Bye Bye Blockbuster

[Kamalot]

According to Crave, the monolithic movie rental chain Blockbuster is doomed (http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9809950-1.html). The company has been slow to adapt to online distributions and, more importantly, competition from Netflix. Much like the print media and retail stores refusing to change, Blockbuster has been a victim on an online company finding new and inventive ways of bringing a product to a customer. And due to its size and outdated corporate culture, there really is no salvation for Blockbuster at this point. Try as it might, the future of Blockbuster is bleak, at best.

Simply put, Blockbuster is doomed. And while many of us have known it for a while now, it's amazing to me that the chairman of the company admitted this in a not-so subtle way, as well.I stopped going into Blockbuster stores a few years ago when I realized the staff wouldn't stop talking on their cellphones, even when ringing me up for rentals.

[KingGorilla]

One down, Box Stores to go.

[Adam Blue]

I stopped going into Blockbuster stores a few years ago when I realized the staff wouldn't stop talking on their cellphones, even when ringing me up for rentals.

Just like the whole EB Games/Gamestop thing, I must live in one of the nicest areas in the US, because I have never had a problem with employees in either of these stores...now shit does happen, but it's the shit that I call 'being human'.

Now, I really don't want to see this go. There are a few occasions when I want to pick up a movie or game real quick without having to buy them. But maybe the problem is too few.

[oldjadedgamer]

They should:

Rent games online
Not be dumbasses and stock HD-DVD in their stores (they currently stock them in their online service)
Make a good download service
Drop the price of rentals on movies that are super old cause 5 bucks for Fast Times at Ridgemont high is a bit too much

And more that I'll think of later.

[captainstrombosis]

They should:

Rent games online
Not be dumbasses and stock HD-DVD in their stores (they currently stock them in their online service)
Make a good download service
Drop the price of rentals on movies that are super old cause 5 bucks for Fast Times at Ridgemont high is a bit too much

And more that I'll think of later.

The local one here stocks HD-DVD's and Blu-ray.

And they have a "gold" section that you can get movies at 99c. The service is competent as well.

Though, in Alaska, Is netflix even an option?

[bapenguin]

I've been using Blockbuster online for 2 years now and really enjoy it. I like the fact taht you can hit up the B&M and trade in an online one for one there.

[Odyzen]

Awesome, now to wait for them to have a bankruptcy sale. Then I'll swoop in and grab used games a rock bottom prices. I don't care for the movies really.

[KingGorilla]

They should:

Rent games online
Not be dumbasses and stock HD-DVD in their stores (they currently stock them in their online service)
Make a good download service
Drop the price of rentals on movies that are super old cause 5 bucks for Fast Times at Ridgemont high is a bit too much

And more that I'll think of later.

You see, People go to Netflix, because Netflix has never treated them like a pile of shit. No one at Netflix ever rolled their eyes at me, or sighed when I asked them to check if a film was in stock. In fact, in many ways, the algorithms from the Netflix net code is a better person than any person who has worked at Blockbuster.

[mkelehan]

Their no late fees policy is great for games. For less than $10, you can have any game for a month and a half, which is all the time you need to see all there is in a single player game, and usually enough for a multiplayer one.

[Windsong]

Thank God for small miracles. Haven't been to any BallBuster store in ages. At least maybe now their army of minimum wage-no degree-no prospect-no brain drone workers might actually have to write up a resume and get a real job.

Good riddance.

[Kamalot]

Their no late fees policy is great for games. For less than $10, you can have any game for a month and a half, which is all the time you need to see all there is in a single player game, and usually enough for a multiplayer one.

Funny. I don't recall ever being charged a late fee for GameFly or Netflicks.

[court12b]

One down, Box Stores to go.

I don't see what you have against brick n mortal rental establishments.

At least as long as console electronic distribution isn't an option I find it to be the only solution that lets me rent and play new games the day of release.

[Whimbrel]

I have read clever financial analyses before and this guy's comments do not ring true. It seems very personal, vituperative, and fact light. Sure, Blockbuster may have lost $35 million and closed stores. And, yes, Netflix and other avenues are changing how people can get movies. However, many people still like the convenience of being able to pick up a movie on the way home. And RedBox, as cool and convenient as it is, has no older movies. Personally, I have liked the changes blockbuster has made lately. No Late Fees, trading in movies for a free in store rental, lower prices, more TV series, etc.

If anything, this guy should compare the number of Blockbuster store closures with the number of independent "Joe's Corner Video" stores that have closed in the same period, the number of Qwik -e-Mart's that have stopped carrying movies, overall trends of movie sales and rental, and the expected saturation of media following the introduction of a new platform, ie, DVD vs VHS. Also, haven't games replaced movie rentals to some extent globally?

It is possible that this guy's gut instinct is correct and Blockbuster may face a bleak future. However, any economist or analyst who can't summon an argument considering more factors and including more facts than this has a shorter future than his Blockbuster forecast. In the information age, people expect more than generalizations as financial analysis.

[flinxz]

I've been using Blockbuster online for 2 years now and really enjoy it. I like the fact taht you can hit up the B&M and trade in an online one for one there.
I am in the same boat, as well as having the account long enough that I get two free game rentals (/month) from the B&M as part of the deal. This feature (if you live near a B&M) is what blows Netflix away for me.

[mkelehan]

Funny. I don't recall ever being charged a late fee for GameFly or Netflicks.

But the point is, it's $10 for a month and a half, and you get the game right away. That's a great deal. I used it for Halo 3, and played through the whole game once on single and twice on co-op.

[oldjadedgamer]

I've been using Blockbuster online for 2 years now and really enjoy it. I like the fact taht you can hit up the B&M and trade in an online one for one there.

I liked that option too till they pulled the ol' "bait and switch" and started charging me more for a feature they touted as free.

Once they changed their plan and made it more expensive to swap them in the store, I deleted my online account and went with Netflix.

All though, the free game rental a month was nice.

[Chang3]

The only reason why I stopped going to Block-Buster is for the fact PS3, Wii, 360 games are now only a 5 day rental for $10, back then for prev-gen games it used to be 7 day for $6...

[Hecubus]

Just like the whole EB Games/Gamestop thing, I must live in one of the nicest areas in the US, because I have never had a problem with employees in either of these stores...now shit does happen, but it's the shit that I call 'being human'.

Now, I really don't want to see this go. There are a few occasions when I want to pick up a movie or game real quick without having to buy them. But maybe the problem is too few.

I'm with you. While I've had some negative experiences at EB/gamestop in the past, as of late, in the area I live, I haven't had any problems.

Oddly enough today I stopped by to pre-order Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, and Call of Duty 4 at the store I've picked as my Gamestop of choice (simply because it's up the block.) I went with my wife, who usually hates going into places like that with me, but even she commented how nice the guy behind the counter was. No egregious upselling either.

Personally, my experiences with mom & pop shops has been unpleasant, especially specialty shops like game/comic/dvd stores. Employees are often rude and obviously uninterested in your needs. I'm not the type of customer who constantly needs someone approaching me as soon as I enter the store and asking if I need anything, but more often than not, if I have a question, the people behind the counter seem put-out that I would bother them. Knock the merits or lack thereof concerning big box stores, but I much prefer them to mom & pops. With most experiences I've had, I'd rather the mom & pop go out of business to allow for the big box to come in.

Maybe that's just because I'm an old curmudgeon.

Oh, and on topic, I can't remember the last time I've been into a blockbuster--7 or 8 years at least. Of course, I don't use netflix either. I tried it for awhile, but I got caught up in the whole idea of getting the most out of my money. I would try to watch the movie as quickly as possible so I could send it back and get the next flick in my queue. Eventually I stopping being able to keep up, so I started ripping movies to my computer. Of course, I never watched those either, and soon my hard drive became full, so ended up deleting them (didn't even worry about backing them up considering the legality of it.) I just have the movie channels now, and since I get all of those in HD, I'd rather wait a few extra months after the home video release for a movie I was interested in seeing in order to catch it on directv in HD.

[eth3rton]

I stopped going into Blockbuster stores a few years ago when I realized the staff wouldn't stop talking on their cellphones, even when ringing me up for rentals.

