I hate Red Box DVD Rentals

[Trekker4747]

I've never used one, but I see them in many places. (Well, McDonalds and now a couple grocery stores around town.)

I think they're severely limiting and could destroy the video-rental industry. They only hold a, comparatively, small number of DVDs and the choices are mostly limited to recent releases. If these things take over, destroying B&M stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video then well, it'll destroy things.

I'm not really sure what, but it cannot lead to good things for only a small selection of recent movies to be available for rental.

 

[Sakrysta]

I like them. I had long ago virtually stopped renting from Blockbuster because of the cost. With the Red Box, I can spend a buck, see a movie, and take it back. At a dollar a day, you really get your money's worth if you plan right. And if you decide you don't mind paying to keep it a week, well that's up to you.

If the brick & mortars didn't cost as much and/or had better selections, I might use them again. But really, there are so few movies that I care to rent, and having the option of trying something for a dollar before deciding to buy it is something I've appreciated.

 

[Crazy_Uncle]

I like them. I had long ago virtually stopped renting from Blockbuster because of the cost. With the Red Box, I can spend a buck, see a movie, and take it back. At a dollar a day, you really get your money's worth if you plan right. And if you decide you don't mind paying to keep it a week, well that's up to you.

If the brick & mortars didn't cost as much and/or had better selections, I might use them again. But really, there are so few movies that I care to rent, and having the option of trying something for a dollar before deciding to buy it is something I've appreciated.

^^^ what they said

 

[Kirby]

If these things take over, destroying B&M stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video then well, it'll destroy things.

That's ok as far as I'm concerned. I haven't stepped inside Blockbuster in about 10 years, ever since they had the balls to send a very strongly worded collection letter for $1.17 for late fees. Yeah, I owed the money, but that was way too much overkill for fees that I always paid whenever I rented my next movie.

Brick and mortar video stores now have tremendous overhead and are becoming dinosaurs with the advent of Netflix, download video rentals, red boxes and (god forbid) Blockbuster's mail service. I've been a Netflix customer for 5 years and have never had a problem.

 

[nevermore]

I've never used one, but I see them in many places. (Well, McDonalds and now a couple grocery stores around town.)

I think they're severely limiting and could destroy the video-rental industry. They only hold a, comparatively, small number of DVDs and the choices are mostly limited to recent releases. If these things take over, destroying B&M stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video then well, it'll destroy things.

I'm not really sure what, but it cannot lead to good things for only a small selection of recent movies to be available for rental.

Um....the "brick and mortar" stores have been obsolete for years.

Anyway, I think the silly vending machines cater to people with rather limited interest in film anyway. You know, the ones who just go straight to the New Releases wall at the video store and grab one of the top 25-rentals anyway.

 

[Captain Craig]

What FL said. Netflix is where its at. Even when you get a DVD that isn't perfect(which as only been an issue 3 times in my 15 months with them) its a better value. Brick and mortar stores are limited in selection and I used to get the occasional scratch/skip disc from them as well. Your limited to the hottest movies of the last 15 months and movies from the top 10 of the last 20 years and sometimes not even that.

Trekker make the move to Netflix.

 

[Sheep]

Trekker make the move to Netflix.

I SOOOOO misread that as "Trekker make the love to Netflix".

 

[Spot's Meow]

I've never heard of these red box things. What are they? They come in a vending machine?

 

[Trekker4747]

What FL said. Netflix is where its at. Even when you get a DVD that isn't perfect(which as only been an issue 3 times in my 15 months with them) its a better value. Brick and mortar stores are limited in selection and I used to get the occasional scratch/skip disc from them as well. Your limited to the hottest movies of the last 15 months and movies from the top 10 of the last 20 years and sometimes not even that.

Trekker make the move to Netflix.

I haven't rented a video in... Well, a long time. I usualy just purchase what interests me. And since the best video store in our city closed a while back, then I've really no interest in renting. From Blockbuster or anywhere else.

