Blockbuster "busted"?

[blu2]

Originally Posted by atomik kinder

They have all then new 'hit" movies that people want to see.

Just curious (since I'm not in the US), but how many copies of a hot new release would be typically be stocked in one of these Redboxes?

[andyman1970]

The only Redbox I know of in my area is at a Wal-Mart about 10 miles away and I NEVER see anyone near it. It just sits there and collects dust. I have on occasion went to check out the titles, but all the new ones are always empty, so, obviously someone uses it and they can't possibly have more then 2 or 3 copies of a movie because it ain't that big. I assume the employees of the store are the main if not only customers since it's convenient to get a one day dollar, rental since they will certainly be back "tomorrow."

If Blockbuster B&M store and the online service both go under then all I can say is "Congratulations Netflix, you have proven once and for all that a monopoly can exist in America."

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by atomik kinder

I think you have that wrong. Typical renters rent what is new and not stuff that has been sitting around for a while. You are saying Typical renters. If you have ever worked at a video rental place (I have) people come in and rent mostly the newest things.

sorry shortened for space, i actually worked at blockbuster for too many years and i guess typical renters here were not confined to a new release and its hard to believe they were at where ever you worked, in my experience sure most renters ALL wanted the new releases, who doesn't , but did they stick solely to that? nope

tuesdays were busy and so were fridays/saturdays, but there was no shortage of customers on every other day of the week and a cart full of 70+ individual titles returned every few hours of every day of the week would lead me to believe MOST people rent more then just the new releases, although those are a major draw. I was just curious about redbox cause i see it more and more on this site in both blockbuster and netflix threads, and i just don't understand how this thing is geared towards the mainstream or "typical" renter.

[brewp13]

Does anyone know if the southern stores inc blockbusters are in trouble too. I dont really know how it works but apparently they are not all owned by the same big company. when blockbuster started advertising the no late fees, all the stores in my area put up signs saying we are part of southern stores inc and are not participating in that promotion. so is it possible that if blockbuster goes bankrupt in some regions that they will still be open in other regions. My local blockbusters are always packed and they have a line at the door before they open on tuesdays. I have the movie pass that they dont offer anymore but I love it. I pay $25 a month and rent unlimited movies two at a time. And the price did not increase when I started renting Blu Rays. I love actually going to the store and looking at all the options and talking to the employees, asking for recomendations etc., I hope I don't have to start the online thing.

[Y-SO-BLU-RAY]

bye-bye bb

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by brewp13

Does anyone know if the southern stores inc blockbusters are in trouble too. I dont really know how it works but apparently they are not all owned by the same big company. when blockbuster started advertising the no late fees, all the stores in my area put up signs saying we are part of southern stores inc and are not participating in that promotion. so is it possible that if blockbuster goes bankrupt in some regions that they will still be open in other regions. My local blockbusters are always packed and they have a line at the door before they open on tuesdays. I have the movie pass that they dont offer anymore but I love it. I pay $25 a month and rent unlimited movies two at a time. And the price did not increase when I started renting Blu Rays. I love actually going to the store and looking at all the options and talking to the employees, asking for recomendations etc., I hope I don't have to start the online thing.

some stores are corporate owned, and many are franchised, sounds like you have the ladder, i am also on the movie pass and couldn't rent without it your stores actually sound like my local stores, business doesn't seem to be hurting..... if "corp owned" are really in trouble they should shut down stores that are not generating and reduce store count, i hope they do this before calling the game because my BB's are still doing very well

[connect42]

Blockbuster is not going anywhere. Blockbuster may eventually switch to online only, but they will be around.
I also find it really interesting how many people here think they know what a "typical renter" rents.

[tntkain]

Originally Posted by andyman1970

The only Redbox I know of in my area is at a Wal-Mart about 10 miles away and I NEVER see anyone near it. It just sits there and collects dust. I have on occasion went to check out the titles, but all the new ones are always empty, so, obviously someone uses it and they can't possibly have more then 2 or 3 copies of a movie because it ain't that big. I assume the employees of the store are the main if not only customers since it's convenient to get a one day dollar, rental since they will certainly be back "tomorrow."

