Blockbuster

[gino]

Why is Blockbuster always late with game releases? I went there today to rent FEAR 2, which came out on Tuesday. They are like "oh, it doesnt come out till the 13th". And that's not the first time it happened, it was the same when I pre-ordered Socom from them. They've been trying to get into the selling video games business for quite a while, so one is to assume they would be on point with game releases, I guess not. =l

[(Fe)Man]

I don't even bother with new release games with blockbuster. I remember walking in when Dead Space was released and they told me they had never even heard of it.

[vegeta88]

I heard that Blockbuster is one of ten big companies expected to fail this year; that could be a contributing factor as well as their online/mail is not that great.

EDIT

Here's a good article on it:

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/new...bie-2009-14435

Blockbuster, in addition to not generating a penny in real profit over the past seven quarters, has about $100 million in available cash and faces $615 million in long-term debt, including $200 million due this year.

I'm still a customer but I've never been impressed with them save for their stance on Blu-ray.

[babyboy]

Originally Posted by gino

Why is Blockbuster always late with game releases? I went there today to rent FEAR 2, which came out on Tuesday. They are like "oh, it doesnt come out till the 13th". And that's not the first time it happened, it was the same when I pre-ordered Socom from them. They've been trying to get into the selling video games business for quite a while, so one is to assume they would be on point with game releases, I guess not. =l

I work for BBuster... And someone came in to buy their preordered copy of fear2 and of course we do not have it till friday.. That has upset me for a long time even before I started working there. I preordered mlb09 from there and they better have it.. We are not even getting many copies of MLB09, so stupid and that could be a huge factor in why they are going out of business

[littletrickceo]

I have always wondered why Blockbuster didn't stay open an hour later and have midnight rental releases and sales. This alone would generate enough revenue to save their business. I would stand in line for a new game or movie at midnight if it was reasonably priced...I guess they would have to change that policy as well...

[Pepelutivruski4]

down with blockbuster for not having XXX movies.
if they started carrying those... i don't think i need to say how fast their business would climb over netflix.

lol first one to pr0n wins.

[BluOgre]

Originally Posted by gino

Why is Blockbuster always late with game releases? I went there today to rent FEAR 2, which came out on Tuesday. They are like "oh, it doesnt come out till the 13th". And that's not the first time it happened, it was the same when I pre-ordered Socom from them. They've been trying to get into the selling video games business for quite a while, so one is to assume they would be on point with game releases, I guess not. =l

I'm in the business and I help run a number of Blockbuster stores. In fact I buy the games for a lot of Blockbuster stores (franchise stores, not corporate).

The reason why you have a delay is ALL on the developers, period. What people fail to understand is when a release date is given for a game for the most part that is not a STREET DATE! They have told me it's an "availability date", which means a select group of retailers are going to get it on that date. The only way to get it on the date is to have your own trucks backed up at EA's, LA's, Sony's, or whom ever warehouse and ship it directly to your stores. If you for instance are like Blockbuster, you have to get it shipped to your warehouse and then it's distributed from there.

In essence it's a way to give some retailers a day or two above other people. One thing I've learned for the past 8 years being the game buyer is everyone (except customers) hates rentailers. We've begged and pleaded for official street dates much like movie stuidos. It seems they think it's "too hard and we will lose money in the process if we have street dates". Now have they ever explained how they are giong to lose money....no.

by the way, there are some games that are street dated. Games like halo 3 or Gears 2, those were official street dates. GAmes coming up that have official street dates, Halo Wars, Metallica GH, and Resident Evil 5. Notice something about those....they are heavy hitters. That's pretty much the story every month. Believe me Blockbuster wants to have the game the same day as everyone else....the problem is the game vendors don't really care what everyone wants.

[BluOgre]

Originally Posted by vegeta88

I heard that Blockbuster is one of ten big companies expected to fail this year; that could be a contributing factor as well as their online/mail is not that great.

EDIT

Here's a good article on it:

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/new...bie-2009-14435



I'm still a customer but I've never been impressed with them save for their stance on Blu-ray.

hmmm, my honest OPINION (and I stress it's only an opinion).....I say it's a 50/50 chance that it happens.

It honestly all depends how the economy recovers. It doesn't help when you have a horrible Jan and then Feb comes around with the worst titles I've ever seen.

Let me tell you why Blockbuster and basically every rentailer is in trouble (except Netflix and Redbox essentially). August last year was the start of it all and you can blame it squarely on the stuidos (at least at the beginning). Because of the Olympics, the stuidos had one of the weakest August release slate EVER. First two weeks they had NOTHING. This is August for **** sake. Then after you have this horrible August we get the presidental election and the worst economy diaster since the 1930's.

If you were in trouble before the economy tanked, basically it's impossible to survive in this current enviroment. I wouldn't be surprised if MovieGallery/Hollywood start closing down stores sometime soon. The only reason why they are still open is because the creditors have taken over and not decided to liquidate (ala Circuit City).

Blockbuster is in trouble (nothing new) but so are most business in the US right now. But I will say this, if they file for chapter 11 bankrupcy...Blockbuster is not going to go out of business. I don't think they will ever be bad enough for chapter 7.....hell they have nothing to really liqudate anyways. As big as Netflix is I believe it doesn't even represent half the rentals in the US......stores are still the preferred method to rent.

