This Blockbuster Has Pretty Much Given Up
We guess when you're hurting as much as they are, you pick your battles.
(Thanks to Jess!)
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I think this is a joke...but it actually makes a lot of sense to only open for an hour a day because Monday to Thursday is pretty slow for most places that aren't Redbox. People are more likely to rent on Friday and Saturday, so it makes sense. And the drop box is still there for you to return your DVD.
@Acolyte: I think it's more likely they used to be open until midnight (12am) and when the hours changed they just made the 12 an 11 without thinking about it.
I would love to go to blockbuster and walk around and pick out movies, but I just won't pay $4.00. The only thing I hate about Redbox is when it is crowded and I want to browse through the selection, but there is a line behind me. I want to help you, Blockbuster!! Help me to help you! They have to eventually lower their prices, right?
blockbusters around me have indeed been closing earlier and earlier. i recall coming home form a party on a friday night at 11pm. I intended on goingt o the 24hr supermarket for some groceries but saw Blockbuster and said hey I'll grab a movie too. nope they had closed at 10. I shrugged and recalled why I hadn't actually rented with BB for over a year.
@pecan 3.14159265: The only problem with that, is they are only open in the middle of the day, who goes browsing for movies at 10am on weekdays when you should be at work.
I have a beef w/blockbuster: they use their own version of the alphabet to display new releases (which shouldn't really all be labeled "new" since many have been out for 6 months +) I was having trouble finding Pineapple Express and when the clerk helped me find it I commented that P did come after L but NOT before M as they had it displayed. The clerk said that they couldn't organize things alphabetically b/c it was hard what with new movies being released every week and all. When I expressed that this made it HARD to find a movie she said she understood, but it made it easier for the employees to stock ....
I stopped using blockbuster when I went to rent a movie from them (to entertain my baby sister in the hospital, fwiw) and they had closed my account due to thirty days of inactivity. The woman working there, who apparently did not want to be bothered at 10am on a weekday, would not reactivate it because they did not consider my debit card a credit card. When I asked if there was anything else I could do, they asked me for two utility bills.
At that point, I said, "yes, I always carry those in my purse with me," left, and wrote a very nice letter to Visa and my bank about how my card wasn't good enough for Blockbuster.
And made hissing noises and told this story every time their name was mentioned. Bastards.
I for one still think there's so much that blockbuster can do to compete but it really does seem like they have given up. How about they put a couple redbox-like machines in the lobby of the store with the newest and most populer released. Then you really can save money on salaries, electricity etc by only opening the store from 5-11 everyday. How about they allow you to rent the movie in store but then provide you with a shipping envelope to send back so you don't have to go all the way to the store again. Then they get the movie back in stock faster. Do they even do any type of promotions? How about something like if you bring the movie back within 24 hours then the next rental is $1 the next day. How about movie-watching rooms that are set up like the entertainment rooms of everyone's dreams. you rent a movie and then you and friends can watch it on the premises in a surround sound room with plush couches and a 70 inch HD TV or projector. I'm sure there would be audio/video geeks out there who would love to do that.
point is, their business model is destroyed. No one needs them anymore and they are doing nothing to reinvent themselves.
Blockbuster should have gone out of business about 5 years ago. They are a very slow company who has not one ounce of foresight. They could have been the first to set up on the internet but...nope. Even once iTunes came out they did nothing. Everyone knew that Movies would come in time to the internet and they still have not done anything.
They only started to compete with Netflix not too long ago. Bye Bye Blockbuster.
@Frequentlywrong: Pineapple Express was totally not worth the rental..
They need more technology IMO. Have a 3-5 machines in the lobby where you can search any movie and a track light will light up (blue/purp/red) showing the general place the movie is, or if its not in stock so you don't walk across the store for something thats not there. Also it can show reviews, plot, scores, info, etc...
Next have a ticker on the window (OLED) that shows real-time movie info for new releases like how many they have left or if they're sold out.
Change the business model around those 3 ideas, like floor plan and a faster way to organize movies so they're at least 10 min up to date. Its so outdated and old looking, reminds me of CC.
