After following the reports of early DVD sightings I chose to undertake a quest of my own this past week in St. Louis, MO...

My first stop was the Walgreens nearest my home. They just got their latest shipment in so I went to the guy in the camera department (who works with that stuff) and asked him about it, and he said he'd check. Ten minutes later I'm still waiting, and I see him stocking OTHER shelves outside his department. Justifiably irritated I found someone who looked like a manager and asked them. Well, she went to ask the SAME GUY, only this time he finally said it wasn't coming until the 8th.

Quite miffed with having to leave with a "no" ten minutes later than I SHOULD have been told, I headed for the next store. This one gave me hope, as I was in the night before, and the gentleman at the counter informed me they did indeed have it earlier in the month (possibly mid-July at least!) but sold out. However they were expecting a shipment in the next day and might be getting more. So here I was, walking to the camera department in search of my prize. I asked the woman, and she led me to a cart of product still to be put on the shelves, and lo! There it was in its theatrical poster-inspired case. I had it in my hot, tremblings hands. A week early, and I had it!

Then something caught my eye across the top in big, block letters: "FULLSCREEN." Stunned, I asked if they had any of the widescreen versions, and she replied they only sent two copies of the DVD, and both were in monotonous pan-and-scan. Cursing the marketing geniouses of New Line who decided to put the two versions on SEPERATE releases (I mean, come on, of ALL my DVDs only ONE had full and widescreen versions as different products) I left the store in disappointment: I may have wanted it early, but I won't stoop to buying anything less than letterbox for movie.

The third store I passed on the way to work, and while much quicker and more politely than my first stop, I once again left empty-handed: It hadn't yet
arrived (or so they said).

Later I chose a different approach to my search. I broke out the phonebook and called every store close to me, every time ending in failure (incidentally, I called the store that DID have it twice. The first time, they denied having it. I didn't call the woman's bluff by telling her I was in THAT DAY and had already seen it but it wasn't the right version, that would've been funny. The second the guy said he had it, but confirmed it was only the fullscreen).

I've bitterly resigned myself to the fact that I'll have to wait two more agonizing days. If there's a widescreen copy of Fellowship available early from Walgreen's in St. Louis, none of the stores will admit it over the phone.