QFTMFW..!!

[scythe]

I don't see what you have against brick n mortal rental establishments.

I guess this shows that Blockbuster is indeed mortal.

[KingGorilla]

I don't see what you have against brick n mortal rental establishments.

At least as long as console electronic distribution isn't an option I find it to be the only solution that lets me rent and play new games the day of release.

Pop quiz hot shot, what does WWW stand for?

[NeuroMan42]

Glad to see it go. I stopped renting or having anything to do with them years ago. Netflicks and Indie shops for the win.

[gzsfrk]

So is this indirectly good news for HD-DVD, since Blockbuster is one of the more major public-facing exclusive backers of Blu-ray?

[tenchiker]

There is some serious haterade going on in this thread. Either way this news post is a complete waste of time and it will be years before blockbuster goes out of business. I'm no fan of blockbuster but lets wait till this is actually true before making a news post about it.

[Darcydian]

With most experiences I've had, I'd rather the mom & pop go out of business to allow for the big box to come in.

Maybe that's just because I'm an old curmudgeon.



I 100% agree with you, the "mom and pop" mentality is what holds back development, and that mainstay only really applies to smaller towns, I live in a coastal town in oregon with maybe 5,000 people. I have to drive 45 minutes to get to a walmart, the biggest store in town is a safeway and even they're hated for underselling the smaller grocery outlets.
WTF? It's because these mom and pop shops have such a vocal following they show up to every town meeting to vote/voice down any local city or county legislature that will permit something that will ultimately be better for the town than their stupid ass business. Right now i'd have to go to 4 different places pay twice and much and take 3x as much time to get what I can get with one trip to a fred meyer. Fuck them

[TheHulk]

I switched from Netflix to Blockbuster online and love it. I get the movies faster than I did with Netflix. For each movie I get in the mail I can take the local Blockbuster to trade in for a free rental, plus I get a coupon for another free movie each month as well. Blockbuster used to really suck in my opinion but have really turned things around in the last 5 years. They're pretty much the only place to rent anymore except for Hollywood video, and didn't they get bought by Blockbuster?

[GrinR]

DIE MOTHAFUCKA DIE!!!


Long live Netflix.

[The Continental]

DIE MOTHAFUCKA DIE!!!


Long live Netflix.Amen. Burn Blockbuster to the ground and piss on the ashes.

[oldjadedgamer]

So is this indirectly good news for HD-DVD, since Blockbuster is one of the more major public-facing exclusive backers of Blu-ray?

Blockbuster rents HD-DVD's in their online service but not in their stores.

I switched from Netflix to Blockbuster online and love it. I get the movies faster than I did with Netflix. For each movie I get in the mail I can take the local Blockbuster to trade in for a free rental, plus I get a coupon for another free movie each month as well. Blockbuster used to really suck in my opinion but have really turned things around in the last 5 years. They're pretty much the only place to rent anymore except for Hollywood video, and didn't they get bought by Blockbuster?

Again, the return in store *was* a good deal until they reneged on the offer.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/10502.cfm

[Hecubus]

It's because these mom and pop shops have such a vocal following they show up to every town meeting to vote/voice down any local city or county legislature that will permit something that will ultimately be better for the town than their stupid ass business.

It's true. Most towns benefit and are often revitalized or even saved from becoming ghost towns by a big box store coming in to smaller, dying communities to offer major opportunities for employment to those who desperately need it for example.

But I do understand the mentality of the mom & pop shop in those circumstances. They would certainly die if that were to happen so they are very much against the big box concept, and often times, I'm much like you--good riddance.

[Wraith]

I enjoyed Blockbuster's online service when I had it (for about a year, during 2005-2006). They had a pretty decent anime selection, and turnaround times weren't bad. You'd occasionally get a scratched disc or incorrect disc, but they'd send a replacement out before the bad disc got returned, if you wanted.

I don't live close enough to a B&M Blockbuster store, so I wasn't really able to make use of the monthly in-store rentals/in-store exchanges. I stopped subscribing when the upped the price of their plans (I was doing the 2 discs at a time, unlimited monthly plan). I think I looked at Netflix's prices back then, and they weren't really any cheaper. Today, it looks like Blockbuster offers plans without the in-store rentals that are closer to what I was paying before, which I might consider doing again at some point. It looks like both Netflix and Blockbuster's 2 at a time unlimited plans are $14 plus tax now.

[KingGorilla]

What on Earth does that have to do with being able to rent and play a game on the day of release? Good luck getting a game from GameFly on day 1, I sure couldn't.

My beef with blockbuster is their prices. Rented some very old movies from them while in San Diego... $4 a pop. My local video store charges $0.50. Going with Netflix when I move out there.

I am trying to figure out how you managed to find this magical, mythical Blockbuster where the good games were there in empty boxes day 1 let alone available to rent. You cannot compare a local, hole in the wall, independent store to a big chain. Cause I never said anything about your store, I said that Blockbuster is a shitty chain of stores.

Also, If you are unhappy with Gamefly, GameznFlix is another service and I know many satisfied customers. The one drawback is that they do not carry handheld games like Gamefly. But you get movies and games.
http://www.gameznflix.com/ Their benefit is that unlike gamefly, they are based in the heartland, which is where it is so hard to get a good Gamefly turnaround.

[Orphiuchus]

The B&M blockbuster near where I live in the states had a terrible selection and terrible service. When you walk in you get the feel that you are somehow fucking over the help.

So I stopped going there. Seems it wasn't an isolated thing.

[pseudopseudo]

Did I miss something? Why do people keep spelling it "Netflicks"?

[Johan]

Wayne Huizenga is an absolute genius. He dumped Blockbuster on Viacom for just under five billion, and the value of the company crashed afterwards by half or more. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Huizenga)

I haven't been in a Blockbuster in five or more years.

[D.D.D.]

Did I miss something? Why do people keep spelling it "Netflicks"?

Thank you sir for being the first to mention that~
www.NETFLIX.com
If everyone here uses it how can you not know how it's spelled? It's on their site, their envelopes, their everything that they send to you.:rolleyes:

And yeah, Blockbuster has sucked for a while now especially with their "we won't carry the unrated version because it has more violence and 4 more pairs of titties than the rated R version" holier than thou crap. Business evolution I suppose...:confused:

[oldjadedgamer]

Mom and Pop video stores will never... ever go out of business because of one word:

Porn

[WastelandDan]

Just like the whole EB Games/Gamestop thing, I must live in one of the nicest areas in the US, because I have never had a problem with employees in either of these stores...now shit does happen, but it's the shit that I call 'being human'.

Now, I really don't want to see this go. There are a few occasions when I want to pick up a movie or game real quick without having to buy them. But maybe the problem is too few.

Well here's the question: is the area you live in at all urban? Because in urban areas (and I'm thinking specifically NYC because that's where I live) stores like EB/Gamestop and Blockbuster are staffed by people who either barely completed high school or are high school dropouts and they simply can't get any other job. We're talking minimum wage slaves who couldn't give a shit about your shopping experience.

Open an EB or a Blockbuster in a more suburban area, where income is higher, quality of life is higher and the dropout rate is lower and you're more likely to get employees who are better educated and simply happier.

[WastelandDan]

Did I miss something? Why do people keep spelling it "Netflicks"?

Good question, it's Netflix. I mean, that's the company name, there's no room for argument.

[KingGorilla]

I did just get an awesome idea of a way to start a spam net, and collect credit card info though.

[LilAbner]

Netflicks?

[MaiXu]

This summer my family had Blockbuster's the online subscription thing. We have our queue online, and they send two at a time. Awesome thing is: bring those mailed DVDs into the store, and you "return" it by swapping it for another movie. So the movie you got from the mail service is instantly "back" in Blockbuster's inventory and another is sent in the mail, meanwhile, you're enjoying another new movie from Blockbuster. Hard to beat that.

[BlackPete]

I like Blockbusters for one thing: Used movies. Every now and then they have this 2-for-1 or even 3-for-1 sale on used movies, which is a prime opportunity to snag and keep movies I like to build up the DVD library.

Aside from that... fuck 'em.

