Hey all,

Just stopped off at BB today after work to snag Frighteners HD on the way home and wouldn't you know it, they aren't stocking it! They said, oh, well that's one of our online-only items. WHO buys DVDs from BB's website?!

Sorry to sound so ticked, but I'm getting tired of all the pro-BD odor at BB at the expense of another perfectly viable format. Day and date releases of HD films aren't making it to the shelves. Battle of the Bulge is another case in point, AND they just DELETED Casablanca from their inventory!

I had a Mag' pro-tech guy talking with me at BB just the other day and he had to drop to a whisper and tell me that he preferred HD over BD, truly afraid someone he works with would hear him say it.

How is the HD format supposed to survive when major retailers just refuse to stock brand new catalog titles on the day of release?

Irked,
Mike

They don't want to stock lesser catalog titles that they don't expect to sell. The same things happens with Blu-ray, so don't think of it as some silly conspiracy theory.

Amazon.com is cheaper. Target (via Amazon) has good prices also. Also check Frys.com or their physical locations for good deals.

Same thing with Lost in Translation and Eternal Sunshine. BS.

They won't stock the titles unless they feel they will sell, and they won't sell at the prices they are charging. I would bet that Amazon is getting all the HD software business in markets where there are no Fry's.

I stopped buying much of any consequence from BB last fall, when they took sides (or took a ton of Sony money) in the format war. I have spent thousands elsewhere (new large flat panel, new PC, several other smaller items) in that time, that could have gone to BB -- but I didn't.

Vote with your dollars folks -- you don't like the policy - spend your hard earned money elsewhere.

They won't stock the titles unless they feel they will sell, and they won't sell at the prices they are charging. I would bet that Amazon is getting all the HD software business in markets where there are no Fry's.

i wonder if they judge correctlty though. seems like many of the titles they don;t carry are the type the early adopters might go for.

Those BBBs!!! :D

I wish they would let us decide on which catalog titles will sell.

How is the HD format supposed to survive when major retailers just refuse to stock brand new catalog titles on the day of release?


That's the amazing thing about HD DVD, despite all the underhanded BS and dirty schemes to stack the odds against it, HD DVD not only refuses to die, but continues to hold it's own. And things are only looking up with all the players that are being sold right now with the prices so low on them.

a ma zon.

they had it at my local best buy!

They don't want to stock lesser catalog titles that they don't expect to sell. The same things happens with Blu-ray, so don't think of it as some silly conspiracy theory.

Amazon.com is cheaper. Target (via Amazon) has good prices also. Also check Frys.com or their physical locations for good deals.

I agree.

Brick and Mortar stores are still not the best bet when it comes to selection of titles in either HD format. Online is where it's at!

Instant gratification rules, as long as Amazon doesn't have a store in my neighborhood stocked with what ever I want, its going to be hard for Amazon to be my go to source. I'm sick of Best Buy, so I'm going to have to learn another lesson about patience..... My next purchase is going through Amazon. I sent a co-worker to Amazon and they got roughly $400 of business from this guy who is usually tight with his money. He could have gotten the same deal at Best Buy or CC, but he did it through Amazon. He ordered it on Friday and was probably hooking his player up tonight.

-JD-

Best Buy markets to the lowest common denominator.
They may make money from the clueless but it does not promote repeat literate customers.
They basically operate on the level of a used car lot.
That's why God invented the Internet and Fry's. ;)

I went to BB today to take advantage of their promotion on HD DVD's and went home empty handed. They did not have any of the titles I was looking to get. I normally order from Amazon, but thought I would try to show some HD support at BB. If people go there to but a Toshiba player and see the title selection, they are apt to put the player back.

I don't even stop at BB anymore...how much can they really make out of Sony that they are willing to sacrifice present and future customers?...I don't think they get it and by the time they do it is going to be too late...by choosing a side they lose the other side because if they think that HD DVD is going away they need a reality check...very bad business model...horrible!

