Why are thrift stores still trying to sell VHS and music cassette tapes?

Well, because of streaming, many DVDs are out of print with insane prices. Each streaming services has rights to certain movies, and no one wants to subscribe to everything.

If you have a VCR that works, you get a nice low-cost selection of old movies to buy.

I bought a 1999 VCR last December - it had never been opened or used. I bought it to transfer various VHS tapes to digital but I ended up leaving it hooked up to my TV and often watch movies and concerts from my old VHS collection. The quality is still incredible.

Box sets of DVDs that are out of print have had prices go through the roof because of speculators. And no one is going to make new printings because of the new way of "Streaming Is Better."

VHS quality is still excellent!

OP - one thrift store, sure they may have a wall of VHS tapes that don't sell. Multiple thrift stores? I'd guess the tapes are still selling. Plus they don't take up much space.

Some elderly people are overwhelmed by new technology. I have a friend in his 70s who just moved and asked me to hook up his two VCRs; I asked him if he would ever get a DVD player, and he said he'll stick with VHS, which he buys at garage sales and, yes, thrift stores. I think he feels like Chaplin overwhelmed by modern times.

Some people actually love to collect defunct technologies.

I am a vinyl LP collector and appreciate when a thrift shop has those.

What someone upthread alluded to: speculation.

With the advent of eBay, the resurgence in the sales of actual vinyl records, and the unknown of what’s going to be the “it” retro thing in the future, get em while they’re cheap.

Slightly off topic story: I bought a book at a bookstore called “Mafia Cop” by Louis Eppolito. You guys can google him. But this book was written and published long before he got arrested for these crimes. At the time of his arrest, the book was out of print. If you had a copy of it, you made a small killing on reselling it on eBay because eveyone suddenly wanted a copy because part of the arrest was because of items written in the book. So you never know.

I just dumped over 600 VHS tapes at the recycling center yesterday

I still use VHS Tapes due to some of there features and my passion for old technology. Here are a couple reasons why I continue to use them:

-It is extremely easy to record on a VHS Tape. You can record almost anything and not have to deal with file corruption.

-VHS Tapes cost almost nothing so it is very easy to obtain copies of movies or blank tapes for a dollar.

-You can’t scratch them. Magnetic tape cannot be scratched and therefore it is easier to handle. You are also unable to put your fingerprints on them easily (unless you voluntarily open it).

-DIY Repairs. We now live in an era where whenever something breaks you need to send it in to support. With VHS Players and Tapes you can often times fix them by yourself.

-Physical Copy. I personally like having a physical copy of my videos. It makes me feel more confortable since you can’t fully trust a server to not screw up and loose all your purchases.

-Starting up from where you left off. With other formats when you take your media out of one system and put it into another, you need to browse to the certain area that you want to pick up from. With a VHS, you simply eject it and put it into another player and you are at the spot you left off of instantly.

Because I have some and they still work the same as they always did. The picture quality is acceptable (particularly for things like Disney movies where there’s very little difference) and it seems silly to discard a perfectly functional tape just because something newer exists. Often people having a clearout will just let you have them. When the tapes start to wear out, then it’s time to replace them with a newer format on a tape-by-tape basis.

When my Dad died, he had several thousand VHS tapes. Not just movies, but series that he had taped religiously for years (mainly old western series). I actually had a couple people very specifically asking if they could have the old VCRs.

I threw out my VHS years ago, but would still drop in to that store in OP's post because the dude with glasses is cute.

I still have a VHS player and also a stereo that can play cassettes or CD's.

Some movies on VHS never made it to a DVD release let alone streaming and their ever-changing catalog. I still have a combo VHS/DVD writer and transfer the odd stuff over to a more durable format. Tape’s still ok until an old machine chews it up then it’s lights out.

Many if not all of the great "Made for TV" movies are not on DVDs.

E.g., "The Key to Rebecca"; "Fatal Vision"; "Blind Faiith"; "The Deliberate Stranger". In addition, some fans insist that the DVD of "The Day of the Jackal" has key original scenes deleted.

And don't even get me started on the music now on the DVD's final Sonny and Vinny scene ("Wiseguy"). Not even the television repeats use "Nights in White Satin."

Great thread, OP. Great responses.

To be honest, this is the best time to be searching thrift shops if you collect movies and music. Yes, there are lots of VHS tapes for sale, but also DVDs and Blu-rays. Surprisingly, I would say I have built half of my Blu-ray collection from thrift shops and almost all of them have been brand new/sealed. Blu-ray never took off like they expected, and many people have become minimalists so they are dumping their physical collections, whether it's VHS, DVD, CD or Blu-ray. Also, stores that close often dump inventory with thrift shops.

As others have said, many films haven't made it to DVD or Blu-ray. DL fave Looking for Mr. Goodbar is only available on VHS and goes for high prices. And others have said, DVDs often change the film, even the most minor changes. In Mommie Dearest, the scene where Faye/Joan is cutting the bushes, there is intense music on the VHS but on the DVD it's gone (and I kick myself for giving my MD VHS to a friend).

Also, a lot of music concerts never made the transition from VHS to DVD. Madonna's Blond Ambition was only released on LaserDisc. Diana Ross at Caesar's Palace is only available on bootleg DVDs (and bad quality).