[LilAbner]

I switched from Netflix to Blockbuster online and love it. I get the movies faster than I did with Netflix. For each movie I get in the mail I can take the local Blockbuster to trade in for a free rental, plus I get a coupon for another free movie each month as well.

This to me is the huge competitive advantage Blockbuster has over Netflix.

[agentgray]

I'm waiting for Orcs obligatory pic.

[Mephitisme]

When I think of Blockbuster, I think of the days of their "No more late fees" campaign circa 2004... Where the fine print read: Keep a movie over 10 days, you've just purchased it (minus the initial rental cost). Don't want the movie, return it for store credit (minus a handling fee). At the time I didn't hear a thing about... what to me at least... seemed like a real scam.

Now I've been in a Blockbuster within the week, but for my money Netflicks is great. They recently lowered prices on their plans, and I enjoy the wide variety of movies they have available. I can see wanting to trade in movies to a Blockbuster... which would be pretty sweet... but someone else said they charge more for that service, huh? Netflicks allows you to view a movie directly from your browser, although I haven't looked into it much (I don't think it works with Firefox).

[oldjadedgamer]

This summer my family had Blockbuster's the online subscription thing. We have our queue online, and they send two at a time. Awesome thing is: bring those mailed DVDs into the store, and you "return" it by swapping it for another movie. So the movie you got from the mail service is instantly "back" in Blockbuster's inventory and another is sent in the mail, meanwhile, you're enjoying another new movie from Blockbuster. Hard to beat that.

Well, it was awesome until they started charging for this feature. Seriously... does no one even notice that they took it away and started charging more for this feature that was once billed as free and a perk of the system.

It seems by the responses here that no one even knows about how they changed it which shows that no one really used the return to store option.

[captainstrombosis]

When I think of Blockbuster, I think of the days of their "No more late fees" campaign circa 2004... Where the fine print read: Keep a movie over 10 days, you've just purchased it (minus the initial rental cost). Don't want the movie, return it for store credit (minus a handling fee). At the time I didn't hear a thing about... what to me at least... seemed like a real scam.
.

Uh, if you had ten days worth of late fees, you bought it anyway. This just means there is less hassle involved.

[Camel]

I love Blockbuster. I buy all my movies there!

Blockbuster...please don't go. Do it for Camel's sake.

[BabyJesus]

I used to be a blockbuster online person the return to store option was nice, but they recently closed the store by my house so it now makes the feature almost useless unless I go out of my way.

[Crono45]

It is possible that this guy's gut instinct is correct and Blockbuster may face a bleak future. However, any economist or analyst who can't summon an argument considering more factors and including more facts than this has a shorter future than his Blockbuster forecast. In the information age, people expect more than generalizations as financial analysis.

QFT. The guy who wrote the article used one piece of evidence, Blockbuster's third quarter results, and then comes up with some pretty big conclusions.

When I think of Blockbuster, I think of the days of their "No more late fees" campaign circa 2004... Where the fine print read: Keep a movie over 10 days, you've just purchased it (minus the initial rental cost).


Exactly. Keep the movie a little later than you should and they charge you the full retail price on your credit card. And when you return it they charge you a late fee. I can't think of a bigger marketing lie than Blockbuster's "elimination" of late fees.

[MaiXu]

Well, it was awesome until they started charging for this feature. Seriously... does no one even notice that they took it away and started charging more for this feature that was once billed as free and a perk of the system.

It seems by the responses here that no one even knows about how they changed it which shows that no one really used the return to store option.

They did? When I was home this summer, I never once paid for the service, it was always just a drop-off and pick-up, no money changing hands. Is this a nation-wide thing or a local thing?

[captainstrombosis]

They did? When I was home this summer, I never once paid for the service, it was always just a drop-off and pick-up, no money changing hands. Is this a nation-wide thing or a local thing?

Just about every decision is a local thing. There might be nationwide offers, but it's generally up to the store what to do if it's costing them money.

Our local store never had the "No late fees" thing to begin with. They would have had to jack up the initial cost from $4 to $7 to justify the cost. So they chose not to penalize their good customers to cater to the people who can't bring back a movie on time.

[oldjadedgamer]

They did? When I was home this summer, I never once paid for the service, it was always just a drop-off and pick-up, no money changing hands. Is this a nation-wide thing or a local thing?

They just changed it a few months ago:

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/10502.cfm

Now you are limited to how many you can take back to the store and they charge extra for that service. It was classic bait and switch and the reason I left the service.

[Netami]

Gabe of Penny Arcade had the best idea years ago and it still stands: Let the rental companies have games 2-3 weeks early. People will rent in droves.

[kefka95]

Uh, if you had ten days worth of late fees, you bought it anyway. This just means there is less hassle involved.

I think you misread the post (or misunderstood the policy). The point is that they claimed "no late fees" and then charged you for the purchase of the movie (or game) if you kept it for too long. Thus, it's not a "late fee" but a "purchase". The problem was they completely failed to tell anyone that you would be forced into purchasing the movie, and there was a large class action lawsuit soon after that policy went into effect. I don't recall the exact outcome, but I know a lot of people got a lot of free rentals out of it.

[Chainblast]

You reap what you sow, it's as simple as that.

[bobbytomorow]

If the fact that Blockbuster didn't stock HD-DVD didn't exist this wouldn't even be a topic on this forum.

[captainstrombosis]

If the fact that Blockbuster didn't stock HD-DVD didn't exist this wouldn't even be a topic on this forum.

How would a large rental chain (which has games...to rent, go figure) tanking not be a topic on this forum?

I'm not saying it's true, but for a first post. You could have at least made your jab at EvAv a bit more substantial.

[oldjadedgamer]

If the fact that Blockbuster didn't stock HD-DVD didn't exist this wouldn't even be a topic on this forum.

Blockbuster Online carries HD-DVD titles. Quite a few actually.

http://www.blockbuster.com/hd

[MosBen]

I stopped renting at Blockbuster when I hear they donated to uber conservative groups. Of course, this was about the same time that I stopped renting altogether, but it sure made it easy to stop sending money their way...

[bean19]

I think the B&M rental store is going to be around for quite a while. They're will just be fewer of them overall.

[bone_matrix]

A feature that Netflix recently added is the Watch Instantly. You get 1 hour of time for every dollar of your plan (in my case, 14 hours a month). They have a pretty big selection of movies and tv shows on that service, and they get the new Heroes every Wednesday after the Monday it comes out. Great for me, I have shitty reception, and like to watch things at my leisure.

I'd suggest checking it out. Cool stuff.

[KidNicarus]

There were two in my town. Emphasis on were, they both closed down last month within like a week of each other.

It's no secret that they ran their buisness very badly but they are not the only rental service affected by Netflix and other online rental services. Alot of the mom and pop places have shut down and it makes you wonder what rental chain is soon to be on the chopping block...

[Adam Blue]

How would a large rental chain (which has games...to rent, go figure) tanking not be a topic on this forum?

I'm not saying it's true, but for a first post. You could have at least made your jab at EvAv a bit more substantial.

Because I think it's just pretty obvious that BB isn't going anywhere soon, and this, as a news post, looks to be just filler since the reds either aren't approving news, or posting news.

[oldjadedgamer]

There were two in my town. Emphasis on were, they both closed down last month within like a week of each other.

It's no secret that they ran their buisness very badly but they are not the only rental service affected by Netflix and other online rental services. Alot of the mom and pop places have shut down and it makes you wonder what rental chain is soon to be on the chopping block...

Until the big chains start renting porn, mom and pops don't have anything to worry about. My local mom and pop told me that porn is 60% of their revenue.

[hainrs]

This story is bullshit. Blockbuster will never go out of business. Too many DVD players and too many people who don't buy movies and who won't ever download one. I don't use BB, but I have a huge collection, and I will never download a movie until I'm forced to do so, and that isn't going to happen for a very long time.

It would never occur to anyone on here, but a huge portion of the 300 mil in the US don't use in the internet in any large way (at home). Walk-in rental stores both small and large will be around forever until everyone who is 35-40 and older either die or become too old to care or know what the hell they're doing.