I don't even stop at BB anymore...how much can they really make out of Sony that they are willing to sacrifice present and future customers?...I don't think they get it and by the time they do it is going to be too late...by choosing a side they lose the other side because if they think that HD DVD is going away they need a reality check...very bad business model...horrible!

True that in fact I'm in the market for a 55 to 60 inch HDTV and BestBuy is not on my list to buy from. They lost me around Nov 2006.

True that in fact I'm in the market for a 55 to 60 inch HDTV and BestBuy is not on my list to buy from. They lost me around Nov 2006.
That's around the same time I gave them the boot! :D

I work in a Magnolia located in a Best Buy. Sony (and Samsung) pay a lot for those displays. It drives us nuts especially as our home theater guys are almost universally HD DVD supporters if not by actually owning a player then in spirit.

In our store we have two XA2's setup, and a XA1. The only Blu-Ray demos we have setup are the paid demo by Sony and Samsung. The Sony S1 has to be reset anywhere from four to twelve times a day; this is after swapping it out twice because the others were having the same issue. It also occasionally spits out three or four discs in a row as being unable to read. It's a frustrating experience, what can I say?

Having said all that I've been rather impressed with the Panasonic BD-10 and if the format war drags out long enough I may buy the new player they are releasing once it has hit a price drop or two to compliment my A2 (and soon to be purchased XA2).

They didn't have Weeds either.

Yeah, they didnt have this, Weeds Season One or Basic Instinct today, if I didnt work there I wouldnt bother shopping there but Im trying to make it vaulable to work there.

They will continue to promote Blu Ray heavily until Sony stops giving them money. Give it another 6 months before HD DVD emerges as the clear winner.

I did notice that at my local Best Buys the HD DVD disc section is packed solid and is going to need to grow to an extra section soon.

You can go to the BB website and check on store availability for any title. I always check this before going to the store which has cut my trips to BB substantially as of late.

The BB's in my area stoke a good amount of HD-DVDs. BD and HD-DVD get a whole row just to themselves.

Instant gratification rules, as long as Amazon doesn't have a store in my neighborhood stocked with what ever I want, its going to be hard for Amazon to be my go to source. I'm sick of Best Buy, so I'm going to have to learn another lesson about patience..... My next purchase is going through Amazon. I sent a co-worker to Amazon and they got roughly $400 of business from this guy who is usually tight with his money. He could have gotten the same deal at Best Buy or CC, but he did it through Amazon. He ordered it on Friday and was probably hooking his player up tonight.

-JD-
While I understand instant gratification, it just isn't worth it for me. Amazon has a much better selection (pretty much all HD DVDs), with 30-40% off the normal BB price, with no tax.
I stopped going to BB a long time ago.
J

You can go to the BB website and check on store availability for any title. I always check this before going to the store which has cut my trips to BB substantially as of late.

No offense, but Best Buy's store availability checker is about as useful as a fistful of roasted snow.

I only buy from BB when they have specials. Currently they are running $10 of 2 HD DVD's or 20 off 3. I went in there and price matched to Target.com and got Pitch Black, 40 Year Old Virgin, and Lucky Number Slevin for $49.xx. Target.com was not carrying Slevin and 40 Year Old so that hurt. If you could find 3 movies at Target.com that were all 20 you could get 3 HD DVD's for $40 not too shabby.

Hey all,

Just stopped off at BB today after work to snag Frighteners HD on the way home and wouldn't you know it, they aren't stocking it! They said, oh, well that's one of our online-only items. WHO buys DVDs from BB's website?!

Sorry to sound so ticked, but I'm getting tired of all the pro-BD odor at BB at the expense of another perfectly viable format. Day and date releases of HD films aren't making it to the shelves. Battle of the Bulge is another case in point, AND they just DELETED Casablanca from their inventory!

I had a Mag' pro-tech guy talking with me at BB just the other day and he had to drop to a whisper and tell me that he preferred HD over BD, truly afraid someone he works with would hear him say it.

How is the HD format supposed to survive when major retailers just refuse to stock brand new catalog titles on the day of release?

