Dish network buys Blockbuster.

[Data Holmes]

Who in their right mind would hate $1 a day?

Not a clue. None of us could figure it out either.


I think that BB corporate made it too complicated. It was called "choose your terms" and gave customers the option to pay $1 for one day, $3 for three days, or $5 for five days at the checkout with a $1/day for ten days additional rental period after due date, then auto sale like now.

 

[Data Holmes]

Exactly.

Holmes, it's perfectly fine you are biased, they close you lose your job. I just see no need for a national wide chain. Also I don't get this "Some people just like handing the movie back to a person", but I Think someone else said that.

The DVD goes in a box.

Netflix is at most $2 a movie, and over the year that's $12. It also saves on time and gas. I can get between 5-8 movies a month. I also get to watch on demand shows and movies.

Blockbuster through the mail thing has a history of being a joke, lowering their prices to bring people in and then completely changing it around without any notice.

I'm sticking to Netflix. Unless Dish really changes the company around, and makes it much smaller and more locally controlled I don't see Blockbuster as a national chain lasting for another 9ish years.

I'm not biased, I just don't like misinformation.

I am, was, and will be a movie fan first. I have a Netflix account which I use heavily, I buy and rent movies through amazon and iTunes as well. I don't care if BB goes under, I don't intend to stay there forever. It's just a fun job to have right now because I get to spend most of my time talking about movies/tv with the customers and it covers my health insurance.

 

[bigdaddy]

Who in their right mind would hate $1 a day?

Not a clue. None of us could figure it out either.


I think that BB corporate made it too complicated. It was called "choose your terms" and gave customers the option to pay $1 for one day, $3 for three days, or $5 for five days at the checkout with a $1/day for ten days additional rental period after due date, then auto sale like now.

If Dish doesn't fire all the fuckwards running the company then the Dish Network people should be fired too.

Just like TRU. Let's decided three days before to stay open for 90 hours straight and not tell the stores until the last moment.

 

[Data Holmes]

Gotta love corporate.

 

[Trekker4747]

But here's the thing, say I rent something from RedBox and return it in one day, my charge $1.

If I go to a Blockbuster, rent a movie, and return it a day later my charge: $3.00.

Netflix you pay a monthly rate to pretty much rent as much as you want.

So Blockbuster isn't a fabulous deal. Sure it's the "same price" as Redbox but only if you keep it those full three days, what if you only want it/need it for one day?

BB tried a straight $1/day rate. People in the test markets hated it. After experimentation, surveys, and several different rate structures in test market stores they found that the three day rental period was the average amount of time a renter kept the DVD, and the one most liked by renters that still worked within the cost/profit structure.

Then again, you could always opt for a rewards membership. $15/year and you get a free old with every paid rental M-F, one free old rental coupon per month, and one free rental of any type every five paid rentals within the month.

Or, you could go with the pass program. $21.99/month for one movie or game at a time unlimited exchanges, $27.99/month for two at a time.

Or, you could use the online. 1, 2, or 3 at a time in the mail with no, 5, or unlimited free inshore exchanges (no due date on those). Prices vary based on the different plans. And you can rent games through the mail now as well, for no additional charge.


BB offers a few decent options really, though I think the pass program can be overpriced for most users.

Or I could continue using Netflix On Demand for $9/month.

 

[bigdaddy]

I think Trekker is on to why BB sucks.

It's too much.

You can do this pass in store and then this online and then this or this and this and this or that and then this.

Blockbuster needs to have something like Netflix, but instead of Netflix on Demand, BB special thing is the stores and they need to combine them in a way that is cheap, easy and makes sense.

Then when they get that worked out not change it without warning and have everyone ditch like they did a few years back.

 

[Trekker4747]

Indeed, reading that makes my eyes bleed and my mind implode it's convoluted as all fuck! For around $8 a month I've got Netflix On Demand streaming through my PS3 I've got access to hundreds of TV and film titles that I can watch at any time with no limits, for another $2 a month I can have one physical DVD out at a time, useful for titles not available for streaming.

So for $10 a month I can have access to large library of movies and TV shows on line and "rent" a physical DVD, there's a Netflix distribution center in my area so I'd get in the mail within a day. I can watch a different movie everyday for the whole month, or a whole TV season (2 seasons for cable) for $10. On RedBox for $10 I can rent 10 of whatever movies they deem worthy to be in there or I can rent three movies from Blockbuster and have them for several days longer than I need them, in both cases that $10 gives me a length of time that's a lot shorter than a month.

