| I’ve seen many magazine ads arguing that the only way to build a worthwhile movie library is to spend a fortune on plasma-screen TVs, top-of-the-line DVD players, speakers, cables and special-edition new releases. That’s a load of bullshit. A lot of us avid movie buffs are bargain hunters. We love our films, but we don’t feel the need to go bankrupt getting them. If your goal is to impress your more materialistic friends with conspicuous consumption, by all means whip out your credit card and go nuts. If, on the other hand, you buy movies simply because you love movies (gasp!), here are a few money-saving tips from your humble Video Vulture.
· Be clear on what you want: Is that new DVD calling out to you because you genuinely want it or because it’s popular and heavily advertised? Would you still buy the disc if nobody you knew had heard of it?
· Shop around: Prices vary considerably from store to store. If a DVD is popular, you’ll probably be able to find it at every department store, record shop, video store, supermarket and 7-11 in your area. Don’t wanna do much legwork? Pick up the phone book. In a couple of minutes, you can check a dozen stores for the best price on a particular item. Ask the lowest bidder to hold the movie for you, double-check the Internet to make sure you’re getting a good deal and go get your prize. Easy-peasy.
· Good hardware isn’t necessarily expensive: Don’t get suckered by commissioned salespeople who try to hard sell you on expensive DVD players. All of those special features, if they’re indeed useful, probably also appear in cheaper models. These days, it’s really easy to find a great player for less than 100 bucks. As for add-ons, do you really need high-tech speakers and cables? Try your new system for a month without them, and decide for yourself. I call it the "cooling off" period. It’s useful for preventing needless purchases. If you’re worried about buying cheap hardware, shop at reputable chains with good return policies and Scotch-tape your receipt onto the player itself. Bad hardware can be returned pretty easily and good hardware can be surprisingly low priced.
· There’s nothing wrong with VHS: Really, there isn’t. It’s cheap, it works and everybody has it. Loads of stores are unloading their old tapes for a song these days, so stock up while the getting’s cheap. Plus, the longer the buying public supports VHS, the longer DVD prices will stay nice and low to compete.
· Remember what you paid: Check prices on movies that you already bought, to see if you were ripped off. Yeah, I know, it’s a tough lesson, but it’s worth it in the long run. Your eye for bargains will sharpen and it won’t be long before your "I really found a great deal!" experiences outweigh your "Aaaaaaargh!" ones.
· Wait for the sale: Some stores have weekend-long price reductions at regular intervals. If A & B Sound has the movie you want at a decent price, and they aren’t going to run out of stock anytime soon, wait for the "supersale" event they do every few months.
· Exploit serendipity: See a price that’s too good to be true? Maybe the store staff misticketed it. Buy it quickly – you probably won’t see the price that low again. If the cashier runs out and removes all of the sale-price stickers from the stack as soon as you’ve left, you know you’ve hit the jackpot.
· Be patient: Is this the lowest price the movie will ever be? If a store is loaded up with copies of an unpopular film, sale prices might be just around the corner. For example, I’m one of the few people who really enjoyed Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002) – I was tempted to buy the DVD early on, but held out, suspecting that the price would eventually go down. I was right. Even popular, high-priced discs like This is Spinal Tap (1984) and La Femme Nikita (1990) have dropped in price recently, and are now ridiculously cheap.
· On the other hand, know when to strike fast: Many popular titles come out at a low "introductory" price for the first two weeks. Then the price goes up, never to lower again. Fancy box sets are often prone to this tendency. If you find you’ve just missed out on a bargain, try to find a copy that still has the sale price on it. Most retailers will honour the lower price on the sticker, even if it’s out of date.
· Are the special features really all that special?: Lots of movies I own on VHS are now available on DVD. If the new disc is affordable and contains new material I really want, I’ll buy it. However, if the DVD is just a pan-and-scan job with collectible booklet and scene selection as the only listed features, I’ll pass, thanks. Some filmmakers like to ensure that their DVDs are something special, while others don’t seem to care. Kevin Smith, Sam Raimi and Robert Rodriguez love the format, and often pack their discs with great additional material. Woody Allen and the Coen Brothers, despite their impressive directing skills, usually don’t bother making bonus features or audio commentaries.
· Is another, better version on the way?: It’s maddening to buy a basic no-frills DVD, only to have a terrific deluxe edition come out the next week. Fortunately, we’re now getting more advance warning than we used to. The public was warned about the bigger, better versions of Hellboy (2004) and the Lord of the Rings films (2001/2002/2003) when the slimmer versions first came out. Some fans went for the quick fix, while others bided their time, waiting for the fancier releases. I love Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 (2003/2004), but I’m perfectly aware that Quentin Tarantino intends to put out special editions of each film, as well as special and non-special box sets of the two movies together. I am a patient man; I can wait. In fact, I might just wait a few months longer than that and pick ’em up on sale or "previously viewed".
· Oh yeah! Previously viewed!: It’s the same movie and it’s cheaper. Go for it. Heck, your "new" movie is "previously viewed" the minute you push play anyways.
· New releases? Feh!: Get movies because you like them, not because the entrance to the store is blocked by a giant foam-rubber statue of the main character with balloons tied to his head.
Happy bargain hunting! |
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