Irked,
Mike
Best Buy does not stock many Blu-ray catalog titles either.

Just because Best Buy did not stock the one movie you were looking for, does not mean they are putting you down for owning an hd dvd player.

And for Pete's sake, just because he whispered to you he prefers hd dvd, does not mean he's going to be fired for not promoting blu-ray at all times!

When hd and blu-ray catch on more, they'll stock more. They are too busy catering to the typical consumer.

It has nothing to do with pro-BD bias, they aren't stocking a LOT of the newer releases for either side.

BB has reached a saturation point with titles. My store takes up practically an entire aisle....and they aren't selling! They are only getting big hits now.

They aren't stocking the Magnolia releases for either side, they aren't stocking the Discovery HD titles for BD or the HDNet titles for BD either.

At the BB in Beaverton Oregon the BD outnumber the HD DVD's approximately 3:1. Mid you this is number of discs (and thus shelf space) rather than number of different titles.

I went in looking for the Road Warrior. It was nowhere to be found.

It's all about amazon folks. yeah you wait an extra day, but you get everything you want for a lot less than at Best Buy.

I just tried their return system and I got credited back the money within a few days so the only reason to still shop at Best Buy is 1 day earlier purchase....if they bother to have it in, which you won't know until the day of release.

Greetings,

I check in at BB from time to time but like most of you have been purchasing the bulk of my HD DVD/Blu-ray discs at Amazon.

When I saw this week's special at BB I went in and picked up The Interpretor, Bourne Supremacy, The Dirty Dozen, The Mummy Returns, and The Italian Job.

These are all discs that kind of wanted but didn't want to pay their normal price for.

From Amazon this week I ordered Dragon Heart, The River, and Lost in Translation. I preordered Ghost Rider on Blu-ray.

I take them where I can get them for the best price and quickest access.


Regards,

hey guys,

I don't even know where to post this question, so this seems to be about the best place for it.

I too am getting tired of BB tactics with the formats and selections. I have the HD-A2 like everyone the last week seems to. I am getting a PS3 in 2009 when I get a 15 year award gift certificate from my work. So to put it fairly, I don't support either format at this point exclusively. I will support both then, without any dislike of the other.

My problem is the BB rewards plan. I have a small amount on it right now and would like to use it, but the selections for HD DVD are slim from store to store. I wouldn't be able to get 3 and save $20 from the same store right now. I would need to hit 2 different locations to get the 3 that I want now.

Is there any store that would take this reward certificate and let me get my movies and be done with BB for good? They would get all my business from this point on without a doubt. I think I am stuck for now with BB though. Amazon is the best for now, but I need to get rid of this certificate first.

hey guys,

I don't even know where to post this question, so this seems to be about the best place for it.

I too am getting tired of BB tactics with the formats and selections. I have the HD-A2 like everyone the last week seems to. I am getting a PS3 in 2009 when I get a 15 year award gift certificate from my work. So to put it fairly, I don't support either format at this point exclusively. I will support both then, without any dislike of the other.

My problem is the BB rewards plan. I have a small amount on it right now and would like to use it, but the selections for HD DVD are slim from store to store. I wouldn't be able to get 3 and save $20 from the same store right now. I would need to hit 2 different locations to get the 3 that I want now.

Is there any store that would take this reward certificate and let me get my movies and be done with BB for good? They would get all my business from this point on without a doubt. I think I am stuck for now with BB though. Amazon is the best for now, but I need to get rid of this certificate first.
I'd call and see if the deal works for online purchases.

That would work , but it states in the policy that anything bought online is added to the reward card, but you can not use the rewards at bb.com to buy stuff. Only at the stores themselves. The main problem is the selections and the fact that I have 5 BB stores in a 60 mile radius of me, but the closest 2 are 40 miles to start. :mad:

I too am getting tired of BB tactics with the formats and selections. I have the HD-A2 like everyone the last week seems to.