Yeah, gee, I wonder why Blockbuster is sinking.

 

[od0_ital]

... So Blockbuster isn't a fabulous deal. Sure it's the "same price" as Redbox but only if you keep it those full three days, what if you only want it/need it for one day?

Ya rent the movie - day one.

Something comes up when ya get home, family issue, flat tire, power failuer, whatever - day two.

Ya watch the movie & return it - day three.

Ya add a day to that for special features, if there are any to watch (god, I hate "rental" copies!!!!) - day four (Blockbuster only adds a dollar for this).

That's just one series of events.

Another, ya rent the movie, take it home, watch it, and then leave for work the next day, leavin' the disc at home. Ya get home from work, ya don't feel like goin' back to the store, rough day or whatever, so ya put the movie with your stuff to make sure ya don't forget. And there's your three day rental.

Maybe I'm a bit biased about this, too, since I used to work in a video store, back when the "be kind, rewind" stickers were completely ignored. And I like goin' to Blockbuster stores, just to see what's new I may have missed in theaters, or what went direct to DVD.

 

[Amaris]

... So Blockbuster isn't a fabulous deal. Sure it's the "same price" as Redbox but only if you keep it those full three days, what if you only want it/need it for one day?

Ya rent the movie - day one.

$1 Rental.

Something comes up when ya get home, family issue, flat tire, power failuer, whatever - day two.

$2 total.

Ya watch the movie & return it - day three.

$3 total.

Ya add a day to that for special features, if there are any to watch (god, I hate "rental" copies!!!!) - day four (Blockbuster only adds a dollar for this).

$4 total.

That's just one series of events.

Another, ya rent the movie, take it home, watch it, and then leave for work the next day, leavin' the disc at home. Ya get home from work, ya don't feel like goin' back to the store, rough day or whatever, so ya put the movie with your stuff to make sure ya don't forget. And there's your three day rental.

$3 total from Redbox. You can also save time by reserving your rental on Redbox's website, then go to a nearby Redbox kiosk and pick it up. No hassle.

Maybe I'm a bit biased about this, too, since I used to work in a video store, back when the "be kind, rewind" stickers were completely ignored. And I like goin' to Blockbuster stores, just to see what's new I may have missed in theaters, or what went direct to DVD.

I worked in a video store, too, but BB's model is dying. Distribution systems like Redbox and Netflix span the country. It's only a short matter of time.

 

[od0_ital]

^

Unless ya are rentin' a brand spankin' new release, it costs the same as Redbox. Ya helped prove my point on that one.

And the brand new release costs because its the only way to get it for a month.

I've also got a membership at Hasting's Books Music & Video. They do the same thing Blockbuster has goin' on, newest releases cost more than just new releases, older releases are a lot cheaper.

 

[Starbreaker]

But you're still paying for three days if you watch the movie in one day and return it. I think that's a ripoff in this day and age.

 

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

You can't really compare Redbox and Blockbuster. Redbox has nothing other than the very latest new releases, whereas most Blockbusters stock a decent array of classic movies.

 

[Amaris]

^

Unless ya are rentin' a brand spankin' new release, it costs the same as Redbox. Ya helped prove my point on that one.

And the brand new release costs because its the only way to get it for a month.

I've also got a membership at Hasting's Books Music & Video. They do the same thing Blockbuster has goin' on, newest releases cost more than just new releases, older releases are a lot cheaper.

I'm making the point that it costs the same if you rent it for 3 days from either Blockbuster or Redbox. The difference is that with Blockbuster you pay $2 extra for the "insurance" of returning it a day or two later than you planned. It's wasted money.

 

[Trekker4747]

... So Blockbuster isn't a fabulous deal. Sure it's the "same price" as Redbox but only if you keep it those full three days, what if you only want it/need it for one day?

Ya rent the movie - day one.

Something comes up when ya get home, family issue, flat tire, power failuer, whatever - day two.

Ya watch the movie & return it - day three.

Ya add a day to that for special features, if there are any to watch (god, I hate "rental" copies!!!!) - day four (Blockbuster only adds a dollar for this).

That's just one series of events.

Another, ya rent the movie, take it home, watch it, and then leave for work the next day, leavin' the disc at home. Ya get home from work, ya don't feel like goin' back to the store, rough day or whatever, so ya put the movie with your stuff to make sure ya don't forget. And there's your three day rental.

