Geraldton set to say goodbye to Sanity store as retailer announces it will be closing up across Australia

Geraldton will soon be saying goodbye to its Sanity store after the business announced it would close its stores in April. After many years trying to compete against online media services such as Spotify and Netflix, owner Ray Itaoui said it was no longer possible for the business to continue. The business once boasted more than 200 locations across Australia but now has only 50 left. The Geraldton store at Northgate Shopping Centre was one of only four left in WA. Shopper Kath Qumivutia said it was a sign of the times as more people embraced streaming and downloading their media, but she would still miss the shop. “We do a lot of streaming, but it is nice if you can’t find something to go to Sanity to find a DVD or Blu-ray you want, so I will miss that but I can see where they are coming from with all the services we have these days,” she said. Jamie Rickards has shopped at the store since it opened in the early 90s and said he was disappointed he would not be able to buy as much physical media in Geraldton anymore. “You can’t buy CDs, vinyl, anything like that anywhere else; now we have to go online,” he said. Telitha Hill said it was a shame to see physical media dying out and with it the shopping experience. “Not everyone is into the whole online streaming thing; I mean we still want to keep the CDs for the next generation when they grow up,” she said. “Gonna miss the shop; we don’t live close by so it’s like Christmas when we come into the shop.” Mr Itaoui said Sanity would continue to operate online. “Our priority right now is to ensure each of our team members knows exactly what this means for their career and employment future,” he said in a statement.