My problem is the BB rewards plan. I have a small amount on it right now and would like to use it, but the selections for HD DVD are slim from store to store. I wouldn't be able to get 3 and save $20 from the same store right now. I would need to hit 2 different locations to get the 3 that I want now.
Ask to speak with the store manager.

I have been getting all DVD's and now HD DVD's from BB for years. I also have been a Rewards Zone member for years. I have gotten hundreds of dollars in certificates - I buy almost everything there via price match (if they don't have the best price). never had one problem with dozens and dozens of price-match purchases.

Again, ask to speak with the store manager.

Let him/her know you are a regular customer, and are disappointed at their HD DVD selection. Let them also know that other BB stores seem to have a better selection, but you'd prefer doing business in his/her store.

In my case, I have plenty of selection/inventory, although it is moving off the shelves increasing faster these days with the growing adoption of the HD DVD standard. That said, during a recent conversation with the manger in my area store, I shared that he should plan to increase inventory, and he agreed. He said each store has some play in just what items/quantities they can order.

It's worth the 15 minutes to talk. If you're really motivated - call their corporate offices and let THEM know. That will get even more attention. They like to get this kind of feedback - heck - it sells more merchandise if they meet your needs.

I work in a Magnolia located in a Best Buy. Sony (and Samsung) pay a lot for those displays. It drives us nuts especially as our home theater guys are almost universally HD DVD supporters if not by actually owning a player then in spirit.

In our store we have two XA2's setup, and a XA1. The only Blu-Ray demos we have setup are the paid demo by Sony and Samsung. The Sony S1 has to be reset anywhere from four to twelve times a day; this is after swapping it out twice because the others were having the same issue. It also occasionally spits out three or four discs in a row as being unable to read. It's a frustrating experience, what can I say?

Having said all that I've been rather impressed with the Panasonic BD-10 and if the format war drags out long enough I may buy the new player they are releasing once it has hit a price drop or two to compliment my A2 (and soon to be purchased XA2).

Time to update the firmware on that S1...

I went to BB today to take advantage of their promotion on HD DVD's and went home empty handed. They did not have any of the titles I was looking to get. I normally order from Amazon, but thought I would try to show some HD support at BB. If people go there to but a Toshiba player and see the title selection, they are apt to put the player back.

yeah same, i quickly drove on home and ordered a bunch from amazon. i would've gotten some with the promotion, but they didn't ahve anything i wanted at this point.

I no longer want to shop at BB or CC anymore. They don't seem to have good prices like they did in the past for electronics. I bought my HDTV online for $800 cheaper than either store and didn't pay sales tax. That was enough to pay for my HD DVD player. SD movies are always on sale, but I'd rather have HD. So I have no use for either store until they change their way of thinking. Shouldn't Blu-ray or HD DVD have lower prices the first week they come out, just like SD DVD? Shouldn't they also stock all titles as well? I think they should and that's where BB and CC are going to lose more and more business to online companies. I do miss the instant satisfaction of taking a movie off the shelf and watching it the same day it's released, but it's not worth $10 to $15 more. The only exception for me would be Fry's Electronics, but the nearest one to me is over an hour away, so that just isn't worth it with the price of gas. Just my 2 cents.

No offense, but Best Buy's store availability checker is about as useful as a fistful of roasted snow.

This is certainly true. I checked a couple of titles before I went to BB yesterday. Was showing in stock at all the stores near me. I get to the store and they do not have the title I was looking for. Checked their in store kiosk online and now the title was not available at any of the strores. What happened in that hour time? I have had this problem in the past with other products, too. Guess it is the best you can do, though, without actually calling.

That would work , but it states in the policy that anything bought online is added to the reward card, but you can not use the rewards at bb.com to buy stuff. Only at the stores themselves. The main problem is the selections and the fact that I have 5 BB stores in a 60 mile radius of me, but the closest 2 are 40 miles to start. :mad:

I think that was an old policy and not true any more. In your shopping cart and when you go to check out, it will say: Earn points with the Reward Zone Program. Enter 10-Digit Member ID.

