Audio Video News

If you've ever gone for a long stroll inside a Super Wal-Mart, you've probably seen the DVD orchards, where vast rows of discs sit fresh on the shelf, ready to be picked. At the end of most rolls, there is are great new release trees, where the newest films hang from their cardboard branches, signaling the harvest season for new releases.

Those orchards are about to experience some deforestation. Wal-Mart is removing DVD displays from its stores, and no longer using those aisle end-caps to promote new releases. Since Wal-Mart is one of the country's largest retailers of DVDs (and anything else), this change is fairly big news.

According to the Wall Street Journal, this change is part of a larger strategy for Wal-Mart called "Project Impact," which focuses on devoting more shelf space to popular items and reducing space for products that don't sell as rapidly. The company could be de-emphasizing DVD and Blu-ray sales as a reaction to the popularity of online and kiosk-based rental services like Netflix and Redbox, which are cutting into retail sales.

— Will Greenwald

[Source: Wall Street Journal via Engadget HD]