretty decent selection of new releases, and they are usually close to Amazons prices(sometimes even less).

[Beast]

Originally Posted by Darko

Some people have mentioned having seen their Blu-Rays locked up in cases in stores. This is a choice that has been made in-store or for the stores in that particular market as a theft protection. Its not the actual program or modular layout from the company as a whole.

Good to hear, but it still sucks. Honestly, I can understand locking up the $50.00 video games. But Blu-Ray movies that arn't really more expensive than DVDs in most cases. It's annoying to want to read the backs or decide what you want, and you have to get someone with a key to open the cabinets. And then there's the hovering when you're trying to look. Good news about the expansion though. Now maybe they'll start carrying more catalog titles. So we won't keep hearing people grousing about it.

[jw]

I perfer them locked up, before when they werent they were always empty, now they are always there and if i need one theres plenty there

[Slackr89]

all the blus in my wal-mart are gone. apparently someone stole $500+ of blu's and well now they were all taken away.

[Blu Haze]

The blu rays are stuck under the PS3 display that doesnt work so ridiculous.s

[Mr. Al]

My Wal-Mart is well stocked with BD. Only one shelf devoted to HD. The selection at BB, Future Shop and HMV is still better though.

[Clark Kent]

If Wal-Mart aggressively expands its Blu-ray section, Best Buy is going to have to do something to compete. A large BD selection by Wal-Mart would almost force Best Buy to lower prices. While Best Buy would never tolerate the margins Wal-Mart sells at, I think we might start seeing more sales to get customers into the store.

[danay82]

I was just at my local Wal-Mart and the section that says "High Definiton Movies" had Latino Music in it. Walked around and finally found the BD section which was one section with 2 rows dedicated to BD and HD-DVD (and that was on the bottom) The Few rows on the top had overflow of new release DVD's.

The movies that were actually there were:

30 Days of Night -$29.99 (BD - 2 Copies)

American Gangster - $17.00 (HD-DVD - 2 Copies)
The Kingdom - $17.00 (HD-DVD - 1 copy)

Not too much of a selection. Other titles were there at one time but are sold out.

[DocNovak]

I reported hearing the same thing from my local Wal-Mart's electronics Manager back in January when the thread got merged to here. When they finally moved things around they did expand, but it was from an endcap to the lock case w/ about 6' of Blu and about 2' of red. I hope they are going to expand further soon, but I think they only reset every couple of months.

[kolasi]

the blu ray section at my walmart actually shrank from what it was before.

[ArkGuy]

Same with mine. Went from an endcap with a pretty good selction to a four foot section back toward the wall sharing space with HD-DVD. Very few movies to pick from.

[Darko]

Like i said the program is to not have them locked in cases. They're all laid out to be in a 4 foot section right now. Not all stores are doing this. Some for theft reasons and some because they are lazy dept managers who have decided to not follow the plan-o-gram and just put them where they please.

The low number of titles is rampant in most stores because blu-ray is not yet the focus for Wal-Mart. But coming in May/June depending on how fast they react to the reset they should be expanding to 8 feet in the aisle. Which shows the leaning towards growing the market of Blu-rays in the store. The more blu-rays take off the more sections we will gain.

I will try and get the copy of the e-mail from the dept manager and post it here so you can see the details of the expansion. She might be on vacation this week. So it may take me a week to get it.

I will speak with the actual vendors as well this week when I see them.

If you have any questions post them here and I will try and get them to answer them for us.

[DirtyUncleJames]

This would be cool, because my wal-mart doesn't have that great of selection