Does Online Pricing Still Beat Brick And Mortor Stores?

[Damian]

I use to buy all my DVD's online. I was even in a local newspaper when they did a story on holiday shopping over the internet a couple of years ago. But I finally got tired of having to wait a week for a movie to be delivered after it was released. It's so much easier to just walk into a store and grab it off the shelf.
There was a time when you couldn't beat the internet pricing. I remember ordering movies for $5.00. But since a lot of dot com sites went under, the compitition isn't as stiff and the pricing has gone back up.
The pricing at Best Buy (for instance) is pretty awsome and they have pretty much everything I want. You don't have to pay shipping and you don't have to wait a week.

Is internet pricing really that much better these days?



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"They're us....we're them!"
-Damian

[Eye]

Well, that depends.

I find some excellent deals if I buy in bulk from BestPrices.com (Link). Example: If I order the entire Neon Genesis Evangelion collection (8 DVDs) I can save some cash. BestPrices.com has each disc listed for $16.88. That's about 44% off retail.

Yes, BestPrices' shipping charges are higher than other online dealers, but all added up, ordering a complete set of Eva. discs from BestPrices.com is WAY cheaper than if I were to drive to my local MediaPlay or BestBuy and purchased each disc for $25-$27 (not including Michigan sales tax and the cost of my gasoline).

Conversely, I have found some good deals at local shops.

I think the "great" online deals are fading and I'm sure you'll see a time when online pricing and "brick & rock" stores are fairly equal.

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Moderator | Eye ::.. | Flame Link

[This message has been edited by Eye (edited 07-02-2001).]

[manigrasso]

The advantage on B&M stores is the loss-leader sales. Nobody Beats thw Wiz had each Superman movie for $15 upon its release. I bought it for 18 online. B&M stores always have great prices on the biggest releases for a few weeks. Online stores have consistently better prices, especially when it comes to movies that are a bit off the beaten path.

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by manigrasso:
The advantage on B stores is the loss-leader sales. Nobody Beats thw Wiz had each Superman movie for $15 upon its release. I bought it for 18 online. B stores always have great prices on the biggest releases for a few weeks. Online stores have consistently better prices, especially when it comes to movies that are a bit off the beaten path.

Yep. If you stay on top of the new releases and get them within the first couple of weeks, you can get EXCELLENT prices. However, if you want to get ANY given DVD at ANY given time, it's hard to beat online e-tailers (as I call them).

For example, I recently bought The Matrix at Walmart for $18.89. DVD Empire was selling it for $17.49 and if I looked hard enough I could have found it for less. The cost of the copy I bought with sales tax was $0.50 LESS than if I had bought it at DVD Empire. Then again, DVD Empire was NOT che cheapest place online to get this title.

Since then, I bought 2 more copies of The Matrix from DeepDiscountDVD and paid $16.22 (or so) each for them.....

The other thing about B&M stores, is if you try to buy a "hot" item on the day it is released or during the week it's released, you might have to deal with the store selling out and maybe get a "rain check" from the store to get the title when it's in stock. This happened to a friend at work who tried to get Big Trouble in Little China at a B&M store (Best Buy I think) and it was sold out. I probably paid MORE for my copy, which I got at DVD Empire, but I had it in my hands on the day it was released and I just had to go home and open the package.

I think convenience DOES have value....

Peace.....

[SeanL]

I think it comes down to shopping around.
On new releases, if you happen to live in a place where sell outs are a potential problem, then online is probably the best way to go. I've done most of my shopping locally as I don't live in a big town, so I can pretty much walk into any store and get the big releases right away.
At B&M stores, catalog titles can sometimes be quite a bit cheaper than online retailers.
For instance; I picked up Rocketeer today for $14.96 at Wal Mart, and Magnificent Seven for $13.96.
Now if you're looking for specialty titles like Criterion of more obscure works, then online will generally be best.



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Sean

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

[Damian]

Though I agree that the actual cost of the disc may be cheaper online, the shipping almost always brings the cost up to the same as the B&M store if not more. That's why I went back to buying them there, instead of online.


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"They're us....we're them!"
-Damian

[tomdkat]

If you guys buy all your DVDs from me, I'll give you the BEST price! I only accept cash...

Peace....