[ElectricMonk]

Blockbuster could survive if it became competitive with netflix. If they offered a $15/month subscription which worked just like netflix they would be competitive. I don't know how the total access pass works but I couldn't sign up for it in store and nobody knew anything about it at the store so fuck it. I'm not going to work so I can give them money.

[Antimony]

We don't have Netflix available here in canada. My local Blockbuster still does great business.

[MaiXu]

It would never occur to anyone on here, but a huge portion of the 300 mil in the US don't use in the internet in any large way (at home). Walk-in rental stores both small and large will be around forever until everyone who is 35-40 and older either die or become too old to care or know what the hell they're doing.

That's why a little perspective goes a long way in a thread like this. So many people talking about HD-DVD/Blu Ray, so many people talking about how since they download movies and have NetFlix, a service they don't use any more has no relevance for others. It's bizarre how wrapped up in our little world we can be. Most of the people in America are still acclimatizing themselves to DVD players on a standard-def TV; no way in hell Blockbuster is going anywhere when these people still make up the majority of the country.

[GunnyMo]

I'd have to add that I think their pricing structure in their stores is absolutely horrendous and, imho, is a big contributor to their problems. $4.95 to rent [I]every movie?[I] Including old releases? No thanks. $7.95 to rent any game? Moronic.

They need to take a page from the VHS days or from the independent rental stores: New releases cost more to rent and everything else in the store should be $2.50 or less to rent.

I've used Blockbuster over the last year or so since I don't have free movie/game check outs from GS anymore and BB is why I've moved on to Netflix and Gamefly. In the long term, their pricing structure and the ability to keep the game/movie as long as I want beat the socks off of anything BB has to offer.

[MaiXu]

I've noticed you lurking around once again, Gunny, and lemme just say, it's good to have ya back.

[Blueduck]

They should:

Rent games online
Not be dumbasses and stock HD-DVD in their stores (they currently stock them in their online service)
Make a good download service
Drop the price of rentals on movies that are super old cause 5 bucks for Fast Times at Ridgemont high is a bit too much

And more that I'll think of later.

HD-DVDs are in select stores where they were test marketed with Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray did better so they put them in more stores.
They recently purchased Movielink so they don't need to make a good download service, they own one.
People pay the same price for older movies so they keep them the same price.

[GunnyMo]

I've noticed you lurking around once again, Gunny, and lemme just say, it's good to have ya back.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

If it gets out, everyone will want me!

[jacktion]

I have honestly gotten some of the worst service by a human that I have ever gotten at a Blockbuster. The workers there have been rude, pushy, insulting, and unprofessional. This was Philadelphia so maybe it has to do with the town.

[pseudopseudo]

I have honestly gotten some of the worst service by a human that I have ever gotten at a Blockbuster. The workers there have been rude, pushy, insulting, and unprofessional. This was Philadelphia so maybe it has to do with the town.

I don't know. I've visited one here in Vegas that had two people working. The one behind the counter looked like she was asleep, and didn't even acknowledge me standing there until I waved at her.

There was a guy wandering the rest of the store. I don't know what he was doing, but he wouldn't stop texting on his phone long enough to look up at me when I asked him a question. So... I don't think location has anything to do with it.

[stmfuller]

blockbuster is fine.

[Bralgar]

The only reason why I stopped going to Block-Buster is for the fact PS3, Wii, 360 games are now only a 5 day rental for $10, back then for prev-gen games it used to be 7 day for $6...

Whoa, I rented PS3 games once from BB around here at $8 for 5 days (each) and decided it wasn't worth it, but now it is jacked up even higher? No more game rentals for me (Gamefly excluded maybe...buuut...)
I have a problem with the online services too though. I have used Netflix and GameFly, and have had major issues with unplayable discs from both. I'm not just talking here and there either. Out of the 2 or 3 I received at a time at least one is either broken, scratched as not to play, 'dimpled' won't play you name it, every shipment. Broken discs I understand can happen in transit but the other crap is from idiot renters not taking care......oh forget it.

I'm just going to buy all my discs from retail. I live in a rural area so broadband isn't even available (56k here), so these video on demand services mean shit to me, and millions of others that have no access to high speed (Sat. is available but very slow and laggy)

/RANT

[MosBen]

Lack of access to broadband is still an issue for plenty of folks, but that number is shrinking all the time. A brick and mortar that sells digital products (games, movies, etc.) may be around a while, but they're living on a short lease. Eventually all people will have access to broadband and most will use it to access digital products without needing physical media. Blockbuster isn't going out of business this year, but it's only a matter of time unless their business changes pretty drastically.

[51|RandoM]

Gabe of Penny Arcade had the best idea years ago and it still stands: Let the rental companies have games 2-3 weeks early. People will rent in droves.

You mean people will pirate in droves.

[Darkmatter]

How about the fact that new releases are $10 plus tax... WTF no thanks

[Inspector Fowler]

Netflix = better selection. Also, at least once a year Blockbuster tries to jack us by saying that we haven't returned a movie, which Netflix NEVER did. Also, the separate queues thing is cool because my wife never watches her movies.

Blockbuster = WAY more movies because of the in-store trade in thingy. If my buddies come over and they wanna watch a movie, we can just head out and pick up one. My weird, imported Japanese movies are really not their thing. So this is pretty cool.

My wife and I have used each one for about 2 years (on Blockbuster now). If Blockbuster tries ONE MORE TIME to screw us, we're out, but I'll miss the instant gratification of the in-store redemption. That's a huge draw for me.

[fitbabits]

Who needs blockbuster when there's Red Box?

[TheFlyingOrc]

Mom and Pop video stores will never... ever go out of business because of one word:

Porn
Yes, because people would much rather have to talk to a person on a counter renting porn than they would get it in the mail discretely.

Blockbuster can't kill mom n' pop places this way, but digital distribution definitely will.

[Kamalot]

Gabe of Penny Arcade had the best idea years ago and it still stands: Let the rental companies have games 2-3 weeks early. People will rent in droves.

This was done with Star Fox Assault and at least one of the Harry Potter games. It worked, I rented them both.

[Wolvie]

Whats the point to go to a store when I can rent movies on my cable box, and rent games through Gamefly? I can see how rental stores like BB are either going to have to change or die.

[Sloth]

Minimum wage employees are going to be bad no matter where you go.

I personally rarely go to an actual store to shop. The onyl thing I consistently buy at a store is clothes. Everything else i buy online. Like I just recently got an xbox 360 elite holiday bundle from Amazon because it had free shipping and no tax. I saved around 70 bux.

[Kefkataran]

I fixed Netflix in the OP. Thank me, people. WORSHIP ME.

[fiercey]

Personally I don't see how people can rent movies online. I don't know what I want to watch until I'm driving home for work and get the urge to go get something right then and there. My Blockbuster store always has whatever I want, I get to flirt with the hotties, and hell it doesn't cost that much. I really don't get online movie rentals *at all*.

-f

[Kefkataran]

Personally I don't see how people can rent movies online. I don't know what I want to watch until I'm driving home for work and get the urge to go get something right then and there. My Blockbuster store always has whatever I want, I get to flirt with the hotties, and hell it doesn't cost that much. I really don't get online movie rentals *at all*.

-f

Uh, it works the exact same way except you don't have to drive all the way to Blockbuster, a stack of movies is just waiting for you. And the potential for choice is even greater with Netflix's superb new instant viewing feature.

[fiercey]

Uh, it works the exact same way except you don't have to drive all the way to Blockbuster, a stack of movies is just waiting for you. And the potential for choice is even greater with Netflix's superb new instant viewing feature.

No, if I want to watch a movie right now doesn't Netflix take a few days to mail it to you? If my girl and I want to go pick something out to watch tonight, how can you do that with Netflix?

I don't have any idea what I'm going to be doing three days from now, much less whether I'm going to be in the mood to watch an action flick, a horror movie, or a comedy. God, having movies mailed to me would never work for me.

-f

[Purple Santa]

Mom and Pop video stores will never... ever go out of business because of one word:

Porn

Ah porn...seems just can't have to many ways to access it.

[Kefkataran]

No, if I want to watch a movie right now doesn't Netflix take a few days to mail it to you? If my girl and I want to go pick something out to watch tonight, how can you do that with Netflix?

