I heart huckabees - why did walmart have it out on Sunday?

[sungifts]

We were in Walmart yesterday (Sunday) for personal reasons, however, I always check out the dvd section to see if there would be anything interesting and cheap enough to add to the store.  

While browsing, I found I heart the huckabees - not with the new releases, but in the family section.  I thought maybe I had missed something---I know I preordered it from Waxworks, did I not get it??? :blink1:

So, I called my store and had an employee check the new release list - and sure enough, it is due to come out on 2/22...

So, how can Walmart put it out any sooner.  One of my employees said that she has seen the same thing at the same walmart before. 8O

How can they do that???

[Thomas]

Street date isn't a law, it's a courtesy.  It's been broken several times over the last few years by some of the big boxes, although Walmart seems to be the most common offender.  It's in everyone's interest to follow street date.  I would recommend a friendly phone call to the store manager suggesting that in the future he hold to the date.  It's possible that it was just a merchandising mistake by an over zealous employee, especially since it wasn't on the new release wall.

[sungifts]

I did tell my husband that I thought it might have been a mistake.  

However, I was under the impression that street date was a law.  That's why I was so concerned about it.  But, if it's not a law, then I guess there's not much I can say....

Sams Club in my city does that also. I just call or run down there and tell the manager and they pull it. "Man On Fire" was out almost 2 weeks before the release date.

[sungifts]

Wow, how is it that they get them so early and I can barely get them on Monday from the distributor?  I guess they make sure that we don't put them out too early!!

So, if street date is not a law, then could I actually put mine out on Monday nights?  We have a rule that movies cannot be put on the shelf or even out in the open where a customer could see them, before Tuesday morning.  We do this because we were told by the previous owner that it had to be done that way.

[sungifts]

Ok, I just called the manager of the Walmart I saw the movie in and he said this:

We have an independent that comes in and services our movies.  I am quite sure it was a mistake.  I will check into it as I do know that the movies are not to be put on the shelves before street date.  I appreciate you calling.

Now, that seems kinda funny, because last week when my husband was there, Tuesday morning, to buy our movies, Walmart employees were unpacking the movies and putting them on the shelves- my husband actually had to wait for them to unpack some of what he was there for.

[videogeek]

haha....go out there and see if its still out...who knows maybe the Frito Lay guy does movies part time on the side?

[amanda]

The "street date" is an industry term for the official designated date when video products (videocassettes and dvds) of a film can be available to the consumers. A film's street date is determined and announced by the film company. Just as studios control the theatrical release dates of a motion picture film, they also designate the street dates. Each studio has its own street date policies. Each studio enforces its own street date policies. Street date commitments are a term of the contract between the studio, distributors and video retailers for the sale and rental of video products.

Setting film street dates allows film companies and their distributors to promote and market their films effectively and to provide retailers with a fair, level playing field.


A common street date provides that, both in Canada and the US, from the smallest retailer to the largest superstore, new releases are made available on the identical street date. A street date applies to all retailers including video specialty stores, mass merchandisers, supermarkets, etc.

HERES WHAT TO DO
Retailers are encouraged to contact the sales reps they deal with and the studio, whose title(s) are involved.  They will need the name, address and telephone number of the offending store, the video titles involved and the exact date that the offending product was being rented, sold or on display.  All calls are confidential.

*taken from Video One Street Date Violations*

p.s. always make sure its not a re-release (in this case it wasnt)