Also under Reward Zone Help it states:

Program Details
As a member of the Reward Zone® program, you earn points on nearly every dollar you spend, both in Best Buy stores and online at BestBuy.com

They will continue to promote Blu Ray heavily until Sony stops giving them money. Give it another 6 months before HD DVD emerges as the clear winner.

I did notice that at my local Best Buys the HD DVD disc section is packed solid and is going to need to grow to an extra section soon.

This is happening with both formats. They will not carry catalogue titles except for stuff like POTC or The Matrix.

LOL!

I picked up a A2 last week from BB w/ the deal. I have had a PS3 from the day it came out.

Why is it when I come to the HDDVD board all you guys do is whine and complain about BB? I mean give me a break, there are a ton of titles they dont have for Blu either. I never read over on the other side there is some conspiracy.

Another thing, the salesman who helped me was VERY supportive of the format. Complete opposite of what is posted here everyday. I know this is just one mans experience but geez people lighten up! If you have a bad experience with a BB salesman it does not mean the whole company is against HDDVD.

It sure does seem that alot of HD supporters are very insecure.

LOL!

I picked up a A2 last week from BB w/ the deal. I have had a PS3 from the day it came out.

Why is it when I come to the HDDVD board all you guys do is whine and complain about BB? I mean give me a break, there are a ton of titles they dont have for Blu either. I never read over on the other side there is some conspiracy.

Another thing, the salesman who helped me was VERY supportive of the format. Complete opposite of what is posted here everyday. I know this is just one mans experience but geez people lighten up! If you have a bad experience with a BB salesman it does not mean the whole company is against HDDVD.

It sure does seem that alot of HD supporters are very insecure.

In defense of the whiners this wasn't happening just months ago when Sony was throwing marketing money at BB. I agree things are equal now except for the occasional Blu or Red fanboy salesman.

Okay, seriously guys, you need to stop making posts every week of how Best Buy does not have the newest HD-DVDs. It sucks, I know, but there is nothing that can be done about it. I keep telling my bosses that our sales are hurting since we over charge for BR and HD, and that we also are getting less and less titles each week, but that seems to solve nothing. Corporate just says "Well that is why we price match," but they don't seem to understand the lack of titles as well.

I can tell you right now that these are the following HD-DVDs coming out in June and July Best Buy will be carrying:

Norbit
Blood Diamond
Big Lebowski
Dead Silence
Music & Lyrics

Yes, only those 5.

The reason, I'm assuming, why it may appear more HD DVDs are being held back from B&M stores is because they were first out of the gate and released more titles more often than BD did for the first few months. This caused BB and other's inventory to swell with HD DVDs first. Only recently has the balance of displayed titles been evening out but my BB still has more HD DVDs than BDs. That would suggest a greater need to scale back on HD DVDs than on BDs.

This is particularly so because neither is selling very well and the stock just keeps growing.

The Frighteners BOMBED in theaters. Dragonheart did a little better, but wasn't successful. I can understand why they don't want to devote space to them, especially with so many other highly regarded and successful HD DVDs on the horizon.

Besides these are catalog titles. People who love those films have already bought them at least once on DVD so it's a tougher sell to get j6p to buy it all over again, particularly when they don't see much advantage to HD in the first place.

If I was ordering for them, I'd get them, but I'm not.

I work at Best Buy, in the Media dept with the DVDs, and I personally have communicated with corporate regarding our HD-DVD section. When I noticed that we were not stocking a lot of the catalog releases in-store, just online, I contacted our Media rep, who contacted corporate, and the answer given was (and I'm paraphrasing here) that while Best Buy is firmly behind the next gen formats as the future, they are focusing on new release titles in-store, and most catalog titles will be online only. This is very disappointing as I think that other HD-DVD owners feel like me in that these catalog releases are like new releases to us as far as having them available in HD is concerned.

