Why is Blockbuster going bankrupt?

[nile455]

Well I know why. I just mean how?

And it's not just Blockbuster, it's the entire brick and mortar video store industry as we know it.

I can't be the only one who wants the movie "NOW". When I get an idea to watch a movie, I do not want to wait 2 days. I want to watch it now. Movie watching at home is usually done on a whim isn't it?

This rules out Netflix for me.

Also I rent primarily Blu-ray now, as I love the highest possible quality, so Netflix streaming services aren't an option as they are not providing that yet.

I can't be alone in these two needs: Have Blu-ray quality, and have it "now".

To my knowledge, Blockbuster and other brick/mortar stores are the only option for this. And they are going extinct. I wonder once they're gone, if our only option for blu-ray will be waiting 2 days, or hope the technology to stream 1080p gets here soon. I hear some companies are already doing it, but there are very few titles available, and those that are require huge bandwidth and stop/buffer during playback. That's no way to watch a movie.

 

[suzannen]

Well I know why. I just mean how?

And it's not just Blockbuster, it's the entire brick and mortar video store industry as we know it.

I can't be the only one who wants the movie "NOW". When I get an idea to watch a movie, I do not want to wait 2 days. I want to watch it now. Movie watching at home is usually done on a whim isn't it?

This rules out Netflix for me.

Also I rent primarily Blu-ray now, as I love the highest possible quality, so Netflix streaming services are not providing that yet.

I can't be alone in these two needs: Have Blu-ray quality, and have it "now".

To my knowledge, Blockbuster and other brick/mortar stores are the only option for this. And they are going extinct. I wonder once they're gone, if our only option for blu-ray will be waiting 2 days, or hope the technology to stream 1080p gets here soon. I hear some companies are already doing it, but there are very few titles available, and those that are require huge bandwidth and stop/buffer during playback. That's no way to watch a movie.

I want to watch them NOW also, which means I simply hit my TV Remote and watch it "On-Demand." The movies are available the same day the DVD's come out, but I don't have to go to the store to rent it or return it. I haven't rented a movie in a long time. Does you cable company not offer this option? I've also heard Netflix has an On-Demand option too, but I have no personal information on that.

 

[Mermaid02]

I think NetFlix is a big reason- I think most folks don't mind a short wait, knowing they can keep the movie as long as they like. Plus they have TONS of titles, old and new!

RedBox is another reason- it's only $1 for the night so if you want it NOW you can watch it now and only pay a buck. Return it to ANY RedBox!

Pay per view on cable. You can watch the movie immediately and the fee is added right to your cable bill.

Buying movies- DVD's really arent' that expensive anymore. Some folks just buy them outright.

 

[Jennasis]

Red Box

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

they screwed themselves: the utmost in crappy customer service and "nickel and dime-ing"(to out right ripping off) their customers.

I love Netflix, but then again I don't have to have BluRay and I don't mind a two day turn around.

Netflix does it better - and then add to that Redbox.

 

[MickeySP]

Netflix through devices - Wii etc...........

On-Demand, no returns to worry about

 

[zscfan]

It's all about expenses--most people don't mind if it isn't the best digital quality as long as they can save a few bucks. We get Netflix streaming for $9 a month, unlimited movies and tv shows. I used to rent at Blockbuster for a few days for $4 or $5 a movie. Plus having to bring the movies back on time or else incur late fees.

Also, a lot of people I know are cancelling their cable/satellite service because of the expense. They are using Netflix as a cheaper entertainment option.

Sure, Netflix doesn't always have the movies I want, but I am willing to put up with it for the savings.

 

[LuvLDM]

they screwed themselves: the utmost in crappy customer service and "nickel and dime-ing"(to out right ripping off) their customers.

I love Netflix, but then again I don't have to have BluRay and I don't mind a two day turn around.

Yeah, this about sums up my feelings on the subject

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I bet I haven't been to a brick and mortar video store since 2000. We buy movies that we know we will want to watch a lot, we use Netflix for new releases, we have a giant queue of Netflix on Demand movies, and we can do pay per view anytime we want.

I don't miss the video store at all. With the very rare exception of a new release that isn't on PPV, I can be immediately gratified without leaving home. And on the plus side, I don't have to touch a movie that has been handled by tons of other people (gross).

I guess I am on the other end of the spectrum - I don't understand why there are still cars parked outside of Blockbuster.

 

[msjprincess]

Netflix, On Demand, Redbox

 

[Frantasmic]

they screwed themselves: the utmost in crappy customer service and "nickel and dime-ing"(to out right ripping off) their customers.

I agree.

They bought out all the competition in my area back in the late 90s and then started charging $5 for 3 days and another $5 if you were late.

An accidentally late DVD ended up costing you about half what a purchased one was.

Netflix helped send Blockbuster to the edge with their pricing and early realization of the power of at home delivery. Redbox and other kiosk services kicked them over the cliff.

 

[nile455]

Again, correct me if I am wrong, On-Demand does not provide 1080p yet, or it's extremely limited.