I don't have any idea what I'm going to be doing three days from now, much less whether I'm going to be in the mood to watch an action flick, a horror movie, or a comedy. God, having movies mailed to me would never work for me.

It's one day between sending a movie back and getting a new one. And like I said, their instant viewing feature opens it up so if you're randomly in the mood for a certain genre, you can find something online just like that. Plus the most common plan is three movies out at a time, so if you have a good variety in movies out at one time, you'll have choices from the three you have at home. Might not work for you, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense for most people.

[fiercey]

It's one day between sending a movie back and getting a new one. And like I said, their instant viewing feature opens it up so if you're randomly in the mood for a certain genre, you can find something online just like that. Plus the most common plan is three movies out at a time, so if you have a good variety in movies out at one time, you'll have choices from the three you have at home. Might not work for you, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense for most people.

Yeah, but I'm betting what you view online isn't as high quality as the disc, either that or you have to wait for it to download. No thanks, I like my local Blockbuster. It's two blocks away from the house and I can stop in any time and get anything I want. Blockbuster isn't going anywhere, it's always packed with customers and the employees at my local store will break their necks to help you out.

-f

[Kefkataran]

Yeah, but I'm betting what you view online isn't as high quality as the disc, either that or you have to wait for it to download. No thanks, I like my local Blockbuster. It's two blocks away from the house and I can stop in any time and get anything I want. Blockbuster isn't going anywhere, it's always packed with customers and the employees at my local store will break their necks to help you out.

Sounds a bit shill-y to me, but whatever floats your boat. I have no problem with local video places and use them on occasion, but I (as with most people) don't live two blocks away from one. Netflix has been one of the best services to pop up ever, IMO.

And as far as their online instant viewing, yeah, it's not as high quality as on a DVD, but they've actually got some extremely impressive video playing tech. If you've got a fast internet connection, it's actually way more impressive than you'd expect. I wouldn't ever use it for a big visually-stunning action movie or anything, but for most stuff it's great.

[fiercey]

Sounds a bit shill-y to me

So truthfulness has to be "shill-y" because you're clearly opposed to Blockbuster? I find your statement short-sighted and offensive.

Netflix has been one of the best services to pop up ever, IMO.

(cough)

-f

[Kefkataran]

I saw that response miles away. Like I said, it sounded a bit weird to me, but more importantly, whatever floats your boat. I was just pointing out that as strange as movie rental via Netflix might seem to you, it works brilliantly for a lot of people, and a lot of your love for sticking with Blockbuster is very situational (i.e. there's one located right by you).

[Neck Cancer]

The funniest thing about this article is that when i clicked on it there was a banner for blockbuster at the top of the page lol...

----------

Xbox Live Gamertag: Neck Cancer
Wii Friend Code: 7921 5672 6357 5603

[oldjadedgamer]

Yeah, but I'm betting what you view online isn't as high quality as the disc, either that or you have to wait for it to download. No thanks, I like my local Blockbuster. It's two blocks away from the house and I can stop in any time and get anything I want. Blockbuster isn't going anywhere, it's always packed with customers and the employees at my local store will break their necks to help you out.

I think you can count how many people live "two blocks" from a Blockbuster on two hands... and maybe a foot.

[Azrikam]

Blockbuster as a company is only better than bowel cancer in the respect that I can choose whether or not to go to Blockbuster.

Hyperbole aside, even the technologically indifferent are discovering movies online. Games, I can understand, but I'm not sure who really needs to rent movies in a B&M store anymore. Even if you have no idea what movie you want to see until that night, just about every cable and satellite provider in the world offers on demand films. And there are no late fees because there's no returns.

I see it as a dead market. It'll evolve or die.

[fiercey]

I think you can count how many people live "two blocks" from a Blockbuster on two hands... and maybe a foot.

There's another one 1 block south and five blocks west of that one. If there's any problem with Blockbuster, it's how crazy close some of their stores are to one another. But as busy as the one I use is, maybe they're both doing really really well-- I dunno. I guess if you live in rural America and don't care to wait a day or two for movies to arrive via mail, then I guess that works for you-- I just can't imagine working that way.

-f

[Azrikam]

Blockbuster isn't going anywhere, it's always packed with customers and the employees at my local store will break their necks to help you out.

If you're not a Blockbuster manager, your viewpoint of the world seems incredibly skewed.

[Banacek]

I like taking my daughter to Blockbuster. It's a lot easier then looking at titles together on the computer. Though for games I'm thinking of trying GameFly, since BB never has the good games in stock.

[oldjadedgamer]

There's another one 1 block south and five blocks west of that one. If there's any problem with Blockbuster, it's how crazy close some of their stores are to one another. But as busy as the one I use is, maybe they're both doing really really well-- I dunno. I guess if you live in rural America and don't care to wait a day or two for movies to arrive via mail, then I guess that works for you-- I just can't imagine working that way.

Let me get this straight, there is one 2 blocks from your house then one block away from that? What is your zip code?

I hope it's not NY or SF since that is an extreme exception and not even close to being the rule.

[fiercey]

Blockbuster as a company is only better than bowel cancer in the respect that I can choose whether or not to go to Blockbuster.

Hyperbole aside, even the technologically indifferent are discovering movies online. Games, I can understand, but I'm not sure who really needs to rent movies in a B&M store anymore. Even if you have no idea what movie you want to see until that night, just about every cable and satellite provider in the world offers on demand films. And there are no late fees because there's no returns.

I see it as a dead market. It'll evolve or die.


I have Comcast digital cable, and this is an option-- but here's what I don't like about OnDemand:

* You kinda have to know what you're looking for and flipping through those slow lists drives me up a wall. It's nothing like walking into a rental store and looking at the boxes in-hand.

* At Blockbuster (I don't know about other rental store chains), I can keep the movie for a week and either watch it more than once, or stop halfway through and finish it three days later without having to buy it again.

* The movie looks better on the disc. I don't care how much Comcast touts "digital cable", it doesn't look or sound nearly as good to me. I'll say this, though, if you don't look at the discs before you take them home sometimes you'll get a scratched up DVD and it sucks, so I always check them first.

* Pay-per-view is $4 for one movie. At Blockbuster on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays I can get two movies for the price of one. Granted, one of them is an older movie. Also, I have that Rewards or whatever, and get a free movie every month, and a free movie every fourth movie or something like that. If I'm paying $99 for digital cable, the damn movies should be free or at least cheaper.

* My six-year-old son loves going through the kids section and looking through all the movies he can get. He takes down the Scooby Doo covers and plays eenie-meenie-minee-moe. Compare that to sitting on the sofa and having to read screens and screens of text.

Just me I guess, but I like things the way they are.

-f

[fiercey]

Let me get this straight, there is one 2 blocks from your house then one block away from that? What is your zip code?

I hope it's not NY or SF since that is an extreme exception and not even close to being the rule.


There's actually a third one directly 8 blocks south from the one near my house as well. Zip code 80501, a town called Longmont in Colorado-- just outside of Boulder. Maybe we just love our Blockbusters here!

1.59 miles Pace/17th 1610 Pace Street, Suite 100
Longmont, CO 80501-8639 Yes Mon - Thu: 10:00AM - 10:00PM
Fri - Sat: 10:00AM - 11:00PM
Sun : 10:00AM - 10:00PM
(303) 772-0653
1.72 miles Hover/Nelson Rd 965 S Hover Street
Longmont, CO 80501-4134 Yes Mon - Thu: 10:00AM - 10:00PM
Fri - Sat: 10:00AM - 11:00PM
Sun : 10:00AM - 10:00PM
(303) 651-1293
2.06 miles Hover/17th 1751 North Hover
Longmont, CO 80501-7181 Yes Mon - Sun: 10:00AM - Midnight
(303) 651-1343

-f

[oldjadedgamer]

There's actually a third one directly 8 blocks south from the one near my house as well. Zip code 80501, a small town called Longmont in Colorado-- just outside of Boulder. Maybe we just love our Blockbusters here.

I checked it's not "blocks" but it's pretty damn close together. I live in a huge urban city so maybe the word "blocks" has a different distance to some then others. Blocks to me are short enough to throw a tennis ball from one end to the other.

