Book Covers - Do they really need to be changed?

Ok so I am really getting annoyed at publishers and how they keep changing the covers for books. I don't mind that there are different covers for US and UK and all that. But when they bring out a whole new set of covers in the middle of a series, this really bugs me! I buy the first 1 or 2 books in a series and then they go and change the covers. So now my first ones don't match the rest!


Case in point, the new covers for the Across the Universe series. 

I don't even like them. They seem a bit old looking or something. I like my books to match and I don't want to have to go out and re-buy the first books with the new covers so they'll all match :/ 
Is it just a money making con as publishers know that book lovers will buy the books with the new covers so that they match? Or do they just feel that a change is in order? Whatever the reason I really wish they would just stick with the original set of covers and not change them!


What is everyone else's thoughts on this? Do you feel the same? Or do you not mind that they change the covers?


Yvonne