Where To Buy Anime In Philadelphia...

Brick and Mortar Retailers...

This is a brief primer for those of us who still enjoy anime on archival media and who happen to be in the Philadelphia area. With the demise of the major retail outlets (i.e.: FYE, Suncoast and Tower Records) in Center City, Philadelphia, it's become much harder to find anime in Philadelphia and I felt it was time to mention the subject. The last vestiges of some of the major retail outlets (most notably FYE) still exist in the suburban malls such as Franklin Mills Mall -- which, for some reason that defies description, now wants to be called Philadelphia Mills Mall even though the mall itself sits on the border with Bucks County and is a whopping fifteen miles from Center City.

Unfortunately, without the higher volume of foot traffic that would be available in Center City, anime isn't as much of a priority in the suburbs as it was in Center City. So, with this in mind, although there is still a decent selection of anime to choose from, one should NOT expect to see very many newly released anime on store shelves in the suburbs. The last time I was there, I picked up a couple of items that I didn't have, that had been sitting around so long, that they were actually out of print. Since I already know that, more likely than not, newly released anime, is not going to be waiting for me at the suburban malls, there's not really any point in going to the suburban malls more than once a year.

That leaves options a bit closer to home. Walmart, with locations in North and South Philly, is not known for anime, but, on rare occasions, Walmart does carry a smattering of mainstream titles such as Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. Every once in a great while, Walmart might even carry something like Tokyo Ghoul or Dimension W. But, to be honest, Walmart is not really a good source for anime. Certainly, when a new Studio Ghibli release comes out, Walmart might carry it, since they already carry Disney titles.

Target has also been known to carry the occasional anime, but, like Walmart, Target is not really a good source for anime. In addition, the smaller Target locations in Center City do not stock DVDs of any sort. Again, you would need to venture out into the suburbs to find the larger Target stores that might carry some DVDs to have any hope of finding anime. On a recent expedition to a suburban Target, the full extent of the store's anime offerings was a single volume of Naruto and, of course, a handful of Studio Ghibli titles.

Best Buy, with locations in North and South Philly, used to be a decent source for anime (particularly in the North), but, in the last few years, Best Buy has greatly reduced the amount of DVDs they stock and anime, in general, has been scaled back quite a lot. Best Buy does carry a handful of the typical mainstream titles, but, is not known to stock newly released anime that doesn't fit into the mainstream category. It's been years since I last purchased any anime from Best Buy. The last anime I purchased from Best Buy was Innocent Venus. Space Pirate Mito was originally available from Best Buy, but, I actually picked up one of  Best Buy's leftover stock from the bargain bin at RightStuf.

There is CEX, a small store on South Street in Philadelphia that sells a variety of electronics and an eclectic selection of mainstream and some not-so-mainstream videos which may include some anime. I wouldn't expect to see anything new on their shelves as much of what they carry is second-hand. To be brutally honest, it's been a while since there was any reason to go anywhere near South Street. So, unless you have some urgent business on South Street, it would be best to just stay away. Also, if you do decide to visit CEX, be aware that CEX usually opens around noon. The last time I had jury duty, I stopped by CEX to have a look around, but, I have never purchased anime from CEX.

Deep in the heart of South Philly, you can find King DVDs and Video Games. Fair Warning -- I've heard of them from a friend who worked there, but, they're quite a bit further out of my way than I would like, so, I've never actually been there. They're about six blocks further south of South Street, but, if you can make it that far south, you'll be fairly close to Philly's famous cheesesteak meccas which are about four blocks further south (or about ten blocks from South Street). Like CEX, King DVDs and Video Games sells a variety of electronics and a selection of mainstream and some not-so-mainstream videos which may include some anime. Again, I wouldn't expect to see anything new on their shelves as much of what they carry is second-hand.

Showcase Comics on South Street has never been friendly to anime fans and now that they call themselves Atomic Comics, I expect more of the same. Fat Jacks on Samson Street does feature some manga, but, does not carry anime.

Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse Square, likewise, carries some manga, but, does not carry any anime. Although as a corporate entity, all Barnes and Noble stores are generally expected to carry DVDs, the Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse Square does not stock DVDs of any sort. I visit various comic book shops at least a few times a year and occasionally, I've been to Barnes and Noble. Of course, in the suburbs, the larger Barnes and Noble locations do carry some anime -- mostly mainstream titles and some older titles. Their stock doesn't change very often.

And there you have it. Pickings are fairly slim, but, there are still a few crumbs left on store shelves here and there -- mostly in the big box stores and in the suburbs.

Online Retailers...

As it happens, with the suburban malls clinging to life by their fingertips and the local anime retail business pretty much relegated to Walmart, lately, I've purchased most of my anime from online retailers. When using online retailers, I usually buy anime from either Amazon or RightStuf.

RightStuf has better customer service and, more often than not, I can expect fairly prompt service, very good packaging for my orders and one shipment for an order with multiple items. With RightStuf, I can use the mail order option and send in a money order. Also, since RightStuf offers free shipping to US customers, my friendly neighborhood USPS or UPS delivery person will at least make an attempt to not mishandle my packages.

I've used Amazon to order anime and for small orders, they are actually pretty good. Their prices are usually a few dollars less than RightSuf, but, because I have to order anime from different sellers or from Amazon warehouses scattered across the country, orders may not always come in one shipment and packaging quality can vary widely. Amazon doesn't accept money orders, but, my local drug store does offer Amazon gift cards that do not require an activation fee. So, whatever amount that I choose to put on the gift card is the amount that I pay at the register. Of course, Amazon is notorious for just leaving packages anywhere, so, a good option for Amazon, is to use a drop box location.