I called one to see why they are so close and the girl said that they just recently moved one close to them and they have no clue why they put it there. I'm clueless how they can have so many so close. Again, even living in one of the most densest areas of the country I don't have them that close.

Btw, her accent was pretty entertaining!

[fiercey]

I wonder which one you called. The one close to me has a girl who works there who sounds like she's from Fargo. She's really nice though, walks with a slight limp, but very helpful and gives my son free candy. Sometimes they make popcorn or buy pizzas and give away free slices.

Blocks here are just blocks. You can see above, two of them are on 17th. One's on Hover and the other on Pace, they're within running distance of each other for sure. The other is also on Hover, but at Nelson Street-- my son and I have walked that far and back lots of times on weekends. I'm sure they're not as close together as the big cities though, but you can see from above that within about a mile of a spot there are three stores. I'm not lyin. :P

-f

[xplics]

Not a fan at all of blockbuster for at least 3 years now BUT I taught that block buster was kind of quick to adapt to the whole NETFLIX online rental thing.

[oldjadedgamer]

I wonder which one you called. The one close to me has a girl who works there who sounds like she's from Fargo. She's really nice though, walks with a slight limp, but very helpful and gives my son free candy. Sometimes they make popcorn or buy pizzas and give away free slices.

Blocks here are just blocks. You can see above, two of them are on 17th. One's on Hover and the other on Pace, they're within running distance of each other for sure. The other is also on Hover, but at Nelson Street-- my son and I have walked that far and back lots of times on weekends. I'm sure they're not as close together as the big cities though, but you can see from above that within about a mile of a spot there are three stores. I'm not lyin. :P

Oh, I'm not saying that your lying. I couldn't believe it which is why I wanted to check it out myself. And the girl did sound like she was from Fargo... she was very nice and helpful.

Shoot, I want to visit your Blockbuster stores since you have the only decent store in the country. Oh, and like I said I live in a big city and our Blockbusters aren't this close together.

[Kefkataran]

There's another one 1 block south and five blocks west of that one. If there's any problem with Blockbuster, it's how crazy close some of their stores are to one another. But as busy as the one I use is, maybe they're both doing really really well-- I dunno. I guess if you live in rural America and don't care to wait a day or two for movies to arrive via mail, then I guess that works for you-- I just can't imagine working that way.

Unless you're real far from one of their distribution centers (of which there are a lot), it's one day. And assuming you have the most popular plan, you always have three at home, so you never really have to wait unless you blast through movies.

The other nice thing about rental through online rental such as Netflix is selection. Most Blockbusters that I've been in have great selection for more recent/mainstream stuff, but once you turn to stuff that's older than 10-15 years and/or slightly indie the likelihood of them having it (or having it in stock) is much less likely.

[Sandman]

My local Blockbuster already went out of business about a year ago.

[Kefkataran]

My local Blockbuster already went out of business about a year ago.

Our local video store (a Movie Gallery) just went out of business at the end of the summer. Was a huge disappointment, as they had a great selection and some cool folks working there. A new independently owned store opened up shortly after, but the one time I've been in there, their selection was unbelievably horrendous. Like seriously bad. Probably 50-100 movies total, half of which were either total crap or films I'd never heard of.

[Johan]

They're hemorrhaging money and losing customers by the hundreds of thousands. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aZBTEf_sGbf8)

DOOM!

[Azrikam]

They're hemorrhaging money and losing customers by the hundreds of thousands. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aZBTEf_sGbf8)

DOOM!

"The shares fell the most in almost six months."

What kind of writing is that? Bloomberg.com, for shame. And to think, it took two people to come up with that. :)

[Psyks]

Thank God for small miracles. Haven't been to any BallBuster store in ages. At least maybe now their army of minimum wage-no degree-no prospect-no brain drone workers might actually have to write up a resume and get a real job.

Good riddance.

As an ex employee of Blockbuster I can inform you 90% of staff are in education and the rest usually have reasons for staying there.

Are you so fucking ignorant you think people work minimum wage jobs because they like it? Who are you to judge people who you don't even know, not everyone can afford to go to University you twat, you show people so little respect and look down your nose at them then complain because they don't give you five star service? Close minded stuck up assholes like you drive me nuts, I understand that yes you were the fat kid at school who had no friends and is still to this day a virgin but that doesn't give you the right to be a pseudo-intellectual cunt. Jesus.

As for Blockbuster itself, this has been a long time coming. Mistake after mistake this company has made and not adapted to change.

[fitbabits]

As for Blockbuster itself, this has been a long time coming. Mistake after mistake this company has made and not adapted to change.
Substitute Blockbuster with Sony and you may well be on to something.

One has to ask - what now for Blu-ray?

Ahem, I couldn't help myself!

[KingGorilla]

Looking at this thread all the PS3 owners gave up on Block suckster long ago, so not much.
And now that Netflix has VoD, plans for as cheap as 3 bucks a month, I cannot imagine why folks are not using them.

[mikeohara]

My fiancee has used Blockbuster Online for about a year or so now. She lives about 30 to 45 minutes from the nearest one and she rents three movies at a time for herself and her son. She likes it and I'm on the fence about getting it, but if Blockbuster is having so many problems, then I'll just do Netflix/Gamefly instead.

[Wolvie]

Minimum wage employees are going to be bad no matter where you go.

I personally rarely go to an actual store to shop. The onyl thing I consistently buy at a store is clothes. Everything else i buy online. Like I just recently got an xbox 360 elite holiday bundle from Amazon because it had free shipping and no tax. I saved around 70 bux.

You buy food online? Direct me to that kick ass service good sir. :D

And no pizza places don't count.

[fiercey]

I found out just recently that Steve Berrard married a girl I went to high school with named Sarah Douglas. Sarah was always nice, but never would I have guessed she'd be worth millions now. I remember the two of us sitting outside on a hot Saturday in West Virginia washing cars together to raise money. Steve and his business parter Wayne Huezinga created Blockbuster Inc., as well as other businesses like AutoNation Inc., etc. Rich, rich, rich. Anyway, I found this out after she messaged me on classmates.com. Crazy world.

This, by the way, has nothing to do with my like of their stores. If anything, I'm jealous of this Steve Berrard guy and should probably boycott them like everyone else. Hah!

-f

[pseudopseudo]

You buy food online? Direct me to that kick ass service good sir. :D

And no pizza places don't count.

You'd be surprised how many grocery stores in big cities have delivery services.

I had an ex whose mom was pretty much a shut-in, and she had everything delivered. Even booze. I thought that was pretty kick-ass.

[KingGorilla]

You buy food online? Direct me to that kick ass service good sir. :D

And no pizza places don't count.

I am sure that you can find a good grocery delivery in your area. I know that Whole Foods is starting that up nation wide. When I lived in New York, most of my grocery shopping was from Fresh Direct.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Looking at this thread all the PS3 owners gave up on Block suckster long ago, so not much.
And now that Netflix has VoD, plans for as cheap as 3 bucks a month, I cannot imagine why folks are not using them.
Block...suckster? Seriously, you actually wanna pretend that's clever? Also, if you tell me it was sarcastic, I won't believe you.

Anyway, this is hardly recent news - Blockbuster is one of the most well-known doomed companies out there. I read an article at least a year and a half ago about it being in a downward spiral - they don't want to adapt, and there's not any real way FOR them to adapt without acknowledging that their brick and mortar stores are useless. They've got 4 or 5 good years left in them, though.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I found out just recently that Steve Berrard married a girl I went to high school with named Sarah Douglas. Sarah was always nice, but never would I have guessed she'd be worth millions now. I remember the two of us sitting outside on a hot Saturday in West Virginia washing cars together to raise money. Steve and his business parter Wayne Huezinga created Blockbuster Inc., as well as other businesses like AutoNation Inc., etc. Rich, rich, rich. Anyway, I found this out after she messaged me on classmates.com. Crazy world.

This, by the way, has nothing to do with my like of their stores. If anything, I'm jealous of this Steve Berrard guy and should probably boycott them like everyone else. Hah!

-f
What a terribly boring story.

