Wal-Mart Saying Goodbye to Videocassettes

[Stephen of Borg 2]

Wal-Mart, the nation's biggest home video retailer is planning to remove all VHS titles from its shelves by next February, Home Video Retailing reported on its website Monday. The company is expected to phase out the video cassettes based on customer demand. By September, it said, it expects to phase out 20-40 percent of it VHS titles, using the space to stock additional DVD titles.

[KIMIMELA 1]

I do not use Wal-Mart here but what if the older generation still wants to use VHS? It's like forcing them to change technology. *shrugs*

[Madame Butterfly 0]

Not everybody has a DVD player to go with every television set in the house.

 

And to be honest, I use my PS2 to watch my DVD's.

[KIMIMELA 1]

Not everybody has a DVD player to go with every television set in the house.

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Precisely.

[sea trooper 0]

The dastards! I could use both VHS and DVD but I prefer VHS and right now my DVD player is busted

[Kor37 9]

I do not use Wal-Mart here but what if the older generation still wants to use VHS? It's like forcing them to change technology. *shrugs*

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I've been forced to change technology several times in my life and each time I've resisted until I couldn't anymore. However, once I've made the switch, I've usually been happy that I did.

 

I went from records to reel-to-reel tape to 8-tracks to cassettes and finally to cds.

 

I also went from Super-8 film to Betamax to VHS to dvd.

 

Its not a big shocker that Wal-Mart is doing this. They are not even the first to do so. Several other big chains like Circuit City got rid of VHS several years ago already.

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

Oh...I Was Hoping They'd Be Saying GoodBye To Censored Music..Oh Well..

 

As Fo This Change...Well...Times Chnage...And They Will Again For Whatever The Next Format Is.

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

YAY! (no offense intended)VHS' SUCK! I don't even own a VCR any more, i got my computer DVD player and my PS2, its all i need. DVD's are way better, and should be used by everyone. I am not overjoyed at this information, but it is nice to go in and see a movie you want, just to find it its VHS!

[Itchygomba69 0]

VHS is bad, I had starwars on VHS and i watched it, and it felt like I was poor or something cause the picture and sound quality sucked, I turned the VHS off, wentto Wal*Mart (ahhh the bargins) and bought the trilogy on DVD, wow it sounds sooooooo much better

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I have quite the collection of videos that I often wonder if I'll be able to keep a working vcr (if they quite making them) in order to watch them.

 

I didn't think I needed a DVD player but my niece and nephew bought me one for Christmas - and I have to say - so much better than VHS.

 

However, I tape a lot of things and they're battling big time against people being able to buy dvd recorders to tape the shows they're going to miss. I hope they keep making vcr's and blank tapes.

[Kor37 9]

VCRs will be around until an affordable dvd recorder comes around. Then it will disappear.

[Itchygomba69 0]

I have a Beta in the Basement somewhere, will they ever bring it back!

[Odie 0]

Over three years ago I bought my father DVD player for less than $100. The have gone down a lot. I can see why Wal-Mart made the decision to drop videocassettes, because they are no longer cost effective to sell them.

[Angela 1]

I'll admit this I have FOUR dvd players, one as part of a cd burner, one as part of puter, one for my tv and one for travelling.

[Odo 0]

Kor:

I bought a DVD player at wal-mart for under 40 bucks

thats affordable. And it works great.

 

I have'nt bought vhs in about 2 years but still have about 200

[Itchygomba69 0]

The 1st DVD player I bought i payed $300 for when they 1st came out, now I can get the same one for $40.00 but I'm the type of person who has to have it 1st

[sea trooper 0]

My first DVD player I got this past christmas. It was about $80. After a few months it broke. I sent it back and got a new one. After a few weeks the new one broke and I sent it back and got another one. Now just a few days ago that one broke. I'm not sending it back and I'm not getting another one of those abominations.

[HRH The KING 0]

I have a DVD in my PS2, one in my PC, and another with my super bigscreen TV.

 

But I still like VHS.

[Takara_Soong 4]

My first DVD player I got this past christmas. It was about $80. After a few months it broke. I sent it back and got a new one. After a few weeks the new one broke and I sent it back and got another one. Now just a few days ago that one broke. I'm not sending it back and I'm not getting another one of those abominations.

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I wouldn't give up on DVD players. Perhaps a different brand than what you have.

 

I've got a DVD player for my tv and my computer has a DVD/CD-RW drive and a DVD-RW drive. I've only bought a few VHS tapes in the past 4 years. Just a couple of old movies or tv specials that aren't available on DVD and a few kids videos that are half the price of a DVD which has absolutely no special features.

