The times are changing for Australian retail chain Kmart.
Kidspot reported the popular department store has started to phase out the sale of CDs and DVDs, with many disappointed customers voicing their frustration over the lack of an official public announcement.
The outlet has long been the retailer of choice among shoppers looking for bargain basement price entertainment.
It has also been reported that all CDs and DVDs will be removed from Kmart’s online platform.
As a growing proportion of daily life migrates to digital platforms, Kmart has decided to phase out the sale of CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray (stock image)
A Kmart spokesperson made a statement to Kidspot explaining the move.
‘As part of Kmart’s expanding range of in-house designed products, we have made the decision to exit DVDs, CDs and Blu-ray products to allow space within the store for our new creative and activity based kids products.’
All entertainment discs are currently on clearance at the retail giant for between 25 and 50 per cent off.
A selection of DVDs purchased by one delighted customer for 50 per cent off at Kmart’s clearance sale
One user in the Facebook group Kmart Mums said she thought the decision was made because the CD/DVD market is dying in favour of other forms of media such as Netflix, with a fellow member agreeing she hadn’t bought a DVD in years.
Another account said DVDs are now obsolete, calling them ‘dust collectors’.
One mother said she wasn’t surprised, commenting how she had noticed the selection getting smaller over the last few years.
The move has divided shoppers, with many saying they will soon be unable to afford current film and television due to the loss of the bargain giant’s entertainment offering (stock image)
But the majority of Kmart shoppers were unhappy with the decision.
A distressed Devonport mum said she relies on Kmart’s cheap and cheerful DVDs as ‘my daughter likes to watch ABC iview but we can’t afford the amount of internet it takes to use this’.
One user commented to say ‘I don’t think they should get rid of it, just make it a really small section like they have for kids craft’.
Many members of the Kmart Mums Facebook forum are disappointed with the decision (stock image)
‘Watching online is all well and good if you live in an urban area with heaps of usage and great service – too bad about those of us who live in rural areas with dodgy service and expensive usage,’ another mother wrote.
Others branded the decision ‘a silly move’.
A disappointed mum said she was sad for her young sons as they like to pick movies out as treats, while one mother from the Sunshine Coast expressed her upset that the move had happened without any warning.