The Sunday Digest 163
"And don't waste your wishes on perfection."
Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you.
Sunday Read: DVDs and CDs are becoming cool again
by Jaclyn Peiser for The Washington Post
I got in my car one Sunday afternoon and plugged my phone in. My son at home napping with my wife doing the same, I knew I could sneak out to run an errand. When I looked at my CarPlay, it had directions already queued up: Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas.
Confused, I went to make sure I hadn’t typed anything in. I mean, I didn’t remember typing anything in. But then it hit me: it had become such a routine that my phone was automatically suggesting the route.
As far as Sunday activities go, thumbing through records ranks toward the top for me. Now that my 2-year-old is randomly pulling them out for me to play, the hobby has taken on a whole new meaning.
As it turns out, that yearning for time-passing and physical media doesn’t stop at millennials rediscovering records. Here’s an excerpt from this week’s read:
Since the 2010s, streaming has dominated media consumption, and with that, sales of DVDs and CDs have sunk. And yet discs are still circulating in retail, and in some cases, demand is reviving — particularly from collectors. Discogs, an online marketplace for physical music where users can also catalogue their personal collections, saw CD purchases increase 8 percent so far this year over last year.
The trend is driven by Gen Z looking for the novelty of “vintage” media on discs as well as collectors and millennials itching to ditch their pricey streaming services, experts say. They also want to exercise true ownership of their media and better support the artists they love. And it can be cheaper to buy a physical DVD for $3 to $5 than to buy or rent the digital version. Some buyers hope their collections will also grow in value.
“Vintage” hurts here. But at least the kids sound alright.
Read in full here.
The Sunday Haiku
Maybe now, maybe
later but I’m not really sure,
but just not right now.
New Episode › Retail Therapy 136: Cops of the Year & Top-Shelf Cocktails
Anointing our 2025 Cops of the Year and Garments of Fall/Winter '25, Will's review of the top-shelf cocktail menu at a Dallas hotel, a final edition of Freak or Don't Freak to end the year, Timothee Chalamet's status as a babygirl, wishlist items, and more.
Support This Week’s Sponsors
Masterclass: www.masterclass.com/retailtherapy (15% off)
Aura Frames: www.auraframes.com (RETAILPOD for $35 off plus free shipping)
Shopify: www.shopify.com/scaries ($1/month trial!)
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and anywhere else podcasts are found. You can also follow Retail Therapy on Substack.
Things I Saved This Week
My Sunday To-Do List
It’s probably time to start putting together some Christmas presents before December 24th — though I could see that falling through today.
We have a whole thing of eggnog in our fridge that’s gone untouched. Tonight after the sun goes down, I plan to enjoy.
While I don’t have any Christmas shopping left to do, I still feel like I could add a few things to the pile. I think we all feel this way so I may poke around.
I took things a little deep last night at a Christmas dinner we do every year, so hopefully my steps at the end of the day come in under 3,000.
Overall, I’m trying to do as little as possible as long as my family is enjoying the holidays. I hope you are too.
Will
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Listen to Retail Therapy.
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The haiku has 8 syllables in the second line. Why not substitute then for later?