[UserNameUndecided]

I hate to stray off topic, but I have been wondering tomdkat:
How many copies of The Matrix exactly have you bought for yourself and others as a gift? Just curious, you seem to mention giving The Matrix to friends very often.

Back to the topic, I only buy online when I know that an online store has the better price. For instance, I found Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels at deepdiscountdvd.com, for only $12. Compared to Best Buy and other stores I saw it at (back when I bought it), that had it for $17 - $20.
Same with the Monty Python Boxed Set that I will purchase sometime in the near future. Only $108 (w/ no tax or shipping) online, compared to $140 - $200 elsewhere. I should stop babbling and get to the point: For the most part, it is easier to just go down to Best Buy and buy it, but occasionally (about 1 in every 7 purchases I'd say) I find a better deal online.

[DVDriven]

Originally posted by UserNameUndecided:
Back to the topic, I only buy online when I know that an online store has the better price. For instance, I found Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels at deepdiscountdvd.com, for only $12. Compared to Best Buy and other stores I saw it at (back when I bought it), that had it for $17 - $20.

It depends. I'll use 'Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels' as a good example. I believe the regular price for this title is $14.99 at BEST BUY. Not a bad price, but I knew as a frequent shopper, BEST BUY sometimes discount older releases, and I signed on to a program where BB sends offers in the mail frequently. Just a couple of weeks back they sent me coupons in the mail: buy 2 DVDs, get 10% off, 3 gets 15% and 4 gets 20%. Anywho, LS&2SB was on sale at BB a few weeks ago for $12.99, so I bought it then.

For new releases, it's B&M all the way; for everything else, I comparison shop B&M and online before deciding.

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by UserNameUndecided:
I hate to stray off topic, but I have been wondering tomdkat:
How many copies of The Matrix exactly have you bought for yourself and others as a gift? Just curious, you seem to mention giving The Matrix to friends very often.

Since I first bought my DVD player, I've purchased about 12 copies of The Matrix (over time, of course)......

I just bought Snatch at Fry's Electronics in Fremont for $15.88.....

Peace.....



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My DVD Profiler List

[UserNameUndecided]

Originally posted by tomdkat:

I just bought Snatch at Fry's Electronics in Fremont for $15.88....

Snatch seems to be going for an awfully low price for a 2 disc set new release. I just bought it at Best Buy for only $16.99 (and I think it goes for only 17.99 at Target).
I hope that this is a continueing trend.

Since I first bought my DVD player, I've purchased about 12 copies of The Matrix (over time, of course)......

Damn...that's a lot of matrices.

[LemJe31]

I just per-ordered my first DVD on-line, Akira Limited Edition, from DVD Planet. I was wondering when you pre-order do you get the disk on the day it's released or or is that the day it is sent?

On the store or on-line debate, Akira is only 27.99 at DVD Planet which is the cheapest I have seen it anywhere. I found Neon Genesis Evangelion at BestPrices.com for 16.87 which is the cheapest I can find on-line. (Please let me know if you know somwhere cheaper) Due to the fact I don't live in a big city the only stores around are Suncoast, Best Buy, and WalMart. I havn't had a chance to check them yet but I am pretty sure they want have it any cheaper. I think it depends on what title you are looking for. The big movies will ussually be pretty reasonable at the store but some of the older titles can be found cheaper on-line. It also seems that pre-ordering can make a big difference no mater where you buy.

Just my view on it. )

[This message has been edited by LemJe31 (edited 07-03-2001).]

[slade]

Originally posted by LemJe31:
[b]I just per-ordered my first DVD on-line, Akira Limited Edition, from DVD Planet. I was wondering when you pre-order do you get the disk on the day it's released or or is that the day it is sent?

I usually get mine a little earlier than the release date. They will send them as soon as they get them in stock from the studio. I think only once that I've ordered a pre-order has it arrived at my house after the release date (of course, I've only ordered pre-orders about 15 times so far).



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slade

"It’s amazing that brain can generate enough power to keep those legs moving."

[Prospero]

I've found that some box sets are cheaper at brick and mortar stores. My local Wal-mart has X-Files boxes for $99 each, e.g. Best Buy had the Kubrick box for $150, which is fair enough when you add in shipping costs for getting it online.