Dual Format Packaging?

[David Meek]

I ran into BestBuy last night to pick up U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb CD as a "stocking stuffer" for my son. I was a bit surprised at the $19.99 price tag, but figured BB had jacked the price up for the holiday season. Oh well, I pick up the jewel box off the rack and head off to the check-out counter.... The cashier looks at it and says "we have the plain CD for $13 if you'd rather have it". Huh? I check the package closer and it's a 2-disc set - the CD and the DVD! "Cool" I say as I pay for it and leave.

Now is this something common, or is it something new? I suppose it wouldn't have been as much of a surprise if it had come in a DVD case, but being in a standard 2-CD jewel box it came as something of a shock. Comments?

[Chris D]

Well, yeah, actually, I'm seeing more and more of this. The Evanescence live CD I just bought also has a DVD packaged into it, in a standard CD jewel box. Some bands are getting a kick out of distributing a DVD with videos along with their music now. Okay by me, as long as it doesn't jack up the price.

Now the new practice that I'm seeing and HATE is that sometimes Best Buy will offer a "Best Buy" edition of a movie or CD, where if you buy it, it will include an extra CD song or DVD with a few extras, but just at best buy. And this isn't well publicized, so if you've already bought the movie or album, then you have to decide if you want to buy it all over again but just in the "Best Buy" edition. If it were a special edition offered everywhere, it would be one thing...