Thursday, December 23, 2010

An Okay Blockbuster Experience

I've written a number of post over the past couple years either generally down on the relevance of Blockbuster Video or about their potential demise as a company.

But today I wanted to share a positive Blockbuster Video experience I had the other evening.

Having missed the movie The Town when it was in the theater, I was paying attention to it's DVD release date, especially since the film has been met with a little award season afterglow (top 10 list, Jeremy Renner nominations, etc.)

So, I braved my fears and went to Blockbuster to pay the irrelevant 4.99 rental cost. But the fact of the matter was this was were I could get the film. Not at a Redbox or the library, but at Blockbuster.

Additionally, I was surprised that they no longer had the "no late fee campaign" and instead had a much more logical 3 day rental window. They also had a new tiered rental plan that ranged from 99 cents to 4.99 for "just in" movies. This tiered strategy is not new, but I can appreciate the tiers, especially if it means blockbuster will have older movies available in stock for a low price for times you need to catch up on some older films or quickly get your hands on a favorite.

Although, it's my experience that where applicable, the local library is still the best place to get a film that's been out for a bit.

Finally, I was surprised at how many people were in line renting movies. Sure it's the holidays, but it was also a week night, and there was a line and people were getting movies.

Perhaps, somehow Blockbuster will find it's new niche in an age of Netflix, Red Box, Internet and on demand TV options.


Previous Blockbuster Video Related Posts:

1 comment:

crackers and cheese said...

I rented a Redbox movie last night, and talked with my friend about how I miss Blockbuster. Yes, it's over-priced and there are better options, but when you want a specific movie - now - there's no better place than Blockbuster. Though so many stores have closed and I'm not even sure where to find an open Blockbuster store, I hope they continue to exist because they do fill a void that Netflix and Redbox don't.

Hastings is also a good rental option in my town, but they don't have them anywhere.

We watched Robin Hood. Probably not what we would have rented if we had gone to Blockbuster, but it was the best of the Redbox selection and I did enjoy it.