Two-Day DVDs a Slow Sale
Disposable DVDs have been on store shelves for a little over a month and, for the most part, they seem to be staying there.
Four states are serving as test markets for the 48-hour DVDs, called EZ-Ds. The product is vacuum-packed; once opened, the disc will play for two days before a resin on the DVD reacts with the atmosphere, rendering it unplayable.
Flexplay Technologies, which manufactures the EZ-D, touts the product as the "no return, no late fee movie rental" on its website. The company markets the EZ-D to movie enthusiasts who want to avoid rushing back to the video store to meet a deadline. Instead, customers can choose to throw the disc away or recycle it.
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of Disney, is testing the market for the format in Illinois, Texas, South Carolina and Kansas at grocery and convenience stores and electronics retailers.
A Buena Vista official had no comment on sales of EZ-Ds, but a survey of stores that sell the new product reveals that the EZ-Ds are not appealing to many customers.
"They haven't sold very well yet," said Tom Mullen, the store manager for Cub Foods in Peoria, Illinois. "We've got them up front in a prime location right by the check-out lanes."
In more than one month's time, the store has sold around 15 to 20 of the EZ-Ds, he said.
"I think the biggest reason is the price. It's a tad bit too high," he said.
