Best Buy to stop selling CDs in-store this year

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by DorothyV, Feb 2, 2018.

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  1. DME1061

    DME1061 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Trenton, NJ
    You could see this coming, as their CD selection has been reduced to a ridiculously small and poorly stocked section. Used to be good at one time, as they would stock (as a couple of examples) Matador and Yep Roc new releases regularly. Near where I work and live, I'm fortunate to have a GREAT store close to me.....Princeton Record Exchange. Close enough that I can go on my lunch hour each week. Used to be at one time (maybe 8-10 years ago), I could run out and go to Borders (extinct), FYE (closed in our mall), Barnes and Noble (scaled down the entire store and the music section is basically nothing), Target, Walmart, and Best Buy (all now have extremely small sections). I understand things are changing, but it still stinks.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2018
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  2. Rock66

    Rock66 Forum Resident

    The article indicated that Best Buy has an agreement with the labels to sell lps for at least two more years. They indicated they would move the lps to the turntable section. But even that discussion in the article sounded tenuous.
     
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  3. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I would if we had any.
     
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  4. Jeff Minn

    Jeff Minn Senior Member

    Location:
    Midwest USA
    A known, but still sad reality for us old-timers.
     
  5. Rock66

    Rock66 Forum Resident

    It's similar here in the distant DC suburbs. We had al those and a few more (Tower, Waxie Maxie, Kemp Mill, The Wiz), but now other than Wal-Mart (for newer releases) the closest store is the resale shop. The nearest music store was miles away, and they closed, so if I really want something I have to go mail order, and I've noticed that they have been leaning more and more to public domain releases,.
     
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  6. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    You DO NOT want to order any cd from Bestbuy's site, trust me. DON'T!!!!

    I received a gift card for my bday last year and tried to use it towards King Crimson's 40th Anniversary edition of Larks' Tongues In Aspic on their website.
    Didn't arrive. Called. Out of stock, but a date was set. Didn't arrive. Called...
    This went on for some time until they offered to send a new gift card (can't get store credit!!).
    Didn't arrive. Called. A new gift card with double the amount (for the inconvenience) would be shipped. Didn't arrive. Called. Didn't arrive. Thought '*** it!!!', end of story!
    Bye bye bday gift!
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2018
  7. Folknik

    Folknik Forum Resident

    Yes! The only up-side to the major chains pulling their CDs is that it will send more people to the independents.
     
  8. Folknik

    Folknik Forum Resident

    Ironic that Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and other major chains are now selling new vinyl which they phased out years ago to make room for CDs.
     
  9. BrentB

    BrentB Urban Angler

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    I pretty much have for 20 years. I go to WM on occasion for cheap work socks and maybe some 9mm ammunition, but that is about it. And the occasional bike parts/tubes/tires.
     
  10. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    Actually, it's more likely to send people to Amazon.
     
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  11. jimac51

    jimac51 A mythical beast.

    Location:
    Allentown,pa.
    My kid worked for one of Target's private label concerns and had nothing but bad things to say about how stuff got to the racks. Evidently they have a prejudice against hiring anyone named Ruth,since the phrase "ruthless" is used about their loyalty to sources. Even worse: Walmart. And Amazon ain't no charity case,either. 2018: The Era Of A Race To The Bottom.
     
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  12. Kevin Davis

    Kevin Davis EQUIPMENT PROFILE INCOMPLETE

    Location:
    Illinois
    Weirdly I still remember the last CD's I bought at all the defunct chain music retailers in my city:

    Coconuts Music and Movies (closed 2001): Tom Waits, "Closing Time"
    Circuit City (closed 2008): The Roots, "Rising Down"
    Borders (closed 2011): Sonny Rollins, "Road Shows, Vol. 1"
    K-Mart (closed 2014): Black Sabbath, "Paranoid" and "Vol. 4" (from the $5 bin!)