[sea trooper 0]

My first DVD player I got this past christmas. It was about $80. After a few months it broke. I sent it back and got a new one. After a few weeks the new one broke and I sent it back and got another one. Now just a few days ago that one broke. I'm not sending it back and I'm not getting another one of those abominations.

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I wouldn't give up on DVD players. Perhaps a different brand than what you have.

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I know, I don't want to get another one of those players :huh:. I still have alot of DVDs and they aren't going to sit around collecting dust.

[Takara_Soong 4]

My first DVD player I got this past christmas. It was about $80. After a few months it broke. I sent it back and got a new one. After a few weeks the new one broke and I sent it back and got another one. Now just a few days ago that one broke. I'm not sending it back and I'm not getting another one of those abominations.

331217[/snapback]

 

I wouldn't give up on DVD players. Perhaps a different brand than what you have.

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I know, I don't want to get another one of those players :huh:. I still have alot of DVDs and they aren't going to sit around collecting dust.

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I can remember when DVDs were twice the price of a VHS movie. And that was at a time when special features were pretty much non-existent. Now, the prices are not that much different and the special features on most DVDs are worth the price alone. It's like the movie is free. LOL

[Stephen of Borg 2]

The thing is that before DVDs, a new movie that was just released on VHS only cost $10, but now a new movie on VHS costs $15! They way people like me who have DVD Players figure, I just have to pay $5 more and I get the same movie, better picture and it comes with extras (most of the time) and only for $20.

 

You have a brand new VHS movie for $15 with no extras on it except maybe a 20 minute "making of" at the end of the tape, or you can have the same movie just for $5 more, but this comes with 12 hours worth of extras. For DVD owners, which are you going to pick? The DVD of course, especially if it's a movie you love and have been waiting for it to come out. Now that DVD players are getting cheaper and cheaper, and PS2 and X-Box also being DVD players, more people are making that choice to get a DVD for just more dollars. That's one of the main reason that brought death to VHS.

 

But I agree, VHS has it's uses. I still watch VHS tapes, I record Trek off of Spike TV all of the time on VHS. So I like VHS. The good thing coming out of this is that they are probably going to have a big VHS clearing sale and they will have a bunch of movies on VHS for a cheap price! That'll be nice :huh:

[Data 0]

DVD players are dirt cheap now. I got a bunch now. I have two burners too. Time to get with the times people.

Edited June 16, 2005 by Data

[Wishfire 2]

WalMart still has VHS? I didn't know that.

[Eratosthenes 0]

It's good that Wal-Mart's doing this. Society will gain little by dwelling on the past (I'm not saying that we can't learn from the past though! :huh: )

 

I must admit that I have 5 DVD players at my house. 3 are normal ones at varying price ranges, 1 is portable (cost about $400 new,) and one is a 32x DVD-RW drive in on of the 6 comps in my house. (Wow, this bragging stuff is fun! :lol: )

 

I do still have one VCR hooked up to a TV :huh: and I do use it on rare occasion. I don't use it to record, however, I leave that up to the DVR (Tivo) downstairs.

[sea trooper 0]

Kids these days and their D.V.D.s...

[Matt 0]

It's like the end of an era.

[Tina 0]

I did not know people went to Walmart to buy movies...

[Yillara Skye 1]

I went from records to reel-to-reel tape to 8-tracks to cassettes and finally to cds.

 

I also went from Super-8 film to Betamax to VHS to dvd.

:yes: Same here. I grew up listening to reel-to-reel ( :blush 2: my parents kinda keep bringing up the time when I was a toddler and took our reel-to-reel apart. LOL, had a knack for taking apart things like that... I guess), LP's, 8 tracks (really got upset when my tape of John Denver's Windsong busted), and cassettes and now CDs.

 

 

Up until a year or two ago we still had records, and I know somewhere in the house if they have not been damaged... we still have 8-tracks, and reel-to-reel tape (one had a recording of me when I was less than a year or two old). I also know we still have our Super-8 films, and a projector. I just hope they still work, since like the reel... it has some film of when I was a baby and my parents and I lived in NY.

 

 

 

On topic, I am really not surprised that they are phasing out VHS... especially with the limited lifespan of that medium. I mean, right now we are in the process of transferring family films (like our trip to NC, or old competition videos, or old band concerts my sister and brother were in when they were little) to DVD before they are lost forever. I am having to baby a tape that is only about 7 years old... it keeps getting stuck and the film is beginning to show signs of deterioration.

[MrPsychic 1]

Oh...I Was Hoping They'd Be Saying GoodBye To Censored Music..Oh Well..

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Wal-Mart will never stop carrying censored music. They consider themselves a "family store" so they don't carry it. Being in the electronic department, I have to tell a lot of people that it's edited. I always tell them that it's edited before they buy it, so they won't be disapointed.