Do You Still Listen to or Buy CDs?

Ever since news broke out this week that Best Buy will stop selling CDs starting this summer, I began pondering a few things. I tried to remember when I last bought a CD and can't seem to recall exactly when. I know I was still buying some at the beginning of the millennium in 2001, but am not sure how many I bought during the remainder of that decade. And I began to realize how often I tend to listen to my ancient stack of CDs, which still are holding up after more than 25 years. I got my CD player in 1991 and it still works. I seem to mostly use it now to listen to audiobooks on CD borrowed from the library or purchased at thrift stores (though mostly from the library).

The CD has been hanging on for life for years now and I have been reluctant to give mine up, despite how frequently I listen to them. But I have never gotten into the idea of music downloads. If I feel like listening to some song I don't have on CD, I try to find it on You Tube to listen to it. I can bookmark the video clip and watch/listen whenever--no need to pay.

As for vinyl, I was never really into that format. I was a more of a cassette listener in the 1980s, but never was into the Walkman. I had one or two that quickly died out on me. As such I never got the CD version of the Walkman or the MP3 player out of fear of these devices dying out on me. Read this post on my blog from 2011.

I can't seem to recall if I ever bought any CDs at Best Buy. I have gotten DVDs at the location nearest to me. My new computer screen and my printer were the last two things I bought at the popular electronics store, in December 2016 (the computer itself came from Fry's Electronics).  The Gilroy, California location has only been open since 2003. It was the first one I ever shopped at. And the only one.

Like many online, I have had mixed feelings about Best Buy's decision to stop selling CDs. I rarely buy any now, and now wonder if they are really going to disappear for good. But I still am reluctant to give up those I have, despite how frequently I even listen to them.

I'm not going to freak out just yet on the fate of DVDs. I'm still buying those (though none in recent months), and renting them from Netflix.