@Frequentlywrong: @Frequentlywrong: Having previously worked at Blockbuster (be it 5+ years ago, but I doubt anything has changed since then), the policy is that "new releases" stay on the wall for a year before they go into the general rental area.
As far as movies in high demand, they were generally placed close to the correct alphabet region but shelf space limited how close we could put it to that section.
Hope this helps.
@Frequentlywrong: She lied to you. They do it that way so that the newest, most "big budget Hollywood" movies are at eye level. They put the indie films, TV movies, and "SciFi Originals" way above your head or at floor level.
The big studios pay them to do it that way.
@undefined: This doesn't surprise me...I have heard stories that some Blockbuster's only may get 5 customers on a weekday, on a good day.
I always forget that oddball movie that I might want to see sometime. How about an online account where I can list movies I want to see and use my member card in the store to activate the list and see if it's in stock?
I've seen Redbox putting multiple machines at locations now, which may ease the traffic. But Blockbuster is dead in the water. Fact is, they can't compete price-wise with Redbox because there is no way they could afford their large stores and severely underworked staff and still charge $1/night.
What Redbox should be working on are machines that can simultaneously accept returns while someone else is browsing for movies.
Blockluster is done for. YAY!
I rent from NetFlix, Redbox, and a cool local rental place that is near my apartment and has a ton of foreign and LGTB titles.
Who needs Blockbuster anymore?!
@nakedscience: Same here. I don't use Redbox but I've got Netflix. Blockbuster NEVER had the movies I was looking for (especially indie flicks or movies made before 1960). I also got slapped with several late fees because I wouldn't be able to find a movie I was looking for, was told that the Blockbuster across town had it, and even though I was assured that I could return the movie to the closer Blockbuster, they still counted it as late because it didn't get to the OTHER Blockbuster on time.
It was just a pain in the ass. And unfriendly.
@Wit is periodically disensouled: I have a similar story renting a van with U-Haul. I gave them my debit card and they said it was not a valid credit card despite the Visa logo. So I gave them my WAMU Visa Platinum card and they still would not allow it. I offered to pay by check or cash and they wouldn't accept either.
I guess some companies just don't want our business!
@korybing: Redbox has iffy selection (they get the newer stuff, and have a LOT of older stuff), but sometimes you just want a cheesy action or horror flick, and for $1 (a lot of the times, free, with a code), you just can't beat it.
Blockbuster is made of fail and has been for a LONG time.
@quagmire0: In order to do that they would have to dramatically change the internal design but i agree i hate waiting in line for 5 min just to return a rental. The Inside of a Redbox machine [gizmodo.com]
Main reason i don't use blockbuster- There isn't one near me! Also Late fees! Netflix customer for close to 4 years and still loving it.
@MarkComfy: @MarkComfy: "they are only open in the middle of the day, who goes browsing for movies at 10am on weekdays"
It sort of makes sense. If this sign is accurate, I get the very strong impression that the store gets no business other than Friday and Saturday. However, the store cannot remained closed throughout the week, someone has to come in and check in the returned movies and games. So, since someone is there doing that every day, the store remains open for that one hour. If you're paying an employee to go to work, you might as well open up for business during that time.
However, I'd guess the sign is not accurate.
Blockbuster still being open doesn't surprise me as much as when I'm driving down the street and I see a small mom and pop video store that's still open. I think to myself, "did my car just drive through a time vortex into 1984? If I go inside, will I be able to rent both VHS and Beta movies?"
They almost partnered with Enron back in the day. If they did, we probably wouldn't see any left today.
I hate Block Buster. $4 for a new movie and $6 for a PS3 game. Booooo!!! I did take advantage of their monthly program back then when I was ripping every DVD and game that came out. For $20 a month, you get unlimited movies and games, but I have a life now and barely watch movies or play games anymore.
They should make a three or four-sided kiosk. The lines are ridiculously long at McDonald's in the Ghetto for some reason. I sometimes reserve the movies online then get them late a night or early in the morning when nobody is in line.
@quagmire0: I find it slightly inconvenient to stand in a line for Redbox, but at the same time, it's $1 a DVD, and there's only so much you can ask for, really. If I didn't want to wait in line, I could sign up for Netflix - and wait two business days. Waiting in a pretty short line is a small price to pay for the convenience of snagging a new release on DVD for $1 (actually, free because most of the time I have a coupon code) while I'm at the grocery store.
