New York Target Stores Removing Long-Selling Items From Shelves?

Shoppers in Poughkeepsie, Middletown, Newburgh and Kingston may no longer be able to purchase a long list of items at Target.

Reports say that changing trends and shopping habits are forcing Target to make the difficult decision to stop offering hundreds of items at its stores, forcing customers to go elsewhere.

Target Reportedly Pulling Items From Shelf

A report from Collider claims inside sources at Target have leaked information that the company will follow the lead of other retailers and pull all physical media from its stores across the country. The source indicates that Target will remove CDs, DVDs, video games and possibly even books from all of its locations by 2025.

Word of the change in policy comes just as Target has launched a promotion with Taylor Swift, selling exclusive versions of her new album, The Tortured Poet's Department. Interestingly enough, sales of vinyl albums have overtaken compact discs and continue to increase in popularity. It's unclear if records will be the exception to a possible departure from physical media.

Other Stores Have Already Eliminated Items From Shelves

In January, Best Buy began to eliminate DVDs and Blu-rays from its Hudson Valley stores. While physical copies of video games remain, industry insiders say that those may soon become an extinct species, as Best Buy turns its focus away from physical media.

Sales of DVDs and Blu-rays have plummeted over the past few years, becoming as outdated as the compact disc. Just as services like Apple Music and Spotify have killed the CD, the advent of streaming services and digital downloads is rendering those physical movie formats obsolete.

Those who prefer to have a hard copy of their favorite movies will still be able to shop at one retailer, at least for the near future. Walmart has doubled down on physical media and has indicated that it will continue to sell a wide variety of DVDs and Blu-rays, including exclusive collectible versions of popular films.