    And now:
    Best Buy: Kendrick Lamar, "DAMN"
    Target: Sturgill Simpson, "A Sailor's Guide to Earth"

    I was just thinking the other day about how when I was a kid, the electronics department at K-Mart or Wal-Mart was a more impressive record store than most actual record stores are now. When I was 12-13 years old, I would walk to the neighborhood Wal-Mart with a $20 bill, buy some nachos and a Coke from the in-house McDonald's, and blow the remaining $15 on a CD. I would sometimes spend 3 hours at a time searching through the music racks. At that time, you could find full discographies down to EP's and singles at Wal-Mart; I remember finding Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" single and being surprised to see that there were two songs on it that didn't seem to be on any of their proper albums, opening my eyes to the concept of B-sides and rarities. I still haven't emerged from the rabbit hole.

    I love all the options that exist online for buying music and understand that the disappearance of brick-and-mortar music retailers is just a sign of the times, no inherently more right or wrong than the vanishing of pay phones, and that the next generation of music lovers will (hopefully) have experiences discovering the art form comparable to my generation's experience rummaging through physical inventories and getting that surge of excitement upon uncovering a desirable title. But I definitely share the sadness at seeing that experience disappear forever. Those were some joyful, exciting times.
     
  13. jimac51

    jimac51 A mythical beast.

    Location:
    Allentown,pa.
    The story of the demise of vinyl is far more complicated than those named morons,who were either small potatoes in 1998 or just complicit of where manufacturers were headed.
    A business oxymoron:industry leaders.
     
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  14. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    We have this core group of members who go out of their way to create these great and informative threads showcasing new music and people are sad because they can't go to Target to discover new artists. Ridiculous! Pop your ass in some these threads why don't ya?
     
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  15. Lambert75

    Lambert75 Active Member

    Further removed from the riff raff the better
     
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  16. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Guess that means I won't be visiting Best Buy much any more. That used to be one of the only reasons I would go there. But the "CD" section has gotten so small I rarely go there anymore anyways. :shrug:
     
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  17. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Agreed. Barnes & Noble and Walmart are sadly the only two stores left where I live that have any sort of CD section (and Walmart's section has been getting smaller and smaller). Best Buy and Target used to be the other two stores, but they've all but eliminated the CD section so this article doesn't surprise me in the least. Our local mall used to have a great music store, but unfortunately it closed several years back. This is why places like Amazon are becoming my go to for CD purchases. It's easier to find things you can't find locally anymore. :sigh: :shrug:
     
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  18. Jmac2043

    Jmac2043 Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    good idea, wishful thinking, though
     
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  19. Exit Flagger

    Exit Flagger Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Well at least we still have Korvettes.
     
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  20. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Really?

    ours closed yonks ago
     
  21. danner

    danner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham, AL
    Yeah, when I was in college, Best Buy was my first stop for new indie releases. They actually had a better selection and prices than Coconuts. That was a long time ago though. The Best Buy stores around here barely carry DVDs and Blu-rays anymore let alone CDs of all things.

    It’s not too shocking. Stores don’t want to waste floor space on merchandise that doesn’t sell.
     
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  22. DME1061

    DME1061 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Trenton, NJ
    Who said many of us don't do that here as well? If people are posting here, I'm sure they're doing both! For myself, I'm only complaining I have nowhere to go out on my lunch hour from work to look through CD racks and maybe find something cheap. :D
     
    klockwerk likes this.
  23. a customer

    a customer Forum Resident

    Location:
    virginia
    klockwerk likes this.
  24. Exit Flagger

    Exit Flagger Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Sorry, sarcasm. Yes, it's been 30 years or something.

    It was one of the greatest department store record departments ever though.
     
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  25. spanky1

    spanky1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Didn't completely read the article, but does this mean no on-line sales, or in-store only? The last Best Buy cd's that I bought were during a sale, and the prices were really good. Got some good titles in the $1.99-$3.99 range.
     
    Matthew Tate and melstapler like this.
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