[KingGorilla]

I do not know about Sarcastic, but it was intended as a play on Micro-suck.

I probably read the same article, or at least similar ones. And it is not just Blockbuster, but most retail stores as well. Best Buy and Circuit City, as well as similar stores get the largest portion of their revenue from movie and CD sales. Online stores and online services as well as digital distribution models are really cutting into that revenue stream. Amazon, Netflix, iTunes, etc. are just too good.

[Kefkataran]

I found out just recently that Steve Berrard married a girl I went to high school with named Sarah Douglas. Sarah was always nice, but never would I have guessed she'd be worth millions now. I remember the two of us sitting outside on a hot Saturday in West Virginia washing cars together to raise money. Steve and his business parter Wayne Huezinga created Blockbuster Inc., as well as other businesses like AutoNation Inc., etc. Rich, rich, rich. Anyway, I found this out after she messaged me on classmates.com. Crazy world.

This, by the way, has nothing to do with my like of their stores. If anything, I'm jealous of this Steve Berrard guy and should probably boycott them like everyone else. Hah!

That is pretty fucking wild though. For such a large world, it sure is small, etc.

[phantomhitman]

I have not been to bb in at least 6 years. They kept charging me late fees on my returns even though I would return them DAYS in advance. fuckers

[Dukefrukem]

this is news? i thought this was known months ago?

[total]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say I love my Blockbuster Online account. They give you 2 in store rentals a month and you can use them for games. They always seem to have a great selection of 360 games which can't be said about some online (http://www.gamefly.com/) alternatives (www.gameznflix.com). Honestly for the $20 I pay a month seems like a great deal to me. Sometimes they don't have the really obscure movies that Netflix does, but it is pretty rare, personally seeing it like twice (had my account for like 3 years now). The turn around time is outstanding with BB online, typically 2-3 days. On the other hand Netflix takes around 5-6 days and Gamefly is the worst at like 7-10 days. If BB online had a VoD service I think I would drop my Netflix account pretty quick. As it stands, I keep the Netflix account for the VoD service and the really obscure movies every once in a while.

[Psyks]

I have not been to bb in at least 6 years. They kept charging me late fees on my returns even though I would return them DAYS in advance. fuckers

I call bullshit, not sure how the US system works but the one we have in the UK means you can never be charged if you bring it back early.

Used to get customer every day with late fees arguing they returned it on time even though the system said otherwise and the system cannot lie. The amount of times people switched their stories when they realised I was letting up to ones like 'I was in hospital' or 'my Brother died' was ridiculous.

As for all the complaints against retail employees, is this just an American as I mostly only have praise for the retail staff in the UK, yes occasional little shit but they are a minority.

Something of note though, Blockbuster in Ireland are doing fantastically well, the head of their department has recently taken over the UK side of things and has made some massive changes which seem to be working. So Blockbuster may survive this side of the pond.

[total]

It's one day between sending a movie back and getting a new one.

This isn't even close to my experience. You must be living like right next to the distribution center because I can typically send a movie back on Monday and not expect to see another one until the next week.

[Nighthawk]

I gotta agree with the craptastic service at Blockbuster. I went to BB one night and asked to get an X-Box game or a movie, and was told it was out of stock and they didn't have any behind the counter. It had the free coupon for a rental on a later date, so I asked to redeem this. The dumbass behind the counter said "Free rentals if a movie/game is out of stock? Blockbuster has NEVER done this." To which I responded "Well its hard to understand when you have boxes and signs all over the building say "Guaranteed instock or its free!"

I had to write to corporate on their website to get any resolution. Got like 2 free rentals maybe. Whatever. I've been with NetFlix since Sept. 05 and have loved every minute of it. I am a couple hours from the distribution center, but when I put them in the mail today, I will have the replacements Wednesday.

And to the people who love brick and mortar stores and can't imagine being without your movie IMMEDIATELY, I find it hard to believe in a time when you can DVR/watch TV shows all online, have massive amounts of videogames to play, plus hundreds of channels on sat/cable to watch, you can't possibly be troubled to have patience for 24 hours or do a little advance planning. My trouble is finding time to watch everything. I have caught up with the Stargate SG-1/Atlantis series all through NetFlix. Started March 06 and will finish the last 2 disks of each season this month. With other shows we like to watch, plus catching other movies, etc. we don't have time and can't imagine people complaining about the service with either online rental service.

[total]

And to the people who love brick and mortar stores and can't imagine being without your movie IMMEDIATELY, I find it hard to believe in a time when you can DVR/watch TV shows all online, have massive amounts of videogames to play, plus hundreds of channels on sat/cable to watch, you can't possibly be troubled to have patience for 24 hours or do a little advance planning.

Then you must have missed the part about not everyone having a single day turn around.

[PacerDawn]

this is news? i thought this was known months ago?

Actually, it's not news at all, it's an opinion piece. I thought Blockbuster was calling it quits when I came into this thread, but I found out it's just one guys opinion that they should. =/

As for Netflix, I hates them. Any company that says something incredibly stupid like "unlimited doesn't really mean unlimited" doesn't get my business.

[total]

As for Netflix, I hates them. Any company that says something incredibly stupid like "unlimited doesn't really mean unlimited" doesn't get my business.

In all fairness, I can't rack up enough rentals to throttle my Netflix account. I go through 9-12 movies a month depending on how fast I can get them out and have Netflix send them to me.

And on that note, you do have high speed internet right? Almost every provider in the states advertises unlimited that isn't really unlimited.

[zrikz]

They just changed it a few months ago:

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/10502.cfm

Now you are limited to how many you can take back to the store and they charge extra for that service. It was classic bait and switch and the reason I left the service.
I'm too lazy to read all the posts to see if anyone has corrected you. But I signed up for BB online 1 month ago and I only pay 17$ a month for unlimited trade ins, in store + 3 movies out at a time. All you have to do is use a coupon found on the interwebs and there is no "Extra charge".

I had netflix a year ago and the turnaround was 5-6 days for me also. BB I go to the store and as soon as it gets scanned that counts as checked in. I usually get a movie 1-2 days after I take it back. Blockbuster store is only a mile away from me also, so it rocks. A Distribution center is about 2 hours away from me so its rockin. F netflix. ;p I have to say though, the in store rental prices are insane, and on that note, I will never rent in store from there... ever. Two miles down the road is a flick video where they cost like 2.50 or .99 if they are older than like 3-4 weeks.

[Kefkataran]

This isn't even close to my experience. You must be living like right next to the distribution center because I can typically send a movie back on Monday and not expect to see another one until the next week.

WTF, seriously? Where do you live? (There is a distribution center fairly close to here in the Cities, but I've heard one-day turn-around is what they shoot for no matter where you are... whenever that's possible at least).

[total]

WTF, seriously? Where do you live? (There is a distribution center fairly close to here in the Cities, but I've heard one-day turn-around is what they shoot for no matter where you are... whenever that's possible at least).

I live right inside St. Paul! Unless of course they are throttling my account but I honestly don't remember the turn around being any better. Could it be that I am getting throttled?

EDIT: Now I'm pissed! I must be getting throttled if you are getting new movies in a day in Morris! You know what I am going to test it. I have three movies at my house right now. I am going to watch the last one tonight (already watched the other two) and send them and wait for the new ones and send them right away.

[Kefkataran]

I live right inside St. Paul! Unless of course they are throttling my account but I honestly don't remember the turn around being any better. Could it be that I am getting throttled?

EDIT: Now I'm pissed! I must be getting throttled if you are getting new movies in a day in Morris! You know what I am going to test it. I have three movies at my house right now. I am going to watch the last one tonight (already watched the other two) and send them and wait for the new ones and send them right away.

Yeah, pretty sure they have a distribution center right in the Twin Cities, so something MUST be up there. I've got the three out at a time plan and go through a lot of movies (I'm in two film directed studies right now) and haven't run into a throttling problem yet, but I have heard of it happening.

[total]

Yeah, pretty sure they have a distribution center right in the Twin Cities, so something MUST be up there. I've got the three out at a time plan and go through a lot of movies (I'm in two film directed studies right now) and haven't run into a throttling problem yet, but I have heard of it happening.

