The Big-Box Blues
In the six years since I moved to this city, I’ve mastered the layout of the local Walmart right down to the location of the smallest and most obscure item. I’m still not very good at finding the quickest routes, though, as I’ve convinced myself that going anywhere in the store requires passing through the music section. And passing through the music section requires flipping through all the country CDs by hand to make sure I’m not missing any killer deals. And if they have cheap Vern Gosdin CDs that don’t appear to be moving, it’s my duty to buy them and ship them off to people on the internet.
Over the past few months, I’ve watched the country section (and the whole music section) shrink. It now takes up less than half the space it did a year ago. It has also been pushed back a little farther into the corner, so that it’s no longer really on the way to anything. Oh, but it is just across a narrow aisle from the big flat-screens, which means I have to battle for precious aisle real estate with a bunch of frothy-mouthed gawkers who (if they’re anything like me) can’t afford those HD luxuries anyway. Keeping my spot in front of the Haggard section sometimes means elbowing strangers in the face, but in my experience it’s usually worth the effort.
None of those gradual changes prepared me for what I saw last Tuesday, though. Upon arriving at Walmart and making a beeline for the music section, I found the sticker at left on every single CD in the store. Obviously, this freebie is not about adding value for CD consumers as much as it is about giving them somewhere to go when their favored format inevitably goes the way of the vinyl record and the audiocassette. The company wants to familiarize customers with its online offerings so that, as its in-store selection continues to wither away to nothing, they’ll have a natural, comfortable entry point into the world of music downloads. We’ve all heard about how the end of the CD era is upon us, but the sight of hundreds of jewel cases doubling as mini MP3 billboards made me feel the changing tide more acutely than ever.
Thoughts on Walmart’s strategy? News on changes at CD retailers in your area?
Update: Photocrap has kindly translated the sticker into layman’s terms.
I went to Walmart the other night and noticed the same sticker. The country section had shrunk to hardly anything and aside from greatest hits packages, they really only featured new, high profile mainstream releases. I did find a copy of Johnny Cash’s America for $13.88, though.
Didn’t Walmart shut down their MP3 store a few months ago and abandon all their customers with their DRM infested tracks?
Target’s country section is about 2 or 3 times Walmart’s, but that isn’t saying much, and they’re just as bad about not stocking much of anything worthwhile, although I picked up The Unreleased Hank Williams there.
It sucks that the only place I can go to find anything interesting is Waterloo Records downtown and their albums a usually overpriced.
I haven’t been to Walmart in a while…I’ll let you know if they’re doing the same here in Canada…
Jordan Stacey
When did “Wal-Mart” become “Walmart”? Did I miss that?
Wal-Mart is still the official name for the Walton enterprise. In 1992, the company replaced the dash with a star in all branding, and just this year, new logos were unveiled that now feature no punctuation at all.
You’d think Blake was in the marketing business or something!:) I’d write Walmart instead of Wal-Mart because I’m often too lazy to include that dash in an informal comment…but that’s just me.
Let’s blame it on my mass comm/marketing graduate degree, not on my love for the big, blue empire. Ha.
I think they shut down their WMA store in favor of opening up an MP3 store, Brady. As far as I know, the MP3 format doesn't lend itself to DRM.
The Target in this area has a pretty boring music section. Best Buy has the most diverse selection, but prices are higher. Barnes & Noble and Borders are in the middle of the pack as far as selection, but on the high end in terms of price. If there were any independent music stores in town, I would check them out.
I've always typed it Walmart… glad to see the company finally agrees.
Yeah, I meant digital music store. You're right that MP3s aren't suited for DRM. I think that even Microsoft abandoned their PlayForSure DRM, which effectively locks a user into using the devices their music is registered on or losing it altogether.
Best Buy has a decent selection, but they're pretty pricey. Borders and Barnes & Noble have a pretty poor selection and even higher prices around here.