Don't judge, but my 17-year-old pickup truck has a cassette deck. Not that I use it.

There are a few bands who still release music on cassette. There's even a worldwide "cassette store day" (this year it's Oct. 13. As for me, I got rid of mine years ago. My last 3 cars haven't had a cassette deck and I sold my cassette deck component on Craigslist a few years ago.

OP - who cares what other people buy? Thrift stores sell many categories of pure crap, except for the few people who consider a certain kind of crap to be of value.

Some of us still have VCRs but I take op's point and have noticed the same tapes sitting on thrift shop shelves for years. A lot of thrift shops really need to reduce prices and shift stuff out the door. Most of them have stockrooms overflowing.

Apparently, VHS movie collecting is a thing now.

The thrift store near me sells dvds and vhs, but they have different idiots pricing them. If they like the movie they price it high, so you'll get 5 copies with a $3 difference in prices.

Shops run by charities usually rotate and dump stock regularly. Privately run ones may not.

You just know that at some point in the future there will be retro stores for VHS and music cassettes like there are today for vinyl records.

R22 - only for rarities I think, R22. The fact is, VHS doesn't have a lot of resolution and many films hadn't even been restored when they were transferred to VHS. Vinyl is still hi-fidelity and offers a quality and yet different listening experience to, say, lossless digital music.

R23, I think some people like the "film-y" look of VHS, especially when that's what they grew up with. To a lot of people, records sound scratchy, but people love it.

r24 good point. I love watching horror movies on VHS. There's something about the lack of resolution that adds to the effect and enjoyment of a horror movie. Maybe it's because I grew up watching Halloween, Friday the 13th and other horror films on VHS so it's nostalgic for me.

You call that "filmy"? VHS and DVD have a tiny fraction of the information available on a 35mm film print. Old people may not have good vision. I don't care mind you. Its fine if people stick to their era's technology. Keeps shit out of landfills and gives people the time and money to enjoy life, not waste time and money on new tech products. I know a few people who even have classics on film. And projection rooms.

I really like American war documentaries. I have been finding box sets of Ken Burns' Civil War, Revolutionary War, Vietnam War and World War II in VHS, some being brand new. I also found a new box set of the Godfather series and I still have family videos on VHS that I love to watch at times. So I find my VCR useful. I was watching Titanic a few weeks ago and was really surprised how clear the picture was. Granted it isn't clear like a BluRay disc but it wasn't distracting to watch the VHS at all. I have concert VHS too that I haven't parted with so why spend the $$ replacing them with DVD's? Also, the sound quality was pretty damn good on VHS with THX and Dolby Stereo. I still like VHS but I still do streaming and BluRay discs more.

R22, a lot of record stores that specialize in vinyl also sell audiocassettes. Mostly used, but some new. They’re a relatively cheap way for small bands who might expect to sell 500 albums or so to release music.

[quote] Some movies on VHS never made it to a DVD release let alone streaming

This.

My Value Village sells VHS and music cassettes at 10.00 a pop and they're flying out the door.

In July 2017 Samsung stopped making VCR/DVD recorders. I bought one. Play my old tapes, dub for friends ,and also record on the DVD daily.

I have a couple of VCRs that still work and have tapes that never made it to DVD that I still watch. Plus those thrift stores usually sell tapes for a dollar or 3 for a dollar.

I don't ever plan on watching any of my VHS tapes. Being a horror nut, I used to collect those old media vhs tapes until they' became too expensive or hard to find. They are pretty much for display purposes only. With that said, the OP has a point in that you usually see the same boring titles in every thrift store. The hard to find stuff usually can't be found unless you do a deep dive online. Fortunately, a lot of those films that haven't seen the light of day in decades are usually uploaded on Youtube anyway.

I sold several cassette music tapes on Amazon a few years ago, and they sold fast! I even sold The Beatles' 'Help' cassette that was missing the insert for $4.41. Yeah, that one I only made $1.56 on, but I was still amazed someone wanted it. I sold the Swans' White Light from the Mouth of Infinity tape for $14.58.

Hipsters love'em even if they can't actually play or listen to them.

I have a working VHS/DVD combo and I bought a VHS player just before they stopped making them, which is unopened in its box.

I still have a cupboard full of VHS tapes. I gave away the ones I had on DVD. I love how you can FF thru all those warnings etc on a VHS.

I always hated cassettes and don't miss them. I hated how in the 80s people preferred them to vinyl. I'd by the LP and record the best songs onto VHS.

I still have a shitload of 45s. I also kept buying them when most people had given up on them. Always loved them.

[quote]I'd by the LP and record the best songs onto VHS.

You mean onto cassettes, right? Can you even transfer them to a VHS, or was that a slip?

Yes, sorry..I meant cassette and "buy".

I used to spend a few hours making a 90 minute mix cassette for the car. Usually stoned...or high as you say.

Thanks, R38.

Oh yeah, been there, done that. It was such a great thing to do so you knew the songs you put on were ones you liked and you didn’t have to fumble with the FF button, go too far, rewind, etc. as you would on the cassette “album.”

[quote]to fumble with the FF button, go too far, rewind, etc.

That terrible noise if you wanted to hear where the track ended.

and the misery of them breaking or unfurling.

...and getting stuck in the player.