If Blockbuster B&M store and the online service both go under then all I can say is "Congratulations Netflix, you have proven once and for all that a monopoly can exist in America."

We have a redbox at the grocery store where I work and there is a line to use it alot of the time. It is crazy. but you can go rent 4 movies for the price it would take you to rent 1 at blockbuster. Plus I think after you rent so many, they give you a free rental. I am not sure though because I have never rented anything myself sice it doesn't have any blu's

[D1-2005]

Well in my area there is a red box in every Mcdonalds, in almost every grocery store, and in most Walmarts. And there is maybe 1-2 Block Busters within driving distance.

[atomik kinder]

Originally Posted by blu2

Just curious (since I'm not in the US), but how many copies of a hot new release would be typically be stocked in one of these Redboxes?

According to THIS a Rebox holds 70 new movie releases titles. Not exactly sure if that means 70 different movies or & 70 individual discs of the new releases. But a machine can hold 500 discs. That is quite a few. There are over 8,000 Redbox locations.

Yeah, Rebox must be doing poorly, why else would there be more and more popping up in more and more locations. They must be doing so poorly infact that the grocery store that I most often shop installed another machine. One was just installed a couple weeks ago two blocks from my house.

I am not saying that Rebox is going to make Blockbuster go out of business, but it could help. I wouldn't be sad if Blockbuster disappeared. They are the main reason that all the GOOD video stores went out of business.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by atomik kinder

According to THIS a Rebox holds 70 new movie releases titles. Not exactly sure if that means 70 different movies or & 70 individual discs of the new releases. But a machine can hold 500 discs. That is quite a few. There are over 8,000 Redbox locations.

Yeah, Rebox must be doing poorly, why else would there be more and more popping up in more and more locations. They must be doing so poorly infact that the grocery store that I most often shop installed another machine. One was just installed a couple weeks ago two blocks from my house.

I am not saying that Rebox is going to make Blockbuster go out of business, but it could help. I wouldn't be sad if Blockbuster disappeared. They are the main reason that all the GOOD video stores went out of business

would you be satisfied only renting from a machine, or do you supplement with B&M/online rentals?

I wonder if location has more to do with their business then anything considering i live in a city of over 300,000 people and we have 5 redboxes, all over 30 minutes away one way. We have bad weather, a depressed economy even before recent events , no real good clubs or bars, not a whole lot to do in general. So movie stores get a lot of business. I just don't see how a redbox differs much from the grocery store rental places we already had with cheap rentals, except they manage to eliminate human interaction and jobs.

[atomik kinder]

Originally Posted by krazeyeyez

would you be satisfied only renting from a machine, or do you supplement with B&M/online rentals?

I wonder if location has more to do with their business then anything considering i live in a city of over 300,000 people and we have 5 redboxes, all over 30 minutes away one way. We have bad weather, a depressed economy even before recent events , no real good clubs or bars, not a whole lot to do in general. So movie stores get a lot of business. I just don't see how a redbox differs much from the grocery store rental places we already had with cheap rentals, except they manage to eliminate human interaction and jobs.

I do not go to video rental stores unless someone else wants to. I do as I have said before rent from Netflix because they have a larger selection of titles than any store. Even with Netflix you get no human interaction. Sometimes no human interaction is a blessing. I went to a movie theater this weekend. The ticket seller, sold me a ticket to the wrong time, even though I specifically said the time that I wanted AND the tickets I was given were for the show that had started 15 minutes before I got there. The girl at the concession stand took forever...and then she had to keep asking what we had ordered after we had already paid for it! Sometimes it would be easier to just help yourself.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by atomik kinder

I do not go to video rental stores unless someone else wants to. I do as I have said before rent from Netflix because they have a larger selection of titles than any store. Even with Netflix you get no human interaction. Sometimes no human interaction is a blessing. I went to a movie theater this weekend. The ticket seller, sold me a ticket to the wrong time, even though I specifically said the time that I wanted AND the tickets I was given were for the show that had started 15 minutes before I got there. The girl at the concession stand took forever...and then she had to keep asking what we had ordered after we had already paid for it! Sometimes it would be easier to just help yourself.

lol i am guessing from the theatre experience you have a short fuse when it comes to patience and i could see how you would prefer to eliminate the interaction.

