Sainsburys to stop selling CDs & DVDs

[C J Snarzell]

Sainsburys are apparently ditching the sale of CDs & DVDs due to a fall in consumer demand.

I still buy the occasional DVD, but I have to agree that both CDs and DVDs seem to be becoming less popular these days with the influx of Netflix and digital music streaming.

Even Asda and Tesco's have scaled their home media aisles down with less choice available for tangible film and music entertainment.

I'm wondering if books will next be on the hitlist? As a Kindle owner, I don't buy hardbacks or paperbacks anymore but there does seem to be alot of floorspace dedicated to reading in most supermarkets.

I just see this as another step towards a far more digital age.

CJ

 

[westv]

Funny really. It wasn't that long ago that CDs were going to be the death of vinyl.

 

[birchesgreen]

Some Kindle owners have gone back to dead tree books, myself included. Though i buy all mine online ...er... from Amazon natch.

 

[AngelRoad]

I stream all my music now from AppleMusic, before I committed to this I ripped all my cds and uploaded them to iTunes, finally giving my cd collection to a friend. Regards dvds I gradually replaced these with digital versions which again I stream from Apple, however I kept all my railway dvds, of which there are many, and the movies which aren’t available yet digitally. I don’t have a tv so watch the dvds on my iMac, the streaming is mostly done to my iPad

Oh yes, books. I seem to have run out of space and only buy books very occasionally though Im not into ebooks as they can’t replace the quality of experience of the real thing. My library is mostly populated with transport and poetry.

 

[alex397]

I still buy CDs and DVDs, but only very occasionally. I wouldn’t buy them in a supermarket where they seem the most expensive - either cheap second hand ones in charity shops, on Amazon, or in HMV. I’m not a fan of online streaming despite trying and there’s something about having a physical copy which I really like, especially if it’s a favourite band or film of mine. I also buy vinyl aswell more than CDs.

I’d imagine CDs/DVDs only becoming available in second hand places or charity shops or Amazon/eBay as time goes on. But I dont think they’ll disappear completely like VHS has (pretty much). Physical paper books on the other hand, I think they’ve got a long time left in them.

Seems like a sensible decision from Sainsbury’s. It’s just wasted space on the shelves. The aisle with CDs and DVDs often seems to be quietest in supermarkets.

 

[Bevan Price]

Not been in a supermarket since the start of Covid, but 99% of the CDs I saw were by current / recent "pop single" artists, whose music is of no interest to me, or a few "best of" albums by older pop artists/groups - and I already have most of what I found interesting. Still buy a few CDs, but most of these can only be found on-line.

 

[prod_pep]

I haven't bought a CD in years so I'd hardly notice if they disappeared altogether, but DVDs are another matter. I still buy them fairly often, valuing a physical copy of something I like watching over a download. As others have said, a supermarket would never be my first port of call for DVDs. I don't watch TV at all so anything genuinely interesting (Attenborough etc.) is bought on DVD.

I have a few railway videos that never made it onto DVD, so my trusty VCR player still sees active service on occasions.

 

[Kite159]

I did notice that CDs no longer drop in price so fast as they previously had done, but it's no surprise for me that Sainsbury's are stop selling them. Wouldn't be surprised if the other supermarkets follow suit

People these days prefer to stream music, which is all fine until they stop paying to access the service, or if the service closes.

 

[birchesgreen]

I haven't bought a CD for years, i buy a lot of mp3s instead, these days from Bandcamp.

 

[Typhoon]

Not been in a supermarket since the start of Covid, but 99% of the CDs I saw were by current / recent "pop single" artists, whose music is of no interest to me, or a few "best of" albums by older pop artists/groups - and I already have most of what I found interesting. Still buy a few CDs, but most of these can only be found on-line.

I still buy CDs and DVDs, but only very occasionally. I wouldn’t buy them in a supermarket where they seem the most expensive - either cheap second hand ones in charity shops, on Amazon, or in HMV.

I’d imagine CDs/DVDs only becoming available in second hand places or charity shops or Amazon/eBay as time goes on. But I dont think they’ll disappear completely like VHS has (pretty much).

