Best Buy - Part 1

Best Buy recently created a Best Buy Blu-ray Exclusives Page on their website. The blurb on this page reads "these must-have high-def editions are available only at Best Buy... Orders yours today." After perusing the list of available exclusive titles, I noticed that the 1978 video nasty I Spit On Your Grave is going to be released on 2/1/11 and is only $9.99! Great news I thought. I would swing by after work and pick it up. I'd also purchase The Expendables as it's also on sale for $9.99.

Well, February first rolled around and I checked the Best Buy website. Do you know what I found? I Spit On Your Grave’s release date has been pushed back to 2/8/11 – the same date that it’s available everywhere else. Pray tell, what makes this a Best Buy exclusive? Needless to say, I couldn’t purchase the movie. To make things even better, in the two days I spent waiting to go to the store, The Expendables has also gone up in price to $12.99.

Here’s another thing that pisses me off about Best Buy. I was saving my gift card to use on the new release of Zorro: The Complete Series. It was released on DVD last week and on the release day, I checked to see which stores had it in stock. Of all 6 stores in Chicago only 3 of them had this new release. Not one of these stores is easy to get to if you do not have a car, which I don’t. This is a new release title. It should be available at all stores.

I run into this problem rather frequently. If there is a DVD, blu-ray or game that I want to purchase, chances are that none of the stores in Chicago will have it in stock. If I go to the store and can’t find the title I’m looking for, a helpful sales associate will gladly look to see if they have a copy; and then offer to order it for me when they don’t. If I wanted to order it, why the hell would I be at a Best Buy store and why would I order it from Best Buy? Unless it’s on sale, the item is undoubtedly cheaper elsewhere.

I can remember when Best Buy had a great selection of movies. Nowadays, if it’s not one of those “flavor of the month” asinine comedy flicks, then Best Buy won’t have it. I can remember when I could walk down the aisles and see those obscure genre releases from Blue Underground, Severin, VideoAsia, Anchor Bay, Shriek Show and many other companies – some of which have sadly gone the way of the dodo. Those were the days...