The only way to get them to change is with direct feedback, if enough people complain then maybe we'll start to carry more in-store. Every time a customer comes in asking for a catalog HD-DVD that we don't carry, I pass that on to corporate, but I think that direct feedback from customers will probably carry more weight with them.

In case you want to know ahead of time what will be in-store vs online only, check online first: if it's a 7-digit SKU starting with 7 or 8, we might have it in-store. If it's an 8 digit SKU starting with 1, it's online only, and it should be listed as "Not Available" under Store Pickup (as opposed to Coming Soon for new releases).

Frighteners (Unrated) - Widescreen Subtitle AC3 Director's

SKU: 15552368

Shipping: Pre-order
Estimate arrival time.

Store Pickup: Not Available

The best way to deal with Best Buy and HD discs is to buy them from amazon.

I just bought:

The Frighteners
Dragonheart
Lost in Translation
Midnight Run
Basic Instinct (BD)

for a grand total of: $89.77 shipped.

It probably would have cost me like $150.00 for the exact same stuff at Best Buy. That would be tantamount to sitting on the toilet with the plunger still in it.

BB is pro PS3 because they can't dump their inventory. No one is buying them, and BB is drowning. They have no other choice but to be pro-losing format. I hope they go down with Sony.

This is particularly so because neither is selling very well and the stock just keeps growing.


And you probably hit the nail on the head. That's all this probably comes down to.


The Frighteners BOMBED in theaters. Dragonheart did a little better, but wasn't successful. I can understand why they don't want to devote space to them, especially with so many other highly regarded and successful HD DVDs on the horizon.


I honestly doubt any Best Buy buyers are looking at box office grosses when ordering catalog titles. They had no problem stocking the last DVD release of "The Frighteners" and I'll bet that any "new" non-catalog titles will get stocked whether they made more theatrically than "The Frighteners" or not.


Besides these are catalog titles. People who love those films have already bought them at least once on DVD so it's a tougher sell to get j6p to buy it all over again, particularly when they don't see much advantage to HD in the first place.


If anyone was using that logic, we wouldn't have all of these double-dip catalog titles getting shelf space and promotional space at Best Buy. J6P isn't buying HD-DVDs anyway. Many of us also had catalog titles on VHS... and laserdisc... and DVD...

Speaking of laserdisc, how many Best Buys ever had them on the shelf? I saw zero. I'm sorry, but if the HD media market goes anywere, it's going niche, just like laserdisc. I will be shocked if I'm wrong and it ever becomes "THE" media standard for pre-recorded video. "Niche" isn't going to get a ton of shelf space - especially when that shelf space could be used for DVDs.


If I was ordering for them, I'd get them, but I'm not.

You'd have a shelf space problem for the sake of something that doesn't sell. It makes no sense. The online alternative is there. Personally, I don't know why anyone is upset that Best Buy won't sell them an HD-DVD at an insane price. I'd be thanking them for limiting my options and forcing me to get it somewhere cheaper.

My local Best Buys have a ton of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs on the shelves. I'll wave at them as I go home and order from Amazon.

I didn't mean that consumers were looking to box office to determine what to buy, but Best Buy. Those deals are all brokered with the studios. I'm just suggesting that shelf space is precious and Best Buy is more inclined to use it for titles they know they can sell.

Sure DVDs get rereleased all the time but that's a billion dollar industry and the discs are half the price. j6p is far more likely to buy the Dragonheart Legacy 2-disc set than gamble $30 on an HD DVD.

Wrong logic? Perhaps. It looks as though there will be no catalog titles unless it's a blockbuster hit. If Jurassic Park comes out on HD DVD, catalog or no, Best Buy is stocking it.

I can tell you right now that these are the following HD-DVDs coming out in June and July Best Buy will be carrying:

Norbit
Blood Diamond
Big Lebowski
Dead Silence
Music & Lyrics

Yes, only those 5.


300 & Bourne Identity??

300 & Bourne Identity??

300 is a given. However, our system only goes up to the middle of July right now, so Bourne is not even in question. I'm assuming Universal will make sure we carry that due to Ultimatum.