Probably no different from when I was growing up where stores would sell the latest products by chart acts (it was department stores then). People like my parents had to hunt round for what they wanted, get it ordered in (or go without). The difference was that there was no alternative then. Now there is, plenty. Yes charity shops, eBay, we've got a nearby record shop (I prefer my money to go to them and they do cater for those nostalgic for the 80s, 70s, 60s), I've also bought a couple of (recent) cds from the artist. Supermarkets just seem to be hoping that parents pass the stacks by, see some act who they've heard on Heart and think that their son/ daughter will like it (because they sort of do). My parents knew better than that over half a century ago.

Seems like a sensible decision from Sainsbury’s. It’s just wasted space on the shelves. The aisle with CDs and DVDs often seems to be quietest in supermarkets.

Bad idea from my point of view, I usually use that aisle to get to the checkouts quickly; social distancing? No sweat.

Absolutely agree with @alex397 on books. For one thing libraries will contain books for some time to come, simply because of those who uses them (such as older people and young children). I can buy a book at a second-hand or charity book shop, or library surplus stock for under a pound. I don't mind returning it to a charity shop, giving it to a neighbour or donating it to one of these pop-up 'libraries' (like we have at a nearby station) where you are encouraged to leave a book and take a book. Much more environmentally friendly.

 

[SteveM70]

CDs and DVDs have always been a problem for supermarkets.

Originally they mostly kept the discs separate to the boxes so it was a faff for the customer to have to get served twice to get their product, and expensive for the retailer. Now that doesn’t happen, but that creates a theft problem (small, light, easily fenced).

And the constant range change is an admin and merchandising headache

 

[Hadders]

I'm not surprised to see CDs and DVDs disappear, the world is moving on....

Sales of books have boomed during lockdown so I don't see space in shops being reduced any time soon....

 

[C J Snarzell]

DVDs are still popular to some extent. I've bought quite a few DVD sets released by Network who specialise in retro TV from the 1950s - 1990s which are not available on any Sky or Netflix downloads.

I remember when the last season of Game of Thrones was released on DVD at the end of 2019, there was a big demand for them as most diehard fans wanted tangible copies to complete their cherished box sets.

I am predicting the new Bond film which will finally be released in the Autumn will attract DVD sales as many people (including myself) will be eager to watch it in the comfort of our own homes.

CJ

 

[LOL The Irony]

I bought a CD fairly recently. Despite being of the generation that supposedly prefers digital media, physical copies is my thing. The biggest issue can be found in my personal experience, whereby I was watching Samurai Champloo when it suddenly got non-personed by amazon and I couldn't continue it.

I can also go on about the ethical issues of digital media, whereby you can edit scenes that are no longer savoury or don't fit with your personal politics, but that would be for another thread.

 

[Busaholic]

Absolutely agree with @alex397 on books. For one thing libraries will contain books for some time to come, simply because of those who uses them (such as older people and young children). I can buy a book at a second-hand or charity book shop, or library surplus stock for under a pound. I don't mind returning it to a charity shop, giving it to a neighbour or donating it to one of these pop-up 'libraries' (like we have at a nearby station) where you are encouraged to leave a book and take a book. Much more environmentally friendly.

Print book sales were up by more than 8% in the U.K. in 2020 over 2019, and continued the pattern shown over the 2015-9 period when they were up by about 20%: gotta say, paper books will still be around, throughout the world, long after this forum and, probably, even Google, Twitter, etc etc have disappeared off the face of the earth, which is not to say a version of the internet doesn't still hold sway, but probably not of a type to gladden the human heart.

 

[eMeS]

Some years ago I bought a 400 CD Sony "juke-box" CDP-CX455, and fairly quickly had some 300+ CDs stored in it. So, I could have my choice of varied music all day - Great! It wasn't to last, the mechanism started failing, and despite simple cleans of the laser etc., I soon found via ebay that other people were having trouble with theirs. Seemed like a good idea, but household dust and other reliability issues spoilt it.

 

[yorksrob]

I tried to buy a new kettle in Sainsburys the other week.

Every model, no mater what barand was manufactured in Communist China.

I gave up.

 

[Gloster]

Every model, no mater what barand was manufactured in Communist China.