But, at the same time, I'm not content with the idea of the only videos open to the drooling public are the top 20 picks out of a vending machine.

 

[Trekker4747]

I've never heard of these red box things. What are they? They come in a vending machine?

They're a vending machine, they're mostly in McDonalds lobbies right now but I'm seeing them in other places too.

Basically you insert your credit card, select the video you want, it gives you the DVD and then you're charged a dollar a day until you return it. I believe after 20 days ($20) then you've "bought" the DVD and you can just keep it.

Red Box

 

[Trekker4747]

Um....the "brick and mortar" stores have been obsolete for years.

Anyway, I think the silly vending machines cater to people with rather limited interest in film anyway. You know, the ones who just go straight to the New Releases wall at the video store and grab one of the top 25-rentals anyway.

True, Netflix and Blockbuster's online equivilant have been giving the "b&m" stores a work over for years, but there's still BBs around and many people still use them for whatever reason.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Around here they're in the grocery store lobbies. Every day I see a half a dozen people waiting in line to use them, and yes, the selections do suck.

But I don't think you're mostly right, Trekker. Whether is because of the vending machines, Netflix, or both, B&M stores are finished.

The Blockbuster near my house was torn down a few months ago and there isn't anything else close-by.

 

[witchie]

Red Box isn't bad. Like others have said, it's convenient and cheap. I don't use it a lot, though, because of Netflix.

 

[Mike Farley]

I find Red Box a great way to "try out" a DVD...see if I like it enough to actually buy it. I think a dollar is a pretty good price for that.

True it's mostly new and popular stuff but that's the stuff I'm usually iffy about anyways.

 

[Amaris]

I use Red Box to supplement my Netflix subscription. If I have a few out and I see something I'd like to watch that night, I just pick, slip the card on through, get the DVD and have it back by 9 PM the next night. Since I'm also a subscriber to their email newsletter, I get free movie codes, discounts and everything. Red Box is solid. Oh, and as for brick and mortar stores, good. They're taking up valuable space anyway, and they charge too much.


J.

 

[Sakrysta]

I haven't rented a video in... Well, a long time. I usualy just purchase what interests me. And since the best video store in our city closed a while back, then I've really no interest in renting. From Blockbuster or anywhere else.

But, at the same time, I'm not content with the idea of the only videos open to the drooling public are the top 20 picks out of a vending machine.

But they're not. The drooling public has the same resources you have, and the convenience of the RedBox system doesn't change that. With services like Netflix, as well as the overall increasing affordability and availability of purchasable movies via the internet, people have more choice and control over what they watch than ever before. Those who want more variety have always found ways to access it. Those who are too lazy or uninterested in anything beyond new releases would ignore the broader selection even if it were more easily available.

I could certainly wish the RedBox had a broader selection. But I don't think its existence is what's really killing the Blockbusters around us. The brick & mortars kind of fit in a middle ground of selection and quality that is quickly becoming obsolete.

 

[Colonel Green]

The Blockbuster's around my area aren't much better than in terms of variety beyond new releases.

I gotta admit, I find this thread kinda funny, "Red Box is pushing those poor multinational conglomerates out of business"

My independent local video store has 10x blockbuster's selection in 1/5 the space. Their secret? They file their old movies sideways and have shelves that are higher than 4 feet.

Cheaper rentals too.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Around the Phoenix area Hollywood Video still seems to be doing really well. Blockbuster has kinda started sucking in the last few years though. Some of the older locations have closed and all of their newer locations have less square footage and smaller selections. I think Red Box is hardly a blip on the radar screen. Sure, they're pretty visible nowadays but I think Netflix is what's really killing the b&m stores.

Personally, I almost never rent movies anymore. So much stuff is so cheap nowadays anyway, especially at all the used places that I shop at. Often, buying something will only cost twice as much as it did to rent something at Blockbuster. Now, instead of renting, I just buy it and then sell it back to one of these places later if I don't like it (which is rare).