Is Blockbuster going out of business?

[caisson2delta]

For those interested, check out the Blockbusters that are going out of business. They have been selling off their stock at very good prices. My girlfriend picked up numerous, brand new, Disney DVD's for her kids at like $3 a piece. That's a great deal considering most Disney titles, new or old, go for around $20.

I say I'm glad to see them go. Them and their former scum bag owner single handed put Major Video out of business, in my area. I never stepped foot into a Blockbuster or rented from them. I say good riddance and it would be nice to see smaller, privately owned or smaller chains around again.

 

[Data Holmes]

...to see smaller, privately owned or smaller chains around again.

Ain't going to happen. Once the few big chains are gone, the concept of the rental store will be dead.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

...to see smaller, privately owned or smaller chains around again.

Ain't going to happen. Once the few big chains are gone, the concept of the rental store will be dead.

I wouldn't be so sure. There will always be people who dont want to mess with or can't afford Netflix and who want something deeper in the way of selection than Redbox.

A well run local store fills that niche, and might be profitable in an environment where you weren't competing against a national chain with deep pockets that charged huge franchise fees.

 

[Amaris]

For those interested, check out the Blockbusters that are going out of business. They have been selling off their stock at very good prices. My girlfriend picked up numerous, brand new, Disney DVD's for her kids at like $3 a piece. That's a great deal considering most Disney titles, new or old, go for around $20.

I say I'm glad to see them go. Them and their former scum bag owner single handed put Major Video out of business, in my area. I never stepped foot into a Blockbuster or rented from them. I say good riddance and it would be nice to see smaller, privately owned or smaller chains around again.

Yep. Our Hollywood Video is doing the same. For the past 3 weeks, they've been selling DVDs for $3.99 each. Last week they changed it to 3 for $10. This past Monday, they dropped the price to $1.99 each, and New Releases at 80% off!

I picked up a couple DVDs of Boston Legal for $4 total (Season 1 Disc 1 & 2). Totally worth it.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

As I said before, only independent niche video rental stores will still be around, like Suspect Video in my hometown of Toronto, as well as Queen Video. Those stores will be better equipped to handle what Blockbuster and Netflix can't-foreign and independent film.

I say I'm glad to see them go. Them and their former scum bag owner single handed put Major Video out of business, in my area. I never stepped foot into a Blockbuster or rented from them. I say good riddance and it would be nice to see smaller, privately owned or smaller chains around again.

This.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, there will always be a market for going out and renting a video, but I don't think it will be able to support massive chains like Blockbuster anymore, so good riddance.

 

[Data Holmes]

I say I'm glad to see them go. Them and their former scum bag owner single handed put Major Video out of business, in my area. I never stepped foot into a Blockbuster or rented from them. I say good riddance and it would be nice to see smaller, privately owned or smaller chains around again.

This.

So, you mean Viacom... Because from '96 until '04 Blockbuster was owned by them.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think Redbox and Netflix will kill what little market is left for any kind of rental stores. There are always huge lines outside the Redbox machine at my store, but the Hollywoods and Blockbusters are all going belly-up.

 

[Mike Farley]

The brilliance of Redbox is that it's turning DVD rental into an impulse buy like a candybar or a trashy gossip mag. It seems like every grocery store, McDonalds, and convenience store has a Redbox right at the door. No trip to a special store. No memberships.

 

[RoJoHen]

I have never used Redbox, so I don't know, but what's to stop someone from just renting a movie and never returning it?

 

[Scout101]

The credit card you register with, I'd imagine. There's no slot to insert a dollar bill, all done on your card...

 

[Amaris]

I have never used Redbox, so I don't know, but what's to stop someone from just renting a movie and never returning it?

Scout said it. You can't rent a movie without a valid credit card. If you don't return it, you are charged a $1 per day, until 22 days have passed, at which point you have purchased the title from Redbox.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

I think Redbox and Netflix will kill what little market is left for any kind of rental stores. There are always huge lines outside the Redbox machine at my store, but the Hollywoods and Blockbusters are all going belly-up.

Not the niche stores. Unless Redbox, Netflix, and their Canadian cousin Zip-It also sell independent movies and documentaries out of those machines, niche stores will always be here, and will do great business. A machine cannot replace a human being as far as customer service goes, no matter how efficient it is.

EDIT: Also, there are other ethnicities to consider as well: many if not all Asian and East Europeans, plus the Caucasians that like Asian and East European cinema/TV are not going to use these services if movies from their respective nations aren't in these machines (this goes double for those from Arab nations too.)

This whole 'videos out of a machine thing' sounds a lot like The Amazing Video Machine to me (a Canadian version of Redbox, and IIRC one of the first in the world). That didn't stick around for a while, and was gone-what makes anybody think that these new kids on the block are going to last long (they seem to come and go quite quickly)?

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I think Redbox and Netflix will kill what little market is left for any kind of rental stores. There are always huge lines outside the Redbox machine at my store, but the Hollywoods and Blockbusters are all going belly-up.

Not the niche stores. Unless Redbox, Netflix, and their Canadian cousin Zip-It also sell independent movies and documentaries out of those machines, niche stores will always be here, and will do great business. A machine cannot replace a human being as far as customer service goes, no matter how efficient it is.

And the aforementioned "bredth of stock". Redbox I think is going to corner the market on "big films".

 

[RoJoHen]

I have never used Redbox, so I don't know, but what's to stop someone from just renting a movie and never returning it?

Scout said it. You can't rent a movie without a valid credit card. If you don't return it, you are charged a $1 per day, until 22 days have passed, at which point you have purchased the title from Redbox.

Gotcha. Didn't realize a credit card was required. That makes sense.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Not the niche stores. Unless Redbox, Netflix, and their Canadian cousin Zip-It also sell independent movies and documentaries out of those machines, niche stores will always be here, and will do great business. A machine cannot replace a human being as far as customer service goes, no matter how efficient it is.

EDIT: Also, there are other ethnicities to consider as well: many if not all Asian and East Europeans, plus the Caucasians that like Asian and East European cinema/TV are not going to use these services if movies from their respective nations aren't in these machines (this goes double for those from Arab nations too.)

I know with Netflix there are a TON of Bollywood films.

 

[Amaris]

I have never used Redbox, so I don't know, but what's to stop someone from just renting a movie and never returning it?

Scout said it. You can't rent a movie without a valid credit card. If you don't return it, you are charged a $1 per day, until 22 days have passed, at which point you have purchased the title from Redbox.

Gotcha. Didn't realize a credit card was required. That makes sense.

It's easy to use, too. You can go to their website, find a location near you, and select a movie from that Redbox terminal's list of available movies, and reserve it. When you get there and put in your email address (which you registered with), it brings up that movie for you. There's also always a good deal going. They send out occasional free rental codes. Out of the 8 times I used a Redbox terminal, I only paid for 3 movies.

 

[RoJoHen]

Nice. I've only glanced at the Redboxes in passing, but I never really paid much attention. Might be worth checking out.

 

[indranee]

Nice. I've only glanced at the Redboxes in passing, but I never really paid much attention. Might be worth checking out.

same here. I've never used them. but my dad and mom used them with my 9-year old niece and they couldn't return a movie in time because a red box was supposedly malfunctioning and wouldn't take any movies back in. they were charged late fees I think. I'm gonna miss Blockbusters though. if nothing else, then for the fairly helpful, nerdy employees. isn't that the kind of place Tarantino worked?

 

[SlyCardie]

Never used a Redbox. Actually, I don't even think I've seen one. I think the idea's great, but I really can't remember a time that I've seen it "in the wild." I'd definitely be open to Google mapping locations or something and trying to hit one up.