I think it is really Capitalist China nowadays, just with a bit of window dressing to pretend it still cares about the masses. Not that different in effect to a country much nearer home. However, that is not really on the thread’s subject.

 

[yorksrob]

I think it is really Capitalist China nowadays, just with a bit of window dressing to pretend it still cares about the masses. Not that different in effect to a country much nearer home. However, that is not really on the thread’s subject.

It makes no difference.

The country is bad news.

 

[Butts]

I'm not surprised to see CDs and DVDs disappear, the world is moving on....

Sales of books have boomed during lockdown so I don't see space in shops being reduced any time soon....

Yet records are undergoing a renaissance so perhaps the same will happen with CD/DVD's

Whatever happened to cassettes ? - should have been sold with a free pen to untangle them when the inevitable occurred.

 

[Paul Jones 88]

Streaming is OK until the service goes down, or the provider goes out of business or your favourite music or film is subject to the ridiculous and pathetic cancel culture, none of those things can go wrong with a physical CD or DVD and you can create back up copies incase the originals are damaged or stolen.

 

[GB]

When you say DVD is it just DVD or also Blu Ray and 4K?

 

[birchesgreen]

Thing is, real music lovers tend not to buy CDs in places like Sainsburys, places like that always countered for the more casual market and thats largely gone to alternatives.

Still plenty of CDs being released, especially reissues of old and obscure albums and there is a market for them. I've gone totally digital these days though, i used to buy over 100 CDs a year!

 

[Butts]

Thing is, real music lovers tend not to buy CDs in places like Sainsburys, places like that always countered for the more casual market and thats largely gone to alternatives.

Still plenty of CDs being released, especially reissues of old and obscure albums and there is a market for them. I've gone totally digital these days though, i used to buy over 100 CDs a year!

Have you still got them - hundreds - you must have a big rack !!

 

[birchesgreen]

Have you still got them - hundreds - you must have a big rack !!

Meh heh heh

Seriously, i did have shelves and shelves of them but got rid of a lot, put a lot of others in those wallet things. I still have quite a few shelves though. Never play any of them...

 

[dk1]

I’m in Sainsbury’s a couple of times a week & rarely see anybody in the CD/DVD aisle. Makes sense.

 

[Ianno87]

I tried to buy a new kettle in Sainsburys the other week.

Every model, no mater what barand was manufactured in Communist China.

I gave up.

If everybody wants things to be cheap, that's the consequence.

 

[PTR 444]

I have never bought any CDs for myself, instead relying on downloads and streaming for my music fix. The main advantage of digital formats is that you do not need to allocate vast swathes of physical storage space for music, and hence I can see CDs going the same way as cassette tapes within the next 10 years.

Vinyl on the other hand is a different matter. I think the authenticity and better audio quality is what has helped drive its resurgence. Also some people just like to collect the album covers to display as a work of art, and of course the display is much larger on a 12-inch format, so why would anyone buy CDs for that?

The one scenario I can think of where CDs would still win out is if you are driving as the sole occupant of a car. Since most digital music is played through a smartphone and it is illegal to use one while driving, playing a CD allows the driver to change the track at their own will without risking a hefty fine and licence points.

One final thing to point out is that streaming can be seen as the “public transport” equivalent of music, just as buses and trains are to cars. Since you do not own the music, you are effectively taking a risk in that the song you love could be taken off the service, just like the bus service you rely on to get to work could be withdrawn at short notice. On the other hand, CDs are like cars in that once you’ve bought them, you own them forever and can use them at your own will. It is somewhat ironic to think that in a world where the car is seen as king, it’s the “public service” that now dominates this in the music world.

 

[Kite159]

The one scenario I can think of where CDs would still win out is if you are driving as the sole occupant of a car. Since most digital music is played through a smartphone and it is illegal to use one while driving, playing a CD allows the driver to change the track at their own will without risking a hefty fine and licence points.

Although only applies if your car has a CD player and some newer models don't

 

[RuralRambler]

Although only applies if your car has a CD player and some newer models don't

It's a reason my wife won't change her car. She's got a huge selection of CDs and only plays them when driving. We've looked a new cars a few times but none she liked come with a CD player. She's asked a few garages about whether they could install a cd player, but none seemed to know whether it was possible.