How long have you had your account? I've had mine since early '05, so over 2 years now.

[fiercey]

What a terribly boring story.

Yeah, the point of my existence is to entertain you. Sorry, Sir. :rolleyes:

They do live in North Carolina-- does that spice it up for ya? :p

-f

[oldjadedgamer]

I'm too lazy to read all the posts to see if anyone has corrected you. But I signed up for BB online 1 month ago and I only pay 17$ a month for unlimited trade ins, in store + 3 movies out at a time. All you have to do is use a coupon found on the interwebs and there is no "Extra charge".

No one corrected me since I was right. Seems you are on some super special plan that no one else is. According to Blockbuster's own website, the plan you stated you are on is $24.99 and not $17. See for yourself. You have to click "See all plans" since they try to hide it:

https://www.blockbuster.com/signup/rp/regPlan

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd140/oldjadedgamer/blockbuster.jpg

[oldjadedgamer]

double post

[Schnoogs]

I find this to be surprising. Virtually everyone I know uses Blockbuster for their mail based rental system...I guess my circle of friends is not indicitive of larger demographics

[soulcatcher76]

No one corrected me since I was right. Seems you are on some super special plan that no one else is. According to Blockbuster's own website, the plan you stated you are on is $24.99 and not $17. See for yourself. You have to click "See all plans" since they try to hide it:

https://www.blockbuster.com/signup/rp/regPlan

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd140/oldjadedgamer/blockbuster.jpg

well, to make it more confusing for you, some people still have the above plan for 17$. if they were members long enough, they got to keep the original plans with the free coupons and trades. Its all really confusing and makes little sense how they are choosing people to switch and which ones to stay the same. As your illustration pointed out, you can no longer get the old plans anymore without a high premium.

[oldjadedgamer]

well, to make it more confusing for you, some people still have the above plan for 17$. if they were members long enough, they got to keep the original plans with the free coupons and trades. Its all really confusing and makes little sense how they are choosing people to switch and which ones to stay the same. As your illustration pointed out, you can no longer get the old plans anymore without a high premium.

I thought the same thing and I was a member for months and months before they changed the plan over. One day, I got the email that they were changing my account over and I had the choice to pay more and just email them to tell them that or do nothing and they would automatically cancel my account for me.

I did nothing and they canceled the account for me. At that point, I switched to Netflix which was too bad since I really liked Blockbuster online but what I didn't like was the bait and switch of them offering me a service then removing it. It's not like it was some special introductory offer that I knew would change over time.

I asked a guy about it at my local store and he said that many times they will offer really good deals only to take them away and he hated it cause he's the one that has to deal with angry customers.

[Azrikam]

Hehe, to make things even worse for all you comparing BB online prices, the Bloomberg.com article posted a few pages back mentions that BB is planning on raising their online prices because they're not making enough from their subscribers.

[zrikz]

No one corrected me since I was right. Seems you are on some super special plan that no one else is. According to Blockbuster's own website, the plan you stated you are on is $24.99 and not $17. See for yourself. You have to click "See all plans" since they try to hide it:

https://www.blockbuster.com/signup/rp/regPlan



Yeah but everyone knows to search the internet for the "promotion code" =/ I did a 5 min search and got one for 17$ a month + some stuffs.

No its not a "normal" offer but it kinda is because the site I went to had like 20 different promo codes with the same offer or very similar.

Here ya go: the same exact deal I am getting.. very first search result on google: http://dealnews.com/online-stores/Blockbuster-com/1363/ search for "blockbuster online promotion code"

1 free month trial plus the deal listed below.

So while not listed, easy to obtain.

My plan:
Subscription Plan

* change
* cancel

Your current plan...

*
Rental Type:
BLOCKBUSTER Total Access Premium
*
Your Plan:
$17.99 / month (plus taxes)
3 at-a-time, unlimited mailings
unlimited in-store free movie/discounted game exchanges
+1 FREE bonus Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon / Month

[oldjadedgamer]

No its not a "normal" offer but it kinda is because the site I went to had like 20 different promo codes with the same offer or very similar.

Yeah, I used some of those same codes when I started too... then I got the email telling me to switch my account and pay more or terminate it.

As shown from the above link, you are an exception and not the norm. You are under a special promotion umbrella that I know from first hand experience won't be around for long.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

[Kefkataran]

How long have you had your account? I've had mine since early '05, so over 2 years now.

Ha, that's kind of funny. I subscribed in January of 2005, so about exactly the same amount of time.

[zrikz]

Yeah, I used some of those same codes when I started too... then I got the email telling me to switch my account and pay more or terminate it.

As shown from the above link, you are an exception and not the norm. You are under a special promotion umbrella that I know from first hand experience won't be around for long.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Will enjoy it while it lasts then, I guess! :) If they try to pull some kinda crap on me then Ill just cancel.

[soulcatcher76]

I thought the same thing and I was a member for months and months before they changed the plan over. One day, I got the email that they were changing my account over and I had the choice to pay more and just email them to tell them that or do nothing and they would automatically cancel my account for me.

I did nothing and they canceled the account for me. At that point, I switched to Netflix which was too bad since I really liked Blockbuster online but what I didn't like was the bait and switch of them offering me a service then removing it. It's not like it was some special introductory offer that I knew would change over time.

I asked a guy about it at my local store and he said that many times they will offer really good deals only to take them away and he hated it cause he's the one that has to deal with angry customers.


well, i feel for the guy behind the counter.. there is no rhyme or reason as to who gets dumped from the plan and who keeps it. the big reason for all the changes at the store level come from basic economics though. If you give the movies away for free, and then when the cash customer shows up, the get nothing and when they leave pissed, the store does not make money. It was a great deal, just very flawed from the get go. Blockbuster has done a lot to tick off everyone around not just the online crew...

[oldjadedgamer]

well, i feel for the guy behind the counter.. there is no rhyme or reason as to who gets dumped from the plan and who keeps it. the big reason for all the changes at the store level come from basic economics though. If you give the movies away for free, and then when the cash customer shows up, the get nothing and when they leave pissed, the store does not make money. It was a great deal, just very flawed from the get go. Blockbuster has done a lot to tick off everyone around not just the online crew...

Maybe I got flagged since I was renting and returning to the store a lot. I have a blockbuster walking distance from me and did the in store returns a lot, but screw them. They offered the feature and I used it.

lol, I'm probably saving them money by going to netflix.

[Banacek]

I just checked my details:


Rental Type: BLOCKBUSTER Total Access Premium

Your Plan:
$14.99 / month (plus taxes)
2 at-a-time, unlimited mailings
unlimited in-store free movie/discounted game exchanges
+1 FREE bonus Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon / Month

So I'm still on the old plan. Go me.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

You see, People go to Netflix, because Netflix has never treated them like a pile of shit. No one at Netflix ever rolled their eyes at me, or sighed when I asked them to check if a film was in stock. In fact, in many ways, the algorithms from the Netflix net code is a better person than any person who has worked at Blockbuster.
Laughing my ass off....
I have met with both good and bad Blockbuster employees in my day. I only go in now to see if they have any games on the cheap...thats it. I cant remeber the last time i actually rented a movie.

[Trazzlo the Magnificant]

I just checked my details:


Rental Type: BLOCKBUSTER Total Access Premium

Your Plan:
$14.99 / month (plus taxes)
2 at-a-time, unlimited mailings
unlimited in-store free movie/discounted game exchanges
+1 FREE bonus Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon / Month

So I'm still on the old plan. Go me.
Probably not for long though. Blockbuster lost 500,000 subscribers recently, they are looking at their war with Netflix as having been "overzealous", and are making steps to correct there previous errors. Part of that is a change in the way the plans will work, and migrating people to plans that are more restrictive and/or cost more money.

Details at Ars Technica (http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=174096756&m=748003748831 &r=748003748831).

[total]

Your current plan...

*
Rental Type:
BLOCKBUSTER Total Access Premium
*
Your Plan:
$17.99 / month (plus taxes)
3 at-a-time, unlimited mailings
unlimited in-store free movie/discounted game exchanges
+2 FREE bonus Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon / Month

Been the same since I started it. Well the in store rental thing was added later, but it didn't cost me anything.