[ezeblazin]

But a machine can hold 500 discs. That is quite a few.

Not really a lot considering i work at BB that got 170+ copies of Seven Pounds and ALL of them were gone on Saturday Night... Also factor in Slumdog Millionaire and Marley & Me coming out the same week and I dont see how Redbox could have much availability. Im sure if you combined just those three titles we probably had 500 copies checked out at one time.

Also, Blockbuster is working on kiosks and also have plans on creating kiosks in which one would be able to copy a movie on to a disc which would self destroy after a certain time period... So even if Blockbuster stores shutdown, im sure we'd see them around in some form or fashion.

Blockbuster is also working on changing rental terms... They will still have their monthly, and weekly rental plans, but are adding a new one which is $2.50 for the first day and $1 a day after that...not as good as Redbox, but more titles and the movies wouldnt be til closing time as opposed to Redbox's which is at 7pm i believe. This was supposed to be starting nationally this week but due to lack of advertising funds the process will start regionally.

[deckardp]

Originally Posted by ezeblazin

Also, Blockbuster is working on kiosks and also have plans on creating kiosks in which one would be able to copy a movie on to a disc which would self destroy after a certain time period... S

Hopefully not while I'm trying to watch.

[owa]

Originally Posted by connect42

Blockbuster is not going anywhere. Blockbuster may eventually switch to online only, but they will be around.
I also find it really interesting how many people here think they know what a "typical renter" rents.

I hope they hang around because I can't think of any other video rental stores at the moment. There use to be a ton of them everywhere but Blockbuster is about the only one left standing. Going online only wouldn't really work for me either so I guess if they go under, the renting I do goes with them (although, I don't rent nearly as much these days -- usually just buy the movies instead).

[ezeblazin]

Originally Posted by deckardp

Hopefully not while I'm trying to watch.

lol, no...it would be after the given rental period

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by ezeblazin

Not really a lot considering i work at BB that got 170+ copies of Seven Pounds and ALL of them were gone on Saturday Night... Also factor in Slumdog Millionaire and Marley & Me coming out the same week and I dont see how Redbox could have much availability. Im sure if you combined just those three titles we probably had 500 copies checked out at one time.

While it is true that a Redbox would not get 170 copies of a new release, if each Redbox gets around 35 copies and a town has 6 Redbox locations there will be at least that many copies. My town of around 35,000 people has 1 Blockbuster and 6 Redbox. Odds are that there were more copies of the new releases at Redbox locations than at Blockbuster.
I am curious what a Redbox does with their movies once the new release appeal ends and they have excess inventory.

[deckardp]

What I find interesting is that a company who seems to have driven most of the small video stores out of business is now having to play catch-up with a company that started out small. As I have said before I can't support them seeing as how they charge so much for a single rental. Also, I hope you, ezeblazin, are more knowledgeable than the donks who work in my local one.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

While it is true that a Redbox would not get 170 copies of a new release, if each Redbox gets around 35 copies and a town has 6 Redbox locations there will be at least that many copies. My town of around 35,000 people has 1 Blockbuster and 6 Redbox. Odds are that there were more copies of the new releases at Redbox locations than at Blockbuster.
I am curious what a Redbox does with their movies once the new release appeal ends and they have excess inventory.

they sell them, there is a lawsuit or was with i believe universal studios regarding them doing this, i am guessing they sell inventory rather quickly and cheaply which i could see cutting into sales of new movies