90s Kids will remember CD-R King as the go-to place for buying recordable media like CD-Rs for cheap. CD-R King evolved further in the 2000s and early 2010s in offering a variety of products that include their action camera, a mini drone, a mechanical keyboard, and even their own Segway bike. According to Wikipedia, CD-R King has been out of business since 2020, but it seems that there are still stores operating in the Philippines.
If you’re wondering where you can still find a CD-R King store in the Philippines, there’s one in Robinson’s Magnolia. Believe it or not, it still has the classic CD-R King signage in front of the door, along with the yellow walls that the store is known for.
While CD-R King stores at its peak used to have walls full of products–ranging from their in-house products to products from various brands–the CD-R King in Robinsons Magnolia has a leaner lineup of products that consist of mostly phone cases, tempered glass screen protectors, and keyboards.
There are a few USB-C accessories at the store, and yes–they do still sell DVD-R discs. They are very pricey though, as the HP-branded DVD-R discs are being sold at Php 100 each.
So why CD-R King lose its popularity? Aside from being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the possible reasons can be that CD-R King offered too many products. As mentioned in Esquire’s comprehensive article about the rise and fall of CD-R King, they once offered solar panels, rice cookers, and mini-refrigerators in their stores. There’s also the issue of the quality of their products, as they usually don’t last long. Along with its 7-day warranty, CD-R King was the butt of jokes when it comes to the quality of their products.
There’s also the possibility that CD-R King could no longer keep up with the competition, with the likes of Xiaomi having a diverse portfolio of products that last way longer than almost any of CD-R King’s products–and having a reliable warranty scheme as well.
While the younger generation would probably not know about CD-R King, it’s still amazing that there’s at least one store that exists despite going out of business during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
17 Comments