Maybe I'm a bit biased about this, too, since I used to work in a video store, back when the "be kind, rewind" stickers were completely ignored. And I like goin' to Blockbuster stores, just to see what's new I may have missed in theaters, or what went direct to DVD.

So providing a convoluted series of events occurs that makes that 3-day rental necessary then, yeah, it might be worthwhile. Guy I know always rents from RedBox and he rents when he knows he's able to watch the disc that night and can return it the next day. So, in his case, that $3, 3-day rental from BB would be a waste he'd be paying for time he doesn't need.

 

[bigdaddy]

... So Blockbuster isn't a fabulous deal. Sure it's the "same price" as Redbox but only if you keep it those full three days, what if you only want it/need it for one day?

Ya rent the movie - day one.

Something comes up when ya get home, family issue, flat tire, power failuer, whatever - day two.

Ya watch the movie & return it - day three.

Ya add a day to that for special features, if there are any to watch (god, I hate "rental" copies!!!!) - day four (Blockbuster only adds a dollar for this).

That's just one series of events.

Another, ya rent the movie, take it home, watch it, and then leave for work the next day, leavin' the disc at home. Ya get home from work, ya don't feel like goin' back to the store, rough day or whatever, so ya put the movie with your stuff to make sure ya don't forget. And there's your three day rental.

Maybe I'm a bit biased about this, too, since I used to work in a video store, back when the "be kind, rewind" stickers were completely ignored. And I like goin' to Blockbuster stores, just to see what's new I may have missed in theaters, or what went direct to DVD.

So providing a convoluted series of events occurs that makes that 3-day rental necessary then, yeah, it might be worthwhile. Guy I know always rents from RedBox and he rents when he knows he's able to watch the disc that night and can return it the next day. So, in his case, that $3, 3-day rental from BB would be a waste he'd be paying for time he doesn't need.

That's what I'm thinking, how many flats are you going to get? Also with netflix flats don't matter! I rent a movie when at red box at 5pm one day, next day I'm at the store buying food and return it. A buck. What do I need with 3 days? Plus If I rent a movie Friday night when do I have to return it to BB? Sunday or Monday? Is it three full days?

You can't really compare Redbox and Blockbuster. Redbox has nothing other than the very latest new releases, whereas most Blockbusters stock a decent array of classic movies.

And with Netflix I can watch the old movies whenever I want.

 

[Data Holmes]

The day you rent is day zero. So a DVD rented on Friday would have to be returned by closing Monday night, usually 10pm but some locations later.

 

[paudemge]

We had 3 blockbusters, 2 are closing and I think 1 will stay open. I still like having a brick and mortar bb it allows me to exchange my block buster online moves whenever I want. Also this bb always seems pretty busy, and much busier since the other two closed.

 

[bigdaddy]

The day you rent is day zero. So a DVD rented on Friday would have to be returned by closing Monday night, usually 10pm but some locations later.

Oh good, at least they don't do "hotel rules".

 

[Peach Wookiee]

There's still going to be a need for brick-and-mortar, guys. I know of at least two human reasons for it. Sure, my parents like our cable company's on demand, but they also like having the physical disk. My mom can't see well enough to use a computer (heck, she never learned how to use a computer), and I can't see my dad using Netflix, either. And no, they have neither a Wii, nor an XBox Live.

 

[bigdaddy]

There's still going to be a need for brick-and-mortar, guys. I know of at least two human reasons for it. Sure, my parents like our cable company's on demand, but they also like having the physical disk. My mom can't see well enough to use a computer (heck, she never learned how to use a computer), and I can't see my dad using Netflix, either. And no, they have neither a Wii, nor an XBox Live.

My grandmother has never used a computer and the other day talked about using a box instead of a BB store next door.

I'm sure there are a few places where stores make sense. But as a wide scale national brand BB is dead. They have no vision for the future and that's what killed them.

It's like newspapers, in 20 years when everyone who read the newspapers is dead the companies will close up shop. You have to change or you die. BB didn't change so they died. Maybe (I doubt it) Dish will change the way the company works and save the company, but I think BB best dies are behind them and the best Dish can do is let the company last longer than it would have otherwise.

The smart thing for Dish to do is have more BB boxes, at least the name is known by people and that might help them.