[daevv]

I don't have a Blockbuster close to me but it seems like all the rental stores around here are exactly 1 week behind when new games come out and a few days behind for blu rays.

[raskal66]

Originally Posted by Pepelutivruski4

down with blockbuster for not having XXX movies.
if they started carrying those... i don't think i need to say how fast their business would climb over netflix.

lol first one to pr0n wins.

As goofy as it is, I could agree with you in principle. However, in reality, this is often far from the truth. I worked for a nationwide video rental franchise called Video Update that had all the movies that any given Blockbuster would have plus the special curtained off section in the back. This was how they differentiated themselves from Blockbuster. And they didn't just have the Cinemax style stuff. If you wanted to see it on video in that section, some sample of it was there.

Video Update folded. Not because of that, but it wasn't enough to counteract other counterproductive forces in the market. They also charged too much for rentals without much of a catalog selection. I hope someone finds an answer to this though. I am terrified of the day when some online outfit starts charging $6 for a rental download that only gives you 2 or 3 days to watch the movie. That will suck.

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by gino

Why is Blockbuster always late with game releases? I went there today to rent FEAR 2, which came out on Tuesday. They are like "oh, it doesnt come out till the 13th". And that's not the first time it happened, it was the same when I pre-ordered Socom from them. They've been trying to get into the selling video games business for quite a while, so one is to assume they would be on point with game releases, I guess not. =l

Why not try out Gamefly? Like it was said previously, release date is not street date which means you usually won't see a new game in a store until the following day. Anyday, I had FEAR 2 at the top of my Gamefly queue. It shipped on Tuesday and was in my mailbox on Wednesday, which would have been the day I'd have picked it up anyway if it were on my buy list.

[BluOgre]

Originally Posted by raskal66

As goofy as it is, I could agree with you in principle. However, in reality, this is often far from the truth. I worked for a nationwide video rental franchise called Video Update that had all the movies that any given Blockbuster would have plus the special curtained off section in the back. This was how they differentiated themselves from Blockbuster. And they didn't just have the Cinemax style stuff. If you wanted to see it on video in that section, some sample of it was there.

Video Update folded. Not because of that, but it wasn't enough to counteract other counterproductive forces in the market. They also charged too much for rentals without much of a catalog selection. I hope someone finds an answer to this though. I am terrified of the day when some online outfit starts charging $6 for a rental download that only gives you 2 or 3 days to watch the movie. That will suck.

The real truth is being the "family rental store" is much better than having XXX movies. Who in their right mind would take their kids to rental outfit that has XXX movies? I didn't used to understand the philosphy until I actually had KIDS! IF my children just mistakenly walk into the X-rate isle lol. As a father of two, I would much rather the rental location I frequent have no XXX movie of anykind. There are places for those types of videos and it doesn't belong in family oriented places. how can you be renting Tiger & Pooh with Forest Hump 20 feet from it?

It reminds me SOOOOO much of Clerks. You have the CSR ordering porn on the phone with the customer/child right in front of him......then he rents the scooby doo movie to them like nothing happened. Makes no sense even if it was a funny scene.

[dk3dknight]

Originally Posted by red_5ive

Why not try out Gamefly? Like it was said previously, release date is not street date which means you usually won't see a new game in a store until the following day. Anyday, I had FEAR 2 at the top of my Gamefly queue. It shipped on Tuesday and was in my mailbox on Wednesday, which would have been the day I'd have picked it up anyway if it were on my buy list.

Ive personally had hit and miss, if the game was old yeah I would get the game, if it was new, I could just give up on the concept of playing it.

Even if the game was not a hit or popular or at the end of the day sold poorly..

For getting catelogue titles its great other then that I would give up on the concept of playing anything that is 1 month old.. what it hits 2-5 months you have a better chance of getting it.

Originally Posted by BluOgre

The real truth is being the "family rental store" is much better than having XXX movies. Who in their right mind would take their kids to rental outfit that has XXX movies? I didn't used to understand the philosphy until I actually had KIDS! IF my children just mistakenly walk into the X-rate isle lol. As a father of two, I would much rather the rental location I frequent have no XXX movie of anykind. There are places for those types of videos and it doesn't belong in family oriented places. how can you be renting Tiger & Pooh with Forest Hump 20 feet from it?

It reminds me SOOOOO much of Clerks. You have the CSR ordering porn on the phone with the customer/child right in front of him......then he rents the scooby doo movie to them like nothing happened. Makes no sense even if it was a funny scene.

I understand your thinking greatly..

I will tell you something you would find funny...
Next to a bambi 2 billboard was a topless bar this was at Dallas Texas...

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by dk3dknight

Ive personally had hit and miss, if the game was old yeah I would get the game, if it was new, I could just give up on the concept of playing it.

Even if the game was not a hit or popular or at the end of the day sold poorly..

For getting catelogue titles its great other then that I would give up on the concept of playing anything that is 1 month old.. what it hits 2-5 months you have a better chance of getting it.

I get new ones all the time. The secret is

[Show spoiler]"how many" games you keep in your queue. PM me if you want the answer.

[dk3dknight]

Originally Posted by red_5ive

I get new ones all the time. The secret is

[Show spoiler]"how many" games you keep in your queue. PM me if you want the answer.

Is over 50 okay, where it ships the bottom of your list
Not a big deal really, I go to blockbusters last time I did gamefly I held a game for 3 months...