I use to like Blockbuster. But after they raised prices renting a game for a weekly rental, it became so expensive, not to mention having to rush back to the store to return it before the end of the due date, that was a pain. I like Gamefly, and Netflix. I can actually find what I want to rent from them when the Blockbuster near me doesn't have it.
Blockbuster to Close Over A Fifth of All US Stores
- Thread starter John Funk
- Start date
This is a good example of company inevitably failing because they fail to adapt to changing conditions. I am not surprised, and I am not shedding a tear over the stores getting closed (though I hope the people losing work do find work soon!) Though Blockbuster tried the mailing model as Netflix, they did it trying to assert the system to their own fancy, leaving Netflix to provide good service for less fee. Dur. The next thing that needs trimming is their marketing strategy people. They've been watching the DirecTV ads that slam the cable companies, and seem to think thats sound strategy the cable company comes up with.
I'm supprised that that many blockbuster stores are even turning a profit. With netflix, video on demand, Torrents, redbox, and cheap used dvds( just got xmen 1-2 for 99 cents) (and LotR trilogy for 5 bucks) I don't see why someone would pay a few bucks to rent a movie. I guess thats why many places are offering free kids movies with rentals.
That's cool, seeing as there are at least three of them all within five minutes drive from my house.
Uh what?Therumancer said:Hmmm, well the economy is a mess and it doesn't surprise me even retailers like Blockbuster are getting hit, though like most businesses they are taking the opposite approach to actually solving the problem. You know, shutting down locations to create even more unemployed people and abandoned retail spaces to compound the problem where I'd imagine the right thing to do both for themsevles and everyone else would be to stick it out. A bit of a "loss" now and they can milk it when things recover by saying their a business who stuck it out for the people during the depression... but hey, that's just my opinion.
As far as Blockbuster going out of business entirely, I don't see it happening. There is simply put too much of a vested need for the service they provide from Hollywood and other movie producers. I'm not talking about the big Hollywood productions, but all those independant "direct to video" movies which form a huge business. As great as services like Netflix and such are it's the Blockbusters and such that actually hold on to the basic product (DVDs, etc...) that keep them going. I also feel that when it comes to that kind of stuff Blockbuster is still the trough of choice for fans of quality schlock.
Also I should point out that Blockbuster could also probably help their case by reviewing some of the policies that have caused people to want to go to download based rentals and such. Some of their policies involving late fees and such can be quite ruthless, not to mention the whole issue of needing a Blockbuster membership at a time when you can just
plug an 360 in with a free silve account and DL a movie for a similar price. Basically when you consider their entire business model they just aren't being as competitive than they could be, and I think with some changes they could make things a lot more profitable than they are now, albeit not as profitable as they might want.
Blockbuster's late fee policy is the most lenient of any retail (RETAIL; not mail-based) chain. When it comes to Blockbuster Canada, our late fees are a fixed 2.00 (Restocking / Administration fee) which is payable with any return that is under 30 days late. After 7 days of being late the movie is automatically "sold" onto the account meaning there will be a charge of the current retail value of the movie, but as mentioned above, this charge is waived if the movie is returned in under 30 days.
If the movie or game is returned more then 30 days late, then the customer now owns the game/movie and to continue renting at Blockbuster's they must pay the retail value of the game. Let's get real here... anyone who keeps any rented item for more then 30 days extra has to be completely retarded.
These fees are a slap on the wrists to clients when you consider how much Blockbuster pays for each copy of a movie (over $100), because within the price of the movie; the rights to rent that copy of the movie are also included in the price. For any movie buff who loves to watch every movie in existence, Blockbuster is the best place to go. They got tons of indie movies for rental, and if they don't have it in stock, they can order a copy for purchase.
Also you can never expect any rental place to allow you to rent a movie/game without having an account with them. X-Box Live works like that because they can. You can view the movie only once on X-Box Live anyways, and you can't "Keep" the movie for yourself. When it comes to rental places like Blockbuster, they need your address, phone number and some other information, or else they'd have gone out of business long ago.
That's not to say Blockbuster couldn't cut some of their losses. A lot of movies do get damaged, but again you can't really blame them since a lot of clients never take care of the movies they rent because it doesn't really belong to them. Bluckbuster could do well with resurfacing machines to repair damaged discs, it would save them a ton of cash if they had at least one of those per store, alas the one I worked at didn't have one.
Ahem. Not to spoil any ideas as you are just replying to someone else's argument but this part of the argument isn't even valid. Xbox Live IS the membership account. Whether they are using another service or not the so-called account does exist.SuperFriendBFG said:
Welp, I haven't rented videos in 6 years, so color me unsuprised.
Never did like Blockbuser, especially after they bough out Major Video.
Never did like Blockbuser, especially after they bough out Major Video.
that sux, tho i never really go to blockbuster and most of the time everything in the store is over-priced if you want to buy something
I have never liked BlockBuster. Good riddance, then again I live in the UK so it's not nearly as prominent over here.
They should really do what Redbox is doing, only better. Redbox is great, especially for pricing, but the selection seems to be a bit small. If there were Blueboxes or something from Blockbuster that had a larger selection, most people would probably choose them simply for trusting or knowing the name.
If you could turn in any blockbuster rental to one of those kiosks, it'd help even more. Redbox's "late fees" are simple. The longer you keep it, the more you pay, but it's the same price. I mean, why not do something like that, at least? I don't know if Redbox does this, but if you could go online or to a Blockbuster retail store and order a movie to be shipped to a certain box (like say if you were gonna be in Alaska next week and wanted a movie there,) it would help matters even more. It could be like password protected so only you could get that movie. It wouldn't show up in listings or anything, just an 'enter code' feature on the main page.
If you could turn in any blockbuster rental to one of those kiosks, it'd help even more. Redbox's "late fees" are simple. The longer you keep it, the more you pay, but it's the same price. I mean, why not do something like that, at least? I don't know if Redbox does this, but if you could go online or to a Blockbuster retail store and order a movie to be shipped to a certain box (like say if you were gonna be in Alaska next week and wanted a movie there,) it would help matters even more. It could be like password protected so only you could get that movie. It wouldn't show up in listings or anything, just an 'enter code' feature on the main page.