Best Buy to stop selling CDs in-store this year

That's probably a sign you need to move.

 

I’m really not surprised. Where I live the availability of CDs in stores is getting smaller and smaller. Best Buy and Target’s selection has been getting worse and worse. It was only a matter of time for the other shoe to drop. This leaves my area with Walmart and a used store who has been raising their prices due to the lack of competition.

Of course we still have the internet. At least for now.

 

Not just that. If you’re a “collector” of a mainstream artist, chances are you’ve had a “special edition” from either/both of these chains. Sometimes the proliferation of these “exclusives” was quite maddening - which bonus from which retailer would win your purchase?

But you can’t deny there’s a bunch of fun rarities out there because of these guys...

 

I do that at least once a week.

 

Best Buy in Canada hasn't had CDs for years.

 

Maybe they will replace the CD shelves with racks of vinyl records!

 

I say we boycott Best Buy and Walmart.

 

More likely to be replaced with racks of socks or something.

 

is this just in store? or online as well?

 

I essentially gave up on Target's music selection when they severely cut back the variety of releases and that was what, 5-10 years ago? And it's only gotten worse since. The last one I bought there was the Target exclusive version of "No Pier Pressure" and that was 3 years ago now.

 

Everyone doesn't have access to independent music stores. That's why it's a major blow when brick and mortar giants that are widespread into smaller communities stop selling physical media. Online is great when you know what you want, but it's easier to browse when it's in your hands.

 

I propose “Customers Buy Them Only When They Like Them”...

 

These.

Luckily I live (somewhat) near by two quite extensively-stocked independents, one specislising mainly in rock, folk, and pop and the other (even bigger, having expanded in recent years to double their original floor space) running the entire gamut of every genre under the sun.
The latter has been in business since
1956, the former since 1984.

It has been my experience to find that department stores and electronics dealers which sell or once sold CDs are/were primarily in that market not so much for the serious music collector as for a cash-in on the whimsical mainstream-casual shopper, more as an afterthought.

I guess I am fortunate to live in an area where there seems to be a history and legacy of music, greater appreciation of the high fidelity listening experience, and I suppose most importantly to the point, vast community support of locally-owned businesses.

 

To hell with both places.

I'll go to the independents or buy online like I've been doing.

 

And back when they did carry them, their selection was garbage.... so it wasn't a big loss.

 

I don't see that places like Target and Walmart are helping me discover new music,
they would certainly not stock anything of interest to my personal taste. If you've found the Hoffman forum,
i'd humbly suggest it's possible you've outgrown the big box music retail experience.

 

Sad to read this. I bought my first album from Best Buy, the 25th Anniversary 2 CD edition of Band on the Run, and I have great memories of shopping there in high school. But as others have said their selection had dwindled to nothing. Still sad to read.

 

They hardly sell any physical media now. I rarely shop there.

 

CD's? People still buy CD's?

 

Shopping, and music for that matter, can often be a visceral experience. I have often responded to the artwork of a CD or album that has made me want to pick it up. I don't need every disc I listen to to be a SACD of a 40 year old album. I like discovering new music, and will look at the CD section of Target when I'm there. It's not my go to place, but it's worth a look. Or it used to be.

 

I will never forget the day(July 1st, 1997) that I went to Best Buy in Mission Viejo(when I lived in San Clemente) on release day to buy what became my favorite album of all time, 'OK Computer'-Radiohead. Bought a lot of CDs that year, as 1997 was a great year for New Albums.

I recall buying 'Sun Structures'-Temples at a Best Buy a few years ago. So last year went looking there for the new Temples Album, 'Volcano', but they never sold it. Can't recall if I bought any CDs there in the past year though(did buy Peter Gabriel's Blu-Ray/DVD Set for 'Growing Up' last year).

I bought a few CDs at Target in recent years('Spirit'-Depeche Mode, the last Alabama Shakes album, the 2-CD Sgt. Peppers 50th Anniversary Set, The Joshua Tree 2 CD Set with the MSG Concert, '4Ever'(low price)-Prince, 'Legacy' 2 CD Set-Bowie that was only $11.99 and 'Paper Gods'-Duran Duran for the 2 Exclusive Bonus Songs on the Target version, and a few years ago the same for the last Earth Wind & Fire-"Now Then & Forever' that also had a few exclusive Songs on the Target release). I was shocked that Target is selling the last Arctic Monkeys Album/CD(AM).

Last time I saw the CD sections at BestBuy and Target, I was thinking that my CD Collection is now larger than what they have in stock, so was expecting that they would soon eliminate their CD Sections(and with Streaming Services for TV Shows and Movies now the main way people watch Video, I assume that Blu-Rays will eventually follow into being eliminated, except for the 4K Ultra HD Versions).

 

Sometimes finding a release by a common/mainstream artist while shopping for whatever on a Saturday afternoon is kind of fun. I recall Target having pretty killer prices on some of the Led Zeppelin multi-CD reissues, a couple of which I bought there on a whim.

The exclusives offered by both retailers are cool as well. Target had the reissue of Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers vinyl shipped free with in-store purchase of the 2 CD version. Best Buy had bonus 7" singles by Brian Wilson & Paul McCartney with purchases of a CD. Both often had releases with exclusive bonus tracks at times.

These things hardly made either store a go-to destination for any discerning collector but there was nothing wrong with finding a gem here and there, even if it was only once or twice a year.

 

If I remember right both stores used to have new and limited releases every Tuesday. I would check the ads on Sunday to see what was coming out, I don't think they do it anymore

 

They have a section for vinyl now. Not huge but I got Rush 2112 there for a little over $20. They price matched an online site for me.

 

I went in a Target in Orlando, that had a space for many CDs, but very few CDs there, it's not surprise this.