Why can't I find (insert name of classic TV show here) in my local store? Doesn't the studio want us to buy it?!
It's a question we're often asked when a classic show is released, and a consumer comes home from the store empty-handed. It's the day of release, but it's not on the shelves, and the store doesn't even have it in their computer? How could the studio mess this up?!
There are two reasons for this, and they're reasons many fans of classic TV forget, or just don't understand. The first is an issue of sales numbers. Like it or not, classic TV doesn't sell as well as the newer shows. Classic TV also sells fewer numbers each season, so a show that sold 50,000 copies in the first season (a great number), may only sell 5,000 copies once it hits season 4 or 5. There's no set formula for calculating dropoff either, as it's the consumers that decide what they'll buy. Then there are classic shows like The Waltons that have little dropoff, just a loyal, hardcore fanbase that keeps buying anything that's released.
The result of the slower sales of classic TV means some stores aren't carrying the sets, or are just stocking it online. Yes, it's the stores, not the studios, that decide how many copies they order, or whether they order it at all. This is why you can't find a wonderful set like Leave it to Beaver: The Complete Series (our "Pick of the Week") in your local Best Buy; they only ordered copies to sell them online. It makes sense for Best Buy, as they could order 200 copies (a number I made up) and have copies sitting in one store, while another store that went through their allotment can't get any more. Putting them online means everyone across the country can get them, but only if they order online.
Slower sales of the classic shows have lead some companies, like Shout! Factory, to sell directly to the fans. This allows them to continue to release the shows they know people want, and because they're selling directly to consumers they're able to bring in a bit more money. And as a consumer that's a good thing, because you're able to give more financial support to the company that's providing you with entertainment, and not the company that wants to also sell you a cell phone, a vacuum, and a new computer.
What about people that can't order online because they don't have a credit card? Though they carry a few fees, both Visa and Mastercard have prepaid "gift cards" that act like a regular credit card. You buy them in a store, pay the face value (plus a small service fee), and you can use them to buy things online. You don't have to worry about having your number stolen, and you don't have to go through a credit check to get one.
Classic TV-on-DVD isn't dead, you just may not be able to find it in your local stores.