@nakedscience: Redbox gets the newer stuff and a lot of the older stuff...seems to me that what you're saying is that Redbox lacks variety? I mean, old and new are pretty much the only wys you can categorize movies in terms of release dates - but if you say that Redbox has a poor selection in terms of say, spaghetti westerns, you've got a good point. I find that Redbox is perfect for people who want to watch a new(er) movie that they weren't going to shell out $10 for at the theater.
We were going to see Quantum of Solace in theaters, but never got the time to do it, and we got it from Redbox when it came out on DVD. Thank goodness we didn't see it in theaters - we thought it was terrible! Same with the third Mummy film. I would've been supremely dissatisfied if we had spent $20 total at the theater just to see that dud, but being able to get it for free (coupon code) made the bad movie taste easier to swallow.
@Wit is periodically disensouled: CRAZY! When I went to a new (to me) Blockbuster b/c our store had closed they looked up my name (via my CDL) and came up with my address from aniother town that I hadn't lived in for 15 years, under my maiden name....I feel like I can never fully break up with Blockbuster.
Actually, this may be accurate. The store my MIL worked at did this for awhile before they finally closed this past weekend. It may actually be accurate, as I've heard the stories from her of going whole days without customers, or only getting customers at lunchtime (maybe 4 or 5) and then nothing until "close", whenever that would be.
They also started turning off the lights automatically 5 minutes after whatever close time was listed too, which was probably another clue they were closing.
@calquist: I don't think just price would even help..not with netflix and redbox out there now. You need foot traffic into the store. Physical storefront locations are the only thing blockbuster has that netflix and redbox don't and blockbuster needs to do something to make that relevant again.
@pecan 3.14159265: Yeah, this. And most people are pretty cool about it and move along quickly. Except that one woman who took HALF AN HOUR and when I asked her (nicely) to please hurry, she started yelling and pushing at me, but I suspect she was just crazy.
@pecan 3.14159265: Well, it gets a weird mix of new and old and a LOOOOT of random horror flicks for some reason.
I use Redbox a few times a month. They are good for very new releases (it's how I saw MILK!) and, like I said, older and sometimes very random movies.
Aaw, I liked Quantum of Solace (which I did see in theaters), but I have a thing for action flicks, good or bad, so I am likely very biased. :D
The Blockbuster in my New England town is going out of business - "Store Closing".
Gee, I didn't even bother going in to see if there was anything worth picking through. Sign of the times?
I still prefer to rent from a store. I had issues with a Netflix telephone customer service rep. accusing me of stealing DVDs when they were lost in the mail. My Dad thinks that Post Office employees were stealing the DVDs because my local Post Office was on the 11:00 PM news one night for employees being accused of mail thefts. I did file a complaint with the Postmaster General's office after seeing the news story that my Dad saw on Youtube.
@Benjamin Arrowood: I have never been accused of stealing DVDs from NetFlix. I've used them since the first year they started, and have had several movies a year get lost in the mail (with more than one randomly turning up in the bottom of my backpack or something, because clearly I am dumb).
@masterasia: $6 for a PS3 game? Consider yourself lucky--it's NINE dollars here (2 for $15 if they're on sale)
Who rents anymore anyways? I'm only kidding of course, but with DVRs and all those other services I am not surprised they haven't went went to Business Heaven with all the other businesses. I quit renting because the store that was within walking distance closed and I didn't feel like driving in mass traffic to get one or two DVDs. I think it would have been funnier if they had changed the times to 10 PM to 11 AM.
The last time I was in a video rental store, they had "Video Tapes."
It has to have been 15 years ago.
Since the Earth's rotation is slowing down, maybe they are preparing for the 25-hour day?
@KyleOrton: Nah, I'd wager you're right. They probably used to be open 'till 12:00AM and maybe 1 or 2 on the weekends. When they changed the hours, they started using the "Midnight."
Or something.
Why do I have a feeling that some of the staff thought it would be funny to replace PM with AM?