This is important, as our home theater is a 1080p projector on a 120" screen.

 

[wgwtgb]

they screwed themselves: the utmost in crappy customer service and "nickel and dime-ing"(to out right ripping off) their customers.

I love Netflix, but then again I don't have to have BluRay and I don't mind a two day turn around.

Netflix does it better - and then add to that Redbox.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[scrapquitler]

We watch a lot of 'on a whim' stuff on Netflix via streaming. If what we want to watch isn't on streaming, then we grab it from Redbox. And for a lot lower price than we ever paid with Blockbuster.

Redbox has been adding a lot of BlueRay lately, though we don't do Blue Ray.

And I think that BlockBusters MAIN problems were 1. PRICE (almost $5 for a one night rental) and more importantly, LOUSY customer service. Several times I brought movies back and they didn't check them in, resulting in late fees for me that were unwarranted. And they were rude about it on top of it all.

Anytime I've ever had an issue with Redbox or Netflix and had to call their customer service, they were very professional, friendly and solved my problem quickly for me.

 

[golfgal]

In the past 5 years DH and I have rented ONE movie. DD has rented 2 movies from Redbox. We either watch on demand movies or now we have Netflix and watch those-no worries about "late fees", etc. and the convenience of having them delivered to your door. We actually watch the streamed movies more than the actual DVD's. They could get rid of the DVD's and stream everything and I would be a happy camper.

 

[Mermaid02]

Again, correct me if I am wrong, On-Demand does not provide 1080p yet, or it's extremely limited.

This is important, as our home theater is a 1080p projector on a 120" screen.

I guess most of us don't care about that.

 

[Colleen27]

Coverage is factor, I think - for a long time there was a video store practically on every corner in suburbia, but none out here in Small Town USA. There were, at the peak of brick & mortar rental places, 6 different locations within 2 miles of my mother's house, but only one small independant place with a so-so selection in the town we live in. Blockbuster just kept building in suburbia and ignoring the opportunities out here. They'd have done better, particularly when Netflix came on the scene, to look at places where technology is slower to catch on and there is less competition. We lived our first few years out here on dialup because there was no broadband available, and in parts of our area that's still true. Netflix isn't a thrilling option when you can't use the streaming and you have to use dialup to edit your queue! But there isn't a Blockbuster within 20 miles.

Also, and this might be store-specific, I've never been impressed with Blockbuster's selection. They're great if you want to rent the latest hit comedy, but not so much if you're interested in older, obscure, or arty movies. I swear the one my brother goes to has a whole Will Farrell department but they never seem to have the indie/artsy movies I recommend to my mom, so she ended up subscribing to Netflix for the better selection even though Blockbuster is just down the road.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I agree that Blockbuster did it to themselves. I remember when they first came on the scene and they seemed to be the perfect answer to my movie addiction. Then once they came to dominate the industry in the 1980's they started to play games with their ever changing rental terms and the time I had to watch became harder and harder to understand. At the same time their late fees ect started to jump all over the place. I remember bringing in a few movies at a time i didn't understand were late and leaving with a $30 bill.

Years passed and I got a bunch of free coupons in the mail with a notice about why it happened. Blockbuster lost a gigantic Class Action Lawsuit not too long ago which made many of their former business practices illegal for a while. I'm sure this tore a pretty big hole in their ability to function properly. For a long time they couldn't charge any fees for late rentals and that must have really hurt their bottom line. Still, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I felt a certain zing of happy that someone got them for it, because of how they operated way back when I don't feel the slightest bit bad for the organization. Sure I feel for the people who might lose jobs but the company itself has been on my you-know-what list for a long time. I'm all about Netflix now and if I can't wait I can do Redbox or In Demand.

I have a really long memory for anyone and anything that crosses me, I guess that makes me big businesses worst sort of consumer

 

[Disney-Kim]

We have not rented a movie from a store in years. We moved on to Netflix...then we found the best thing ever...Apple Tv....

Apple tv has been out for years and we just got OnDemand last year thru our cable. We have been downloading our rentals for years.

I thought that Blockbuster was heavily in debt or something....but I agree that brick/mortar stores are being pushed out by other venues

 

[mamacatnv]

And I think that BlockBusters MAIN problems were 1. PRICE (almost $5 for a one night rental) and more importantly, LOUSY customer service. Several times I brought movies back and they didn't check them in, resulting in late fees for me that were unwarranted. And they were rude about it on top of it all.

They did that to me too several years ago and I would not use them for years. When they went back to no late fee's we returned. Now they have shortened up the rental period and brought back the late fee's and we are done.

We tried Netflix a couple of years ago but we too want it now and with a 4 person household it was tricky to keep everyone happy.

I just discovered RedBox. Last weekend DH and DD wanted to see IronMan2 - our Blockbuster "had 150 copies but they were all checked out, come back in a couple of days" I got online, checked the status of the movie at the closest RedBox, it was available and we all watched it that evening. I'm hooked.....